Courses tagged with "Business" (1739)

If you’re interested in data analysis and interpretation, then this is the data science course for you. We start by learning the mathematical definition of distance and use this to motivate the use of the singular value decomposition (SVD) for dimension reduction and multi-dimensional scaling and its connection to principle component analysis. We will learn about the batch effect: the most challenging data analytical problem in genomics today and describe how the techniques can be used to detect and adjust for batch effects. Specifically, we will describe the principal component analysis and factor analysis and demonstrate how these concepts are applied to data visualization and data analysis of high-throughput experimental data.

Finally, we give a brief introduction to machine learning and apply it to high-throughput data. We describe the general idea behind clustering analysis and descript K-means and hierarchical clustering and demonstrate how these are used in genomics and describe prediction algorithms such as k-nearest neighbors along with the concepts of training sets, test sets, error rates and cross-validation.

Given the diversity in educational background of our students we have divided the series into seven parts. You can take the entire series or individual courses that interest you. If you are a statistician you should consider skipping the first two or three courses, similarly, if you are biologists you should consider skipping some of the introductory biology lectures. Note that the statistics and programming aspects of the class ramp up in difficulty relatively quickly across the first three courses. By the third course will be teaching advanced statistical concepts such as hierarchical models and by the fourth advanced software engineering skills, such as parallel computing and reproducible research concepts.

These courses make up 2 XSeries and are self-paced:

PH525.1x: Statistics and R for the Life Sciences

PH525.2x: Introduction to Linear Models and Matrix Algebra

PH525.3x: Statistical Inference and Modeling for High-throughput Experiments

PH525.4x: High-Dimensional Data Analysis

PH525.5x: Introduction to Bioconductor: annotation and analysis of genomes and genomic assays 

PH525.6x: High-performance computing for reproducible genomics

PH525.7x: Case studies in functional genomics

If you’re interested in data analysis and interpretation, then this is the data science course for you.

Enhanced throughput: Almost all recently manufactured laptops and desktops include multiple core CPUs. With R, it is very easy to obtain faster turnaround times for analyses by distributing tasks among the cores for concurrent execution. We will discuss how to use Bioconductor to simplify parallel computing for efficient, fault-tolerant, and reproducible high-performance analyses. This will be illustrated with common multicore architectures and Amazon’s EC2 infrastructure.  

Enhanced interactivity: New approaches to programming with R and Bioconductor allow researchers to use the web browser as a highly dynamic interface for data interrogation and visualization. We will discuss how to create interactive reports that enable us to move beyond static tables and one-off graphics so that our analysis outputs can be transformed and explored in real time.

Enhanced reproducibility: New methods of virtualization of software environments, exemplified by the Docker ecosystem, are useful for achieving reproducible distributed analyses. The Docker Hub includes a considerable number of container images useful for important Bioconductor-based workflows, and we will illustrate how to use and extend these for sharable and reproducible analysis.

Given the diversity in educational background of our students we have divided the series into seven parts. You can take the entire series or individual courses that interest you. If you are a statistician you should consider skipping the first two or three courses, similarly, if you are biologists you should consider skipping some of the introductory biology lectures. Note that the statistics and programming aspects of the class ramp up in difficulty relatively quickly across the first three courses. By the third course will be teaching advanced statistical concepts such as hierarchical models and by the fourth advanced software engineering skills, such as parallel computing and reproducible research concepts.

These courses make up 2 XSeries and are self-paced:

PH525.1x: Statistics and R for the Life Sciences

PH525.2x: Introduction to Linear Models and Matrix Algebra

PH525.3x: Statistical Inference and Modeling for High-throughput Experiments

PH525.4x: High-Dimensional Data Analysis

PH525.5x: Introduction to Bioconductor: annotation and analysis of genomes and genomic assays 

PH525.6x: High-performance computing for reproducible genomics

PH525.7x: Case studies in functional genomics

Ever wondered about the sacred scriptures that have sustained for millennia one of the oldest and most diverse religions of the world - Hinduism? Want to discover the lessons this history may offer mankind in the 21st century?

This religion course introduces the rich and diverse textual sources from which millions of Hindus have drawn religious inspiration for millennia. The Bhagavad Gita has offered philosophical insights to a number of modern thinkers. This course will introduce important passages from important Hindu sacred texts, their interpretations by moderns and will give you an opportunity to engage with them.

This course in part of the World Religions Through Their Scripture XSeries Program.

A House Divided: The Road to Civil War — Discover how the issue of slavery came to dominate American politics, and how political leaders struggled and failed to resolve the growing crisis in the nation.

Chinese archaeology is one of the fastest-growing and most exciting fields of study in China. With a wealth of cultural relics unearthed this past century, the world’s fascination with China’s rich history has been renewed. This course will examine the unique cultural relics identified by scholars as important to Chinese civilization. We will focus on the fields of agriculture, astronomy, music, metallurgy, textiles, architecture, painted pottery, jade articles, bronze ware, shipbuilding and acupuncture. We will ignite your curiosity as we explore how these treasures reveal China’s past, and guide the future of Chinese culture.

考古学在中国是发展最快且最令人兴奋的研究领域之一。在上个世纪，中国凭借丰富的文物出土，让世界在此沉迷在其悠久的历史之中。本课程将探讨被学者认定为对中国文明有着重要意义的独特文物。我们将专注于农业、天文、音乐、冶金、纺织、建筑、彩陶、玉器、青铜器、造船和针灸等领域。通过探索这些珍品是如何揭示中国的过去，并引导中国文化的未来，我们将点燃你的好奇心。

FAQ

I don’t speak Chinese, can I learn the course? 

Only the spoken language is Chinese. All the other materials are in English. There are many ways of learning this wonderful course for learners without Chinese background.

• Use the English subtitles, which are provided with the video player of the course webpage.
• Download the mp4 files and subtitles and use your favorite video player to watch the video.
• Download the dubbing mp3 files. When playing the video in the course webpage, turn off the volume in the video player of the course webpage and play the mp3 files with your favorite player at the same time with proper volume. The dubbing mp3 files are synchronized with the mp4 files. It’s almost the same feeling watching a foreign movie with the English dubbing.

Course videos are presented in Mandarin with English subtitles.

China's architectural history spans thousands of years. In this course, we will explore the ancient cities of Chang'an of Han, Luoyang of Northern Wei, Chang'an and Luoyang of Sui and Tang, Kaifeng of Song and Dadu of Yuan, and delve into the history of the awe-inspiring ancient buildings that still grace the landscape of these bustling cities. The course will cover construction and aesthetics of these imperial palaces, religious structures, pagodas, tombs and gardens. We will study the basis of Chinese architecture, the wood framed building, as well as the brick and stone construction of many Buddhist pagodas and tombs. The course will culminate in an examination of the Summer Palace in Beijing, the ancient royal garden at the Chengde Mountain Resort, and the private gardens of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Two seminal textbooks on the Song and Qing dynasties are included in the course in electronic form.

关于本课程

数千年的中国历史上，曾出现了很多伟大的城市，汉长安、北魏洛阳、隋唐长安和洛阳、北宋开封、元大都，都是当时世界上最繁华的大都市。这些城市虽已星光黯淡，却留下了一座座优美壮丽的建筑杰作，令人叹为观止。中国的宫殿、宗教建筑、佛塔、陵寝和园林等建筑类型，无论建造技术还是美学追求，都达到了很高的水平。中国古代的建筑有着自成体系的一套营造方法，以木结构为主，也有不少砖石结构的佛塔和陵寝。历史上建造了大量宫殿建筑，北京故宫是现存世界上最大宫殿建筑群。自南北朝至唐，出现了大批佛教寺院与石窟寺。南北朝以来各地建造的砖石塔，也使中国砖石建筑达到很高水平。唐、辽、宋、金时期留下了一大批宗教建筑遗存，包括大型殿堂，多层楼阁，与高度达67米的高层木塔。明清时期坛壝、祠庙、陵墓与民居，有了高度发展，北京天坛，曲阜孔庙、明十三陵，北京四合院等，是这一时期重要建筑实例。北京颐和园、承德避暑山庄是古代皇家园林代表，明清私家园林则是数千年中国园林艺术的结晶。宋《营造法式》和清《工部工程做法则例》是中国官式建筑两部重要文本，对于理解中国建筑有着重要的意义。课程资料中也将包括这两部著作的电子版。    

Before your course starts, try the new edX Demo where you can explore the fun, interactive learning environment and virtual labs. Learn more.

In this course, students analyze some of the hardest national security challenges the United States will face in the decade ahead.

Copyright explores the current law of copyright and the ongoing debates concerning how that law should be reformed.

HLS1x Copyright will explore the current law of copyright and the ongoing debates concerning how the law should be reformed.

In this course you will learn about Hollywood and how it came to be the global powerhouse of today.

We will discuss the complex Hollywood industry and how business and politics translate into the art of film, TV, and new media.

This course will chronicle Hollywood’s growth and global reach since the 1920s, looking at:

• How Hollywood has responded to new
 technologies such as synchronized sound, color cinematography, TV, home video, computer graphics, and the internet
• How the global spread of Hollywood since the 1920s changed 
the film industry
• The relationship between Hollywood and independent 
film
• Hollywood’s responses to crises in American 
politics (e.g., world wars, the cold war, the 1960s counterculture, 9/11)

We will look closely at representative studios
 (Paramount, Disney, Fox, and others) and representative filmmakers (Mary
 Pickford, Charles Chaplin, Frank Capra, George Lucas, Spike Lee, among many others).

Hong Kong Cinema has a global reach. Let’s explore how it reached you… Perhaps you know the films of martial arts icons Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan or the heroic bloodshed films of John Woo.

Perhaps you are a fan of stars such as Maggie Cheung or Chow Yun Fat. Maybe you admire works by directors such as Wong Kar Wai.

Whatever you know and wherever you are we invite you to join us on a journey to consider how the local and the global intersect to make Hong Kong cinema an integral part of popular culture around the world as well as a leading force in the development of world cinematic art.

In this course you’ll learn how flows of capital, people, technologies, ideas and creativity circulate and shape the cultural industry of filmmaking, resulting in transnational co-productions and cross-cultural co-operations. You’ll see how these dynamic processes are inflected in characterization, plot development, and space-time configurations on Hong Kong screens.

Our location in the cultural crossroads of Hong Kong allows us to introduce you to film professionals such as director Mabel Cheung and Andrew Lau, producer John Sham, film festival director Roger Garcia, and other guests, talking candidly about the industry.

During your weeks with us you’ll see demonstrations of martial arts choreography, participate in close analysis of film techniques, investigate Hong Kong global stardom, uncover the reasons for the worldwide appeal of genres such as the kung fu film, and nurture a comparative and critical understanding of issues of gender, race, migration. Best of all you’ll partner with leading researchers in the field to appreciate Hong Kong’s contribution to world cinema.

Please watch these films so that you can get the most out of the course content. Please note that you will need to acquire and watch the films on your own. We advise you see the films before each week’s material.

Here is the list of films for each week.

Week 1 – any Jackie Chan film (optional)
Week 2 – any Bruce Lee film (optional), but we suggest Fist of Fury / The Chinese Connection (dir. Lo Wei, 1972), or Enter the Dragon, (dir. Robert Clouse, 1973)
Week 3 – An Autumn’s Tale (dir. Mabel Cheung, 1987)
Week 4 – The Killer (dir. John Woo, 1989)
Week 5 – Infernal Affairs (dir. Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, 2002)
Week 6 – In the Mood for Love (dir. Wong Kar Wai, 2000)

香港電影享譽全球。您與它的初次接觸，是透過功夫巨星李小龍或成龍的作品，還是吳宇森式的英雄喋血電影？您最欣賞的香港電影人是張曼玉、周潤發等影星，還是王家衛等導演？
無論您身在何處，對香港電影了解多少，我們都誠意邀請您加入這個探索之旅，思考港式生活和全球文化交織而成的香港電影如何成為國際流行文化和世界電影藝術發展的主導力量。
在本課程中，我們將探討資本流動、人力、科技、 創意等元素如何在電影製作文化產業的形成過程中相得益彰，並促成跨國製作和跨文化營運。與此同時，我們亦會探索這些互動在香港電影中的人物塑造、情節發展和時空構造上所帶來的曲折變化。
香港大學是香港的文化交滙點，我們邀請了電影界專業人士，如導演張婉婷和劉偉強、製片人岑建勳、電影節總監高思雅等專家，分享電影業的內幕故事。
在數週的課程裡，您將會目睹功夫電影的動作編排， 電影技術的周密分析，研究香港演員晉身為國際巨星的過程，探索功夫電影令全球著迷的原因，及加深對性別、種族與移民等問題上比較性和批判性的思考方式。更重要的是，您將與各路專家一起認識香港對世界電影業所作出的貢獻。

每週的電影清單：
第 1 周 – 成龍的任何電影（可選）
第 2 周 – 李小龍的任何電影（可選）——建議影片 1.《精武門》(導演 羅維，1972年); 2.《猛龍過江》(導演 羅伯特· 克洛斯，1973 年)
第 3 周 – 《秋天的童話》 (導演 張婉婷，1987年)
第 4 周 – 《喋血雙雄》 (導演 吳宇森，1989年)
第 5 周 – 《無間道》 (導演 麥兆輝與劉偉強，2002年)
第 6 周 – 《花樣年華》 (導演 王家衛，2000年)
 
課程目標
•    通過分析香港電影業的本地市場與國際舞臺之間的關係，培養您的批判和歷史思維能力；
•    在香港電影中不同的場景中尋找熟識的細節，從而拓展您對身份問題的了解；
•    通過分析香港電影業，讓您更了解全球化對社會的影響。

香港电影享誉全球。您与它的初次接触，是透过功夫巨星李小龙或成龙的作品，还是吴宇森式的英雄喋血电影？您最欣赏的香港电影人是张曼玉、周润发等影星，还是王家卫等导演？
无论您身在何处，对香港电影了解多少，我们都诚意邀请您加入这个探索之旅，思考港式生活和全球文化交织而成的香港电影如何成为国际流行文化和世界电影艺术发展的主导力量。
在本课程中，我们将探讨资本流动、人力、科技、 创意等元素如何在电影制作文化产业的形成过程中相得益彰，并促成跨国制作和跨文化营运。与此同时，我们亦会探索这些互动在香港电影中的人物塑造、情节发展和时空构造上所带来的曲折变化。
香港大学是香港的文化交滙点，我们邀请了电影界专业人士，如导演张婉婷和刘伟强、制片人岑建勋、电影节总监高思雅等专家，分享电影业的内幕故事。
在数周的课程里，您将会目睹功夫电影的动作编排， 电影技术的周密分析，研究香港演员晋身为国际巨星的过程，探索功夫电影令全球着迷的原因，及加深对性别、种族与移民等问题上比较性和批判性的思考方式。更重要的是，您将与各路专家一起认识香港对世界电影业所作出的贡献。

每周的电影清单：
第 1 周 – 成龙的任何电影（可选）
第 2 周 – 李小龙的任何电影（可选）——建议影片 1.《精武门》(导演 罗维，1972年); 2.《猛龙过江》(导演 罗伯特• 克洛斯，1973 年)
第 3 周 – 《秋天的童话》 (导演 张婉婷，1987年)
第 4 周 – 《喋血双雄》 (导演 吴宇森，1989年)
第 5 周 – 《无间道》 (导演 麦兆辉与刘伟强，2002年)
第 6 周 – 《花样年华》 (导演 王家卫，2000年)
 
课程目标

通过分析香港电影业的本地市场与国际舞台之间的关系，培养您的批判和历史思维能力；
•    在香港电影中不同的场景中寻找熟识的细节，从而拓展您对身份问题的了解；
•    通过分析香港电影业，让您更了解全球化对社会的影响。

China is one of the world’s most populated countries and one of the largest markets with an increasingly powerful economy. As a result, China influences the world with its outbound travel, trade, politics and culture. China is a society transforming itself through economic development where travelling and tourism play an important role.

The purpose of this subject is to introduce travel trends within and outside China from global perspectives and to explore the present and future development in China’s tourism and hotel business.

This interactive course empowers you to understand China’s tourism sector from a global scale to its local impacts.

Gain an in-depth understanding of the strategic applications of ICT (information and communication technologies) innovations in the hospitality and tourism industry.

You will learn about the roles of ICT infrastructures and tools in shaping business environment, business models, marketing practices, revenue strategies, and customer services.

We will also discuss the dynamics that is generated in the development of ICTs and its impact on hospitality and tourism organizations.

Note that this course is priced at USD $150.

Housing and Cities is a design-oriented architecture course that focuses on key moments of European urban housing history. It looks into ordinary or replicated housing types of different social classes that contributed to the definition of urban identity across borders and time.

Each topic is first introduced through a general overview that examines housing from an urban point of view. Secondly, each topic is illustrated through a typological analysis, aiming for a detailed vision of domestic life at each time.

Students are encouraged to have an operative view of the course, appreciating how modern and contemporary architecture has reinterpreted and been influenced by different housing models.

Image source: Lyonel Feininger, Beleuchtete Häuserzeile II, 1932 (acc.no. G 1960.19) Oil on canvas, 42.2 x 72.2 cm © 2015, ProLitteris, Zurich. Work held at the Kunstmuseum Basel, Bequest of Richard Doetsch-Benziger, Basel. Photographer: Martin P. Bühler.

WHAT IS “HOW STUFF MOVES”?
Mechanics is the study of how things move. It was the first quantitative science to achieve wide power to predict behavior, including things never before directly observed. Newton, Leibniz, and others invented calculus to describe motion and we will find both differential and integral calculus extremely useful throughout this course.

This is the first in a 3-part series of courses that parallels the second-semester mechanics course taught at Harvey Mudd College. Part 1 explores the concepts of momentum, force, and energy, and how these properties define the motion of objects at everyday speeds. Part 2 examines angular motion, and Part 3 examines wave motion.  This course is an invitation to develop your problem-solving skills and to learn how to apply mathematics to all sorts of problems of the physical world. Learning the rules that govern how stuff moves in the world around us is exciting; using those rules to predict correctly something that you haven’t observed means that you really understand something. It‘s a great feeling.

WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE WE START?
You need not have taken physics before, but we assume that you have studied mathematics, up to and including a first course in calculus. You may be taking a calculus course concurrently with this course; that should be a good strategy. We will introduce important calculus ideas and methods as the need arises and provide examples.

There is a Mathematics Diagnostic Test that you can take at the beginning of this course to ensure that your mathematics background will set you up for success in this course.

WHAT IS “HOW STUFF MOVES”?
Mechanics is the study of how things move. It was the first quantitative science to achieve wide power to predict behavior, including things never before directly observed. Newton, Leibniz, and others invented calculus to describe motion and we will find both differential and integral calculus extremely useful throughout this course.

This is the second in a 3-part series of courses that parallels the second-semester mechanics course taught at Harvey Mudd College. Part 2 expands on Part 1 by considering the rotation of objects, connecting new concepts of angular momentum and torque to the properties of linear motion. Part 1 examined linear motion, and Part 3 examines wave motion. This course is an invitation to develop your problem-solving skills and to learn how to apply mathematics to all sorts of problems of the physical world. Learning the rules that govern how stuff moves in the world around us is exciting; using those rules to predict correctly something that you haven’t observed means that you really understand something. It‘s a great feeling.

WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE WE START?
You need not have taken physics before, but we assume that you have studied mathematics, up to and including a first course in calculus. You may be taking a calculus course concurrently with this course; that should be a good strategy. We will introduce important calculus ideas and methods as the need arises and provide examples.

There is a Mathematics Diagnostic Test that you can take at the beginning of Part 1 of this series to ensure that your mathematics background will set you up for success in this course.

WHAT IS “HOW STUFF MOVES”?
Mechanics is the study of how things move. It was the first quantitative science to achieve wide power to predict behavior, including things never before directly observed. Newton, Leibniz, and others invented calculus to describe motion and we will find both differential and integral calculus extremely useful throughout this course.

This is the third in a 3-part series of courses that parallels the second-semester mechanics course taught at Harvey Mudd College. Part 3 focuses on the movement of oscillating systems and the propagation of waves (sound, seismic, or surface-water). Part 1 examined linear motion, and Part 2 examined angular motion. This course is an invitation to develop your problem-solving skills and to learn how to apply mathematics to all sorts of problems of the physical world. Learning the rules that govern how stuff moves in the world around us is exciting; using those rules to predict correctly something that you haven’t observed means that you really understand something. It‘s a great feeling.

WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE WE START?
You need not have taken physics before, but we assume that you have studied mathematics, up to and including a first course in calculus. You may be taking a calculus course concurrently with this course; that should be a good strategy. We will introduce important calculus ideas and methods as the need arises and provide examples.

There is a Mathematics Diagnostic Test that you can take at the beginning of Part 1 of this series to ensure that your mathematics background will set you up for success in this course.

As your program requirements get more complex, you will find that simple additions to the design method make it easy to write well-structured and well-tested code that is easy to maintain.

By learning how to capture common data and control structures using abstraction, your programs will get shorter and better tested.

Building on the core methods from How to Code: Simple Data, this programming course, part of the Software Development MicroMasters program, quickly expands to cover more complex programs on more complex data. Towards the end of the course, you will design programs that even experienced developers would find challenging.

You will also learn how to design search programs. You will design a program to solve Sudoku puzzles, and will be able to design many other puzzle solvers as well.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructor and staff.

Learner Testimonial

"It's a great course and maybe one of the most important topics to master if you're a programmer (any level). This course will teach you how to design better, cleaner and faster programs." 
- Previous Student

This programming course takes a unique approach, as it focuses on learning a systematic programming method rather than a programming language. This practical approach will help you channel your creativity so that you can program well in any language.

This course, part of the Software Development MicroMasters Program, presents a core design method with a focus on numbers, strings, images and lists.

You will learn techniques to:

• Develop program requirements
• Produce programs with consistent structure that are easy to modify later
• Make your programs more reliable by building tests as an integral part of the programming process.

This course concludes with the design of a simple interactive game.

Learners who enroll in the Verified track will receive staff grading for the course project and increased interaction with the instructor and staff.

Learner Testimonial

"I have taken and completed tens of MOOCs on programming and computer science, I have even been and I am currently a TA in some of these courses. Among them are a few that deserve without hesitation the highest rate. But if I had to choose only one at the top of them it would be these two courses on systematic program design." - edX Learner

This short series of programming courses are unique in focusing on learning a systematic programming method rather than a programming language. This practical approach will help you channel your creativity so that you can program well in any language.

SPD1 presents the core design method with a focus on simple data. You will learn techniques that help you develop your program requirements; how to produce programs with consistent structure that are easy to modify later; and how to make your programs more reliable by building tests as an integral part of the programming process. This part concludes with the design of simple interactive program. The final project is an interactive game.

This course is part of the How to Code - Systematic Program Design XSeries Program: 

• How to Code: Systematic Program Design - Part 2
• How to Code: Systematic Program Design - Part 3