Harvard University courses

By most definitions, half of the world's countries fail to meet the standards of democracy, and there are troubling global tendencies in an authoritarian direction. This course introduces students to basic patterns and trends in authoritarian politics, with…

This course helps develop the skills to design, fund, and implement renewable energy projects in the United States and around the world. It is aimed at anyone who would like to understand the relationship between energy and the environment, but is…

Applying to health careers programs requires extensive preparation to be a competitive applicant. This course helps students understand the different aspects of an application portfolio and helps them apply these principles to strengthen their own…

The cold war was the crucible by which the United States was transformed into a global superpower and laid the basis for the national security state. The ideological and geopolitical competition between the United States and the Soviet Union shaped the global…

This course builds media production skills from the ground up, breaking down the technology and techniques behind creating professional-quality video content. Through a hands-on, project-based approach, students learn the essentials of cinematography, audio…

Caribbean societies are largely the economic and political creations of Western imperial powers and are among the earliest products of globalization. Though in the West, they are only partly of it, and their popular cultures are highly original blends of…

This course considers some of the ways that scholars, artists, and activists have attempted to address key problems in the study of Black life and slavery in the early Americas, especially the early United States. Namely, how can one begin to tell the story…

Including a visit to two local historic house museums to use as models, this course features a hands-on approach to understanding the methodologies from strategy to practice that house museums and small cultural institutions employ to attract and engage a…

Despite the availability of control measures, infectious diseases are emerging and re-emerging. These outbreaks emphasize the importance of understanding the epidemiology of infectious diseases through qualitative and quantitative methods. This course…

In today's artificial intelligence (AI)-driven world, building a robust deep learning model is only half the journey. The real challenge often lies in bringing this model to life in the form of an application that is scalable, maintainable, and ready for…

Case studies are a cornerstone of sustainability and global development scholarship and practice, grounding abstract theories and concepts in real-world examples. This course familiarizes students with the case study model and provides guidance in producing a…

This course provides an introduction to systems engineering, which enables the design, development, and management of complex systems across their lifecycle. Students explore fundamental concepts such as requirements engineering, system architecture, risk…

This course explores data modeling methodologies with the goal of understanding how to choose, apply, and interpret appropriate statistical designs and analyses for practical data problems. Topics covered include understanding the relationships in the data,…

Harvard University's Proseminar: Elements of the Writer’s Craft delves into the intricacies of creative writing, offering students a rigorous exploration of narrative techniques, stylistic elements, and the discipline of revision. This Emerging / Needs Review…

The course explores the main issues encountered during museum collection management activities. These activities not only affect collections care, but also curation, research, exhibits, and educational projects. Specific challenges and solutions are examined…

In this course, students dive deep into the craft of writing a compelling television pilot for an episodic series. With focus on structure, character development, and pacing, the course guides students through the essentials of creating an engaging story that…

This is an intensive workshop in the craft of writing short fiction for students who have read widely among past and contemporary masters of short fiction and who are accomplished in the elements of prose composition (mechanics, syntax, and structure).…

This course explores the complex intersections of law, justice, politics, and public policy, and focuses on examining compelling case studies from around the world. Through a comparative lens, students delve into diverse legal systems and political structures…

This course trains students in the skills of critically engaging the scholarly literature in their field of study. They learn how to assess the presuppositions, argumentation, methodology, evidence, and conclusions of scholarly writing in their discipline.…

Why do some individuals and communities thrive in the face of challenges while others struggle to adapt? This course explores psychological resilience and well-being through the lens of positive psychology. The focus is designing evidence-based interventions…

This course examines the science and practice of decision-making through the lens of psychology, behavioral economics, and management. Students explore the cognitive biases, heuristics, and emotional influences that shape decisions and learn how to create…

This course is the culmination of the Master of Liberal Arts, computer science, where student teams execute their capstone proposal from CSCI S-597d . It gives students the opportunity to collaborate with industry partners and other students on complex…

In this course, students learn how to identify and research stories that make compelling features, develop narrative concepts, and plan effective reporting trips. They practice finding and approaching memorable characters and conducting in-depth, insightful…

What is religion? Why does it show up everywhere? Using archaeology, religious studies, and social thought, this course studies the major themes in the history of religions including encountering the holy, sports and ritual, crossing borders, sacrifice as…

This course surveys empirical research methods in the social sciences. The purpose of this course is to teach the theory and application of hypothesis-based empirical research methods to help students create well-designed thesis projects. It gives students a…

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to apply basic biology and chemistry concepts to the applied field of biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, preparing them to pursue professional-level careers in the life science industry…

This hands-on experimental laboratory course is intended to complement CHEM E-17 or CHEM E-17x . Practical applications of the reactions learned in a lecture—such as those of carbonyls, amines, and aromatic compounds—are expanded upon in the laboratory. A…

This discussion-based course explores the intersection of biology and business through real-world and hypothetical case studies in biotechnology. Students analyze cases that focus on scientific advances with implications across a range of industries including…

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of affordable housing, examining the policies and financing mechanisms that shape development strategies. We analyze different types of affordable multifamily housing, including supportive housing, public…

This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the…

This tutorial helps students develop an academically strong thesis proposal. During the semester, they map critical issues of project design such as scope, background, methodology, and expected outcomes. Students are encouraged to contact their research…

Reading of selections of Homer's Iliad , with an introduction to Homeric language and meter and the history of the poem. The course also includes a survey of Homeric linguistics, including the compositional background of the poems, the effect of meter and…

To succeed in the future, managers must develop the resources and capabilities needed to gain and sustain advantage in competitive markets both traditional and emerging. The way in which organizations attempt to develop such competitive advantage constitutes…

This course establishes a strong foundation for academically rigorous capstones. It is mandatory for candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, global development practice, who wish to register for DEVP E-599 in the upcoming term. In this course, students are…

This course provides an overview of cell biology, focusing on the fundamental structures and functions of cells, the basic unit of life. Students learn about the various components of cells, how cells are organized within multicellular organisms, and how they…

In this course, students engage in a series of structured creative writing exercises that make it possible for them to delve deeply into their characters—what they look like, what they want and need, and how they interact with the world in which they live—as…

This course is designed to prepare students to interpret and analyze financial statements for tasks such as credit and security analyses, lending and investment decisions, and other decisions that rely on financial data. This course explores in greater depth…

This course examines how the Russian state that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union defines its interests in a post-Cold War world. We explore which theaters and regions of the world matter most to modern day Russia and what tools of national power…

Case studies are a cornerstone of sustainability scholarship and practice, grounding abstract theories and concepts in real-world examples. During this course, students produce a bounded case study—a narrative focusing on a community, organization, or field…

We often say to each other today that our society has become incapable of civil debate. But perhaps this is not solely because of our increasing political and cultural polarization, but because we have forgotten the ways that formal debate and oratory were…

This course offers a hands-on training experience in collections care, documentation, and processing at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East , Museum of Comparative Zoology , and Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments . Students work directly…

This course helps students develop an academically strong capstone proposal. It is mandatory for candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, cybersecurity, who wish to register for CSCI E-599b in the upcoming spring term. It prepares students to explore…

This course provides an overview of economic tools and analytic approaches available to the manager for business decision-making. It includes such topics as pricing, forecasting, demand analysis, production and cost analysis, and macroeconomic policy as it…

This course helps business professionals improve their writing so that they are better equipped to accomplish their educational and professional goals. Students practice some of the essential forms of business writing, including e-mail messages, cover…

This course adopts a comprehensive approach to examining the Global South's substantial political economy and societal transformation, altering its historical path and significantly influencing the global system. The young population of the Global South,…

This is a four-day, advanced course developed by the Negotiation Task Force (NTF) for corporate leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs who seek to hone their negotiation skills in a highly realistic, immersive training program. The intensive program features an…

This tutorial helps students develop an academically strong thesis proposal. During the semester, they map critical issues of project design such as scope, background, methodology, and expected outcomes. Students are encouraged to contact their research…

This tutorial helps students develop an academically strong thesis proposal. During the semester, they map critical issues of project design such as scope, background, methodology, and expected outcomes. Students are encouraged to contact their research…

This course is designed for students who wish to build upon the skills developed in EXPO E-25 in order to produce more advanced research and writing in the social sciences. The course is also appropriate for students who wish to review their research and…

This course introduces students to the demands and conventions of academic reading and writing. It focuses on analyzing texts, building effective arguments, and using evidence and secondary source material. Instruction on the stages of the writing process,…