Humanities Courses

An overview of modern Chinese history, including the fall of the Qing and the end of imperial China.

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

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

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

Learn how businesses thrive and grow while simultaneously solving some of the world's biggest challenges in this course from Harvard Business School (HBS) Online.

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

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.

Led by Harvard Instructors and historians, you will discover China’s return to power through political, social, and economic growth in relation to other countries.

Learn about Beethoven’s monumental 9th Symphony and forms of orchestral music.

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

An exploration of the magnetic and ambivalent character of Shylock in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

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.

Explore China’s imperial period, with a focus on the Song dynasty and the role of the exam system in government.

Learn about Christianity through a study of its sacred scriptures. We will explore how diverse Christians have interpreted these writings and practiced their teachings over a 2000 year, global history.

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

Learn how to better understand the rich and complex ways that religions function in historic and contemporary contexts.

Explore the archaeology, history, art, and hieroglyphs surrounding the famous Egyptian Pyramids at Giza. Learn about Old Kingdom pharaohs and elites, tombs, temples, the Sphinx, and how new technology is unlocking their secrets.

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.

Explore what makes cities energizing, amazing, challenging, and perhaps humanity’s greatest invention.

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

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

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