25 Best Humanities Courses Online
Choosing an online humanities programme can be daunting, because the field spans history, literature, philosophy, cultural studies and more. This page brings together 25 courses from three major providers – Coursera, edX and Udemy – each with a clear price listed at the time of writing. The selection ranges from introductory modules on Asian environmental humanities to advanced logic taught by Stanford, giving you a broad view of what is available without any hidden fees.
To help you decide, we have ordered the courses according to our own ranking, which reflects a balance of academic reputation, breadth of content and learner feedback where available. If you are a beginner interested in cultural topics, the Coursera courses on Chinese humanities and Asian environmental studies may be a good start. Learners seeking a more specialised or research‑oriented experience might prefer the Harvard‑affiliated edX offerings or the capstone from Cambridge.
- Courses compared
- 25
- Price range
- $29.00 – $149.00
- Providers
- Coursera, edX
- Last updated
- 18 Sep 2026
How these 25 courses were chosen
Every course below is a real, currently listed course from Coursera, edX, matched to "Humanities" by our catalog and ordered by our CourseAsk score. Courses whose own title names the topic rank above those only tagged with it.
The grade on each entry scores how much the provider publishes about the course before you pay — the length and detail of the description, whether it lists learning outcomes and objectives — and whether a named university or institution stands behind it. A is fully documented and institution-backed; E is little more than a title and a price. Courses with almost nothing published are left ungraded rather than marked down, because an unknown course and a poor one are not the same thing.
There are no star ratings on this page — the course feeds we license do not include them, and we would rather leave a column out than fill it with a number we cannot stand behind. What we do have is price: these range from $29.00 to $149.00, as listed by the provider when we last updated the page.
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1
Asian Environmental Humanities: Landscapes in Transition
Offered by University of Zurich
In this course, featuring many researchers from the University of Zurich and international institutions, we will introduce you to some of the most vibrant cultural trends addressing landscape appreciation, degradation, p...
$49.00listed price -
2
Classics of Chinese Humanities: Guided Readings
Offered by The Chinese University of Hong Kong
An introductory yet trenchant exploration of select Chinese classic texts that cover the domains of classical literature, history, philosophy, and fine arts.
$49.00listed price -
3
China Humanities: The Individual in Chinese Culture
Offered by Harvard University
Explore Chinese history and culture from the perspective of the individual through philosophical texts, literary works, and art.
$149.00listed price -
4
After the Arab Spring – Democratic Aspirations and State Failure
Offered by University of Copenhagen
Learn why the hope and excitement of the Arab Spring is gone, why so many Arab states are falling apart, why the youth are so frustrated, why there are so many refugees, and what can be done about it. The so-called Arab...
$49.00listed price -
5
East Asian Religions & Ecology
Offered by Yale University
At first glance the fields of religion and ecology may seem and unlikely pairing, but a deeper consideration reveals the two have a great deal to contribute to one another and are indeed inextricably linked. Religions re...
$49.00listed price -
6
Ukraine: History, Culture and Identities
Offered by University of Washington
Explore the history, culture and society of the people of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to the present in this introductory course developed by the Ukrainian Institute, educational studio EdEra, and the National Universit...
$49.00listed price -
7
Anti-Racism I
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
Anti-Racism I is an introduction to the topic of race and racism in the United States. The primary audience for this course is anyone who is interested in learning about race/racism in the US who has never taken a course...
$49.00listed price -
8
Patrick Henry: Forgotten Founder
Offered by University of Virginia
“Give me liberty, or give me death:” Remembering Patrick Henry, the Forgotten Founder Patrick Henry was enormously popular during the American Revolution. Even Thomas Jefferson, who over time developed a deep loathing of...
$49.00listed price -
9
Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law – Individual Rights and Liberties
Offered by University of California, Irvine
Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law: Individual Rights and Liberties will highlight the construction and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution through the centuries with an emphasis on protections of individual liberties...
$49.00listed price -
10
Off the Clock: The Many Faces of Time
Offered by University of São Paulo
“Off the Clock: The Many Faces of Time” presents a transdisciplinary and transnational set of perspectives on time. This MOOC aims to expand the learners' understanding of the many facets of time, from our human experien...
$49.00listed price -
11
Transmedia Writing
Offered by Michigan State University
Do you have a desire to write a novel, write a screenplay, design a video game? In this project-centered course you will develop your own, original, intellectual property (IP) into a transmedia project containing written...
$49.00listed price -
12
Understanding Religious Symbolism
Offered by Seoul National University
Understanding Religious Symbolism This course aims to provide a broader and deeper understanding of how religious people have thought and practiced by introducing basic theories of religious symbolism and by demonstratin...
$54.00listed price -
13
Living at the Nuclear Brink
Offered by Stanford University
I have been living at the nuclear brink for all of my adult life, and throughout my career in academia, private industry, and the U.S. government, I have dealt first-hand with the evolving nuclear threat. Nuclear weapons...
$50.00listed price -
14
Cosmology
Offered by University of Cambridge
Cosmology explores the origin, structure, evolution, and ultimate fate of the universe. In this course, learners investigate the evidence for the Big Bang, the expansion of space, and the relic radiation of the Cosmic Mi...
$49.00listed price -
15
Intro to the Arctic
Offered by University of Colorado Boulder
In this course you will first learn about the Arctic as a geographic region, the peoples the Arctic, and the long history of Arctic settlement and exploration. Attention then turns to key features of the Arctic environme...
$49.00listed price -
16
Think Again III: How to Reason Inductively
Offered by Duke University
Want to solve a murder mystery? What caused your computer to fail? Who can you trust in your everyday life? In this course, you will learn how to analyze and assess five common forms of inductive arguments: generalizatio...
$29.00listed price -
17
Teaching Reluctant Writers
Offered by Johns Hopkins University
All educators will encounter students who struggle with writing. This course first focuses on the reasons student writers may be reluctant and then provides learners with a variety of strategies and practices to help rel...
$49.00listed price -
18
Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious
Offered by The University of Edinburgh
A challenging but fascinating topic on the way to achieving self-knowledge is the unconscious. For well over a century, psychologists, philosophers, and many others have posited a level of mentality that is not immediate...
$49.00listed price -
19
Paradoxes of War
Offered by Princeton University
The Paradoxes of War teaches us to understand that war is not only a normal part of human existence, but is arguably one of the most important factors in making us who we are. Through this course, I hope that you will co...
$49.00listed price -
20
The Kennedy Half Century
Offered by University of Virginia
When John F. Kennedy entered the presidential limousine at Love Field in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, he began his ride into history. That journey continues even today and we call it the Kennedy legacy. This cours...
$49.00listed price -
21
Capstone: Create your own professional journalistic portfolio
Offered by Michigan State University
This is it! It is time for YOU to be the journalist, and practice and display the skills you have learned through this Specialization journey. You will create your own professional journalistic portfolio, culminating in...
$79.00listed price -
22
The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry
Offered by University of California, Santa Cruz
The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry is an adaptation of an on-campus course that has been co-taught by Murray Baumgarten, Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature (Literature Department)...
$49.00listed price -
23
Teaching Writing
Offered by Johns Hopkins University
This specialization will provide learners with proven methods to improve the writing of students of all ages, in all situations, including K through University classrooms as well as homeschooling, tutoring, in business a...
$49.00listed price -
24
Enhance your Writing with Noun Clauses
Offered by University of California, Irvine
This course is designed to hold your hand step-by-step through the most basic concepts of noun clauses all the way to the end goal of writing a paragraph with varied noun clauses. With each individual lesson, you’ll watc...
$49.00listed price -
25
Inquiries Into Bipedalism
Offered by Dartmouth College
This course will help you learn that the shapes of bones reflect adaptations and the behaviors that animals frequently participate in. Understanding this relationship is critical for reconstructing the activities of anim...
$49.00listed price
Best Humanities Courses Online compared
| # | Course | Provider | Offered by | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asian Environmental Humanities: Landscapes in Transition | Coursera | University of Zurich | $49.00 | View → |
| 2 | Classics of Chinese Humanities: Guided Readings | Coursera | The Chinese University of Hong Kong | $49.00 | View → |
| 3 | China Humanities: The Individual in Chinese Culture | edX | Harvard University | $149.00 | View → |
| 4 | After the Arab Spring – Democratic Aspirations and State Failure | Coursera | University of Copenhagen | $49.00 | View → |
| 5 | East Asian Religions & Ecology | Coursera | Yale University | $49.00 | View → |
| 6 | Ukraine: History, Culture and Identities | Coursera | University of Washington | $49.00 | View → |
| 7 | Anti-Racism I | Coursera | University of Colorado Boulder | $49.00 | View → |
| 8 | Patrick Henry: Forgotten Founder | Coursera | University of Virginia | $49.00 | View → |
| 9 | Chemerinsky on Constitutional Law – Individual Rights and Liberties | Coursera | University of California, Irvine | $49.00 | View → |
| 10 | Off the Clock: The Many Faces of Time | Coursera | University of São Paulo | $49.00 | View → |
| 11 | Transmedia Writing | Coursera | Michigan State University | $49.00 | View → |
| 12 | Understanding Religious Symbolism | edX | Seoul National University | $54.00 | View → |
| 13 | Living at the Nuclear Brink | edX | Stanford University | $50.00 | View → |
| 14 | Cosmology | Coursera | University of Cambridge | $49.00 | View → |
| 15 | Intro to the Arctic | Coursera | University of Colorado Boulder | $49.00 | View → |
| 16 | Think Again III: How to Reason Inductively | Coursera | Duke University | $29.00 | View → |
| 17 | Teaching Reluctant Writers | Coursera | Johns Hopkins University | $49.00 | View → |
| 18 | Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious | Coursera | The University of Edinburgh | $49.00 | View → |
| 19 | Paradoxes of War | Coursera | Princeton University | $49.00 | View → |
| 20 | The Kennedy Half Century | Coursera | University of Virginia | $49.00 | View → |
| 21 | Capstone: Create your own professional journalistic portfolio | Coursera | Michigan State University | $79.00 | View → |
| 22 | The Holocaust: The Destruction of European Jewry | Coursera | University of California, Santa Cruz | $49.00 | View → |
| 23 | Teaching Writing | Coursera | Johns Hopkins University | $49.00 | View → |
| 24 | Enhance your Writing with Noun Clauses | Coursera | University of California, Irvine | $49.00 | View → |
| 25 | Inquiries Into Bipedalism | Coursera | Dartmouth College | $49.00 | View → |
Prices shown are the provider's listed price when we last updated this page. Confirm on their site before enrolling.
What the prices here tell you
The 25 priced courses on this page run from $29.00 to $149.00, with the middle of the range around $49.00 — a spread of $120.00. That is a wide gap for one subject. A higher price on this page usually reflects who is behind the course rather than how much material it contains, so it is worth opening two or three at different price points and comparing their syllabus before deciding.
Who is behind these courses
These courses come from Coursera and edX. The platforms differ in how they sell: some charge once per course, others expect a subscription, and the listed price is not always what you pay at checkout after a promotion. 20 of these are produced by a named university or institution, including University of Zurich, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Harvard University — which usually means a fixed syllabus and a recognised certificate, rather than an individual instructor’s own course.
Before you enrol
Open the provider’s own page and check three things this comparison cannot tell you: when the course was last updated, what the syllabus actually covers in its later sections, and what recent learners say. Prices shown here are the provider’s listed price when we last rebuilt this page on 18 September 2026 — they change often, and a promotion can move them substantially. We earn a commission if you enrol through our links, which costs you nothing and never affects the order courses appear in.