Free Humanities Courses

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

Learn how early American politics informed the U.S. Constitution and why its promise of liberty and equality has yet to be fully realized.

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

Explore the ethical controversies of financial markets.

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

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

This course examines the Sikh scripture from a doctrinal and historical perspective by providing an overview of Sikh teachings as well as the historical context within which the scripture evolved and became canonized.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

An exploration of the haunting figure at the heart of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays.

This introduction to moral and political philosophy is one of the most popular courses taught at Harvard College.

Gain critical communication skills in writing and public speaking with this introduction to American political rhetoric.

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

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

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

Traces Albert Einstein’s engagement with relativity, quantum mechanics, Nazism, nuclear weapons, philosophy, the arts, and technology.

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

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

Why should we care about Confucius? Explore ancient Chinese philosophy, ethics, and political theory to challenge your assumptions of what it means to be happy, live a meaningful life, and change the world.

Learn about China’s origins, its integral early thinkers, and competing states and schools of thought.

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 in-depth look at the 1854 London cholera epidemic in Soho and its importance for the field of epidemiology.

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

Explore the reunification of China under the Tang with a focus on aristocratic culture — from poetry to calligraphy to literature.