Online courses directory (10358)

Very often we see, hear or experience things that seem "strange" and incomprehensible to us. We start to wonder about the world around us, asking questions like: “How do certain people become billionaires when others are homeless? Why do humans worship Gods or form families? What makes killing in war acceptable but not in any other situation?”

If you have ever wondered about these issues and/or other, you aren’t alone. Similar questions have been asked since the beginning of history, and searching for objective answers using scientific research is the goal of sociology. 

This course is designed to look critically and analytically through different sociological perspectives, including the functionalist, interactionist, conflict and feminist, to help us realize the extent to which society guides our thoughts and actions. The course material provides a fresh, new look at societies and cultures—more objective, full of inquiry and analysis, striving towards social justice and change. Sociology urges us to draw connections between public issues and personal problems, to see the strange as familiar and the familiar as strange, and to examine biography in a historical and social context.

Issues of inequalities, social class, race, sexual orientation, disability, age and gender are critically examined within a global perspective in this course. You do not need any prior knowledge of sociological theories or methods to take this class.  Bring your life experiences and knowledge, and see how the Sociological Imagination will allow you to dispel cultural myths and reframe reality.

This course will cover topics found on the CLEP Sociology exam.

This course is about the fundamental concepts of sociology; foundations of group life; social change, processes, and problems. This class describes the discipline of sociology—the study of social life. It is a fundamental social science (in good company with Economics, Psychology, History, Anthropology, Communication, and Political Science). What is interesting about sociology is that it actually tackles fundamental questions in each of these sub-disciplines. You might even call it the “father” of the social sciences. That said, it is a pretty new discipline (younger than our country). Still, we have done a lot in just a very short time. It is very likely that you have heard of some of its early founders—the most famous is Karl Marx but others include Max Weber and Emile Durkheim.

This course is about the fundamental concepts of sociology; foundations of group life; social change, processes, and problems. This class describes the discipline of sociology—the study of social life. It is a fundamental social science (in good company with Economics, Psychology, History, Anthroplogy, Communication, and Political Science). What is interesting about sociology is that it actually tackles fundamental questions in each of these sub-disciplines. You might even call it the “father” of the social sciences. That said, it is a pretty new discipline (younger than our country). Still, we have done a lot in just a very short time. It is very likely that you have heard of some of its early founders—the most famous is Karl Marx but others include Max Weber and Emile Durkheim.

This course is about the fundamental concepts of sociology; foundations of group life; social change, processes, and problems. This class describes the discipline of sociology—the study of social life. It is a fundamental social science (in good company with Economics, Psychology, History, Anthroplogy, Communication, and Political Science). What is interesting about sociology is that it actually tackles fundamental questions in each of these sub-disciplines. You might even call it the “father” of the social sciences. That said, it is a pretty new discipline (younger than our country). Still, we have done a lot in just a very short time. It is very likely that you have heard of some of its early founders—the most famous is Karl Marx but others include Max Weber and Emile Durkheim.

The free online course Introduction to Sociology and Social Life is the first in a series of four courses that describes in detail the concepts of societies and cultures, and the types of processes that produce them. The course introduces you to sociology by giving an overview of the three main theories - Structural-Functionalism, Conflict Theory and Symbolic Interactionism. It then covers the history of how sociology evolved from from its founding by Auguste Comte in the nineteenth century right through to the modern theorists. The course reviews social inequality, its causes and impacts, the way people are socialized and how different cultural socialization can cause social division. It also reviews why groups form and how they function. You will learn more about culture and how it is defined, its mores and norms, what differentiates cultures and what is common to all cultures. You will also learn how population and the environment are linked and the impact this can have on society. This course will be of great interest to professionals working in areas as diverse as medicine, politics, law, urban organization and marketing, and any learner who would like to know more about how cultures and societies evolve and change.<br />

In the free online course Introduction to Software Testing you will learn about the principles of testing software and the methodologies involved in testing. <br /><br />The course begins by introducing you to the principles behind testing software and why you should test software. You will learn about the process involved in testing and when to begin testing in the software development life cycle. The course will introduce you to the verification and validation processes of testing, and you will learn about the different testing levels and what they test.<br /><br />Next, the course teaches you about the pesticide paradox when testing software. You will learn about the software development life cycle V-model and its strengths and weaknesses. You will also learn about the fault model and how it outlines the types of faults in a program. You will then be introduced to test cases, and the design, planning and strategies for using a test case. You will learn about unit testing and what parts of the program it tests.<br /><br />This free Alison course will be of great interest to programmers and IT developers who are interested in learning more about software testing methodologies and removing bugs from their programs.<br /><br />Prerequisites: The learner should understand programming concepts, and an understanding of the software development life cycle would also be of benefit. <br />

In this introductory 4-credit hour lecture and laboratory course, we will explore the origins, structure, contents, and evolution of our solar system and exosolar planetary systems. We will cover the history of astronomy, properties of light, instruments, the study of the solar system and nearby stars.

Throughout the course, we will learn about the Discovery Channel Telescope, the Lowell Observatory, the Challenger Space Center, and Meteor Crater, the world’s best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth. We will also get a chance to virtually walk through the Lunar Exploration Museum and Arizona State University’s Moeur Building, home of the Mars Space Flight Facility where ASU scientists and researchers are using spacecraft instruments on Mars to explore the geology and mineralogy of the red planet.

This course satisfies the Natural Science — Quantitative (SQ) general studies requirement at Arizona State University. Introduction to Astronomy may satisfy a general education requirement at other institutions; however, it is strongly encouraged that you consult with your institution of choice to determine how these credits will be applied to their degree requirements prior to transferring the credit.

This first-year University chemistry course explores the basic principles of the chemical bond by studying the properties of solids. Properties such as stiffness, electrical conductivity, thermal expansion, strength, and optical properties are the vehicle by which you can learn a great deal of practical chemistry. 

You will see how experts use their knowledge of trends in the periodic table to predict the properties of materials. 3.091x is an engineering course so there is an emphasis on applications and how materials are used. The on-campus version of the course has been taught for over forty years and is one of the largest classes at MIT.

This course will cover the relationship between electronic structure, chemical bonding, and atomic order, and characterization of atomic arrangements in crystalline and amorphous solids: metals, ceramics, semiconductors, and polymers (including proteins). There will be topical coverage of organic chemistry, solution chemistry, acid-base equilibria, electrochemistry, biochemistry, chemical kinetics, diffusion, and phase diagrams. Examples will be drawn from industrial practice (including the environmental impact of chemical processes), from energy generation and storage (e.g., batteries and fuel cells), and from emerging technologies (e.g., photonic and biomedical devices). 

This course explores the basic principles of chemistry and their application to engineering systems. It deals with the r

Introduction to Solid State Chemistry is a first-year single-semester college course on the principles of chemistry. This unique and popular course satisfies MIT's general chemistry degree requirement, with an emphasis on solid-state materials and their application to engineering systems.

Course Format

This course has been designed for independent study. It provides everything you will need to understand the concepts covered in the course. The materials include:

• A complete set of Lecture Videos by Prof. Sadoway.
• Detailed Course Notes for most video sessions, plus readings in several suggested textbooks.
• Homework problems with solution keys, to further develop your understanding.
• For Further Study collections of links to supplemental online content.
• Self-Assessment pages containing quiz and exam problems to assess your mastery, and Help Session Videos in which teaching assistants take you step-by-step through exam problem solutions.

About OCW Scholar

OCW Scholar courses are designed specifically for OCW’s single largest audience: independent learners. These courses are substantially more complete than typical OCW courses, and include new custom-created content as well as materials repurposed from previously published courses. Learn more about OCW Scholar.

Introduction to Sound and Acoustic Sketching will offer tools and practices  to inspire students to approach sound and acoustics as elements in the sketching stage of a design project.

The course provides students with foundational knowledge and practical tools to analyze and use soundscapes and acoustic impulse responses in projects. In addition, a basic taxonomy of sound terms will be introduced, allowing students to develop a language for communicating and establishing dialogues about sound with all stakeholders in an audiovisual project. The practical component of the course is anchored in exercises that allow students to experiment and assimilate the different aspects of sound and acoustic sketching, namely:

• Sound Walks – Students practice “deep listening”, “sound scripting” and sound recording;

• Sound Browsing and Retrieving – Students learn how to obtain free sounds (using the Free Online Sound Repository Freesound.com) and build up a scripted inventory in the process of sound design;

• Sound Editing – Students learn how to produce a creative sound montage based on their acoustic memory and a sound design script, using the free multi-platform sound editing software Audacity;

• Critical Sound Review – By comparing the sound sketch produced in this exercise with the actual recording of the sound walk, students can develop critical insights about the their conceptual perception and representation of an acoustic phenomena, in comparison with the factual recording of the same event;

• Acoustic Mapping by Impulse Response – Students learn how to record an acoustic impulse response from a physical space;

• Acoustic Imprinting by Convolution – Students learn how to imprint a pre-recorded acoustic response in an original audio content, producing an acoustic simulation for an architectural space, using free multi-platform sound programing environment Pure Data/Chuck.

Upon the completion of these exercises, students will produce two sound sketches: designing a soundscape based on their recollection of sound events, and simulating an acoustic space, based on analogous impulse responses from similar spaces.

Furthermore, students will gain introductory experience using the using the free online sound repository Freesound.com, the free multi-platform sound editing software Audacity and the free multi-platform sound programing environment Pure Data (or Chuck).

Introduction to Spanish is a free online language course that will take you through the basics of saying hello and goodbye, please and thanks, introducing yourself as well as how to count and use dates. You will also learn about the Spanish alphabet and pronunciation and gain a basic understanding of Spanish grammar and verbs. Additional examples are accessible within the course as well as more information on grammar, verbs and vocabulary. Words and phrases are presented as text, with both Spanish and English visible to aid learning. Audio is also used throughout the course and in the assessment. You will also learn how to type Spanish accented letters on your computer. This free online Spanish language course will be of great interest to anybody wanting to travel to Spain, either as a tourist or for business, business people who have regular contact with Spanish colleagues and for any learner who has an interest in speaking or reading Spanish.<br />

This course has several purposes. The major concern will be the examination of Spanish culture including Spain's history, architecture, art, literature and film, to determine if there is a uniquely Spanish manner of seeing and understanding the world - one which emerges as clearly distinct from our own and that of other Western European nations.

This course has several purposes. The major concern will be the examination of Spanish culture including Spain's history, architecture, art, literature and film, to determine if there is a uniquely Spanish manner of seeing and understanding the world - one which emerges as clearly distinct from our own and that of other Western European nations.

This course introduces the basic ideas and equations of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. If you have hoped to understand the physics of Lorentz contraction, time dilation, the "twin paradox", and E=mc², you're in the right place.

Acknowledgements

Prof. Knuteson wishes to acknowledge that this course was originally designed and taught by Prof. Robert Jaffe.

Learn to program with Sprite Kit, Apple's 2d game engine for iOS7. Create incredible games with code already in Xcode 5.

How to use Staffing Firms to save time, save money and focus on YOUR business!

Offered in the spring and fall terms, Introduction to Stagecraft is a hands-on course that gets students working with the tools and techniques of theatrical production in a practical way. It is not a design course but one devoted to artisanship. Among the many remarkable final projects that have been proposed and presented at the end of the course have been a Renaissance hourglass blown in the MIT glass shop and set into a frame turned on our set shop lathe; a four harness loom built by a student who then wove cloth on it; a number of chain mail tunics and coifs; a wide variety of costume and furniture pieces and electrified period lighting fixtures.

The "sense-and-correct" nature of feedback controllers make them an appealing choice for systems whose actuators, or environments, are highly variable. If the system also requires high performance (e.g. an industrial robot, a car, or an aircraft), the usual approach is to use a state-space feedback controller derived from a physics-based model. And when performance is less critical (e.g. for toys and appliances), the traditional choice has been to tune a low-cost proportional-derivative-integral (PID) controller.

Over the last few years, much has changed. The dramatic decline in the cost of accurate sensors and fast microcontrollers have made state-space controllers practical even for inexpensive toys. In addition, modeling approaches have become far more reliant on measurement and computation rather than physics and analysis. In this course, we examine the theory and application of this arc of alternatives to control, starting with PID, then moving to physical-modeling and state-space, and ending with state-space using measurement-based modeling. In each case, you will design and test controllers with your own copter-levitated arm, to solidify your understanding and to gain insight in to the practical issues.

PLEASE NOTE: This is intended to be an advanced course and students should have a background in linear algebra and differential equations, as well as some experience with control systems. IN ADDITION: THIS IS A BETA COURSE, THINGS WILL GO WRONG. We are testing a new type of on-line class, one where students use advanced concepts to design and then examine performance results on their own hardware. There will be difficulties, and we will be updating content and focus in response to student input.

This data course is a primer to statistical genetics and covers an approach called linkage disequilibrium mapping, which analyzes non-familial data and has been successfully used to identify genetic variants associated with common and complex genetic traits.

We hope many students find this introductory course interesting and are motivated to study further topics in statistical genetics to understand biological variation from statistical standpoints.

Previous knowledge of molecular genetics and basic statistical concepts, such as statistical tests and estimation, is required. Basic knowledge on genetic variations is offered at the start of the course.