Free Humanities Courses

Learn about the key beliefs and practices of Judaism through an examination of its sacred texts and their interpretation.

Combine literary research with data science to find answers in unexpected ways. Learn basic coding tools to help save time and draw insights from thousands of digital documents at once.

Learn how the Manchus conquered the Qing and established the last of the imperial dynasties.

Develop skills in digital research and visualization techniques across subjects and fields within the humanities.

Learn about the rich diversity of Hindu sacred texts – hymns, narratives, philosophical thought – and their interpretations.

Explore the Maoist period of China, from the Communist Party to the death of Mao and the reopening of China.

An introduction to the study of bioethics and the application of legal and ethical reasoning.

Examine how cultures of the ancient world defined themselves through literature and how their vision of literature contributes to our understanding of civilization, culture, and literature today.

An overview of divination systems, ranging from ancient Chinese bone burning to modern astrology.

Embark on a global journey to explore the past, present, and future of world literature.

Explore the birth of modern China with a focus on the time between the fall of the Qing and the end of World War II.

Learn how American women created, confronted, and embraced change in the 20th century while exploring ten objects from Radcliffe’s Schlesinger Library.

Learn about Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, an iconic Romantic symphony that ushered in an era of narrative “program music.”

Learn about Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, one of the first operas ever written.

Learn about the Quran, the central sacred text of Islam, through an exploration of the rich diversity of roles and interpretations in Muslim societies.

Learn about the rich and diverse beliefs and practices of Buddhists across time and place. Experience Buddhism through its scriptures, both relationally as well as academically.

Explore acts of storytelling in Shakespeare’s Othello alongside world-class artists who interpret Othello’s story in new forms and contexts today.

Learn about the forces in American politics that seek to influence the electorate and shift the political landscape.

Join Harvard faculty in this online course to discover the physical history of the Jewish bible.

Examine how great modern writers capture the intricacies of our globalized world and how their works circulate within that world to find their own audiences.

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets.

Gain an understanding of history, museum studies, and curation by looking at, organizing, and interpreting art, artifacts, scientific curiosities, and the stuff of everyday life.

Reimagine global health problems with some of the leading global health thinkers and actors through a case-based biosocial framework.

Use the case study method to study China from the rise of Deng Xiaoping to the present.

Explore the underlying structures of everyday arguments and develop the tools to communicate effectively.

Learn about the forces in American politics that seek to influence the electorate and shift the political landscape.

Learn the fascinating history of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, one of the most challenging and rewarding ballets ever written.

Explore the impact of the conquest dynasties and the world of the Ming.

Discover Handel’s Messiah in this installment of First Nights, which will explore five masterpieces of western music.

Learn about the Qin and Han dynasties, and how Buddhism and ideas of self-realization influenced the medieval period.