Edx History Courses & Certifications

The course Visualizing Imperialism & the Philippines, 1898-1913 by Edx operates on innovative training methods by way of visual records through which the candidates will be able to understand the concepts of the evolution of history at the turn of the 20th century. The course ensures candidates learn the methods of understanding key visual references and apply the techniques to enhance the learning process.

The course will revolve around the primary concepts of history involving the themes of civilization and imperial wars which tended to explain the theme of humanity and barbarism. The candidates will learn about the historical debates that were seen in political cartoons. The course addresses the issues of race and bias in photography as well as cartooning.

The course has a discursive and exploratory type of training that would be set up in the form of a roundtable discussion structure of the course. This course will introduce the candidates to numerous backgrounds relating to the revolution of history in the 20th-century era. The students will be able to choose any track like audit or verified to complete learning the course. These tracks allow self-paced progress of the course though during the audit track course access is limited but free. Again during the verified track, access for the students is paid but unlimited.

The Ancient Greek Hero course is being provided by edX in collaboration with Harvard University. It has been designed to provide the learners' exposure to Greek literature and culture. Participants can explore the literature and heroes of ancient Greece with the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey, the dialogues of Plato, the tragedies of Sophocles and many more.

Participants will gain knowledge about some of the beautiful works of ancient Greek literature and song-making spread for more than thousand years from the 8th century BCE till the 3rd century CE: the Homeric Iliad and Odyssey, Sophocles, and Euripides, songs of Sappho and Pindar, tragedies of Aeschylus, dialogues of Plato, and On Heroes by Philostratus. The course material has been designed to be easily accessible and transformative for a wide range of participants. Participants will be given access to a supportive learning community that showcases the methodology for "reading out" of ancient texts. These techniques will allow the participants having little or even no experience in this subject matter to see this literature as a magnificent and perfected system of communication. 

The candidates may choose any one of the tracks available to learn the course, one is the verified track and the other is the audit track. Both the tracks are self-paced but during the audit period, the course can be accessed only for a limited period. Whereas during the verified track, the course is open to be accessed for an unlimited period.

History of Chinese Architecture by edX is a course that takes you to the architectural History of China over a thousand years. This course will take you through the ancient buildings that decorate the cities in China, it will throw light upon the construction and design of these buildings, tombs, pagodas, religious structures, gardens, and palaces.

Participants will study the ancient cities of dadu of yuan, chang'an, and Luoyang of sui and tang, chang'an of han, Kaifeng of song, and chang'an of han. The basis of Chinese architecture and construction through brick stones and wood will be taught. Books on song and qing dynasties are also included in this course in the online form. 

This course also contains the study of summer palaces in Beijing, private gardens of the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the ancient royal garden at the Chengde mountain resort. This is sixteen weeks containing subtitles in English. It is an introductory course, having personal instructors. The History of Chinese Architecture course is self-paced but only with limited period access.

The Plato, Socrates, and the Birth of Western Philosophy course is being provided and instructed by edX and the Tsinghua University. It has been built to give the learners an in-sight into the origins of the western philosophy. 

Participants of this course will study and analyse the works of Aristotle, Plato, Heraclitus and other originators of Western philosophy in a comprehensive study of ancient Roman and Greek philosophers. This will enable the participants to build a strong grasp of the basic spirit of the Western philosophy. They will be trained to inculcate deeper thinking abilities, explore noble values, and learn to examine the world around them in different ways. They will develop a new perspective towards their surroundings. They will understand the concept and history of philosophy, religion and culture. They will learn about the society, the culture, the rules, the traditions that prevailed during the ancient times and the factors that gave birth to this philosophy.

Literati China: Examinations, Neo-Confucianism, and Later Imperial China course by edX is part of an XSeries Program focused on the exploration of China’s history. This course enables candidates to see China’s awakening in the 19th century through the 21st-century intellect. It gives information about China’s history, neo-Confucianism, the imperial period, and the exam system government. 

The course also lets the participants explore the 8th and 11th-century resources available in China along with urbanization & the state atrocities, China’s reconfiguration of vigor. Literati China: Examinations, Neo-Confucianism, and Later Imperial China focus on imparting information relating to the rich culture and prized moral autonomy of the Chinese. It teaches what changes Tang-Sang brought to China and how a new kind of Confucianism took place.

Hence, this course allows candidates to gain an alternative and exciting worldview and global awareness. It teaches how the key to knowing China today is by unlocking ancient China. There are 2 tracks for this course when opting for enrollment. One is Verified Track which offers unlimited access. The other is Audit Track, the price of which is free but this self-paced version is only accessible for a limited period.

A Global History of Architecture Certification Course equips learners with limitless opportunities to acquire a larger-than-life experience of looking through the lens of history and historical architecture with its variations. Beginning with First Societies and proceeding with the 16th century, the curriculum enwraps all the valuable learnings of architectural history. This course is not intended to run as a linear narrative but with a more global adaptation of concepts with a stressed focus on different architectural instances.

Through the programme pedagogy, course participants will learn about the impact of the introduction of iron in the 9th century BCE on the development of architecture and regional politics. They will also acknowledge how newly found and developed religions like Hinduism and Buddhism bore new architectural understandings by and large in society. The course is self-paced but can be accessed only for a limited period during the audit track.

Each lecture imparted by an experienced pedagogue deals with architectural transformation arising from a dynamic cultural symbolism. The course material covered in lectures will be supplemented by additional readings from the textbook- "A Global History of Architecture" which would hone the textual knowledge of candidates and help them revisit what they have learned through modules. Lastly, the verified certification would make up a great addition to the learner's resume.

The Tangible Things certification programme by EdX is a humanities course on the functioning of museums, libraries and other historical and scientific collections. You will learn how historians, curators, preservationists and archivists do their jobs. The course aims to discover and study how material objects have helped shape academic disciplines and have challenged or reinforced boundaries between people. 

Offered by Harvard University, the Tangible Things: Discovering History Through Artworks, Artifacts, Scientific Specimens and the Stuff Around You discipline is taught by top Harvard University faculty like Sara Schechner, Ivan Gaskell and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich and visiting faculty like Sarah Carter from The School of Human Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison. Harvard University houses some of the fascinating items which will help the students understand the importance and power of learning through tangible things. 

The Tangible Things programme by EdX is an online programme, the course materials of which will be available to the enrolled candidates completely free of cost. But, while taking the course free of cost, the learners will be provided access to the course only for a limited duration. It is a ten-week programme and classes will be held 1-3 hours per week. A certificate of achievement will be available to the candidates upon completion of the course when taking the programme by paying the fee. 

Humanity & Nature in Chinese Thought course, provided by edX by associating with the University of Hong Kong, is all about making the ethics and behaviour right, issuing guidelines and its importance. Humanity & Nature in Chinese Thought course introduces the candidates to traditional China and its ethical thought and logic. It focuses on the vast difference between the thinking of Westerners and Chinese, its understanding of right and wrong, bad & good.

Humanity & Nature in Chinese Thought describes how there are two directions standing opposite to each other covered under the natural dao model of traditional China. The studies of ethical paths, distinct human guiding organ and Confucian version will also be included in this program.

The map that internally is responsible for the bad or good choices of life and its correlation with nature like a plant, alternate Chinese human based naturalism, a broader sense of normative guidance will be explained in the course in relation to classical Chinese philosophers and Indo European way of thinking. 

Cultures have been a form of identity for many communities across the globe and this has resulted in some form of extremism in all traditions in the last century but the course, Oriental Beliefs: Between Reason and Traditions, not just clears out any and all misconceptions around these concepts, it takes the applicants through these customs to teach them to appreciate and learn about it.

The Oriental Beliefs: Between Reason and Traditions course goes into details while discussing the beliefs of many faiths, be it Islam, Jewism, Hinduism, Christianism or Zoroastrianism, to instill a sense of secularism and love for diversity while teaching them everything tremendous, from their origin to the current practices. Varying concepts from all across the world, ancient Egypt, China, India, to the near and far east.

The Oriental Beliefs: Between Reason and Traditions course by edx deals with all of the aspects of faith, from its Gods and angels to demons and spirits, and seeks to process every bit of this information through both rationality and philosophy. An overall experience from this Oriental Beliefs: Between Reason and Traditions certification course will go a long way for the candidates and provoke thoughts for a comparative and considerate approach.

The Spain of Don Quixote program is an immersive and informative experience provided to the candidates by edX through various means of video lessons, digital maps, and illustrated texts for a better learning experience. The Spain of Don Quixote is in association with Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and it takes the candidates on an exploration of Spain from the ancient era.

The program remains concentrated on the history of Spain between two periods- Baroque and Renaissance and sets the mood of how the culture used to be. It talks about the rich and cherished Spanish literature and art where many artists (Lope de Vega, Cervantes & Velazquez) received excellence in history’s first world empire, the monarchy of Spain.

The Spain of Don Quixote deals with the trendy fashion of Spain at that time in courts of Early Modern Europe, Spanish military and political machinery of the period, and American printing centers. The Spain of Don Quixote program describes the celebration of the huge cities, theatrical production, real geography, and polarised society of Spain and lets the candidates take a tour of the Spanish Golden Era. For candidates to get unlimited access they will have to pursue this course in the verified track. In case the candidates have chosen the audit track they will only be receiving limited course access.

The Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology programme explains how Star Trek, which was initially a failed series, became supremely influential. Today, this cult favourite encompasses additional television series, feature films, and a world of fan memorabilia and conventions. Undertaking this seven-week course, you will understand why people resonate with Star Trek, how it has inspired generations to ask essential questions about their identity and relation with their surrounding world. 

Through the Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology certification syllabus, you will explore how Star Trek’s motion pictures and live-action tv shows impacted audiences globally. Offered by the Smithsonian Institution - the curriculum features trained instructors to explain the relationships between Star Trek and culture, History, society, and technology. The training also includes clips from the films and shows, experts’ opinions, and debate sessions with fellow fans. 

EdX’s Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology course is an introductory free programme under the ‘History’ category. It features no enrolment prerequisites, a self-direct schedule, and a purchasable e-certificate. The institute offers this curriculum under the CBS Consumer Products’ license. 

The certified course on Visualizing the Birth of Modern Tokyo is offered by MIT Visualising Cultures and the Smithsonian Institute. The course deals with the emergence of modernity helping in the transformation of Tokyo city from the era of gas-lit 1870s to the Jazz-based 1930s. The course will cover content in terms of daily life, nightlife, neighborhoods, and the city’s challenges with its vagaries of nature. The students get to learn the tradition of “100 views” which it depicts the city in a composite way to witness both the excitement and losses. 

The learning of Visualizing the Birth of Modern Tokyo Online Certificate course is designed for the duration of 4 weeks and the student needs to put in an effort of 1 to 3 weeks every week. The Visualizing the Birth of Modern Tokyo Course is self-paced and in the format of a course as the learners will be able to witness multiple viewpoints. The Visualizing the Birth of Modern Tokyo Certification course will bring several scholars from different disciplines for their instructions or arguments. The Visualizing the Birth of Modern Tokyo Course will cover the concepts of cosmopolitanism and ultranationalism which made Tokyo city imperial by nature. The candidates will be choosing between 2 tracks, Audit, and Verified for pursuing the course. During the verified mode, the candidates will be getting unlimited access whereas during the audit mode, the candidates will be receiving limited period access.

The Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology Part II is a six-week programme that offers insightful knowledge about how this globally favourite series left a lasting impact. This introductory curriculum features top educators with whom you’ll analyse Star Trek clips and movies to understand why it’s a cult classic. Experts will lay down their opinions, and you will also debate with fellow fans for an immersive experience.

The Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology II certification syllabus will dive deep into how this sci-fi phenomenon tackled controversial topics like ethics, race, sexuality, and gender. You will explore vital topics, examine Star Trek’s connections with culture, technology, society, and History, and engage in critical analysis. 

Presented by The Smithsonian Institution, the Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology II online course is entirely self-paced. While there’s a paid certification track for the shareable certificate, you can choose to audit the curriculum at zero cost as well.  It is recommended that you complete Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology (Part I) before enrolling in this training.

From the year 1868 of Japan’s emergence as a new nation, the Modern Japanese Architecture Part 1: From Meiji Restoration to the Pacific War course by edX illustrates the roots of modern buildings in Japan. These lasted over three-quarters of a century. Teachings and video transcripts for the course are available in English. By paying a fee, edX offers a verified certificate to its learners.

The edX Modern Japanese Architecture Part 1 course focuses on the westernisation of Japanese architecture that lasted from the period of 1868 to 1945. Intensive processes set in by westernisation include the ‘functionalist’ innovations of Le Corbusier. It also includes the ‘stripped-down’ approaches of Walter Gropius that influenced Japanese architecture. 

Spread across five weeks, this intermediate course in Modern Japanese Architecture is taught by a specially appointed professor of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Mr. David B. Stewart is the author of several books and monographs relevant to the course and has relevant domain experience.

In the recent past, conserving cultural heritage has become a vital discussion worldwide. Time and again, urbanisation poses challenges for new development that can maintain the age-old qualities and values of urban areas. The Cultural Heritage in Transformation training allows students to understand, explore, sustain, and utilise a city's cultural heritage.

RWTH Aachen University, one of the most famous institutions in Europe, is offering the five-week-long Cultural Heritage in Transformation programme. The instructor-led course requires students to devote five-six hours per week. Throughout the training, industry veterans will introduce several topic-based approaches and methods using the City of Aachen as a model for candidates. Students will learn with examples of the city, landscapes, artefacts, and individual buildings. 

The Cultural Heritage in Transformation course curriculum also features assignments and revision questions for practice and better understanding. The intermediate-level training runs on a course schedule. The signed and verified edX certification that you will receive after completing the curriculum and paying a fixed price will add immense value to your job profile.

The online programme is provided in a self-paced mode and it can be taken by the learners in two modes; certificate and free. In the paid certificate mode, the candidates will get unlimited access to the course whereas in the free mode, they will be given access only for a limited period of time. 

A significant part of the history of the world, the American past holds a great number of gems hidden to date from many which can be used to figure out patterns that are closely interlinked with the present of this globe, which precisely the course will be mentioned in detail. Smithsonian’s Objects That Define America boasts about a perspective of history that is unique to its contents and mentions the iconic symbols, which though were of great significance in that era, have come to be forgotten.

By the end of the Smithsonian’s Objects That Define America certification course, the candidates will have a distinct knowledge of objects narrating the key points in the history of America. They will have gained insight into the distance as well as the recent past through observation of the moments collected in Smithsonian, giving them the opportunity to recognize precious artifacts, their stories and be able to connect and create their lifetimes. 

Smithsonian’s Objects That Define America course will help the candidates in all fields connected to or using the knowledge of, America’s history, valuable memorabilia, their theoretical studies, sequencing timelines, and such.

Have you ever wondered what made Star Trek a cult classic? How it began as an unsuccessful network series and transformed into a whole universe of feature films, fan conventions, television series, and memorabilia? If yes, then choose edX’s Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology III programme. Here, you’ll take an in-depth look into why this globally popular series resonates with millions. Offered by The Smithsonian Institution, this is a five-week introductory training in ‘History’. 

The immersive Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology III certification syllabus will employ object exploration, critical analysis, Star Trek’s clips, experts’ viewpoints, and debate sessions with fans. Additionally, you will also examine how this series’ motion films and live-action tv shows impacted audiences worldwide. The curriculum will also explain how this cult movie tackled various controversial subjects, including gender, sexuality, race, and ethics.

The Star Trek: Inspiring Culture and Technology III online course provides free auditing and an optional certificate (paid). The curriculum schedule is self-paced, has English transcripts, and requires just one to three hours of study every week. 

The Tabernacle in Word & Image: An Italian Jewish Manuscript Revealed certification course is an estimated 5 weeks online course. This programme can be studied through the online platform edX. The syllabus comprises five video lectures in number and are short that explore Mantua, Malkiel Ashkenazi’s Tavnit ha-mishkan manuscripts.

The Tabernacle in Word & Image: An Italian Jewish Manuscript Revealed training course has no pre-requirement of knowing Jewish or intellectual history. This short history programme also introduces a free, and fascinating Italian Jewish text concerning the collection portrayed at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Guetta explains through this programme by studying the manuscripts which state how Jews intellectually lived their lives.

2 different tracks are offered by Edx, one of which is the audit track which offers limited but free access whereas the other one is the verified track which gives unlimited access to the course materials.

The Hollywood: History, Industry, Art course will help you explore how Hollywood became globally prominent and art that is widely celebrated. The course curriculum covers how the present-day Hollywood industry plays a role in politics using film, TV, and new media. You will also dive deep into the various studios such as Warner Bros, Disney, and Fox and their story in cinema's evolution. 

The Hollywood: History, Industry, Art certification programme will uncover the impact, advanced technological tools had on the process of creating a movie. By taking examples of various independent and Hollywood films, the course will provide insights into the transitions we can expect to see in the future. The four-week training from edX is entirely self-paced but has a time constraint in case the students have selected the audit mode. In case of selection of the verified mode, the candidates will have an unlimited amount of time to complete the programme.

Besides, the Hollywood: History, Industry, Art online programme by Edx is taught by an experienced faculty, Peter Decherney from the prestigious University of Pennsylvania. The introductory level course requires no prerequisites. The training falls into the communication domain and covers synchronised sound, color cinematography, home video, computer graphics, and the internet.  

The Certification course on Invitation to The Tale of Genji: The Foundational Elements of Japanese Culture will provide an insight into the age-old story of “The Tale of Genji”. During the course, many video lectures and references will be provided to elaborate and explain the customs, manners, and sensibilities of the Kyoto city and the society of the Japanese aristocrats. The students will gain a comprehensive and presided view of the then-Japanese society. The Tale of Genji will provide a foundation base for Japanese literature. It will allow the students to learn more about history from a different perspective and will help to understand the spirituality related to Japanese society in ancient times.

Considered to be the world's first prose fiction and novel the “Tale of Genji” is considered to be a central piece of literature. Hence, the Invitation to The Tale of Genji: The Foundational Elements of Japanese Culture program provides students an opportunity to learn more about royal life. Among the 2 paths, if the candidates choose the Audit mode they will be getting only limited-time access to the course whereas the access becomes unlimited if the Verfiied track is selected by the candidates.

Through Poetry in America: The Civil War and Its Aftermath course, the candidates will become acquainted with different historical facts that have taken place in the context of American literature, specifically, poetry during and after the Civil War had taken place. edX takes the learning experience to the next place by providing a course that will not only suit the experienced candidates but also those who do not have any prior knowledge in his field and are interested in knowing more about it. The candidates will draw inspiration from distinguished and world-renowned guests such as Harvard Civil War scholar John Stauffer, Professor, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Henry Louis Gates Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner, baritone Davone Tines, and Harvard President Drew Faust. The candidates will not only be just receiving the theory aspect of education but will also become familiar with the real-life applications of those concepts with the help of live examples and case studies. 

All this will be covered within a span of 4 weeks. Candidates need to be regular in their submissions and studies which will prove to be enough for them to score the passing percentage in Poetry in America: The Civil War and Its Aftermath certification course. 

The World Bank states that Africa’s working-age population is likely to increase by almost 70% by 2035. However, to achieve sustainable development, industrialisation is crucial to create jobs. While rapid manufacturing has been beneficial for east Asian countries, will it be useful for Africa? Industrial Policy in the 21st Century: The Challenge for Africa online course explores this and many other questions related to Africa’s industrialisation policy requirements. 

The Industrial Policy in the 21st Century: The Challenge for Africa course surveys various ways to promote economic growth in Africa. The prime focus will be on ‘industries without smokestacks’, an industrial policy that encourages industry growth and economic development in Africa, foregoing the manufacturing policies. 

Industrial Policy in the 21st Century: The Challenge for Africa is a four-week online course. However, you can learn at your own speed. With a weekly effort of two to four hours, you will be able to complete the course on time. The educator for this course is John Page, a representative of the SDG Academy.  The self-paced course is free to join and access it for a limited duration. To get the certificate and unlimited access to the programme, they learners will need to pay the prescribed fee. 

The Globalization: Past and Future online course by edX is designed to enlighten you about the history of globalisation. The course focuses on the question: Is globalisation a recurring pattern or a new occurrence? It is a four-week-long mini-course curated by the SGD Academy that gives you the chance to earn an e-certificate on completion.

Throughout the Globalization: Past and Future certification programme, you will go on an anthropological and historical tour of six different phases of globalisation. These epochs are the great dispersal, the Neolithic revolution, land-based globalisation, ocean-based globalisation, the Anglo-American world (industrial age), and new globalisation.

With the help of the programme, you will explore the technology development, dispersal and the main factors that led to innovation in these distinct eras. You will also be able to extract important lessons from history to understand the disorderly changes of today. To complete this course, you will need to put in an average of two to four hours per week for four weeks. The course has two enrolment options; verified and free audit. You can get unlimited access to the course in the verified mode whereas in the free mode, you can audit it for a limited duration. 

Success requires knowledge and know-how of functions, domains, people, technology, and processes. The Language of Leaders: Learn to Speak with Confidence online course will teach you all that and help you become a powerful communicator.

Through the course, you'll learn to touch the aspirations and emotions of people you speak with. You will learn the language of leaders and how to speak with great confidence. Also, the course will cover how to make your speeches impactful and enhance eloquence.

The Language of Leaders: Learn to Speak with Confidence by edX will be taught by Swati Sengupta, a faculty member of the State Bank of India. Besides, it is an introductory course in communication and runs for 4 weeks. You can complete the course by devoting 1-3 hours per week.

The Language of Leaders: Learn to Speak with Confidence is a certification programme. It is self-paced and offers two enrolment options: free auditing and paid benefits.