Online courses directory (32)

Please note that this course is self-paced and you can enroll at any time. The course will take 6 weeks to complete. 

This course is presented in English with limited video subtitles in Chinese.

Modern China presents a dual image: a society transforming itself through economic development and infrastructure investment that aspires to global leadership; and the world's largest and oldest bureaucratic state, with multiple traditions in its cultural, economic, and political life. The modern society and state that is emerging in China bears the indelible imprint of China's historical experience, of its patterns of philosophy and religion, and of its social and political thought. These themes are discussed in order to understand China in the twenty-first century and as a great world civilization that developed along lines different from those of the Mediterranean. ChinaX introduces new features to make the riches of Harvard's visual collections and the expertise of its faculty more accessible to learners worldwide. We will engage intellectual and religious trends, material and political culture, the local diversity and the national unity, art and literature, and China’s economic and political transformation— past, present and future.

This is the second of ten ChinaX "Mini-Courses" that collectively span over 6,000 years of history. Each Mini-Course consists of 4 to 8 weekly "modules," each with videos, readings, interactive engagements, assessments, and discussion forums.

HarvardX pursues the science of learning. By registering as an online learner in an HX course, you will also participate in research about learning. Read our research statement to learn more.

Develop your understanding of Muslims and their faith through an exploration of communities in Britain.

Learn about the key issues and the campaigns for Scotland's 2014 independence referendum with the help of Edinburgh University.

An introduction to basic techniques of constitutional interpretation.

This course is a short introduction to the rich and distinctive world of Australian literature, a world of ancient and modern forms of writing about a vast and varied continent. Explore the work of writers who have responded imaginatively to the unique landscapes of Australia and to its remarkable human history.

For approximately 20 centuries, the Italian peninsula has been home to Jewish communities, yet the modern nation of Italy was only founded in 1861. This course will examine both of these terms, exploring how a minority community defined itself and was defined by its neighbors, from approximately 70 C.E to the present. The long relationship between Jewish and non-Jewish communities on the Italian peninsula will be illustrated using a variety of sources, including architecture, art, Judaica, tombstones, rituals, literature, cuisine, and cinema. This course aims to deepen your understanding of a rich cultural tradition-- that of Italian Judaism.

Asia in the Modern World: Images and Representations examines visual representations of Asia, interpreting them from both historical and modern contexts. This course is based around using the Visualizing Cultures website. Case studies focus on Japan and China from the mid-19^th to the mid-20^th centuries.

An introductory yet trenchant exploration of select Chinese classic texts that cover the domains of classical literature, history, philosophy, and fine arts.

This course studies the transformation of childhood and youth since the 18th century in France, as well as the development of sentimentality within the family in a francophone context. Students will examine the personification of children, both as a source of inspiration for artistic creation and a political ideal aimed at protecting future generations, and consider various representations of childhood and youth in literature (e.g., Pagnol, Proust, Sarraute, Lave, Morgievre), movies (e.g., Truffaut), and songs (e.g., Brel, Barbara). This course is taught entirely in French.

Students in this course will examine short stories and short novels published in France during the past 20 years, with emphasis on texts related to the dominant social and cultural trends. Themes include the legacy of France's colonial experience, the re-examination of its wartime past, memory and the Holocaust, the specter of AIDS, changing gender relationships, new families, the quest for personal identity, and immigration narratives. This course is taught in French.

This seminar considers "difference" and "sameness" as they have been conceived, experienced, and regulated by peoples of the Middle East, with a focus on the 19^th and 20^th centuries. The first half discusses the Ottoman Empire by exploring how this multiethnic, polyglot empire survived for several relatively peaceful centuries and what happened when its formula for existence was challenged by politics based on mono-ethnic states. The second half of the course focuses on post-Ottoman nation-states, such as Turkey and Egypt, and Western-mandated Arab states, such as Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq. Finally, the course concludes with a case analysis of Israel.