Courses tagged with "Global development" (13)

As contemporary humans, we are a product of our evolutionary past. That past can be directly observed through the study of the human fossil record, the materials preserved for archaeological study, and the DNA of living and extinct human populations. This course will provide an overview of human evolutionary history from the present--contemporary human variation in a comparative context--through our last common ancestor with the living great apes, some 5-7 million years in the past. Emphasis will be placed on major evolutionary changes in the development of humans and the methodological approaches used by paleoanthropologists and related investigators to develop that knowledge.

The course will begin by asking basic questions about how evolution operates to shape biological variation and what patterns of variation look like in living humans and apes. We will then look at how the human lineage first began to differentiate from apes, the rise and fall of the Australopithecines, the origin and dispersal of the genus Homo, and eventually the radical evolutionary changes associated with the development of agricultural practices in the past 15,000 years. Throughout the course students will be exposed to the primary data, places and theories that shape our understanding of human evolution.

Alexander the Great conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks, fused the eastern and western peoples of his empire, and became a god – before his 33rd birthday. This course explores the life, leadership, and legacies of history’s warrior, and one of its most controversial leaders, an ambiguous genius whose story helps us to understand not only the history of warfare, but also different ideas about human sexuality, the history of relations between east and west, and the religious beliefs both of ancient polytheists and modern monotheists.

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

Shakespeare wrote for a popular audience and was immensely successful. Shakespeare is also rightly regarded as one of the greatest playwrights the world has known. This course will try to understand both Shakespeare’s popularity and his greatness by starting from a simple premise: that the fullest appreciation of Shakespeare can be achieved only when literary study is combined with analysis of the plays as theatre. Hence, as we delve into the dimensions that make Shakespeare’s plays so extraordinary--from the astonishing power of their language to their uncanny capacity to illuminate so much of human life--we will also explore them in performance from Shakespeare’s own theatre to the modern screen. At the same time, actors will occasionally join our effort and demonstrate ways of bringing the text alive as living theatre. Plays to be studied will include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, King Lear, and The Winter's Tale.

Image courtesy Castle Rock Entertainment/The Kobal Collection

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

Is there a required textbook?
The texts of all six plays will be required. Free, electronic versions can be found on numerous sites on the internet, including the following, which offers pdf downloads: http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/download.html. However, free, internet editions do not provide glosses or notes that explain difficult words and phrases. We strongly recommend that participants purchase texts (paper or electronic) that provide important aids to reading.

Benvenuti e Benvenute! (Welcome!)

Learn how to perfect your skills in Italian (speaking, listening, reading and writing), and by the end of this course you will be able to express opinions and hypotheses, and sustain an argument using a variety of registers. You will also expand your vocabulary to include topics beyond everyday conversation.

This language course offers a variety of tools that will help you learn in different ways:

• Situational videos (called Ciak!, which means “clapperboard” in Italian): you will follow eight Italian students in their daily lives and interactions on our campus. What a great way to learn authentic conversational Italian!
• Downloadable Podcasts: become a participant in each Ciak! video and practice Italian when and where you want on your portable device!
• Grammar charts, with or without audio files: study and review grammar through concise, clear and downloadable pdf files, and practice pronunciation with our embedded audio files.
• Short video lessons: as if in a real classroom, learn each new topic with the teacher’s direct guidance.
• Video interviews: learn from various native speakers as they talk about different aspects of Italian culture.
• Short “Letture” (readings): practice reading comprehension while learning about aspects of Italian culture.
• Discussion board: your chance to communicate (in Italian!) with other students on a variety of suggested topics.
• Ready to test your skills? Practice and review with a variety of self-correcting activities.

Italian culture is also an integral part of this course. Through interviews and readings you will learn about:

• the challenges that the Italian economy is currently facing;
• the origin and nature of the Italian Constitution;
• Italian environmental challenges and solutions;
• the significance of Dante’s journey in the Divine Comedy;
• the “Commedia dell’Arte”, an Italian theatrical genre;
• Italian opera and its ties to the “Risorgimento;”
• the origins of the Mafia;
• the “Taranta” or “Pizzica”, a traditional style of music and dance from Southern Italy;
• the recent immigration and the Italian citizenship law.

Whether you are a traditional, visual or auditory learner, you will find the tools that best fit your unique way to learn a foreign language.

This course has been successfully taught in different settings to more than 1,000 students: entirely online to Wellesley College alumnae and students, and as a mix of face-to-face and online instruction at Wellesley College and MIT. We are now proud to open it on edX, confident that your learning experience with this unique online course will be as enriching as it was for the many students who have already taken it.

Buono studio e buon divertimento!

“So many things!  I loved it!  I really feel that this course exactly met my needs and surpassed my expectations. It was challenging and I learned so much, in contrast to other adult courses which tend not to be demanding or serious enough.”

– Previous Student

Ready to take control of your finances? Whether you are saving for a house or retirement, struggling with your taxes, or wondering if you should invest in education/training, stocks or bonds, there are many questions when it comes to personal finances. There are many benefits, both long and short term, to learning the keys of financial planning and becoming a financially savvy consumer.

This course will teach you to think financially about investing in yourself and your future. We will discuss investments in education and training and show you how to use important economic tools to evaluate whether the investments you make are worth it financially. We will also show you how to make the most of your skills and abilities whether you work for yourself or someone else. This includes such things as evaluating salary and benefit packages and figuring out how to get health insurance coverage and save for retirement.

This portion of Personal Finance covers:

• Human Capital Investment
• Net Present Value (NPV)
• Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
• Parameterized Spreadsheet Analysis
• Employment Contracts & Making the Most of Work Benefits
• Developing a Business Plan
• Paying for Health Insurance and Saving for Retirement When You Are Self-Employed

Join us today and take control of your personal finances!

Benvenuti e Benvenute! (Welcome!)

In this language course you will learn the four basic skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in the context of major themes in Italian culture. By the end of the course you will be able to describe people, events and situations, both in the present and the past, and you will have acquired the necessary vocabulary to communicate about everyday situations.

This course offers a variety of tools to help you learn “la lingua del sì” in different ways:

• Situational videos (called Ciak!, which means “clapperboard” in Italian): you will follow eight Italian students in their daily lives and interactions on our campus. What a great way to learn authentic conversational Italian!
• Downloadable Podcasts: become a participant in each Ciak! video and practice Italian when and where you want on your portable device!
• Grammar charts, with or without audio files: study and review grammar through concise, clear and downloadable pdf files, and practice pronunciation with our embedded audio files.
• Short video lessons: as if in a real classroom, learn each new topic with the instructor’s direct guidance.
• Video interviews: learn from various native speakers as they talk about different aspects of Italian culture.
• Short “Letture” (readings): practice reading comprehension while learning about Italian culture.
• Discussion board: your chance to communicate (in Italian!) with other students on a variety of suggested topics.
• Ready to test your skills? Practice and review with a variety of self-correcting activities.

Italian culture is also an integral part of this course. Through our interviews and readings you will learn about:

• daily life in a small hill town in Northern Italy;
• major differences between Italian and American universities;
• Italian films that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film;
• summer vacations in Italy;
• Italian cuisine.

Whether you are a traditional, visual or auditory learner, you will find the tools that best fit your unique way to learn a foreign language.

This course has been successfully taught in different settings to more than 1,000 students: entirely online to Wellesley College alumnae and students, and as a mix of face-to-face and online instruction at Wellesley College and MIT. We are now proud to open it on edX, confident that your learning experience with this unique online course will be as enriching as it was for the many students who have already taken it.

Last but not least: as you progress in the course, remember to have fun!

After completing this course, continue learning Italian with Italian Language and Culture: Intermediate and Italian Language and Culture: Advanced.

Buon divertimento!

“Thank you for the fantastic course. I am overwhelmingly grateful for the richness and depth of the material and the opportunity to learn and immerse ... I love Italy and the Italian language.” – Previous Student

This literature and theater course will delve into two wonderful plays of young love, Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and try to bring alive what makes them so compelling and popular -- as both literature and drama.

As we explore the genius of the plays on the page, we will also study the lives of the plays in performance, from Shakespeare's own theatre to the stages and screens across the globe today. To help us further, actors will occasionally join our effort to demonstrate ways of bringing the text alive as living theatre.

Benvenuti e Benvenute! (Welcome!)

In this language course, you will enhance your Italian language skills, enrich your vocabulary and expand your conversational skills. You will learn how to have exchanges on a variety of topics, and continue your immersion in the Italian culture through unique videos and interviews. You will also become more confident as you continue practicing your reading and writing skills.

This course offers a variety of tools that will help you learn in different ways:

• Situational videos (called Ciak!, which means “clapperboard” in Italian): you will follow eight Italian students in their daily lives and interactions on our campus. What a great way to learn authentic conversational Italian!
• Downloadable Podcasts: become a participant in each Ciak! video and practice Italian when and where you want on your portable device!
• Grammar charts, with or without audio files: study and review grammar through concise, clear and downloadable pdf files, and practice pronunciation with our embedded audio files.
• Short video lessons: as if in a real classroom, learn each new topic with the instructor’s direct guidance.
• Video interviews: learn from various native speakers as they talk about different aspects of Italian culture.
• Short “Letture” (readings): practice reading comprehension while learning about Italian culture.
• Discussion board: your chance to communicate (in Italian!) with other students on a variety of suggested topics.
• Ready to test your skills? Practice and review with a variety of self-correcting activities.

Italian culture is an integral part of this course. Through our interviews and readings you will learn about:

• the origins of the “made in Italy” in fashion;
• Italian Renaissance and Baroque art and poetry;
• the Italian health care system;
• shopping for clothes and food in Italy.

Whether you are a traditional, visual or auditory learner, you will find the tools that best fit your unique way to learn a foreign language.

This course has been successfully taught in different settings to more than 1,000 students: entirely online to Wellesley College alumnae and students, and as a mix of face-to-face and online instruction at Wellesley College and MIT. We are now proud to open it on edX, confident that your learning experience with this unique online course will be as enriching as it was for the many students who have already taken it.

After completing this course, continue learning Italian with Italian Language and Culture: Advanced.

Finally … buon lavoro e buon divertimento! 

“This course is really excellent, beautifully thought out. The grammar and the opportunity to repeat the contents of a lesson using different modalities really helps solidify the learning.” – Previous Student

This literature and theater course will study two of the most sublime and gut-wrenching plays in the English language: Othello and King Lear. We will try to understand the reasons for their centrality to literary history as well as their continuing power to mesmerize audiences in theatres and cinemas across the world.

As we explore the genius of the plays on the page, we will also study the lives of the plays in performance, from Shakespeare's own theatre to the stages and screens across the globe today. To help us further, actors will occasionally join our effort to demonstrate ways of bringing the text alive as living theatre.

When you notice inequality in your everyday life, do you ever wonder where it comes from, and what keeps it going?

This sociology course introduces you to core concepts of class, gender, and racial inequality, and an approach to studying complex forms of inequality called intersectionality. Featuring interviews with top scholars and discussion of the full-length award winning documentary, China Blue, which follows the life of a young seventeen-year-old worker from Sichuan province, to a Chinese jeans factory, this course will transform your perspective on yourself and others.

No previous knowledge required. Global Sociology is highly recommended.

Image: Ganesh Ramachandran | www.purpleganesh.com

What possibilities exist for a fairer world? Can one person truly make a difference? In this social sciences course, we sample the possibilities and limits of social change in an interconnected, inequitable global landscape.

This course features in-depth examinations of the rise of garment work for Bangladeshi women, a labor strike in a Mexican suit factory, anti-sweatshop activism in China, and a chat with the president of one of the oldest textile manufacturers in the U.S.

Global Sociology is recommended but not required. Let’s start to understand how social change really works.

Image: Ganesh Ramachandran | www.purpleganesh.com

Ever wondered why some countries are rich and others poor? Or why some people believe hard work results in upward mobility and others don’t? To answer these questions, you need to “see” the world sociologically.

In this introductory sociology course, we will explore the concerns of an interconnected global world through classic sociological concepts. Through short lectures, interviews with prominent sociologists and everyday people around the world, you will learn to see your role in the scope of global history.

No previous experience needed.

Image: Ganesh Ramachandran | www.purpleganesh.com

AP® Italian Language and Culture provides students with an interactive learning experience that combines the highest academic standards with the goal of language proficiency.

This course suits the needs of students who have a variety of learning goals:

1. You want to prepare for the AP exam independently at your own pace, or perhaps you want to improve your language skills and find out more about contemporary Italian society. Sign up now and cover as little or as much as you need to get ready! You will have access to all the material from the moment you register. You may audit the course for free or work towards a Verified Certificate of Completion ($49; issued by edX ).

2. You want to be best prepared for the AP exam and part of an online live class with other students and an instructor. Wellesley College offers, in conjunction with this edX course, online live instruction sessions (in Fall 2017 and Spring 2018) so that you can practice the language regularly. If you choose this option, you will receive a Certificate from Wellesley College with a letter grade that you may present to your high school for registration on your transcript. You will also experience how languages are taught at Wellesley College! Registration for live online classes.