Free Social Science Courses & Certifications

This course entails how the promise of the Arab Spring, which meant to open up the Arabic world to the mainland, failed, and how the revolutions against despotic leaders and for popular sovereignty amounted virtually to nothing. Today, the Arab world is once again in the throes of crisis and this After the Arab Spring- Democratic Aspirations and State Failure programme in Governance and Society aims to shed light on the same.

After the Arab Spring- Democratic Aspirations and State Failure is an online course made available by Coursera and offered by the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the oldest university in Denmark with a focus on comprehensive research. This course is entirely online, and candidates can earn a shareable certificate issued by Coursera upon completion.

The syllabus consists of six different modules that are available as pre-recorded lectures by Dr. Ebrahim Afsah, one of Coursera’s top instructors. Further, every week’s module is accompanied by a suitable reading and practice exercise. 

As the social setup is dynamically changing including one of its evolving parts, Gender, it calls for a need to understand its complexities from different cultural and historical settings. The introductory course on genders and why it matters is apt for candidates who want to understand these important concepts. Offered by edX, an online education provider, and presented by the University of Hong Kong (HKU); this short certification course taken by the experienced instructors of HKU, combines the goodness of a comprehensive curriculum with a flexing learning system to get the best learning experience for the aspirants.

The course mainly highlights the diverse genders prevailing in the changing society in a comparative and descriptive study along with case studies in which key concepts like Gender discrimination, gender in politics, education, and work, gender gaze, gender in the digital age, sexual harassments, sexual violence, gendered assumptions and biases and so on.  The candidates may choose your path while they enroll in any of the paths. In case the audit mode is selected by the students they will be able to access the programme materials for a limited time. In case the verified mode is considered then there is unlimited access to the course for the candidates.

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 Vernacular Architecture of Asia: Tradition, Modernity and Cultural Sustainability certification programme is an introductory course under the art and culture category. The University of Hong Kong introduces the course, with Prof David P. Y. Lung and Prof Howard Davis as the head instructors. This is a five-week training and requires a minimum study of two to three hours per week.  

The Vernacular Architecture of Asia online training focuses on sustaining vernacular architecture against the threat and challenges posed by the modernised world. Candidates will explore the in-depth socio-cultural significance of vernacular architecture and the challenges posed by people migrating from villages to cities. Experts will also discuss informal settlements in Asia along with how to conserve and reunite cultural heritage with modernity. 

The Course on Vernacular Architecture of Asia will have lectures conducted in English throughout, and edX will also provide transcripts for the same. While enrolling for the course, students can choose to purchase a verified certificate to validate their skills and achievements in the course.

The course in Modern Indian Art from the Colonial Period to the Present by Swayam delves into the socio-political, aesthetic, and cultural factors that have shaped the history of Indian art movements. Beginning from the colonial period, it traces the evolution of Indian art forms as a function of external and internal factors, such as shifts in patronage from kings to the erstwhile colonial rulers. 

The Modern Indian Art from the Colonial Period to the Present course is designed to look at vital moments in Indian history and correlate them with changing art styles. It also highlights how the art style changed from nationalistic to individualistic. The candidates will get to study the significant Indian artists, their works of art, and how they influenced the movement.

The Course in Modern Indian Art from the Colonial Period to the Present encourages art appreciation amongst the candidates and teaches them how to critique art forms. It is a 4-week long programme, offered by the expert faculty from Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. 

The Introduction to History of Architecture in India program will help you understand architectural works as material expressions of societies, polities, and aspirations of a region. The course also provides a broad perspective on India's five thousand years of rich architectural history.

Moreover, the Introduction to History of Architecture in India course by Swayam is available at the UG level. In just four weeks, you will have acquired knowledge of the various cultural, artisanal, technological, and philosophical processes of every period and place of architecture in India. 

Core topics covered in the Introduction to History of Architecture in India syllabus include Cave & Wooden architecture, Islamic architecture, Sultanate architecture, Medieval temples, Mughals and Rajputs, Neoclassical architecture, and more. 

As such, you will study the complete history of architecture in India, starting from the Bronze Age through the Vedic Culture period, early Buddhist period, early modernity in architecture, and colonial buildings. Finally, the Introduction to History of Architecture in India online course will culminate on the architecture from the Republic of India.

Amid the rise of fake, misleading, and polarising news, and the deplorable state of mainstream media, the need of the hour is to produce trustworthy journalism. And that is just what the Journalism for Social Change certification course aims to do. You will learn about solution-based journalism, which is the practice of giving equal weightage to a problem and its solution.

By the end of the Journalism for Social Change training by edX, you will learn how to use journalism and the media as a tool to implement positive social change. You will also become an effective change agent yourself. You will study outstanding examples of solution-based journalism, focusing mostly on vulnerable children, and other issues that affect all other vulnerable and marginalised peoples.  

Your research and report during the Journalism for Social Change online course will be published over the semester, and will, in turn, have an immediate and direct impact. It can be anything - women’s rights, immigration, child exploitation, criminal justice, or poverty. This four-week programme is brought to you by the University of California, Berkeley.

The Global ethics: an introductory course developed by the open university and offered by the platform of future learn is a course created under the guidance of four philosophers to help learners frame their opinions about the global challenges.

Through this course, the learners will become familiar with the key ethical theories surrounding global challenges and the implementation of philosophy for addressing them. This will make learners think about major global problems and help them develop their views about them. 

They would be able to analyze the problems like migration, climate change, widespread poverty, and global inequality and the course will help them present their unbiased thought and views on them. Frequent tests, quizzes, and assignments make learning more effective and efficient. At the end, of the course, a certification is awarded to the learners after qualifying a test, to help them demonstrate their dedication towards continuous learning and unending personal growth.