Literature Courses and Certifications

Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”)

189 reviews

During the 10 weeks of the course, you will be guided through poems, video discussions of each poem, and community discussions of each poem. And (unique among open online courses) we offer weekly, interactive live webcasts.

• Coursera
• 10 weeks long
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course (Audit)

• Best of All Time

Literature of the English Country House

212 reviews

Take a journey through the literature of English country houses from the time of Thomas More to Oscar Wilde.

• FutureLearn
• 8 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

• Best of All Time

Exploring English: Shakespeare

505 reviews

Improve your English language skills by looking at the life and works of William Shakespeare and his enduring popularity.

• FutureLearn
• 2 hours a week, 6 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Shakespeare Matters

49 reviews

Learn about Shakespeare’s plays and their influence through a focus on emotions such as love, hate, and jealousy.

• edX
• 3-5 hours a week, 5 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

• Best of All Time

Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop

19 reviews

Why just write poems when you can write better ones? This course is built on the notion that the most exciting writing begins after the first draft.

• Coursera
• 6 weeks long
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Greek and Roman Mythology

20 reviews

This course will focus on the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, as a way of exploring the nature of myth and the function it plays for individuals, societies, and nations. We will also pay some attention to the way the Greeks and Romans themselves unders…

• Coursera
• 10 weeks long
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course (Audit)

• Best of All Time

Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction

11 reviews

A unique and exciting introduction to the genre and craft of historical fiction, for curious students, aspiring authors--anyone with a passion for the past. Read classics of the genre, encounter bestselling writers of historical fiction, and discover you…

• Coursera
• 12 weeks long
• On-Demand
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Shakespeare's Hamlet: The Ghost

5 reviews

Explore the haunting figure at the heart of one of William Shakespeare’s most famous plays.

• edX
• 5-7 hours a week, 4 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Masterpieces of World Literature

4 reviews

Embark on a global journey to explore the past, present, and future of World Literature.

• edX
• 5-7 hours a week, 12 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Shakespeare’s Othello: The Moor

2 reviews

Explore acts of storytelling in Shakespeare's Othello alongside world-class artists who interpret Othello's story in new forms and contexts today.

• edX
• 5-7 hours a week, 4 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Poetry in America: The Civil War and Its Aftermath

1 review

Explore the poetry of the Civil War and its aftermath.

• edX
• 3-5 hours a week, 4 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Poetry in America: Modernism

1 review

Reading works by Robert Frost, T.S. Eliot, Langston Hughes, Marianne Moore, William Carlos Williams, and Wallace Stevens, among others, learn how American Modernist poetry departed from past traditions and past forms.

• edX
• 3-5 hours a week, 8 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature

1 review

Examine how cultures of the ancient world defined themselves through literature and how their vision of literature contributes to our understanding of civilization, culture, and literature today.

• edX
• 3-6 hours a week, 6 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Shakespeare's Life and Work

1 review

Learn how to read William Shakespeare's plays through his biography, Elizabethan and Jacobean history, and modern performance.

• edX
• 5-7 hours a week, 4 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice: Shylock

1 review

An exploration of the magnetic and ambivalent character of Shylock in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice.

• edX
• 5-7 hours a week, 4 weeks long
• Self paced
• Free Online Course (Audit)