HOPE: What Makes Us Human

Tel Aviv University via edX

Go to class Write review

Details

Go to class

Provider

edX
Pricing

Free Online Course (Audit)
Languages

English
Duration & workload

10 weeks, 3-5 hours a week
Sessions

On-Demand
Level

Beginner
Subtitles

English

Found in

Overview

Why breathe? Why breed? Why bleed? What justifies continuing, creating, and killing lives? Seeking answers to these thorny questions, Princeton University and Tel Aviv University have joined hands to create HOPE, a unique online journey into the heart of humanity – at both its brightest and its darkest, in private and in public. Turning to existentialism for guidance, HOPE (Human Odyssey to Political Existentialism) explores a dozen themes: Human/nature, identity & authenticity, freedom & liberty, reflection, happiness, death & dread, meaning, morality, truth & trust, God & religion, alienation & love, and finally – hope.

HOPE is driven by alarm – and aspiration. Alarm about a daily crime against humanity we all commit: Seeing people as puppets, pushed and pulled by forces that leave them “no choice.” Never have we been more powerful, and more prone to lose what made us so. We are an endangered species. Pandemics, climate change, environmental degradation, AI, nuclear weapons are some of the existential risks we face. But what is the point of saving human beings if we forget and forgo what it means to be human?

HOPE is a reminder, a wake-up call, and a guide, to what sets us apart and brings us together, as humans – seeking purpose for our special species. HOPE spans 44 short talks with numerous interactive, educational, tasks. It is the most media-rich online course today, including thousands of works of art, meticulously curated and with copyrights secured, including paintings, photographs, songs, as well as brief segments from tv shows and films. HOPE further introduces original animations, music clips, and videotaped interviews and panels. HOPE is profoundly interdisciplinary and requires no previous professional or academic knowledge – just curiosity about our humanity. It is suited to all ages and levels of education, and anyone can enroll. The course is offered, free of charge, in English, with captions in English, Hebrew and Arabic, and soon French and Spanish as well.

Launched in 2018, HOPE received instant global acclaim, awarded the best online course. Since then, HOPE consistently tops rankings of online courses, worldwide; it’s an all-time #1 online course in political science and philosophy, leading the social sciences and the humanities (among over 5000 courses). Tens of thousands of daily learners, academic (including leading universities) and non-academic, spanning all ages, from over 140 countries, partake in HOPE. You are very welcome to join them and begin your own journey.

Taught by

Uriel Abulof

Reviews

4.9 rating, based on 303 Class Central reviews

Start your review of HOPE: What Makes Us Human

Himal Kunwar @himal07

It is a time-worth course but first, you would have to have little more than basic skills (if you are from non-English speaking nation) in English, especially in the field of philosophy. Overall, you can take time and learn this. If you don't understand, then repeat it.
Everaldo De Oliveira

This is a course with an innovative approach and a deep reflection. With a brilliant organization and exposition of topics, we are immersed in relevant issues of our time, analyzing concepts underlying our human existence. This course is a journey g…

This is a course with an innovative approach and a deep reflection. With a brilliant organization and exposition of topics, we are immersed in relevant issues of our time, analyzing concepts underlying our human existence. This course is a journey guided by history, where we find great names of human thought, as well as prominent names in the world political scenario. Due importance is, of course, given to the counter-current of existentialist thought which has reoriented philosophical reflection into lived experience, in contrast to rational idealism. This was, I would say, the part that was missing to indicate the horizon, even knowing the existence of the deep abyss to which we are addressing. In other words, to know the existence of both of the abyss and the horizon is to be aware of human existence itself as contingent, yet still capable of looking beyond its own finitude. Each of us, at least once in our lives, has already encountered or will encounter existential questions, and can hardly find a complete answer. Why do we exist? Why are there other people? Why are we here? Why do we die? These are just some questions about the meaning of our existence that are most often experienced within the limits of our own life or to use a term of Karl Jaspers, in ‘limit-situation’ (pain, death, ecc.).
Another great novelty of this course is to offer us historical awareness. As a social being by nature (being-with-others), the human being should find meaning for his existence already in the course of his own existence, which finds its greatest expression in political life. However, in the question of existence, there are no ready answers, and each individual in his singularity must walk the path of 'anguish' to find the sense of 'being-here'. Seen in this way, that the extensive use of Socratic maieutic was a very strong point of the course, helping us to extract from our own interiority some of the answers to existential questions that are buried in the most intimate and secret part of ourselves, making a wide revaluation of the term 'education' (educere), namely ‘lead out’ from us.
I hope that I will have a new opportunity to follow HOPE again!
Carole Mulvey @Mimi0908

So much material to read and consider. I feel like I have a better understanding of humanity and life after considering the works of some of the greatest thinkers of all time!

The final chapter, Hope, was particularly relevant to me as we studied the picture of Hope and heard the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. it is true that life and people bring disappointment which can be very hard to live with, and that hope and fear are two sides of the same coin. Yet it is hope that keeps us alive, working towards doing good.
Sorcha Crowley

This course is one of the richest and most thought-provoking courses I've taken. It combines philosophy, arts and politics to challenge our notions on a variety of topics ranging from identity, love, hope to alienation, death, god and many more. The…

This course is one of the richest and most thought-provoking courses I've taken. It combines philosophy, arts and politics to challenge our notions on a variety of topics ranging from identity, love, hope to alienation, death, god and many more. The underlying philosophy is existentialist, the politics are current, and the references to music, art and film certainly add interest and spark to the course.

One of my favorite things about this course is that it requires participation and interaction between the learners, something I often find lacking in other courses. Each topic requires participation in the discussion forum and a brief contribution to the gallery (well, it doesn't actually require this, since progress is self recorded, however I highly recommend participating as this does lead to some very interesting discussion).

The instructor, a non-native English speaker, is compelling and holds your interest effortlessly, and it is clear that he is as enamored with the topics of discussion, as I - and many of the other learners (judging by the discussion forums) have become.

I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in humanism, existentialism, philosophy, political-science and arts.
Anonymous

אחד הקורסים הכי חווייתיים ומעשירים שיצא לי לקחת! אני מרגיש שהוא תרם לי מאוד ברמה האישית.
נקודה שחשוב לי לציין היא לצערי מכיוון שאני נאלץ לקחת את הקורס הזה במסגרת כלים שלובים, אני עמוס נורא במחויבויות של התואר עצמו ויצא מצב שעודף המחויבויות של הקורס זה (הגשת הבחנים והגשות של myhope והמטלה המסכמת + המבחן) לאט לאט עם העומס התחלתי להתייחס אליו יותר כעוד נטל וזה הקשה עליי להוציא את המיטב מהמסע שהקורס הזה מוציא אותך אליו.
אני חושב שאפשר היה לוותר על מעט ממחויבויות הקורס כדי להקל על הסטודנטים ולאפשר למידה אפקטיבית וחוויתית יותר עבורנו (בייחוד עבור סטודנטים כמוני ממקצועות ההנדסה והמדעים המדויקים שקורס כמו זה מהווה אתנחתא ממסלול הלימודים הרגיל).
תודה על הקורס, היה מעולה!
Zsoro @zsoro

Very intriguing and entertaining course weaving the viewer through the realms of philosophy, politics, art, literature, cinema, and music. Enjoyed the ideas and questions presented and the ways that they were. The primary purpose of this *odyssey* is to get you to think - to introspect and reflect upon your life and our world. And in that regard, it succeeds entirely.
Anonymous

The course was very well done-
The professor did an excellent in the presentation of the topic in each video
The resources were great and related well to each topic
I audited the class so I cannot comment on the exercises and assignments
I did do the quizzes and I found them very helpful in ascertaining if I was understanding
the subject matter of each lesson.

While the course was well done , I however found it extremely depressing and will not
be taking any other classes on Existentialism
Anonymous

An amazing course to be honest. The journey throughout the course covered every topic that would kindle the existentialist in each of us, be it god and religion, love and alienation, identity, truth, meaning and many others not to mention the epilogue of the course HOPE!, I would say my most favorite part of the course was the epilogue. The course also enabled us to discuss, raise questions and submit assignments in the gallery which actually helped us learn and introspect more into the subject in depth and give us a clear understanding of the topic. The additional resources were also of great help and really thank all the people who contributed to the making of this wonderful course. And finally Uriel Sir, loved your lectures!
Anonymous

This course was spectacular. Not only did it allow me to gain an in-depth understanding of how politics is interconnected with a variety of different concepts, including love and religion, the content was also presented in a very engaging and interacting format. The lectures were short but concise, with a very handy transcript and the quizzes allowed you to review your knowledge. I admired the self-paced study of this course as it allowed me to work at my own speed, and the discussion forums were also a very reciprocative way of being part of a community and sharing interests with one another. Thank you for this amazing course; I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Anonymous

I thoroughly enjoyed this course; it was engaging and interactive. The videos were diverse, offering a rich blend of content that kept me interested throughout. I particularly loved the combination of paintings, movies, and songs, which provided a multi-dimensional approach to the topics. This mix not only made the material more relatable and memorable but also enriched the learning experience by connecting various forms of art and media to the course themes. The use of different artistic expressions helped illustrate complex concepts in a more accessible and captivating manner, making the entire course a truly enlightening experience.
Anonymous

The course provides a comprehensive and informative overview across diverse subjects like psychology, philosophy, and politics. The content leaves a positive impression overall. However, to enhance the learning experience, it may be beneficial to shorten the video lengths. It is hard for me to maintain focused all the time for 20 minutes videos * 3. Condensing the video durations could help keep the material engaging and easier to digest. This would likely create an even more effective learning environment for me and the others. I can learn better with shortened and condensed videos. (maybe shorten some of the clips or reduce some clips)
Donny Astor

I finished the course HOPE, offered by Princeton (Edx). I completed 30 other MOOC before taking this one. This was the Captsone of the previous 30 MOOC. The title of the course itself draws you in like a magnet. It has 2 Names ! 1.) HOPE. 2.)…

I finished the course HOPE, offered by Princeton (Edx). I completed 30 other MOOC before taking this one. This was the Captsone of the previous 30 MOOC. The title of the course itself draws you in like a magnet. It has 2 Names ! 1.) HOPE. 2.) Human Odyssey to Political Existentialism. As we age, we often wonder about what sets us apart as Humans, and brings us together is times of trial and suffering ?

Prof Uriel Abulof ("Uriel") is the front man of this talented team. They explore not only “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” but also “death, freedom, and the pursuit of meaning." This introductory class covers a large amount and wide variety of material. The course is broken down into Byte-size portions, to keep the student engaged. The lectures are sheer joy, and Uriel asks many dark Questions, only to answer them with the blazing noonday sun of truth with logic. He teaches us to Question and probe every age, stage, and phase of our life. He leaves no stone unturned. His lifetime of study is divided across every aspect of our life. His questions provoke the student to reflect deeply, to promote a better life.

This course uses many aspects of Multi-media, and is a rich buffet of new ideas. There are many new terms, concepts, definitions, and ideas introduced to challenge students, to seek out a true answer. Every aspect of the course is integrated, finely woven together. Lectures are reinforced with Music, songs, poetry, Essays, and quizzes. In the past, I often studied and prepared to Pass a Quiz. In this class, I just gave it my best shot. He doesn’t need a chalk board or Power Point slides to present his ideas. He delivers probing questions that make us reason, and see the light of day by contrast. This course is recommended to students of all ages. Each lesson is easy to digest, since you are learning about yourself. Fantastic !
Anonymous

This course called HOPE was my Hope for the past weeks! Whenever I felt odd or numb or when I could not sleep, I would do a chapter and it gave me life, in the sense that it made me think and it made me feel alive. Cogito ergo sum! And it is highly imperative to mention that this course has bestowed me with immaculate knowledge and raised many critical questions. The dawn of questions was truly enlightening. It also strengthened my philosophy and has introduced me to many existentialists to whom I have developed great liking and admiration. This was no less than a revelation.
Anonymous

I learned a lot from this course. From this course, I got a lot of new knowledge. This course is also very good, it doesn't get boring. This course made me think and reflect a lot on my life. The material in this course is really very good. Thank you also to the lecturer who explained the material very well. Before taking this course, I thought I definitely knew a lot about myself. But, finally after taking this course, there are still many things inside me that I haven't learned. But with this course, it helps me know myself more deeply.
Anonymous

This course was super interesting and insightful! I learned so many things about the world and so many different takes on how and why humans do what they do. The lesson about love and alienation. Love is one of my favorite topics to delve into and really pick apart and analyze. I thought the musical outros were a really fun and creative way to tie in the topics in a more engaging manner. Overall the entire course was fun and unique and i really enjoyed it.
Anonymous

i have taken this course as part of my academic learning, researching by myself for myself.
my plan was to do it in a month, taking my time... yet when i started going i found i enjoyed it so much and could not stop.
the lectures are filled with old and new, creative use of movies and music makes this learning process more fun and enjoyable.
the quiz and other participation tasks are not to hard and also enjoyable.
thank you very much.
i recommend this curse!
Anonymous

Overall, I liked this course, the way the course was split up made sense, and our information kept building up until the last lesson. The work is manageable, however, it allows us as students to dig deeper into the meanings of our lives, and learn more about the existentialist theories/concepts of the world, and how they're very applicable to the political world.
Anonymous

While I enjoyed the material greatly, and I loved learning about morality and important philosophical topics, the course was not organized enough. I would have liked to learn this course in person as opposed to online, and furthermore I wish we met online virtually more often, as it helped my understanding of the course in general.
Anonymous

HOPE was a very good course. It brought new ideas and made me think about things from different perspectives. The timeframe allotted enabled me to take time to mull ideas over rather than rushing though the course and not exploring the topics.

The use of art, videos and music were effective in highlighting the topics.
Anonymous

מעולה
יצירתי ושונה מכל יתר הקורסים באוניברסיטה
מאוד אהבתי את השילוב של אמנות, ספרות, מוזיקה וקולנוע בתוך הקורס עצמו. מטלות הגלריה היו מעניינות ועירבו חשיבה יצירתית.