AAAS S-110
Africana Philosophy
Teodros Kiros PhD, Associate of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, Harvard University and Professor, Liberal Arts, Berklee College of Music
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34824 | Section 1
Description
This course examines Africana philosophy as a field of study practiced by professional philosophers of African descent and non-African philosophers. The course focuses on fundamental dimensions of Africana philosophy: history, method, logic, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, aesthetics, religion, and politics.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 306
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
Glenda R. Carpio PhD, Professor of English and of African and African American Studies, Harvard University
ANTH S-1068
Anthropology of Food and Foodways
Gavin H. Whitelaw PhD, Executive Director for the Reischauer Institute for Japanese Studies, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35452 | Section 1
Description
Food and eating are not just necessary for life, they are the basis of culture. Through selection, ingestion, and digestion of food, we make the outside world a part of us. It is not surprising then that food and its associated practices have long nourished the discipline of anthropology. This course applies a comparative, anthropological lens to the study of food by examining the connections between what we eat and who we are. Through readings, podcast listening, discussions, and a spectrum of hands-on experiences, including field excursions, we explore the production, distribution, and consumption of food in a range of cultures and contexts. From family meals and dumpster diving to artisanal cheeses and farmers’ markets, the course addresses the ways food shapes not only our relationships with people, but to our environment, our community, and other nations and cultures. We interrogate not only what food is but what constitutes good food. We examine what can, cannot, and should not be eaten; what role food plays in the creation of community and the construction of identity; and the intersection of food activism and social justice. We explore changes to food systems, in particular transformations in food production and distribution, and the impact of industrial diets on the body, lives, and livelihoods. While engaging with debates that animate the anthropological study of food, students draw on readings, audio, and visual sources, and employ empirical methods to research a dimension of their immediate foodscape.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 8:30am-11:00am, CGIS South S020
Required field work in the Cambridge area and with the Cabot House Community Garden to be arranged. See syllabus for details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
ANTH S-1150
Can We Know Our Past?
Jason Ur PhD, Stephen Phillips Professor of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35811 | Section 1
Description
What happened in the past, and if and how we should remember it, is hotly contested. What is our degree of certainty about the past societies and cultures that historians, archaeologists, and others study today? Whose past matters? And how should we remember it? Most of the human past happened in prehistory. This course emphasizes material remains, which are studied primarily by the tools of archaeology. We start with basic questions such as: what is left of the past? How do we find these remains, and how can we know how old they are? Students explore how the past is created in, and sometimes for, the present; how history and archaeology have been used to advance imperial and colonial agendas; and how nations have used the same tools to create their own postcolonial identities. Course readings present a general background, while synchronous meetings present case studies. Students interact with 3D artifacts, web maps, experiments, and other digital methods. After completing this course, students recognize claims made about the past and toward what ends, are able to assess their validity, and understand why the past matters today and for the future.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Required sections Fridays, time to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Harvard College students: this course counts for either the Histories, Societies, Individuals Gen Ed requirement or the Science and Technology in Society Gen Ed requirement (but not both) and is equivalent to Gen Ed 1105. It does not count for the College’s divisional distribution requirement.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ANTH S-1300
Human Evolution
Bridget A. Alex PhD, Lecturer on Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University and Editor, Sapiens Magazine
Éadaoin Harney PhD, Lecturer on Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University and Scientist, 23andMe
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35599 | Section 1
Description
How do we know how humans evolved? This course investigates the evidence and methods used to reconstruct human evolution. We review eight million years of evolutionary history, focusing on the origins of defining features of our species such as bipedalism, tool use, language, art, and agriculture. We evaluate interpretations of the past using different lines of evidence including genetic and fossil data, the archaeological and ethnographic records, and comparisons with living primates. To gain first-hand experience in research methods, students work with fossils and artifacts from Harvard museums and complete exercises in Harvard laboratories.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Museum of Comparative Zoology 529
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 35 students
ANTH S-1645
Money and Power: Cultural Approaches to Economic Life
James P. Herron PhD, Director of the Harvard Writing Project and Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35817 | Section 1
Description
This course considers how culture shapes the economic aspects of our lives. That is, we seek to understand the economy not as a separate realm with its own special logic and structure but instead as embedded in the social relations, identities, and cultural practices of everyday life. Our major course themes include exchange, money, debt, commodification, markets, and labor. We consider questions such as, how do the different kinds of exchanges we engage in gift exchanges versus market exchanges, for instance shape our relationships with others? We explore the social meaning of money and the role of the market in our lives. In a world where it is possible to rent a family, does money destroy love and intimacy? What aspects of our lives are governed by the logic of capitalism and what aspects escape capitalism’s grip? Why does it feel shameful to be in debt, and how has this shame been manipulated for political purposes? Why in the US do we consider work to be sacred and morally purifying even though many of us have tedious jobs? The course readings include theoretical and empirical works drawn mainly from the fields of anthropology, economic sociology, and heterodox economics.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Sever Hall 103
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ANTH S-1662
The Human Market: The Global Traffic in Human Beings
Kerey Luis PhD, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33520 | Section 1
Description
The course introduces students to the wide range of cultural and ethical questions surrounding the trade in humans. We consider issues ranging from the traffic in women and children to the trade in human organs. We especially explore the cultural, racial, class, and gender issues inherent in transactions in human beings and their flesh. Who is selling their organs on the international market and why? Whose babies go to whom in international adoption, and who decides what the best interests of the children are? Whose bones are sold to museums and medical schools, and what do such transactions mean?
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ANTH S-1663
The Supernatural in the Modern World
Lowell A. Brower PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35604 | Section 1
Description
What do our ghost stories say about us, what do our beasts betray about us? Which witches bewitch us, which rumors consume us, and what sense can be made of what haunts us? Restless spirits, alien invaders, wicked witches, bloodthirsty vampires, legendary cryptids, murderous ogres, Illuminati satanists, deep-state conspirators, memetic online menaces: our contemporary bestiary is overflowing with meaningful monsters. Our spine-tingling intellectual task in this course is to analyze the roles that these malevolent entities and the supernatural narratives we tell about them play in our everyday lives, our collective psyches, our communities, our politics, and in the crises we confront as individuals and groups. Are our occult stories allegories of our modern discontents or simply holdovers from our childhood nightmares? Are they symptoms of specific societal crises or representations of timeless pan-human fears? How has the witch hunt, the rumor panic, the standardized nightmare of the group transformed in this meme-ified age of online participatory culture, global interconnection, ecological catastrophe, and fake-news-driven conspiracy thinking? What can we learn about ourselves, our pasts, and our futures by thinking deeply about what scares us the most? And how frightened should we be of what we might find if we dig too deeply into that question? While trembling together in the creepiest Zoom-room on campus, we analyze the supernatural in relationship historical memories, cultural anxieties, folk traditions, spiritual beliefs, physiological sensations, political conflicts, environmental disasters, existential imperatives, and just about everything else under the moon. Because nowhere is safe from the things that go bump in the night, our interdisciplinary journey takes us across time and space into the bellies of various beasts, from the gates of Harvard Yard, to the hills of Rwanda, to the message boards of 4chan, to the proms of rural Pennsylvania, to the ships of the Middle Passage, to the villages of medieval Europe, to the halls of the White House, to your creepy neighbor’s basement, and to the deep dark woods. Our abominable assignments include creative reading responses, the documentation and analysis of frightful folklore, a fearsome final project, and a co-created haunted Harvard virtual tour. Course activities may include local excursions, storytelling sessions, and paranormal experimentation. Enroll if you dare.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ANTH S-1666
Social Medicine and Social Change
Jason Bryan Silverstein PhD, Lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine and Co-Director, Master of Science in Media, Medicine, and Health Program, Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35774 | Section 1
Description
No one wants someone they love to starve or go without medicine or shelter, but one in ten people go hungry every day, a record-high number are homeless every night, and nearly three million children live in extreme poverty in the United States, one of the wealthiest nations on earth. This course takes a social medicine approach to investigating problems of poverty and their interventions in Boston, Massachusetts. Social medicine is a discipline that examines how political, economic, and historic forces become embodied as pathologies and how the same forces that create uneven distribution of disease also create barriers to care. Some of the pathologies we examine are addiction, hunger, homelessness, mental illness, and homicide, all worsened by racism, sexism, and sometimes the very institutions that ought to help. In this course, we emphasize understanding the observations, judgements, and calls to action from people who endure the miseries of poverty. To do so, students read ethnographic research in medical anthropology and learn directly from community members during class visits.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 6:30pm-9:00pm, Harvard Hall 202
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
ANTH S-1690
Internet Folklore and Digital Storytelling
Lowell A. Brower PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35999 | Section 1
Description
Exploring the wild world wide web of informal vernacular culture being created, transmitted, and adapted by online communities, this course examines the powers, potentials, and peculiarities of internet folklore in relationship to community-building, political engagement, social change, and everyday negotiations of individual and group identity. On our digital journey, we encounter viral videos, meme warriors, urban legends, occult folk beliefs, disinformation campaigns, and viral challenges, while examining connections between contemporary online culture and ancient storytelling traditions. What new folk groups, storytelling genres, and political potentialities are arising as a result of online engagement? What are the creative, destructive, and ambivalent capacities of online participatory culture, and how are they being harnessed in projects of future-making? Course assignments invite students to research, analyze, and participate in digital storytelling in an attempt to better understand ourselves and our historical moment through folkloristic engagement.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
Nicholas H. Harkness PhD, Modern Korean Economy and Society Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University
ARAB S-Aa
Elementary Arabic
Dana Ahmad Malhas BA, Preceptor in Arabic, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35805 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces students to the Arabic language. Emphasis is placed on building communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), as well as on developing intercultural competence in relation to Arab cultures.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 14 students
ASTR S-30
A Short Tour of the Universe Guided by Einstein and Others
Arvind Borde PhD, Senior Professor of Mathematics and Physics, Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33190 | Section 1
Description
This course discusses what we understand of the universe, guided by those who have shaped our understanding. Each week, we use as a springboard one or more key papers by Albert Einstein, Roger Penrose, Stephen Hawking, Alan Guth, and others, and discuss the main ideas in them. All the background information needed to understand these ideas is provided in detail.
Prerequisites: High school algebra. An introductory physics course would be helpful.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 35 students
ASTR S-35
Fundamentals of Contemporary Astronomy: Frontiers of Current Research
Rosanne Di Stefano PhD, Lecturer on Astronomy, Harvard University and Senior Astrophysicist, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 31194 | Section 1
Description
Astronomers are making exciting discoveries every day. Some of these discoveries change the way we understand the universe. During the past twenty-five years, we have discovered roughly 5,000 exoplanets, or planets orbiting other stars. Just over twenty years ago, the systematic study of supernovae explosions led to the discovery of a new and still not understood component of the universe called dark energy. In 2016, gravitational radiation was detected for the first time, allowing us to detect the mergers of distant black holes. In this course we select five areas of current research and use these to introduce and study the basic concepts of astronomy. The course is designed to help students get a feel for what it is like to be an astronomer, using the new generation of ground- and space-based telescopes, combined with sophisticated theoretical techniques and computational facilities. As we study each aspect of the universe, we ask how we came to know what we know today and how astronomers are investigating still-unanswered questions. We select four areas of high astronomical interest and explore the science thoroughly. We also compare fictional portrayals with known scientific results.
Prerequisites: High school algebra; some physics background is useful but not necessary.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Harvard College Observatory PHILL
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
ASTR S-80
Planets, Moons, and Their Stars: The Search for Life in the Cosmos
Alessandro Massarotti PhD, Associate Professor of Physics, Stonehill College and Associate of the Department of Astronomy, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34550 | Section 1
Description
Astrobiology is a new discipline born out of the convergence of all scientific inquiry currently under way on the question of the origin and development of life here on Earth, and potentially elsewhere in the universe. Recent advances in planetary exploration, astronomy, geochemistry, and biochemistry are leading to a revolution in our ideas on the emergence of life on our own planet and the likelihood of finding life outside the Earth. In particular, much is being learned about Mars and Venus because of the many recent and ongoing space missions. Spectacular data from Jupiter’s and Saturn’s moons, like Titan, Europa, and Enceladus, show that these moons may become possible targets of future searches for life. Geochemists are finding more and more intriguing clues about the Earth’s past by analyzing rocks dating from the very first period after the Earth’s formation, thus providing a fundamentally new context for research on the transition between chemistry and primordial life. And the search for extra-solar planets is leading to the discovery of Earth-like planets around solar-type stars. In this course, students are introduced to current and planned telescopic space missions aimed at finding and characterizing exoplanets and robotic missions, such as the Mars rovers. The course also covers current ideas about the role of stars and their evolution in the habitability of planets and in the chemistry of galaxies.
Prerequisites: High school algebra. Some chemistry and physics background is useful but not required.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, 1 Story Street 306
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
BIOS S-10
Introduction to Biochemistry
Alain Viel PhD, Senior Lecturer on Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32376 | Section 1
Description
This course is an integrated introduction to the structure of macromolecules and a biochemical approach to protein function. The organization of macromolecules is addressed through a discussion of their hierarchical structure and a study of their assembly into complexes responsible for specific biological processes. Topics addressing protein function include enzyme kinetics, the characterization of major metabolic pathways, and their interconnection into tightly regulated networks. Current laboratory techniques are discussed during lecture and examples showing the organization of protein networks and disease-linked protein profiles are drawn from proteomic studies. The laboratory portion of the course exposes students to a broad range of experimental approaches, including affinity purification, enzyme kinetics, analysis of protein folding, and stability. The laboratory exercises are designed to give students a direct experience of research conducted in a modern laboratory.
Prerequisites: BIOS S-1a or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Northwest Science Building B101
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 74 students
BIOS S-114
Integrated Biology Laboratory: Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, and Genetics
Ryan Si-Wai Lee PhD, Director of Science Instruction and the Premedical Program, Harvard Extension School
Michelle Anne Cohen SM, Nurse Consultant and Case Management Associate, BMC Strategies
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35947 | Section 1
Description
This course takes a case-based clinical approach towards integrating laboratory sciences across multiple biology disciplines. Each case explores a patient’s clinical presentation through hands-on laboratory activities, experiments, and simulations. For example, a patient with a cough may require chest x-ray analysis (anatomy), spirometry for lung function (physiology), and sputum cultures (microbiology). Students practice a variety of laboratory techniques, such as dissection, tissue microscopy, genome sequence analysis, and microbe biochemical testing.
Prerequisites: BIOS S-1a and BIOS S-1b with their associated lab components (or other equivalents). This course is a suggested laboratory extension for students who have taken lecture courses in anatomy and physiology (such as the Harvard Extension School courses BIOS E-65c and/or BIOS E-65d), microbiology (BIOS E-155), and/or genetics (BIOS S-14 or BIOS E-14).
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, Northwest Science Building B137
Required labs to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. This course will hold some meetings on the Longwood campus. Please see syllabus for details.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 24 students
BIOS S-12
Principles and Techniques of Molecular Biology
Alain Viel PhD, Senior Lecturer on Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32378 | Section 1
Description
The course addresses both the fundamental principles and techniques of molecular biology. Students gain an in-depth knowledge of nucleic acid structure, molecular genetics, and the biochemistry of transcription and protein synthesis. Other topics include how mechanisms of gene regulation play a role in retroviral pathogenesis and embryonic development. Each lecture directly relates molecular biology to current laboratory techniques. Virtual laboratory sessions, using LabXchange, a free Harvard educational platform are included, These virtual laboratory sessions provide students with a broad exposure to several important techniques in molecular biology. Virtual experiments include current approaches to mutation analysis, protein interaction assays, and recombinant cDNA cloning by PCR.
Prerequisites: BIOS S-1a or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
BIOS S-129
Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Amie Holmes PhD, Lecturer on Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University
Lauren Sullivan PhD, Curriculum and Pedagogy Manager, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35359 | Section 1
Description
We are entering a new era in which a fundamental understanding of developmental biology and regeneration plays a critical role. In this course, embryonic and adult stem cells in different organisms are examined in terms of their molecular, cellular, and potential therapeutic properties. Genetic reprogramming and cloning of animals are critically evaluated.
Prerequisites: BIOS S-1a and BIOS S-1b, or the equivalent. Knowledge of cell, molecular, or developmental biology is recommended.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
BIOS S-14
Principles of Genetics
Steven J. Theroux PhD, Professor of Biology, Assumption University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32374 | Section 1
Description
This course focuses on transmission and molecular genetics. Topics include chromosome structure and replication, genetic linkage and mapping, regulation of gene expression in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, epigenetics, genetic mutation, genetics of cancer, and the principles of genetic engineering. The course makes use of bioinformatics to explore gene function, and pertinent applications of bioinformatics and genetics to modern biological problems are discussed.
Prerequisites: BIOS S-1a and BIOS S-1b, or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Science Center E
Optional sections Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:15-4:15 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
BIOS S-140
An Introduction to Evolutionary Genetics in Epidemiology and Precision Medicine
Diddahally R. Govindaraju PhD, Visiting Professor, Institute for Aging, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Mifrah Hayath MS
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35597 | Section 1
Description
Evolutionary processes provide the foundation for understanding the origins and distribution of inherited and environmentally influenced variation among populations and species of all organisms. Demographic (Malthusian) factors, evolutionary (Darwinian) forces, genetic (Mendelian) principles, and ecological/environmental (Humboldtian) factors either independently or collectively influence differential survival and reproduction rates of individuals within diverse populations of organisms, including humans. We define the interplay of these forces as Darwinian processes. In parallel, epidemiology and public health deal with the determinants and distribution of human diseases and mortality. They address the origin, distribution, management, and control of disease-causing agents responsible for both communicable and non-communicable diseases across populations of various organisms. This course offers a comprehensive understanding of how the foundational principles of evolutionary genetics and public health intersect to shape human health, disease, longevity, and plausible short-term evolutionary adaptations and trajectories. Through inter- and trans-disciplinary approaches, we explore the nexus of evolutionary genetics and public health by placing our discussions within the broader spheres of comparative medicine and environmental factors, such as the One Health concept and global warming. This approach highlights the collective influence of Darwinian processes on the maintenance and evolution of health and disease interpreted in terms of Darwinian fitness. The ultimate objectives of this course are to explore how evolutionary genetics and epidemiology can converge to create a more focused approach to understanding the causal factors of diseases, and apply those insights toward guiding future health care, popularly promoted as precision medicine.
Prerequisites: A college-level biology course and high school algebra are required. Some understanding of ecology is helpful but not required.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Harvard Hall 104
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
BIOS S-150
The Biology of Cancer
Steven J. Theroux PhD, Professor of Biology, Assumption University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33128 | Section 1
Description
This course provides students with a basic understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that lead to cancer. Lectures primarily focus on the role of growth factors, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, angiogenesis, and signal transduction mechanisms in tumor formation. The fundamental principles behind cancer diagnosis, prevention, and therapeutic management are also discussed.
Prerequisites: BIOS S-1a and BIOS S-1b, or the equivalent, plus an additional college-level biology course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Optional sections Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:15-4:15 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
Daniel Russell Green PhD, Lecturer on Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
BIOS S-1a
Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology
Monique Selina Jennifer Brewster PhD, Lecturer on Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University
Federica Calabrese PhD, Associate of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33926 | Section 1
Description
This course leverages problem-solving skills to explore the central principles of molecular and cellular biology, with a focus on structure function relationships, energy, metabolism, and genetics. The emphasis is on cells as systems for the capture and transformation of energy, the processing of molecular information, the relationship between form and function, and cell division. Required laboratory and discussion sections highlight experimental design and allow students to reinforce concepts covered in lecture and develop critical thinking. BIOS S-1a is part of an introductory biology series (BIOS S-1a and BIOS S-1b) that fulfills the medical school admission requirement of two semesters of biology. (Note: BIOS S-1a is not a prerequisite for BIOS S-1b. Students are welcome to take BIOS S-1b before BIOS S-1a).
Prerequisites: High school mathematics and biology, and college-level or AP chemistry highly recommended. Students are strongly advised to complete the General Chemistry Diagnostic, available on the course website in June for enrolled students. The diagnostic is intended to help students decide if they have the chemistry background required for success in the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Science Center B
Required sections Tuesdays, 1:30-2:30 pm. Required labs Thursdays, 1:30-4:30 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 120 students
BIOS S-1b
Introduction to Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
Casey Roehrig PhD, Manager of Instructional Development, Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33927 | Section 1
Description
This introductory series focuses on the principles of cellular (BIOS S-1a) and organismal (BIOS S-1b) biology. This course introduces fundamental concepts in animal anatomy and physiology, as well as the origin of life and principles of evolution and ecology. Laboratory sections allow students to reinforce concepts covered in lecture. BIOS S-1b is part of an introductory biology series that fulfills the medical school admission requirement of two semesters of biology.
Prerequisites: Knowledge of cell structure and function, algebra, and types of biological, organic, and inorganic molecules and ions. BIOS S-1a is not a prerequisite for BIOS S-1b. Students may choose to take BIOS S-1b first or concurrently with BIOS S-1a.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Science Center B
Required sections Mondays, 1-2:30 pm. Required labs Wednesdays, 1-4 pm. Other times may be available pending enrollment.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 160 students
BIOS S-200
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Biology
Emilie J. Raymer PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35643 | Section 1
Description
This proseminar is designed to teach students many of the writing and analytical skills that are required to succeed in graduate-level courses in the biological sciences. Through critical reading and presentation of research articles, students learn how to form questions that can be addressed experimentally and how to write a corresponding, testable hypothesis. The course also addresses the process of experimental design and current experimental methodologies in biology. Students are given multiple opportunities to hone their writing skills on several short writing assignments. Students are expected to participate in class discussions, present a paper to the class, and write a final research proposal due at the end of the semester. We focus our attention on innovations in genetics and genomics. Some background in these areas is beneficial but not required. Students learn to think scientifically while they gain knowledge of how recent advancements can be applied to agriculture, vaccine developments, personalized medicine, and other areas. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course; molecular biology (BIOS S-12 or the equivalent) and EXPO S-42c are highly recommended.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
BIOS S-208
Precision Medicine in Genomics
Arezou A. Ghazani PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Frederick R. Bieber PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35154 | Section 1
Description
This course focuses on the application of genomic science in precision medicine. It explores the path from big data to precision medicine by discussing the utility of novel approaches, methods, and systems in genomic science. Topics include technologies and platforms in genomics, analysis of large-scale data, methods for the interpretation of genomic alterations, data collection and privacy, data ownership, issues for data science applications, and clinical application of data in focused patient care.
Prerequisites: BIOS S-14, the Harvard Extension School course BIOS E-45, or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 19 students
BIOS S-50
Neurobiology
Egzona Morina PhD, Principal Investigator, Environmental Neuroscience Research Incubator, Xheladin and Xhufe Morina Foundation
Ariel Hairston MA, Doctoral Candidate in Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35354 | Section 1
Description
This course explores the brain at the level of molecules, cells, circuits, and behavior. Topics include brain anatomy and function; sensory and motor systems; how the brain processes thoughts; how the brain regulates emotions; learning, memory, and attention; neurodiversity; and neurological disorders.
Prerequisites: A college-level introductory biology course or a strong background in biology is recommended for students to be successful in this course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Science Center A
Optional sections Fridays, 9-10 am.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
BIOS S-54
Health and the Nervous System
Lauren Miner PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurobiology, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35955 | Section 1
Description
Have you ever been told to stay off your phone before bed or limit caffeine intake so that you get a better night’s sleep? Or maybe you have been wondering what the deal is with mindfulness and meditation could it really make you happier? From fad diets to rituals that have been practiced for thousands of years, together we explore the biological basis of today’s popular health trends. Over the course of four units nutrition, sleep, exercise, and meditation we dive deep into the biology of how the choices we make in our everyday lives affect the function of our nervous system. Along the way we develop a foundational understanding of neuroscience topics including the action potential, metabolism, and circadian rhythms. To wrap-up the course, students show what they have learned by creating a public service announcement about a health topic of their choice.
Prerequisites: A college-level introductory biology course or a strong background in biology is recommended for students to be successful in this course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
BIOS S-61
Introduction to Immunology with Laboratory Techniques
Angie Schmider PhD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34508 | Section 1
Description
Immunology is the study of the immune system, the body’s built-in defense system. This course covers an integrated introduction to immunology and uses techniques used in research and diagnostic laboratories. This is a hands-on course with an emphasis on laboratory approaches that illustrate concepts of how the immune system works. The immunological techniques used include identifying proteins in cells using fluorescence microscopy and western blot and analyzing why cells move towards certain chemicals. For example, when diagnosing certain autoimmune diseases, scientists use fluorescence microscopy to look at where proteins reside inside of cells. The laboratory component is a way to observe experiments, learn how to design experiments, and to analyze data. All laboratory exercises are demonstrated during class hours. The non-laboratory sessions cover the theoretical aspects of the practical laboratory approaches and the ways that research is performed to understand immunology. The course also covers how to critically discuss scientific literature and how to create and present scientific data.
Prerequisites: An introductory college biology course, AP biology, or permission from the instructor.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Northwest Science Building B141
Required labs to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
BIOS S-74
Marine Life and Ecosystems of the Sea
Collin H. Johnson PhD, Lab Curriculum Coordinator III, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32373 | Section 1
Description
This course explores the life history and adaptations of marine life and the ecosystems of the sea. Emphasis is placed on understanding the fragility and resilience of marine systems in the face of anthropogenically driven perturbations such as habitat fragmentation, elevated sea surface temperature, non-native species, nonsustainable fishing practices, and increased global tourism.
Prerequisites: One year of high school biology.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Science Center 105
Required labs Wednesdays, 3:15-6:15 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 16 students
BIOT S-200
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
Elizabeth Wiltrout Leary PhD, Program Director, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Tufts Medical Center
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32666 | Section 1
Description
In this proseminar, we focus on science writing, data interpretation, and collaborative and independent experimental design. Students who successfully complete the course are those who demonstrate an ability to assess information from the primary scientific literature, a command of oral and written communication skills, and the ability to generate a logical progression of experiments to help validate or nullify their hypothesis. Reading materials include publications on scientific writing and experimental design. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: The instructor assumes that students already have undergraduate degrees in an area of life, physical, or computer science, as well as professional scientific training. Scientists coming from a physical or computer science background should successfully complete BIOS S-1a and BIOS S-1b, and BIOS S-12, or their equivalents, before attempting to take BIOT S-200. EXPO S-42c is strongly recommended. Students must earn a satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
BIOT S-225
Biomedical Product Development
Sujata K. Bhatia PhD, MD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35555 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the design and development of new therapeutic products. Students learn through case-based studies of product development for pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices, and combination therapies. The course describes the steps of biomedical product development, from conceptualization to design, manufacturing, regulatory approval, and commercialization. The course discusses both technical and business factors that contribute to the success or failure of new biomedical products. Appropriate design of preclinical and clinical trials is also included. Students gain an appreciation for emerging technologies in stem cells, gene therapy, tissue regeneration, personalized medicine, and targeted therapies. Additionally, students learn about the special challenges presented by emerging biomedical technologies. By the end of the course, each student completes a project to propose a new biomedical device and identify the regulatory strategy, technical milestones, and business milestones for the new device.
Prerequisites: Background in introductory biology and chemistry.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
BIOT S-260
The Genetown-Harvard Experience
Steven Denkin PhD, Director and Research Advisor, Biotechnology, Harvard Extension School
Nicolas Labovitis ALM, Chief Executive Officer, Ibex Finance, LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35948 | Section 1
Description
Come to Harvard University for a three-week experience where students engage with industry leaders during visits to local incubators, accelerators, and companies, as well as academic research departments and institutions. The course focuses on the following questions: how did Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, evolve from a salt marsh to become the epicenter of the biotechnology world? Why is Genetown a thriving hotbed for innovation and drug development? And where is the next Kendall Square?
Prerequisites: Students must have earned a B or higher grade in the Harvard Extension School course BIOT E-100 and either BIOS S-200 or BIOT S-200 in order to enroll in this course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Emerson Hall 101
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
CELT S-115
The Irish Supernatural
Kate Chadbourne PhD, Affiliate of the Department of Celtic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35967 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces students to the Irish supernatural, with sources ranging from the earliest Irish tales to contemporary memorates about ghosts, fairy thorns, and the banshee. Topics include supernatural people, creatures, and places, as well as the way the Otherworld is imagined and described over time. Special attention is paid to human behavior designed to avert, appease, or appropriate supernatural powers. We read and listen to narratives, songs and tunes, first-hand accounts, proverbs, and place lore, and we explore scholarly ideas about belief and disbelief and about the importance and relevance of the supernatural in Irish culture.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 76 students
CHEM S-17
Principles of Organic Chemistry
Logan S. McCarty PhD, Lecturer on Physics and Lecturer on Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33668 | Section 1
Description
This course is a one-semester (4-credit) introduction to organic chemistry, with an emphasis on structure and bonding, reaction mechanisms, and chemical reactivity. It covers all of the important functional groups and reactivity needed for applications in medicine and biochemistry, including aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters, and amides. Students who succeed in in this course are well prepared for the organic chemistry portion of medical school entrance exams and other similar exams. Students who need a full year of organic chemistry (8 credits) should take CHEM S-20ab, which goes into greater depth with extensive coverage of laboratory organic synthesis, spectroscopy, and other topics needed for more advanced study of the subject.
Prerequisites: One year of general chemistry (equivalent to CHEM S-1ab) with a grade of C or better, or equivalent preparation (for example, an AP Chemistry course).
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Science Center D
Required labs Mondays and Wednesdays, 1-5 pm or Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-5 pm. Required discussion sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Harvard College students who take CHEM S-17 may only be exempted from the lab component of Chem 17. They will be required to complete the lab component of Chem 27.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 150 students
CHEM S-1ab
General Chemistry
Gregg Tucci PhD, Senior Lecturer on Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Justin McCarty MM, Head Teaching Fellow in General Chemistry, Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30877 | Section 1
Description
This course is a comprehensive survey of chemistry for the general student that emphasizes the principles underlying the formation and interaction of chemical substances: stoichiometry, states of matter, thermochemistry, atomic and molecular structure, intermolecular forces, solutions, thermodynamics, kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, and environmental chemistry. This course fulfills the requirement of two semesters of inorganic chemistry for entrance to medical school.
Prerequisites: High school algebra and chemistry. Students must have access to a printer.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Science Center C
Three required two-hour laboratories, three one-and-a-half-hour discussion sections, and one two-and-a-half-hour review sessions per week to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Students in this section and section 2 of CHEM S-1ab may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
CHEM S-1ab
General Chemistry
Gregg Tucci PhD, Senior Lecturer on Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Justin McCarty MM, Head Teaching Fellow in General Chemistry, Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35644 | Section 2
Description
This course is a comprehensive survey of chemistry for the general student that emphasizes the principles underlying the formation and interaction of chemical substances: stoichiometry, states of matter, thermochemistry, atomic and molecular structure, intermolecular forces, solutions, thermodynamics, kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, and environmental chemistry. This course fulfills the requirement of two semesters of inorganic chemistry for entrance to medical school.
Prerequisites: High school algebra and chemistry. Students must have access to a printer.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Three required two-hour laboratories, three one-and-a-half-hour discussion sections, and one two-and-a-half-hour review sessions per week to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Students in this section and section 1 of CHEM S-1ab may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 35 students
CHEM S-20ab
Intensive Organic Chemistry
Sirinya Matchacheep PhD, Lecturer on Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Director of Instructional Laboratory Programs, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30609 | Section 1
Description
This course is an intensive, comprehensive introduction to the chemistry of carbon and its importance to living systems. Topics include current ideas of bonding and structure, major reaction mechanisms and pathways, a discussion of the analytical tools used to determine the structure and stereochemistry of organic molecules (such as infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] spectroscopy), and some of the chemistry of enzymes and cofactors. This course fulfills the requirement of two semesters of organic chemistry with lab for entrance to medical school.
Prerequisites: One year of college general chemistry with a grade of B-minus or higher. Students without adequate background may not be able to keep up with the course. Not recommended for high school students.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:45am, Science Center A
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:00am, Science Center A
Required labs Mondays and Wednesdays, time to be arranged. Required sections Tuesdays to Fridays, time to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 100 students
CHEM S-A
Chemistry in Context
Lu Wang PhD, Senior Preceptor in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Wyatt Hurt MA, Curriculum and Pedagogy Manager and Preceptor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35581 | Section 1
Description
This course is an integrated introduction to general chemistry, taught in a contextual framework of social, environmental, technological, and health issues. It is intended for students with little to no background in chemistry, as well as those who desire to expand their basic understanding of chemistry. The topics covered include atomic structures and properties, stoichiometry, solutions, chemical bonding, energy, thermochemistry, nuclear chemistry, electrochemistry, polymers, chemical equilibrium, basic acids and bases, and an introductory exploration to the wonders and weirdness of the quantum world that shapes our world.
Prerequisites: No prior background in chemistry is required. Basic knowledge of algebra is helpful.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Required synchronous sections Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30-8 pm. Required synchronous labs Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:15-9:30 pm. If enrollment permits, additional sections may be added Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:30-8 pm and labs Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:15-9:30 pm. See course syllabus for details.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Please note: In addition to the scheduled class time and required labs, this course has required recorded lectures and activities that students complete on demand. Please see course syllabus for details. The overall amount of time students spend on this course is equivalent to other 4-credit courses.
CHEM S-A
Chemistry in Context
Lu Wang PhD, Senior Preceptor in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Wyatt Hurt MA, Curriculum and Pedagogy Manager and Preceptor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36049 | Section 2
Description
This course is an integrated introduction to general chemistry, taught in a contextual framework of social, environmental, technological, and health issues. It is intended for students with little to no background in chemistry, as well as those who desire to expand their basic understanding of chemistry. The topics covered include atomic structures and properties, stoichiometry, solutions, chemical bonding, energy, thermochemistry, nuclear chemistry, electrochemistry, polymers, chemical equilibrium, basic acids and bases, and an introductory exploration to the wonders and weirdness of the quantum world that shapes our world.
Prerequisites: No prior background in chemistry is required. Basic knowledge of algebra is helpful.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Science Center D
Required sections Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:15-4:45 pm. Required labs Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:15-6:15 pm.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 54 students
Yuxiao Du EdM, Preceptor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Fangzheng Zhang EdM, Perceptor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Ying-Chieh Wang MA, Preceptor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Minglei Lin BA, Language Instructor in Chinese, Harvard University
CHIN S-Ba
Elementary Chinese I
Bin Yang MA, Preceptor in Chinese, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32809 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to basic Chinese grammar, vocabulary, usage, and the writing system for students with little or no background in the language. The course seeks to help students acquire the rudimentary knowledge of Chinese and develop basic skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the language. By the end of the course, students are expected to have a good command of the pronunciation system and basic grammar, to be able to conduct daily conversation in simple Chinese, and to read and write short passages. Through learning the language, students gain an initial understanding of some Chinese social and cultural phenomena.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Required drill sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
CLAS S-97b
Introduction to the Ancient Roman World
Stephen Shennan PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Fellowships and Writing Center, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35975 | Section 1
Description
This course has three components: a chronological survey of Roman history from the beginnings to Late Antiquity; thematic explorations of key features of culture and daily life in Rome as well as other parts of Roman Italy and the provinces (including religion, law and government, elite society, Romanization, and urban topography); and an introduction to the tools and methods available for research on the Roman world, with an emphasis on material culture and documentary sources.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Harvard Hall 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
Dimiter G. Angelov PhD, Dumbarton Oaks Professor of Byzantine History, Harvard University
Yota Batsaki PhD, Executive Director of Dumbarton Oaks, Harvard University
Sahar Bazzaz PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of History, College of the Holy Cross
Emma Dench DPhil, McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of Classics and Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
Eurydice Georganteli PhD, Lecturer in Art History and Numismatics, Harvard University
Dimitri Kastritsis PhD, Associate Librarian for Global Studies and Development, University of Virginia
Ilham Khuri-Makdisi PhD, Associate Professor of History, Northeastern University
Gregory Nagy PhD, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Michael Puett PhD, Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Professor of Anthropology, Harvard University
Anna Stavrakopoulou PhD, Associate Professor of Theatre Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
CREA S-1
Beginning Creative Writing
Hannah Kauders MFA, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35915 | Section 1
Description
Writing offers us seemingly endless ways to express ourselves and find our own unique voices. Why should we have to choose just one? In this course, we practice creative writing through fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, exploring the unique artistic tools each genre has to offer us. We practice plot and character by writing short stories. We experiment with voice, tone, and pacing by crafting nonfiction essays and personal narratives. Through poetry, we try our hand at rhythm, cadence, and imagery, learning to mold language to our unique ways of writing and thinking. Writing across genres can help us find where our voices feel most at home in the world of literature. To guide us, we consult literary masters, from writers of the classic short story to contemporary poets redefining modern language.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-100r
Advanced Fiction: Writing the Short Story
Thomas Wisniewski PhD, Associate of the Department of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35901 | Section 1
Description
This is an intensive workshop in the craft of writing short fiction. It is for writers who love to read short stories and want to make their own short stories come alive on the page. Students should arrive having read widely among past and contemporary practitioners of the short story form. We build on that foundation through close reading and discussion of exceptional short stories. We also consider practicalities, such as how to organize a collection in progress, how to submit stories to literary journals, and how to stay connected to your vision. Much of our time together is spent in workshop. Students carefully read and thoughtfully respond to one another’s writing and we work together to determine how best to filter and synthesize the feedback offered in a workshop setting. The skills honed via peer feedback are crucial in editing one’s own work, and students conclude the term having written and revised two new short stories (10 to 20 pages each).
Prerequisites: A beginning- or intermediate-level fiction writing course or permission of the instructor. Students should bring a 10-page sample of their work to the first class.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-100r
Advanced Fiction: Writing the Short Story
Lindsay Mitchell MFA, Senior Editor, Harvard Magazine
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35579 | Section 2
Description
This is an intensive workshop in the craft of writing short fiction. It is for writers who love to read short stories and want to make their own short stories come alive on the page. Students should arrive having read widely among past and contemporary practitioners of the short story form. We build on that foundation through close reading and discussion of exceptional short stories. We also consider practicalities, such as how to organize a collection in progress, how to submit stories to literary journals, and how to stay connected to your vision. Much of our time together is spent in workshop. Students carefully read and thoughtfully respond to one another’s writing and we work together to determine how best to filter and synthesize the feedback offered in a workshop setting. The skills honed via peer feedback are crucial in editing one’s own work, and students conclude the term having written and revised two new short stories (10 to 20 pages each).
Prerequisites: A beginning- or intermediate-level fiction writing course or permission of the instructor. Students should bring a 10-page sample of their work to the first class.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-105r
Advanced Fiction: Writing the Novel
Steve Almond MA, Visiting Writer, Wesleyan University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35895 | Section 1
Description
This is an intensive course focused on the elements of craft required to master the novel form: narration, plot, structure, chronology, and characterization. We look closely at various genres (auto-fiction, the bildungsroman, the comedy of manners, science fiction, and thriller) and explore the elements of craft by examining the work of contemporary writers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Meg Wolitzer, and Megha Majumdar, as well as classics ranging from Jane Austen to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Our central aim is on how to apply the lessons we draw from readings and short writing exercises to our own novels. Using what we learned as a lens, we devote ourselves to workshopping new writing by students.
Prerequisites: A beginning-level creative writing course or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-132
Advanced Fiction: Writing the Thriller Novel
Chris Mooney MA, Author
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35917 | Section 1
Description
This advanced fiction-writing course focuses on writing thrillers dark, engrossing, and suspenseful plot-driven stories involving the push and pull between protagonist and antagonist. The course is intended for students who want to write a thriller novel; it also welcomes students working in a range of creative genres (including nonfiction and dramatic writing) who are interested in learning the techniques of thriller writing to enrich their own work. We analyze the openings of some classic thrillers: Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, and Misery by Stephen King. Students learn how to create well-structured scenes with clear stakes and suspense to produce the opening chapter of a novel (15-20 pages) that is in line with what agents and editors are looking for. Students should come to the first class with an idea for a thriller. Note that in this course, students can write in any fictional genre except science fiction or fantasy.
Prerequisites: An introductory course in creative writing or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-156
The Art of the Pitch
Catherine Eaton MFA, Director and Writer
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35909 | Section 1
Description
You have an idea, or you have created a brilliant piece of work: a novel, a screenplay, a concept for a television series, maybe even a scripted nonfiction podcast. Now what? How do you convince others to jump on board to buy or create or collaborate or publish or produce your story? How do you move it out of your desk drawer, hard drive, or imagination, and into the world? In this course, we break down the making of a pitch into its core elements as we practice strategies for producing pitch materials and for pitching your project in the room to a live audience. Students write and revise two treatments, write a query letter, build a pitch deck, and do three live pitches. Finally, students develop an insider’s perspective on industry practices and etiquette, essential knowledge for anyone interested in the business of creation.
Prerequisites: An advanced-level creative writing course or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor. Students should have at least one original work that is largely completed or near completion (such as a fiction or nonfiction book, script, podcast, or anthology of short stories).
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-176
Advanced Screenwriting: Adapting Your Fiction to Film
Elisabeth Sharp McKetta PhD, Writer
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35897 | Section 1
Description
This is a course for advanced fiction and nonfiction writers who would like to adapt their work to film. Many successful writers have the opportunity to see their books become films or television series, often adapted by other writers. This is a course about adapting one’s own work for such opportunities. Students bring to class an original creative work to adapt (they are welcome to use a story that they wrote for a course). Through a series of exercises and assignments, students write and workshop a treatment, which is a summary of the full film or series, providing a clear outline of a show’s plot, characters, and themes, often used to sell a project. From there, students write and workshop an original screenplay based on their own work, 15-25 pages of which serves as the final project.
Prerequisites: An introductory course in creative writing or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-25
Introduction to Fiction Writing
Ben Parson MFA, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35912 | Section 1
Description
Students learn and practice the fundamentals of writing fiction character, plot, dialogue, description, style in a workshop setting. By discussing and analyzing published short fiction (our list may include such writers as James Baldwin, Junot Diaz, and Jhumpa Lahiri), students learn the narrative techniques and strategies of creative writers. This course is intended for those who write regularly and wish to develop their skills, talents, and voices.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Sever Hall 105
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-25
Introduction to Fiction Writing
Mary Sullivan Walsh BA, Author and Freelance Editor
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33954 | Section 2
Description
Students learn and practice the fundamentals of writing fiction character, plot, dialogue, description, style in a workshop setting. By discussing and analyzing published short fiction (our list may include such writers as James Baldwin, Junot Diaz, and Jhumpa Lahiri), students learn the narrative techniques and strategies of creative writers. This course is intended for those who write regularly and wish to develop their skills, talents, and voices.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Sever Hall 111
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-30
Poetry Writing
Stephanie Burt PhD, Professor of English, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34505 | Section 1
Description
Do you write poems? Do you read them? Do you want to do those things? If so, this course is for you. In this course, students write, with help, and we read, together, as a workshop, the poems students want to write: they can try out very old forms (sonnets and ghazals) and brand-new ones (the duplex or the Golden Shovel) as well as working from other kinds of starting points and responding to other works of art, from paintings to pop songs. Students receive peer feedback on their work, not only the teacher’s (though they get plenty of that), and they become better readers of other people’s work. Students who have taken poetry classes and workshops before are welcome in this one; and if they have not, they are welcome too. We also read and meet, perhaps in person modern and contemporary poets too, writers who can be models for your own work.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Barker Center 316
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-45a
Beginning Screenwriting
Susan Steinberg PhD, Filmmaker, Writer
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35363 | Section 1
Description
This is a workshop for those who wish to learn the foundations and processes for writing feature-length motion picture screenplays. Adaptations, documentary, and television scripts may be written with the instructor’s permission. Topics covered include concept and theme development, dramatic structure, plot, character arc, dialogue writing, the use of visual language, and writing in format. By the semester’s end, students produce a full feature film treatment and complete act one of their film in script format. Class meetings consist of presentation and discussion of work, writing exercises, brief lectures, film, and script analyses. At the semester’s end, actors do readings of script segments.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Robinson Hall 105
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-490a
Writers’ Residency: Fiction
Rachel Kadish MA, MFA in Creative Writing Faculty, Lesley University
Jane A. Rosenzweig MFA, Director of the Writing Center and Head Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Christina Thompson PhD, Editor, Harvard Review, Harvard College Library
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35633 | Section 1
Description
This section of the writers’ residency is for writers of fiction. The writers’ residency is for advanced creative writers who have been admitted to the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. In the first week, participants attend two online classes focused on the craft and business of writing and prepare for the master class held in the second week by reading peers’ manuscript submissions. During the second week, students explore fundamentals of the writer’s craft in a workshop setting and prepare for and participate in a student reading. This master class is followed by an agents-and-editors weekend, consisting of two days of panels, workshops, and small group meetings designed to teach students how to bring their creative work to the marketplace. Week three of the residency features two additional online classes and submittal of a final piece of writing.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted degree candidates in good academic standing in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must have successfully completed at least 28 degree-applicable credits with required grades. Pre-arrival requirements: by Monday, June 30, two weeks prior to the start of the writers’ residency, candidates must post to Canvas an original manuscript of no more than 3,500 words. Manuscript requirements vary by section, so consult the syllabus for your section. All participants are required to read and critique their classmates’ work in advance of the first meeting of the master class on July 21. Candidates who do not meet the degree requirements or fail to submit the manuscript by the deadline and complete their critiques in advance of the first meeting of the master class will be dropped from the course. Final course work is due Thursday, July 31.
Class Meetings:
See course description
Monday, Wednesday, July 14-16, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, July 21-25, 10:00am-5:00pm, Robinson Hall 105
Saturday, Sunday, July 26-27, 10:00am-5:00pm, Barker Center 110
Monday, Wednesday, July 28-30, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Final work is due July 31. See syllabus for further details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students attending on F-1 visas must attend all course meetings on campus. Harvard Summer School housing is available for the full three weeks for students who wish to remain on campus while they work on their writing projects (one-week housing is not available on campus). Students in this course and other sections of CREA S-490a, CREA S-490b, CREA S-490c, CREA S-490d, and CREA S-490e may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-490a
Writers’ Residency: Fiction
Elisabeth Sharp McKetta PhD, Writer
Jane A. Rosenzweig MFA, Director of the Writing Center and Head Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Christina Thompson PhD, Editor, Harvard Review, Harvard College Library
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35634 | Section 2
Description
This section of the writers’ residency is for writers of fiction. The writers’ residency is for advanced creative writers who have been admitted to the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. In the first week, participants attend two online classes focused on the craft and business of writing and prepare for the master class held in the second week by reading peers’ manuscript submissions. During the second week, students explore fundamentals of the writer’s craft in a workshop setting and prepare for and participate in a student reading. This master class is followed by an agents-and-editors weekend, consisting of two days of panels, workshops, and small group meetings designed to teach students how to bring their creative work to the marketplace. Week three of the residency features two additional online classes and submittal of a final piece of writing.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted degree candidates in good academic standing in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must have successfully completed at least 28 degree-applicable credits with required grades. Pre-arrival requirements: by Monday, June 30, two weeks prior to the start of the writers’ residency, candidates must post to Canvas an original manuscript of no more than 3,500 words. Manuscript requirements vary by section, so consult the syllabus for your section. All participants are required to read and critique their classmates’ work in advance of the first meeting of the master class on July 21. Candidates who do not meet the degree requirements or fail to submit the manuscript by the deadline and complete their critiques in advance of the first meeting of the master class will be dropped from the course. Final course work is due Thursday, July 31.
Class Meetings:
See course description
Monday, Wednesday, July 14-16, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, July 21-25, 10:00am-5:00pm, Barker Center 114
Saturday, Sunday, July 26-27, 10:00am-5:00pm, Barker Center 110
Monday, Wednesday, July 28-30, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Final work is due July 31. See syllabus for further details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students attending on F-1 visas must attend all course meetings on campus. Harvard Summer School housing is available for the full three weeks for students who wish to remain on campus while they work on their writing projects (one-week housing is not available on campus). Students in this course and other sections of CREA S-490a, CREA S-490b, CREA S-490c, CREA S-490d, and CREA S-490e may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-490b
Writers’ Residency: Dramatic Writing
Bryan Delaney MA, Playwright and Screenwriter
Shelley Evans MFA, Screenwriter
Jane A. Rosenzweig MFA, Director of the Writing Center and Head Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Christina Thompson PhD, Editor, Harvard Review, Harvard College Library
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35631 | Section 1
Description
This section of the writers’ residency is for writers interested in writing drama, as well as for fiction and creative nonfiction writers interested in studying elements of dramatic writing. Students interested in exploring dramatic writing for the first time or who would like to expand their skill set are welcome to register. The writers’ residency is for advanced creative writers who have been admitted to the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. In the first week, participants attend two online classes focused on the craft and business of writing and prepare for the master class held in the second week by reading peers’ manuscript submissions. In the second week, participants explore fundamentals of the dramatic writer’s craft in a workshop setting and prepare for and participate in a simulated television writers’ room. This master class is followed by an agents-and-editors weekend, consisting of two days of panels, workshops, and small group meetings designed to teach students how to bring their creative work to the marketplace. Week three of the residency features two additional online classes and submittal of a final piece of writing.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted degree candidates in good academic standing in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must have successfully completed at least 28 degree-applicable credits with required grades. Pre-arrival requirements: by Monday, June 30, two weeks prior to the start of the writers’ residency, candidates must post to Canvas an original manuscript of no more than 3,500 words. Manuscript requirements vary by section, so consult the syllabus for your section. All participants are required to read and critique their classmates’ work in advance of the first meeting of the master class on July 21. Candidates who do not meet the degree requirements or fail to submit the manuscript by the deadline and complete their critiques in advance of the first meeting of the master class will be dropped from the course. Final course work is due Thursday, July 31.
Class Meetings:
See course description
Monday, Wednesday, July 14-16, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, July 21-25, 10:00am-5:00pm, Emerson Hall 307
Saturday, Sunday, July 26-27, 10:00am-5:00pm, Barker Center 110
Monday, Wednesday, July 28-30, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Final work is due July 31. See syllabus for further details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students attending on F-1 visas must attend all course meetings on campus. Harvard Summer School housing is available for the full three weeks for students who wish to remain on campus while they work on their writing projects (one-week housing is not available on campus). Students in this course and other sections of CREA S-490a, CREA S-490b, CREA S-490c, CREA S-490d, and CREA S-490e may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-490c
Writers’ Residency: Fiction and Nonfiction
Daphne Kalotay PhD
Jane A. Rosenzweig MFA, Director of the Writing Center and Head Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Christina Thompson PhD, Editor, Harvard Review, Harvard College Library
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35902 | Section 1
Description
This section of the writers’ residency is for writers of fiction and nonfiction. The writers’ residency is for advanced creative writers who have been admitted to the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. In the first week, participants attend two online classes focused on the craft and business of writing and prepare for the master class held in the second week by reading peers’ manuscript submissions. During the second week, students explore fundamentals of the writer’s craft in a workshop setting and prepare for and participate in a student reading. This master class is followed by an agents-and-editors weekend, consisting of two days of panels, workshops, and small group meetings designed to teach students how to bring their creative work to the marketplace. Week three of the residency features two additional online classes and submittal of a final piece of writing.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted degree candidates in good academic standing in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must have successfully completed at least 28 degree-applicable credits with required grades. Pre-arrival requirements: by Monday, June 30, two weeks prior to the start of the writers’ residency, candidates must post to Canvas an original manuscript of no more than 3,500 words. Manuscript requirements vary by section, so consult the syllabus for your section. All participants are required to read and critique their classmates’ work in advance of the first meeting of the master class on July 21. Candidates who do not meet the degree requirements or fail to submit the manuscript by the deadline and complete their critiques in advance of the first meeting of the master class will be dropped from the course. Final course work is due Thursday, July 31.
Class Meetings:
See course description
Monday, Wednesday, July 14-16, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, July 21-25, 10:00am-5:00pm, CGIS Knafel K108
Saturday, Sunday, July 26-27, 10:00am-5:00pm, Barker Center 110
Monday, Wednesday, July 28-30, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Final work is due July 31. See syllabus for further details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students attending on F-1 visas must attend all course meetings on campus. Harvard Summer School housing is available for the full three weeks for students who wish to remain on campus while they work on their writing projects (one-week housing is not available on campus). Students in this course and other sections of CREA S-490a, CREA S-490b, CREA S-490c, CREA S-490d, and CREA S-490e may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-490d
Writers’ Residency: Speculative Fiction
Emily X.R. Pan MFA, Author
Jane A. Rosenzweig MFA, Director of the Writing Center and Head Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Christina Thompson PhD, Editor, Harvard Review, Harvard College Library
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35845 | Section 1
Description
This section of the writers’ residency is for writers working in genres that depart from our known reality, including but not limited to fantasy, science fiction, dystopian fiction, alternate history, horror, and fabulism. Students interested in exploring speculative fiction for the first time or who would like to expand their skill set are welcome to register. The writers’ residency is for advanced creative writers who have been admitted to the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. In the first week, participants attend two online classes focused on the craft and business of writing and prepare for the master class held in the second week by reading peers’ manuscript submissions. During the second week, students explore fundamentals of the writer’s craft in a workshop setting and prepare for and participate in a student reading. This master class is followed by an agents-and-editors weekend, consisting of two days of panels, workshops, and small group meetings designed to teach students how to bring their creative work to the marketplace. Week three of the residency features two additional online classes and submittal of a final piece of writing.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted degree candidates in good academic standing in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must have successfully completed at least 28 degree-applicable credits with required grades. Pre-arrival requirements: by Monday, June 30, two weeks prior to the start of the writers’ residency, candidates must post to Canvas an original manuscript of no more than 3,500 words. Manuscript requirements vary by section, so consult the syllabus for your section. All participants are required to read and critique their classmates’ work in advance of the first meeting of the master class on July 21. Candidates who do not meet the degree requirements or fail to submit the manuscript by the deadline and complete their critiques in advance of the first meeting of the master class will be dropped from the course. Final course work is due Thursday, July 31.
Class Meetings:
See course description
Monday, Wednesday, July 14-16, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, July 21-25, 10:00am-5:00pm, CGIS South S003
Saturday, Sunday, July 26-27, 10:00am-5:00pm, Barker Center 110
Monday, Wednesday, July 28-30, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Final work is due July 31. See syllabus for further details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students attending on F-1 visas must attend all course meetings on campus. Harvard Summer School housing is available for the full three weeks for students who wish to remain on campus while they work on their writing projects (one-week housing is not available on campus). Students in this course and other sections of CREA S-490a, CREA S-490b, CREA S-490c, CREA S-490d, and CREA S-490e may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-490e
Writers’ Residency: Suspense
Chris Mooney MA, Author
Jane A. Rosenzweig MFA, Director of the Writing Center and Head Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Christina Thompson PhD, Editor, Harvard Review, Harvard College Library
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35918 | Section 1
Description
This section of the writers’ residency is for creative writers who wish to develop craft techniques to build suspense in their work. While this section may be especially useful for students interested in writing suspense, thriller, or detective fiction, it welcomes students working in other genres who wish to expand their skill set and keep their readers turning the pages. The writers’ residency is for advanced creative writers who have been admitted to the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. In the first week, participants attend two online classes focused on the craft and business of writing and prepare for the master class held in the second week by reading peers’ manuscript submissions. During the second week, students explore fundamentals of the writer’s craft in a workshop setting and prepare for and participate in a student reading. This master class is followed by an agents-and-editors weekend, consisting of two days of panels, workshops, and small group meetings designed to teach students how to bring their creative work to the marketplace. Week three of the residency features two additional online classes and submittal of a final piece of writing.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted degree candidates in good academic standing in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), creative writing and literature. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must have successfully completed at least 28 degree-applicable credits with required grades. Pre-arrival requirements: by Monday, June 30, two weeks prior to the start of the writers’ residency, candidates must post to Canvas an original manuscript of no more than 3,500 words. Manuscript requirements vary by section, so consult the syllabus for your section. All participants are required to read and critique their classmates’ work in advance of the first meeting of the master class on July 21. Candidates who do not meet the degree requirements or fail to submit the manuscript by the deadline and complete their critiques in advance of the first meeting of the master class will be dropped from the course. Final course work is due Thursday, July 31.
Class Meetings:
See course description
Monday, Wednesday, July 14-16, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, July 21-25, 10:00am-5:00pm, Robinson Hall 107
Saturday, Sunday, July 26-27, 10:00am-5:00pm, Barker Center 110
Monday, Wednesday, July 28-30, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Final work is due July 31. See syllabus for further details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students attending on F-1 visas must attend all course meetings on campus. Harvard Summer School housing is available for the full three weeks for students who wish to remain on campus while they work on their writing projects (one-week housing is not available on campus). Students in this course and other sections of CREA S-490a, CREA S-490b, CREA S-490c, CREA S-490d, and CREA S-490e may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CREA S-72
Writing the Short Personal Essay
Tracy L. Strauss MFA, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35562 | Section 1
Description
The personal essay inspires both readers and writers to discover new perspectives for looking at the world, to understand their own lives, and to discover meaning. Personal essays educate and illuminate readers through stories of overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, and forging new paths. They can appear in a variety of styles from application essays to highly journalistic forms, to everything in between depending on their intended audience. In this course, students read and analyze a variety of short personal essays with the aim of collecting a palette of craft tools (particularly for works under 1,500 words), as well as write their own piece, engaging in writing exercises, including drafts, revisions, and peer workshop. Students write one shorter essay (600 words) and one longer essay (1,500 words). We also address pitching editors and discovering markets for submission, along with how to manage audience response post-publication.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
CSCI S-101
Foundations of Data Science and Engineering
Bruce Huang EdD, PhD, Director of Master’s Degree Program in Information Technology, Harvard Extension School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35160 | Section 1
Description
Most data scientists spend 20 percent of their time building data models and analyzing model results. What do they do with the remaining 80 percent of their time? The answer is data engineering. Data engineering is a subdiscipline of software engineering that focuses on the transportation, transformation, and management of data. This course takes a comprehensive approach to explore data science, which includes data engineering concepts and techniques. Key topics include data management and transformation, exploratory data analysis and visualization, statistical thinking and machine learning, natural language processing, and storytelling with data, emphasizing the integration of Python, MySQL, Tableau, development, and big data analytics platforms. Students cannot earn Harvard Extension School degree credit for CSCI S-101 if it is taken after CSCI E-29.
Prerequisites: CSCI S-7, CSCI S-50, or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Online
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
CSCI S-108
Data Mining, Discovery, and Exploration
Stephen Elston PhD, Principal Consultant, Quantia Analytics LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35899 | Section 1
Description
Extracting actionable insights and relationships from massive complex data sets is the domain of data mining. Data mining has wide-ranging applications in science and technology. These include web search, interactions in social networks, recommender systems, processing signals in large internet-of-things (IoT) sensor networks, image search, genetic analysis, and discovery of interactions between drugs. This course surveys a range of unsupervised learning algorithms for data mining. The emphasis is on graph algorithms and scaling for massive datasets. The course comprises readings and lectures on theory along with hands-on exercises and projects where students apply the theory through Python coding. For the hands-on component of the course a variety of libraries in the Python language, including possibly Scikit-Learn, NetworkX, Neo4J, Scikit-Learn-Extra, Mlextend, and Surprise are used. Students enrolled for graduate credit are required to perform, present, and report on an independent project. This project must demonstrate a mastery of methods covered in the course as applied to a suitable real-world data set.
Prerequisites: Students enrolling in this course are expected to have some background in Python programming equivalent to CSCI S-7 or CSCI S-29 and exposure to basic machine learning and data science methods, equivalent to CSCI S-101. For those with limited Python programming experience, some experience programming, in any language, such as R, Matlab, or ++, is essential. Knowledge of basic linear algebra, including eigenvalue-eigenvector decomposition and some differential and integral calculus, equivalent to MATH S-21a, is essential.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
CSCI S-111
Intensive Introduction to Computer Science and Data Structures
David G. Sullivan PhD, Master Lecturer on Computer Science, Boston University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32344 | Section 1
Description
This course is a fast-paced and rigorous introduction to computer science. The first half of the course covers foundational programming concepts such as data types, conditional execution, iteration, and recursion. It also explores the key features of object-oriented programming, as well as the manipulation of data stored in files and arrays. The second half of the course provides a survey of fundamental data structures including lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs. It explores the implementation of these data structures using both array-based and linked representations, and it examines classic algorithms that use these structures for tasks such as sorting, searching, and text compression. Techniques for analyzing the efficiency of algorithms are also covered. Problem sets require a minimum of twenty hours of work each week, including both written problems and programming exercises using the Java programming language. Graduate-credit students are expected to complete additional work. The course includes coverage of the key topics needed for the AP Computer Science A examination, but it also includes a substantial amount of additional material on data structures and algorithm analysis that would ordinarily be covered in the second or third semester of a college-level CS curriculum. Students who have completed the Harvard Extension School courses CSCI E-10a, CSCI E-10b, CSCI E-22, or CSCI E-50 cannot earn degree credit for CSCI S-111.
Prerequisites: Familiarity with precalculus.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Maxwell-Dworkin G115
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
CSCI S-147a
Fundamentals of the Law and Cybersecurity
Daniel B. Garrie JD, Founder and Managing Director, Law and Forensics, LLC and JAMS Neutral Mediator
David Cass MBA, Vice President, Cyber and IT Risk, Supervision Group, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35408 | Section 1
Description
In a world with almost limitless data collection capability, where cyberattacks can propagate instantaneously and where the identity or location of an adversary may not be known, individuals and institutions are increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks that disrupt productivity, jeopardize privacy, and threaten national security. This course examines legal, business, and policy challenges stemming from rapidly evolving cybersecurity threats. It begins with an introduction to privacy, cybersecurity, cybercrime, and cyberwarfare. It explores the national and international legal frameworks that govern cyberspace, including laws related to cybercrime, espionage, and war. The course also discusses how current laws affect corporations and provides detailed case studies regarding the state of cybersecurity in various countries. It looks at the limits of current law and the need for further policy evolution, as well as the real-world impact of different legal, business, and policy options.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
CSCI S-159
Introduction to Cybersecurity
David J. Malan PhD, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35695 | Section 1
Description
The course is an introduction to cybersecurity for technical and non-technical audiences alike. Students learn how to secure their accounts, data, systems, and software against today’s threats and how to recognize and evaluate tomorrow’s as well, both at home and at work. Students learn how to preserve their own privacy. Students learn to view cybersecurity not in absolute terms but relative, a function of risks and rewards (for an adversary) and costs and benefits (for them), and to recognize cybersecurity as a trade-off with usability itself. The course presents both high-level and low-level examples of threats, providing students with all they need to know technically to understand both. Assignments are inspired by real-world events.
Class Meetings:
Online
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
CSCI S-176
Advanced Cloud Technology Management: Strategies for Enterprise Deployment
Jeremy Wei EdD, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, iDox.ai
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35692 | Section 1
Description
In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI), organizations are confronted with an urgent and critical demand for competent technology leaders to align technologies with internal and external business needs. This course is designed to address this pressing need, equipping professionals with the essential skills necessary for effective enterprise technology deployment and management. Through a comprehensive curriculum encompassing lectures, readings, discussions, and assignments, students can actively explore and evaluate various aspects of enterprise technology deployment, business-technology alignment, and organizational change decisions and implementations. By engaging in these learning activities, students gain valuable insights and practical knowledge that enable them to drive successful technology strategies within their organizations.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Emerson Hall 108
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
CSCI S-184
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Ethics, Governance, and Laws
Bruce Huang EdD, PhD, Director of Master’s Degree Program in Information Technology, Harvard Extension School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35565 | Section 1
Description
Data science and artificial intelligence (AI) are creating new opportunities to improve businesses’ decision-making, productivity, and competitiveness. However, data science and AI also create ethical and privacy concerns. For example, a classification algorithm can harm a sub-category of the population due to bias in the data used to develop and train the model. Data scientists and AI engineers often learn the concepts, tools, and techniques and then start to collect data and develop machine learning algorithms without realizing the unintended consequences of their data products. What obligation do data scientists and AI engineers have to be guardians of the data they collect and analyze? How do we ensure data and AI products’ fairness, interpretability, privacy, and security? This course focuses on ethics, governance, and laws specifically related to data science and AI. This course aims to provide a framework to help students understand the value tradeoffs at stake as they collect data, develop algorithms, and deal with some of the consequences. We use case studies, examples, and simulations to facilitate learning, critical thinking, debates, decision-making, and problem solving in the context of data science, AI ethics, and governance.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 95 students
CSCI S-1b
Computer Science for Business Professionals
David J. Malan PhD, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34827 | Section 1
Description
This course is a variant of Harvard College’s introduction to computer science, CS50, designed especially for business professionals. Whereas CS50 itself takes a bottom-up approach, emphasizing mastery of low-level concepts and implementation details thereof, this course takes a top-down approach, emphasizing mastery of high-level concepts and design decisions related thereto. Ultimately, this course empowers students to make technological decisions even if they are not technologists themselves. Topics include cloud computing, networking, privacy, scalability, security, and more, with an emphasis on web and mobile technologies. Students emerge from this course with first-hand appreciation of how it all works and all the more confident in the factors that should guide their decision-making. This course is designed for managers, product managers, founders, and decision makers more generally.
Class Meetings:
Online
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
CSCI S-20
Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science
Rebecca Nesson PhD, Associate Senior Lecturer on Computer Science, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34851 | Section 1
Description
This course teaches all the math not taught in the traditional calculus/linear algebra sequence that is needed to take more advanced courses in theory of computation and/or algorithms. That is, it teaches discrete mathematics, logic, and basic probability, but does not teach calculus or linear algebra. It also gives a good introduction to reading mathematical notation and writing formal proofs. A principal objective of the course is to not just teach a set of mathematical topics, but also to prepare students to think mathematically and to read and write mathematics.
Prerequisites: MATH S-Ar or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. The pre-recorded lectures are the same as those used in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences course Computer Science 20.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 60 students
CSCI S-212
Introduction to Kali Linux and Ethical Hacking
David Cass MBA, Vice President, Cyber and IT Risk, Supervision Group, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Heather Hinton PhD, Chief Information Security Officer in Residence, Professional Association of CISOs
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35919 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces the fundamentals of Kali Linux, a powerful operating system used for penetration testing, digital forensics, and ethical hacking. Through hands-on exercises and real-world scenarios, students learn the basics of Kali Linux installation, navigation, essential tools, and ethical hacking techniques. The course emphasizes ethical considerations and legal implications of hacking practices, focusing on the use of hacking skills for defensive purposes.
Prerequisites: A basic understanding of computer operating systems and networking concepts is recommended but not required. Familiarity with the Linux command line interface will be beneficial.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, 1 Story Street 306
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
CSCI S-22
Data Structures
David G. Sullivan PhD, Master Lecturer on Computer Science, Boston University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35727 | Section 1
Description
This course is a survey of fundamental data structures for information processing, including lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs. It explores the implementation of these data structures (both array-based and linked representations) and examines classic algorithms that use these structures for tasks such as sorting, searching, and text compression. The Java programming language is used to demonstrate the topics discussed; and key notions of object-oriented programming, including encapsulation and abstract data types, are emphasized.
Prerequisites: A good working knowledge of Java (CSCI E-10b or the equivalent).
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
CSCI S-278
Applied Quantitative Finance and Machine Learning
MarcAntonio Awada PhD, Head of Research and Data Science, Digital Data Design Institute, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35736 | Section 1
Description
This course is about how to lift the veil of an insider’s industry. Students learn how quantitative finance is applied in practice and utilized by the world’s largest investment banks, asset management firms, hedge funds, pension plans, and insurance companies. All these repeatedly and consistently generate billions in profits. This course covers the four major pillars of quantitative finance: data management and analytics, quantitative investment strategies, portfolio management, and risk management. We address cutting-edge machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in quantitative finance and describe essential industry domain knowledge and techniques which help students to enter the field of quantitative finance or advance in their current role.
Prerequisites: CSCI S-101 and the ability to code in Python and/or R.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
CSCI S-3
Introduction to Web Programming Using JavaScript
Larry Bouthillier MS, Executive Director, University of British Columbia Extended Learning
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35564 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an introduction to web development by way of the essential language and runtime environment that powers modern web interfaces. Through a series of examples and projects, students learn basic programming concepts while building an understanding of the power and complexities of JavaScript, which can perplex even experienced web developers. The course provides a solid foundation in computer programming in JavaScript: syntax and data structures, conditionals, objects, scope and closures, Ajax, the DOM, and event handling. Other topics include form handling and validation, writing and extending web video players, and animations and drawing on the canvas. Students gain an understanding of the popular libraries and frameworks that power rich web applications such as jQuery and VueJS. Upon completion, students are prepared to use JavaScript and JS libraries in their projects, write their own or extend existing JavaScript libraries, and build rich web applications using these powerful tools.
Prerequisites: Prior experience with basic HTML and CSS is important. Students with no prior exposure to programming may find the summer session very challenging and should plan on a significant time commitment, or may want to consider taking the course during a full semester offering at the Harvard Extension School.
Class Meetings:
Online
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
CSCI S-34
User Experience Engineering
David S. Platt ME, President, Rolling Thunder Computing, Inc.
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35906 | Section 1
Description
Success in today’s software marketplace requires excellent user experience (UX). This course presents the foundations of excellent UX in a platform-agnostic manner. This course requires no programming. Instead, we focus on deciding what to program to make our users happier and more productive. Students learn to start with the user, not the toolkit. Who are our users and how do we represent them with personas? What problems are these users trying to solve, what would they consider a good solution, and how do we represent that with stories? How should the user interaction flow and how do we represent it with quick, inexpensive mock-ups? How can we test different designs on users? How can we learn what users really do, instead of what they can remember or will admit to? Students work on a term project, performing all steps of the UX design process. We use modern design tools such as Figma. We examine in-depth case studies and hear from industry-leading guest speakers. Students finish this course with a starter portfolio to show potential employers.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, 1 Story Street 304
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: All students are required to attend and participate during the regularly scheduled class time, either by being present in the classroom or via web conference. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 54 students
CSCI S-38
Introduction to C++ for Programmers
Lisa DiOrio MS, Owner and Lead Developer, Fembot Creative
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33956 | Section 1
Description
C++ remains a cornerstone in the world of programming, widely used across various applications and serving as a robust foundation for learning other languages. This hands-on course is designed to take students’ programming skills to the next level; it is intensive and fast-moving and demands a substantial commitment of time and effort for students to be successful. We delve into the implementation of common programming constructs in C++, with a focus on features from C++17 and C++20. Key topics include the use of C++ for memory management, file input/output (I/O), pointers, references, exceptions, object-oriented programming (OOP), and the Standard Template Library (STL). The course also covers essential data structures such as linked lists, stacks, and queues, both in theory and through practical implementation. Each module features a text-based game project, reinforcing key programming concepts and enhancing problem-solving skills and coding practices. For the final project, students create a game of their choice. This project helps the student to pull together the course concepts and leave the course with enhanced programming abilities and confidence.
Prerequisites: A practical understanding of a structured programming language such as C, Java, JavaScript, or Python. Students are expected to understand basic programming constructs such as conditionals, loops, and procedures/functions.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, 1 Story Street 302
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
CSCI S-40
Communication Protocols and Internet Architecture
Len Evenchik SM, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35748 | Section 1
Description
This course provides a structured approach to the design, analysis, and implementation of networks and protocols. We study various protocols, including TCP/IP, WWW/HTTP, email/SMTP, domain name system (DNS), multimedia protocols for voice and video, routing protocols (RIP, OSPF, and BGP), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802 LAN protocol suite. In each case, the protocol’s functions and the underlying reference model are discussed. LAN architecture and design, network security and encryption, and the design and analysis of both private networks and the internet are presented. The course discusses new areas of work, including real-time voice and video on the internet, quality of service (QoS), gigabit wireless networks, internet of things (IoT), software-defined networks (SDN), and network functions virtualization (NFV).
Prerequisites: Programming or networking experience; a basic understanding of the principles of communication protocols.
Class Meetings:
Online
Required sections Tuesdays, 7:30-9:30 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. The recorded lectures are from the Harvard Extension School course CSCI E-40.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
CSCI S-50
Intensive Introduction to Computer Science
David J. Malan PhD, Gordon McKay Professor of the Practice of Computer Science, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34745 | Section 1
Description
This course is an intensive introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming. This course teaches students how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. Topics include abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, and software engineering. Languages include C, Python, and SQL, plus HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Problem sets are inspired by the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. This course is intensive and fast-moving, and demands a substantial commitment of time and effort for students to be successful. Students can count two of the following three courses CSCI E-10a, CSCI E-10b, and CSCI S-50 toward a degree. They cannot count all three toward a Harvard Extension School degree.
Class Meetings:
Online
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. The recorded lectures are from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences course Computer Science 50 (CS50).
CSCI S-597
Data Science Precapstone
Bruce Huang EdD, PhD, Director of Master’s Degree Program in Information Technology, Harvard Extension School
Stephen Elston PhD, Principal Consultant, Quantia Analytics LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34439 | Section 1
Description
This course helps students develop an academically strong capstone proposal. It is mandatory for candidates in the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts, data science, who wish to register for CSCI E-599a in the upcoming fall term. It prepares students to explore interdisciplinary research topics from a variety of industries and areas. Through workshops and collaborating with experts from different disciplines, students identify research topics, apply the appropriate data science methods, and use data to advance innovative solutions. Students receive guidance and advising to work effectively in teams, refine project proposals, and build the domain knowledge necessary in their selected area. By the end of the course, each team submits a detailed research proposal, including project rationale, methods, and expected outcomes, which they intend to execute during CSCI E-599a. Students in this course join the students in CSCI S-597b as one cohort and may work together on precapstone projects.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted candidates in Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), data science and in their penultimate semester. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must be in good academic standing and in the process of successfully completing all degree requirements except the Harvard Extension School capstone, CSCI E-599a, which they must enroll in for the upcoming fall term as their final, one-and-only course. Registration in the Harvard Extension School course, CSCI E-599a, immediately following the Harvard Summer School course CSCI S-597 is a mandatory degree requirement. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Harvard Hall 101
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students in this section and CSCI S-597B may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 67 students
CSCI S-597b
Cybersecurity Precapstone
Bruce Huang EdD, PhD, Director of Master’s Degree Program in Information Technology, Harvard Extension School
Heather Hinton PhD, Chief Information Security Officer in Residence, Professional Association of CISOs
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35645 | Section 1
Description
This course helps students develop an academically strong capstone proposal. It is mandatory for candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, cybersecurity, who wish to register for CSCI E-599b in the upcoming fall term. It prepares students to explore interdisciplinary research topics from a variety of industries and areas. Through workshops and collaborating with experts from different disciplines, students identify research topics, apply the appropriate cybersecurity methods, and use data to advance innovative solutions. Students receive guidance and advising to work effectively in teams, refine project proposals, and build the domain knowledge necessary in their selected area. By the end of the course, each team submits a detailed research proposal, including project rationale, methods, and expected outcomes, which they intend to execute during CSCI E-599b. Students in this course join the students in CSCI S-597 as one cohort and may work together on precapstone projects.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted candidates in Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), cybersecurity, and in their penultimate semester. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must be in good academic standing and in the process of successfully completing all degree requirements except the Harvard Extension School capstone, CSCI E-599b, which they must enroll in for the upcoming fall term as their final, one-and-only course. Registration in the Harvard Extension School course, CSCI E-599b, immediately following the Harvard Summer School course CSCI S-597b is a mandatory degree requirement. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Harvard Hall 201
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students in this section and CSCI S-597 may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
CSCI S-597c
Systems Engineering Precapstone
Richard E. Joltes ALM, Senior Content Analytics Architect, US Department of Transportation
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35872 | Section 1
Description
This course helps students develop academically strong, team-based capstone proposals. It is mandatory for candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, systems engineering, who wish to register for CSCI E-599c in the coming fall term. Students develop a capstone proposal through workshops, collaboration, research, and working with industry partners. They receive guidance on refining project proposals, building the domain knowledge necessary in their selected area, and conducting user research. By the end of the course, each team submits a detailed research proposal, including project rationale, methods, and expected outcomes, which they intend to execute during the capstone course.
Prerequisites: Students must officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), systems engineering and in their penultimate semester. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must be in good academic standing and in the process of successfully completing all degree requirements, except the capstone, which they must enroll in the upcoming fall term as their final, one-and-only course. Registration in the Harvard Extension School course, CSCI E-599c, immediately following this course is a mandatory degree requirement. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
CSCI S-597d
Computer Science Precapstone
David S. Platt ME, President, Rolling Thunder Computing, Inc.
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35905 | Section 1
Description
This course helps students develop an academically strong capstone proposal. It is mandatory for candidates in the Harvard Extension School Master of Liberal Arts, computer science, who wish to register for CSCI E-599d in the upcoming fall term. It prepares students to explore interdisciplinary research topics from a variety of industries and areas. Through workshops and collaborating with experts from different disciplines, students identify research topics and apply the appropriate computer science methods to advance innovative solutions. Students receive guidance and advising to work effectively in teams, refine project proposals, and build the domain knowledge necessary in their selected area. By the end of the course, each team submits a detailed research proposal, including project rationale, methods, and expected outcomes, which they intend to execute during CSCI E-599d.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted candidates in Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), computer science and in their penultimate semester. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must be in good academic standing and in the process of successfully completing all degree requirements except the Harvard Extension School capstone, CSCI E-599d, which they must enroll in for the upcoming fall term as their final, one-and-only course. Registration in the Harvard Extension School course, CSCI E-599d, immediately following this course is a mandatory degree requirement. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Northwest Science Building B107
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
CSCI S-63c
Elements of Data Science and Statistical Learning with R
Andrey Sivachenko PhD, Scientist IV, Head of Bioinformatics, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutics Lab
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34799 | Section 1
Description
One of the broad goals of data science is examining raw data with the purpose of identifying their structure and trends, and deriving conclusions and hypotheses from the latter. In the modern world awash with data, data analytics is more important than ever to fields ranging from biomedical research, space and weather science, finance, business operations, and production, through marketing and social media applications. This course provides an intensive introduction into various statistical learning methods; the R programming language, a very popular and powerful platform for scientific and statistical analysis and visualization, is also introduced and used throughout the course. We discuss the fundamentals of statistical testing and learning, and cover topics of linear and non-linear regression, regularization, unsupervised methods (principle component analysis [PCA] and clustering), and supervised classification, including support vector machines, random forests, and neural nets, using datasets drawn from diverse domains. This course is geared less toward theory (although some is presented, mostly qualitatively), and more toward developing intuition and the right way of thinking about statistical problems, as well as building practical skills through multiple, incremental assignments and extensive experimentation.
Prerequisites: Good programming skills, preferably in R or solid experience in other languages; good understanding of probability and statistics at the level of CSCI E-106 or STAT E-109. See the syllabus for the recommended pretest.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
CSCI S-7
Introduction to Computer Science with Python
Henry H. Leitner PhD, Senior Lecturer on Computer Science, Harvard University
Dimitri K. MA, Software Engineer
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34533 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to computer science for students without prior programming experience. We explore problem-solving methods and algorithm development using the high-level programming language Python after a brief introduction to computational concepts using Scratch. Python is a language with a simple syntax, and a powerful set of libraries. While Python is easy for beginners to learn, it is widely used in many scientific areas for data exploration. We cover basic data types and collections (lists, dictionaries, tuples, and sets), control flow, recursion, information hiding and encapsulation using classes and objects, and introduce the analysis of program performance. The examples and problems used in this course are drawn from diverse areas such as text processing and simple graphics creation. We also examine theoretical and practical limitations related to unsolvable and intractable computational problems.
Prerequisites: High school algebra.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Harvard Hall 101
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
CSCI S-80
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence with Python
Brian Paul Yu EdM, Preceptor in Computer Science, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34744 | Section 1
Description
This course explores the concepts and algorithms at the foundation of modern artificial intelligence, diving into the ideas that give rise to technologies like game-playing engines, handwriting recognition, and machine translation. Through hands-on projects, students gain exposure to the theory behind graph search algorithms, classification, optimization, reinforcement learning, and other topics in artificial intelligence and machine learning as they incorporate them into their own Python programs. By course’s end, students emerge with experience in libraries for machine learning as well as knowledge of artificial intelligence principles that enable them to design intelligent systems of their own.
Prerequisites: CSCI S-50, CS50x, or at least one year of experience with Python.
Class Meetings:
Online
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
CSCI S-89
Deep Learning
Dmitry V. Kurochkin PhD, Senior Research Analyst, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Office for Faculty Affairs, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34723 | Section 1
Description
In this course students are introduced to the architecture of deep neural networks, algorithms that are developed to extract high-level feature representations of data. In addition to theoretical foundations of neural networks, including backpropagation and stochastic gradient descent, students get hands-on experience building deep neural network models with Python. Topics covered in the course include image classification, time series forecasting, text vectorization (tf-idf and word2vec), natural language translation, speech recognition, and deep reinforcement learning. Students learn how to use application program interfaces (APIs), such as TensorFlow and Keras, for building a variety of deep neural networks: convolutional neural network (CNN), recurrent neural network (RNN), self-organizing maps (SOM), generative adversarial network (GANs), and long short-term memory (LSTM). Some of the models require the use of graphics processing unit (GPU) enabled Amazon Machine Images (AMI) in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.
Prerequisites: Proficiency in Python programming equivalent to CSCI S-7. Basic knowledge of calculus, probability, and statistics is expected. Familiarity with linear algebra is helpful but not required. Students are expected to have access to a computer with a 64-bit operating system and at least 8 GB of RAM. GPU is highly recommended. No familiarity with Amazon Web Services (AWS) is assumed.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
CSCI S-89c
Deep Reinforcement Learning
Dmitry V. Kurochkin PhD, Senior Research Analyst, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Office for Faculty Affairs, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35907 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces deep reinforcement learning (RL), a cutting-edge technique in machine learning that has rapidly gained attention from researchers and developers due to its vast range of applications. Deep RL is making significant contributions in fields such as autonomous robotics, minimally invasive robotic surgery, advanced pattern recognition, diagnostic imaging, clinical decision support systems, personalized medical treatments, drug discovery processes, natural language understanding, speech recognition, and computer vision. Deep RL is often considered the third paradigm of machine learning, alongside supervised and unsupervised algorithms. In deep RL, an agent learns as a result of its actions and interactions with the environment, typically without the need for external guidance. Historically, practical applications of RL have been challenging, but recent advancements have made it more accessible and practical. This course provides students with both a theoretical understanding and practical experience in deploying deep RL solutions.
Prerequisites: Introductory probability and statistics, calculus equivalent to MATH S-21a, and proficiency in Python programming equivalent to CSCI S-7. A basic understanding of probability theory, particularly conditional probability distributions and conditional expectations, is necessary. All coding exercises are performed in Python.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
Veronika Tuckerova PhD, Senior Preceptor in Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
DEVP S-162
New Opportunities for Health and Housing Solutions
Catherine Buell JD, Managing Principal, Executive Office, Wellness Real Estate Innovations
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35972 | Section 1
Description
As housing prices soar and national conversations focus on affordability and increasing housing supply, a transformative movement is gaining momentum. Wellness real estate a rapidly expanding sector aimed at integrating health, community, and well-being into neighborhood design offers solutions not only to the housing crisis but also to public health challenges. By 2034, the population of people over 65 will surpass children under 18 for the first time in US history, and half of today’s five-year-olds in industrialized countries are expected to live to 100. As older Americans have increased by 34 percent in the last decade and now make up 18 percent of the population, the need for health-focused, inclusive housing has never been greater. Through case studies of wellness communities, emerging community development approaches that directly address health and housing needs, and innovative investment models, we examine the benefits of creating wellness-centric communities that prioritize biophilic design, walkability, social connectivity, and affordability. Students explore micro issues, such as the use of natural landscapes, access to healthy food, and shared spaces to foster physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We also address the policy, zoning and land use issues that enable and/or discourage the creation of such communities. Additionally, we focus on innovative financing models and civic engagement strategies that can make wellness real estate accessible to a broader range of people, especially moderate-income households. The course delves into the public health implications of traditional versus wellness-focused community design, examining how social connectivity can combat isolation an issue that poses significant health risks across ages, particularly for older adults. As US health care companies start investing significant resources into the housing field and as the population ages and demand for wellness products grows, students also explore how solutions like wellness-focused communities, multigenerational housing, and new public-private partnerships can address both the housing shortage and the need for socially connected, age-friendly, and health-centered communities.
Prerequisites: Students should have a foundational understanding of policy analysis in either health, housing, planning, and/or development issues, including community development practices, as well as interest in and experience with the analysis of socio-ecological dynamics.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
DEVP S-184
Economy, Environment, and Sustainable Development
Zinnia Mukherjee PhD, Associate Professor of Economics, Simmons University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35969 | Section 1
Description
The primary focus of this course is to understand the various aspects of economic growth, environmental protection, human development, sustainability, and their interrelationships. What does sustainable development mean? What is the difference between strong sustainability and weak sustainability? What is the relationship between economic efficiency, equity, and sustainability? What role can governments play to ensure economic growth leads to equitable distribution of social wealth? How do human activities affect the sustainability of global resources such as land, forests, and oceans? What roles can communities play in natural resource management and sustainable development? What is the role of international trade patterns and sustainable development? What role do international organizations such as the World Bank and United Nations have in promoting sustainable management of global resources and economic growth? We explore these questions through a series of readings, exams, group discussions, case studies (both contemporary and historical), and by writing a research paper on a course-related topic of choice. Harvard Extension School students may count one of the following courses toward a degree or certificate, but not more than one: DEVP S- 184, ENVR S-184 (offered previously), or ECON S-1665 (offered previously).
Prerequisites: Some microeconomics (principles level) is helpful. Students must be comfortable with plotting linear functions and solving linear equations.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
DEVP S-599
Global Development Practice Capstone
Judith Irene Rodriguez MA, Senior Research Associate, Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, Harvard Graduate School of Design and Research Specialist, Healthy Cities Lab, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35007 | Section 1
Description
This course is a capstone designed for students earning a Master of Liberal Arts, global development practice. The course approach is learner-centered, whereby students create a development plan for a client by applying skills and knowledge gained from their graduate school experience. This course builds upon the student’s guided prework completed in DEVP E-598. The course deliverables include a detailed actionable and measurable plan, as well as a presentation to be given to the class and to client stakeholders. Appropriate clients may include communities, corporations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), governmental agencies, schools, universities, and hospitals. Students work with a client with one or more stakeholders to develop and deliver a customized development plan focused on one or more of these areas: community development, human rights, labor practices, education, environmental sustainability, and fair operating practices. Listings of prior projects may be viewed at the global development practice capstone website.
Prerequisites: This course is only for officially admitted candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), global development practice. Candidates must be in good academic standing, have successfully completed the precapstone tutorial, DEVP E-598, in the prior Harvard Extension School spring term, and be ready to graduate in November with only the capstone degree requirement remaining (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone). Candidates who do not meet these requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Emerson Hall 108
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Once the three week, on-campus session is complete, students, when they return home, will continue to work on their capstone research through the remainder of the summer, participate in an online capstone presentation, and submit their final projects in early September.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
DGMD S-1
Digital Media: From Ideas to Designs and Prototypes
Bakhtiar Mikhak PhD, Co-Founder, Media Modifications, Ltd.
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34801 | Section 1
Description
This is a practical design course on perspectives, tools, and methods for going from an idea for a product or service powered by a mobile and/or web application to an interactive design prototype ready for handoff to a development team. We begin with creating detailed personas and stories that capture why and for whom the product or service is developed. We then translate those personas and stories into storyboards that illustrate the application’s experiential flow in real-world contexts in terms of concrete visual and interaction design elements. We develop a component-based design system for creating interactive prototypes with live data. Our focus is on designing novel user experiences and leveraging third-party user interface kits to give our prototypes a professional look and feel. We create prototypes with a visual design tool that also allows creating and enhancing components with code for imagining and realizing even richer interactions and experience flows. Technologies used in this course include Framer, Notion, React, and Replit.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Emerson Hall 101
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
DGMD S-14
Wearable Devices and Computer Vision
Nabib Ahmed AM, Artificial Intelligence Researcher, Meta
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34484 | Section 1
Description
This course delves into wearable devices and computer vision, two technologies experiencing a renaissance. Wearable technologies is an exciting, innovative field that has seen a flurry of recent advancements, such as the Apple Vision Pro, which is Apple’s first augmented/mixed reality device; Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, which are designer smart glasses to capture and share moments on social media integrated with a vision-capable artificial intelligence (AI) assistant; and the AI Pin, a pin-like device that aims to be your AI-powered personal assistant. Underlying these advances in wearable devices is computer vision, which is an exciting field of AI and machine learning enabling computers to derive information from images, videos, and other inputs. In this course, we explore wearable devices and utilize computer vision to tackle emerging problems (for example, assistive devices, educational applications, and health monitoring). Students learn about sensors, signal processing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, computational image processing, neural networks, localization and mapping, and robust algorithms for modeling. By the end of this course, students are ready to join the community of pioneers and innovators making the future of wearable and computer vision technology.
Prerequisites: CSCI S-7, CSCI S-50, or equivalent experience (that is, background with any programming language). Familiarity with Python. Familiarity with algebra and geometry (at the high school level). No background needed in machine learning, computer vision, or wearable devices.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
DGMD S-17
Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, Drones, and Artificial Intelligence
Nabib Ahmed AM, Artificial Intelligence Researcher, Meta
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34560 | Section 1
Description
This course explores the field of robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, and artificial intelligence (AI), and exposes students to their core technologies and systems through practical exercises and simulation. These are all exciting fields with tremendous growth and opportunities in the next several decades. There are billions of dollars being invested and the market size is expected to grow 10-15 percent annually. The impact of these technologies can fundamentally revolutionize a multitude of industries and transform our society, from self-driving cars to same-day drone delivery to robotic assistants and laborers. This course explores the theories, tools, and processes that enable these technologies and exposes students to the challenges, limitations, and capabilities of modern robotics, autonomous vehicles, drone, and AI technologies. Students learn about sensor technologies for automation, autonomy from a systems perspective, vision-based perception and techniques, modern machine learning (ML) and AI algorithms, mathematical modeling and abstraction, and engineering design. The goal is to develop a fundamental toolkit to advance the next generation within the field.
Prerequisites: CSCI S-7, CSCI S-50, or equivalent (that is, background with any programming language). Familiarity with Python. Familiarity with algebra and geometry at the high-school level.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
DGMD S-30
Introduction to Media Production
Nicholas J. Manley MFA, Co-Founder, The Ebiz Institute
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33105 | Section 1
Description
Building skills from the ground up, we demystify the technology and techniques, giving students everything they need to make professional-level video content in their fields. Cinematography, audio recording, editing, interviewing, production management, and lighting for documentary and narrative film are all covered in a project-based approach. Students learn how to light an interview like a pro, make the most of their equipment in the field, conduct interviews, break down scenes, storyboard, plan, and produce video projects. We screen and critique students’ work as it evolves and refine methods for strengthening stories by looking at successful movies that have cracked the code. This course is designed for anyone who wants a crash course in producing quality video on a shoestring budget and for storytellers who want to translate their ideas into compelling videos of any kind.
Prerequisites: Students can use cameras, smartphones, or tablets to shoot and record media content. A tripod will also be needed. An audio recorder is beneficial but not required. The instructor will share different gear options prior to the course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
DGMD S-35
Video Editing and Digital Design
Allyson Sherlock MFA, Assistant Professor in Visual and Media Arts, Emerson College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33286 | Section 1
Description
The ability of the film editor to shape a story is one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of the filmmaking process. This course serves as an introduction to the art of video post-production. We explore the theory and practice of various editing styles in order to gain a better understanding of how stories are most effectively constructed in the editing room. Through demonstrations and hands-on experience, students learn advanced editing techniques with an in-depth examination of Adobe Premiere. To further enhance projects, students create animated motion graphics using Adobe After Effects and learn how to enhance their audio recordings with Adobe Audition. Strong emphasis is placed on post-production techniques that improve the sound and image quality of the videos. Footage is provided for all exercises and projects, and students are given the option to shoot new material for their final projects if desired.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 26 students
DGMD S-42
Making the Short Film: Innovations and Practices for the Digital Age
Allyson Sherlock MFA, Assistant Professor in Visual and Media Arts, Emerson College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35031 | Section 1
Description
Short films are an exciting and ever-evolving form of storytelling. This course explores the strong tradition short films have in our culture, as well as the new and innovative techniques filmmakers are currently using to tell and distribute their stories. In this course, students devote the entire semester to the creation and completion of one short film narrative, documentary, or animation with the intent of festival submission and/or online release. Students work in a collaborative atmosphere with classmates and the instructor to refine scripts and treatments, plan productions, and create the final film. Students may work individually or partner in a collaborative team. Either way, the course serves as a support system for each student, offering advice, critiques, and resources so that each member is an integral part of a fully realized short. In addition to supporting traditional filmmaking approaches, innovative storytelling techniques are strongly welcomed and supported. These can include interactive online documentaries, hybrid approaches (blending fiction and nonfiction), webisode pilots, and experimental techniques. Additionally, the course demystifies the online distribution process and the film festival circuit, exploring the many avenues filmmakers can take to get their work shown to a wider audience.
Prerequisites: Prior editing experience (Adobe Premiere or Final Cut) and access to a camera (iPhone, Android, DSLR, or professional video camera).
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
DGMD S-44
Introduction to 2D Animation
Jason Wiser MFA, Creative Director, Yaya Play Games
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35959 | Section 1
Description
2D animation is the art of drawing to create the illusion of life, and is an extraordinary medium for storytelling and expression. In this course, students become familiar with animation principles for object and character motion, and use digital art and animation software to explore unique storytelling possibilities and create a portfolio of animation. Upon successful completion of this course, students gain an understanding of how to manipulate images and draw and color frames for animation, to show weight and expression in character and object motion, and to add animated visual effects to live footage.
Prerequisites: Every class students need to have access to a computer and a drawing tablet (small Wacom Intuos recommended) with art and animation software installed (Photoshop, Animate, and After Effects), all of which will be taught in this course.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, 1 Story Street 304
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
DGMD S-597
Digital Media Design Precapstone
Bakhtiar Mikhak PhD, Co-Founder, Media Modifications, Ltd.
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35868 | Section 1
Description
This course helps students develop academically strong, individual or team-based capstone proposals. It is mandatory for candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, digital media design, who wish to register for the DGMD E-599 in the coming fall term. Students develop a capstone proposal through workshopping, collaboration, research, and working with industry partners. They receive guidance on refining project proposals, building the domain knowledge necessary in their selected area, and conducting user research. By the end of the course, each team submits a detailed capstone proposal, including project rationale, literature reviews, scope, target audience/user journeys, timeline, and competitor analysis.
Prerequisites: Students must officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), digital media design, who are in their penultimate semester. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must be in good academic standing and in the process of successfully completing all degree requirements, except the capstone, which they must enroll in the upcoming fall term as their final, one-and-only course. Registration in the Harvard Extension School course, DGMD E-599, immediately following this course is a mandatory degree requirement. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit credit $0, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
DRAM S-140
Public Speaking
Remo Airaldi AB, Lecturer on Theater, Dance, and Media, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33708 | Section 1
Description
This course aims to introduce students to a practical, hands-on approach to effective public speaking. Our focus is on developing a personal style of speaking that is confident, spontaneous, energetic, and vocally and physically expressive. Through exercises, speech presentations, and individual coaching, students learn how to present and develop a persuasive argument while maintaining an audience’s interest. The course is aimed at anyone who would like to improve their ability to speak in front of small or large groups, regardless of experience.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Farkas Hall 203
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 16 students
DRAM S-140
Public Speaking
Terry Gipson MFA, Preceptor in Public Speaking, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35660 | Section 2
Description
This course aims to introduce students to a practical, hands-on approach to effective public speaking. Our focus is on developing a personal style of speaking that is confident, spontaneous, energetic, and vocally and physically expressive. Through exercises, speech presentations, and individual coaching, students learn how to present and develop a persuasive argument while maintaining an audience’s interest. The course is aimed at anyone who would like to improve their ability to speak in front of small or large groups, regardless of experience.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Farkas Hall 203
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 16 students
DRAM S-140
Public Speaking
Remo Airaldi AB, Lecturer on Theater, Dance, and Media, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32763 | Section 3
Description
This course aims to introduce students to a practical, hands-on approach to effective public speaking. Our focus is on developing a personal style of speaking that is confident, spontaneous, energetic, and vocally and physically expressive. Through exercises, speech presentations, and individual coaching, students learn how to present and develop a persuasive argument while maintaining an audience’s interest. The course is aimed at anyone who would like to improve their ability to speak in front of small or large groups, regardless of experience.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 16 students
DRAM S-140
Public Speaking
Remo Airaldi AB, Lecturer on Theater, Dance, and Media, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32727 | Section 4
Description
This course aims to introduce students to a practical, hands-on approach to effective public speaking. Our focus is on developing a personal style of speaking that is confident, spontaneous, energetic, and vocally and physically expressive. Through exercises, speech presentations, and individual coaching, students learn how to present and develop a persuasive argument while maintaining an audience’s interest. The course is aimed at anyone who would like to improve their ability to speak in front of small or large groups, regardless of experience.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Farkas Hall 203
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 16 students
DRAM S-21
Improvisational Acting
John Kuntz MA, Lecturer on Theater, Dance, and Media, Harvard University and Associate Professor of Theater, Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32212 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed not only for students of the theater, but also for those with an interest in politics and debate, public speaking, trial law, and education, as well as a broad range of other careers. Students explore various improvisational techniques that fuse intellect, imagination, voice, and body.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Farkas Hall STUDIO
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
DRAM S-24
Performing Musical Theater
Pamela J. Murray MusM, Performance Faculty, Voice, Musical Theater Cabaret Ensemble, Boston College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35971 | Section 1
Description
In this course, which is open to all levels, students explore how to create a polished and convincing solo song performance. Each class meeting begins with a vocal warmup, reviewing the basics of good singing technique and ear training. Through individual work, we approach each song from a vocal, musical, and dramatic standpoint, discussing character, story, and presentation. Students delve deeply into the song texts by working them as monologues, learn vocal techniques that strengthen their song performance, and study the musical score and how it enhances the lyrics. Partner exercises are used to explore lyrics and the meaning behind them, and students sometimes act in each other’s scenes to flesh out the songs and give them context. The final consists of a polished presentation of each student’s song, using all the elements explored throughout the term, and a brief report of the song, show, composer, and lyricist.
Prerequisites: Willingness to sing in front of the class.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Music Building PH9
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
EALC S-160
Is Taiwan Chinese? History, Identity, and Nationalism
Melissa J. Brown PhD, Associate of the Department of Harvard-Yenching Institute, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35462 | Section 1
Description
Why is Taiwan, with a stable, democratic government and a strong economy, considered a threat to world peace? The People’s Republic of China disputes Taiwan’s de facto sovereignty for reasons that derive from Han ethnic identity, Chinese national identity, and the relation of both to Taiwanese identity. Taiwan’s history from approximately 1600 to the present shows its cosmopolitan resilience to earlier waves of imperialism, colonialism, and nationalism. What can Taiwan and the world do in the face of China’s nationalistic threats of invasion? Lectures, discussions, readings, and videos examine the interactions of identity and nationalism with gender and kinship, community, culture, economics, politics, and war. By the end of the course, students should be able to critically analyze historical and contemporary events to understand their sociocultural context, historical contingencies, and political implications.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1012
Macroeconomic Theory
Thomas H. Baranga PhD, Lecturer and Concentration Advisor in Economics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35547 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an overview of macroeconomic theory and the role and effects of governmental macroeconomic policy. We apply these ideas to understand some of the current debates about the US macroeconomy, such as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the causes of and possible policy responses to inflation. We discuss different and competing theories, try to understand what is at stake in the debate between rival schools of thought, and examine data to evaluate their relative merits. The first half of the course studies the long-run behavior of the macroeconomy (such as gross domestic product [GDP] and its growth, inflation, the role of labor and capital markets, and the open economy). The second half of the course studies business cycle fluctuations in general and the policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and high inflation in particular.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10a, ECON S-10b, and MATH S-1a, or equivalent courses; students must also pass the proficiency examination.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Required sections Fridays, 1 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1016
Labor Economics
Gregory Bruich PhD, Concentration Advisor in Economics, Harvard University and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33880 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces students to the field of labor economics, with an emphasis on current policy issues and new research. Issues discussed include the effects of minimum wages, mandated benefits, immigration, taxes, and transfer programs on wages and employment; human capital and the labor market returns to education; measurement of the value added of teachers and colleges; the effect of unemployment insurance on unemployment durations; the effect of disability insurance on labor force participation; new evidence on income, wage, and wealth inequality and intergenerational mobility. Students learn current econometric and theoretical methods used in applied microeconomics and how to write about and apply these methods in their own research.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10a or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1040
Strategy, Conflict, and Cooperation
Robert Neugeboren PhD, Lecturer on Economics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35790 | Section 1
Description
Game theory is a set of tools designed to study multiple strategic agents in many different environments. The scenarios involve interactions where the payoff of one agent, Agent A, depends on both Agent A’s actions and the actions taken by other agents in the game. The objective in this course is to introduce students to the basic game theory concepts and apply these tools to more fully understand economic interactions. This course explores game theoretic topics such as pure- and mixed-strategy Nash equilibria of strategic-form games with perfect information, Nash and subgame-perfect equilibria for extensive-form games with perfect information, perfect Bayesian equilibria for games with imperfect information, Nash equilibrium of extensive-form games with imperfect information, equilibria concepts of finitely and infinitely repeated games, and bargaining games.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab, MATH S-1a, and MATH E-8, or the equivalent. Placement test recommended.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Sever Hall 111
Required sections recorded for asynchronous viewing. Optional sections Saturdays, 10 am.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-10a
Principles of Economics: Microeconomics
Sacha Gelfer PhD, Associate Professor of Economics, Bentley University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35977 | Section 1
Description
The course offers an introduction to the market system, emphasizing economic interactions among individuals, firms, and the government. Topics include economic decision-making, supply-and-demand, perfect and imperfect competition, economic efficiency, and market failures. Policies such as those around the environment, healthcare, and income distribution are discussed. This course is equivalent to the first half of ECON S-10ab.
Prerequisites: Elementary algebra and geometry.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, 1 Story Street 306
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-10ab
Principles of Economics
Bruce D. Watson MA, Master Lecturer on Economics, Boston University and Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
David Laibson PhD, Robert I. Goldman Professor of Economics, Harvard University
John List PhD, Kenneth C. Griffin Distinguished Service Professor in Economics and the College, University of Chicago
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30057 | Section 1
Description
This course covers both micro- and macroeconomics. The microeconomic subjects studied include the workings of the market mechanisms how supply and demand determine the quantities and prices of goods and factors of production and international trade, and how quantities and prices are affected by government intervention. The macroeconomic subjects include the determinants of economic growth, financial institutions, short-run fluctuations in output and employment, inflation, macroeconomics of the open economy, and the role of government policy.
Prerequisites: High school algebra.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-10b
Principles of Economics: Macroeconomics
Tanseli Savaser PhD, Assistant Professor of Finance, Bentley University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30058 | Section 1
Description
This introduction to macroeconomic theory and policy emphasizes the overall performance of the national economy. Topics include economic growth, financial markets, and the causes and consequences of short-term movements in gross domestic product, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, the budget deficit, and the trade deficit. The course also covers key policy-making institutions, such as the Federal Reserve, and controversies over the proper role of government in stabilizing the economy.
Prerequisites: High school algebra and geometry.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Boylston Hall FONG
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1123
Introduction to Econometrics
Gustavo Vicentini PhD, Teaching Professor of Economics, Northeastern University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 31837 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to multiple regression methods for analyzing data in economics and related fields. Students learn how to conduct empirical studies, as well as how to analyze and interpret results from other empirical works. The emphasis is on gaining an intuitive understanding of the principles of econometric analysis and applying them to actual data. We start with the basics of statistics, including some probability theory and basic concepts in sampling, estimation, and hypothesis testing. Topics such as multiple regression techniques as well as issues related to departures from the standard assumptions on the error structure comprise the main subjects to be discussed. Aside from model specification and data problems, the use of additional methods such as instrumental variables, probit/logit, panel data models, and basic time series methods are also part of the course agenda.
Prerequisites: STAT S-100 or the equivalent; students must also pass the proficiency examination.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ECON S-1317
The Economics of Emerging Markets: Asia and Eastern Europe
Bruno S. Sergi PhD, Professor of Political Economy, University of Messina and Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33001 | Section 1
Description
Today’s global economic landscape is fraught with shifting international geo-economic realms. The potentials of booming economies, fast-developing consumer markets, and the rising middle class represent the characteristics of many emerging market economies. This course covers the promises and the realities of the economies in Asia and Eastern Europe, two vast areas of contrasting development trackways. This course highlights the most appealing economic growth stories, including China, India, Russia, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, as well as the recent cases of Ukraine and Sri Lanka. This course relies thoroughly on the case study method and probes into the role of institutions, infrastructure, high-tech, innovation, human capital, international trade, and the other macro variables in the sustainable development of these regions. The learning aim of the course is for students to understand the current dynamic and the past development stories of emerging market nations. Students independently research, write, and present up-to-date economic analyses and are involved in up-to-the-minute talks and debates to catch up with these countries’ economic policy strategies.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Sever Hall 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1412
Public Finance
Daniel W. Shoag PhD, Professor in Economics and Department Chair, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33534 | Section 1
Description
This course studies the role of governments and markets. We cover topics such as taxation, unemployment insurance, welfare programs, social security, health care, education, and regulation. The course emphasizes current policy issues and debates.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab is helpful but not required.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1452
Money, Financial Institutions, and Markets
Bruce D. Watson MA, Master Lecturer on Economics, Boston University and Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 31138 | Section 1
Description
This course presents a moderately advanced overview of concepts and techniques in the fields of money, banking, and finance. It examines the agents, instruments, and institutions that make up the financial system of the modern economy, such as bonds, the stock market, derivatives, and the money market, including the role of banks in deposit and credit creation. Along the way, standard concepts and tools of financial analysis are covered, including the risk-return tradeoff (Sharpe ratio), the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), option pricing theory, and the efficient market hypothesis (EMH) and its alternatives.
Prerequisites: College-level algebra and basic statistics.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1476
International Corporate Governance: Economic Theory in Practice
Erich Schumann MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Global Atlantic Partners LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35548 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for students interested in the challenges and controversies for corporate governance as it attempts to focus on global problems such as climate change; political uncertainties; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations; and the economic and technological disruptions of supply chains, pandemics, and inequalities in the workforce (such as economic development groups, artificial intelligence, and stakeholder rights). Integrating theory, historical developments, current practices, and proposals for change, we examine international corporate governance topics that are collectively termed agency theory in modern finance. The collaborative efforts, as well as the potential conflicts of interests, of stakeholders are analyzed in the context of a changing legislative and regulatory environment. This enablers us to evaluate the effectiveness of how corporate objectives are determined and achieved in the United States and globally. Selected cases and readings illustrate research findings and highlight critical issues. In-class discussions include the practical challenges of corporate decision-making and costs of failures of regulation and oversight.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor; ECON S-190 desirable.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Sever Hall 106
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ECON S-1476
International Corporate Governance: Economic Theory in Practice
Erich Schumann MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Global Atlantic Partners LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36050 | Section 2
Description
This course is designed for students interested in the challenges and controversies for corporate governance as it attempts to focus on global problems such as climate change; political uncertainties; environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations; and the economic and technological disruptions of supply chains, pandemics, and inequalities in the workforce (such as economic development groups, artificial intelligence, and stakeholder rights). Integrating theory, historical developments, current practices, and proposals for change, we examine international corporate governance topics that are collectively termed agency theory in modern finance. The collaborative efforts, as well as the potential conflicts of interests, of stakeholders are analyzed in the context of a changing legislative and regulatory environment. This enablers us to evaluate the effectiveness of how corporate objectives are determined and achieved in the United States and globally. Selected cases and readings illustrate research findings and highlight critical issues. In-class discussions include the practical challenges of corporate decision-making and costs of failures of regulation and oversight.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab or the equivalent, or permission of the instructor; ECON S-190 desirable.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 8:30am-11:30am, Sever Hall 106
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
Paolo Pellizzari PhD, Professsor of Economics, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
ECON S-1561
Global Business and Technology Trends
Zoya Kinstler PhD
Bruno S. Sergi PhD, Professor of Political Economy, University of Messina and Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35963 | Section 1
Description
This course explores the global business challenges caused by worldwide advancements in digital technology across multinational corporations, industries, and governments. The course comprises two tracks: global business trends and strategies, and digital technologies. The first part of the course focuses on business and technology strategies in selected regions and industries, including global business and go-to-market strategies. Case studies for this track include technology and business in China, innovation and start-ups in India, central banking and digital currencies, the internet-of-things (IoT) and industrial reforms in Europe, and platform business models and e-commerce in Asia. The second part addresses technology strategies in global corporations and digital technologies as business-solution enablers. Topics include robotic automation, machine learning, generative artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and metaverse, industrial IoT, and platform-based digital ecosystems. For each topic, there is a lecture offering a basic technology overview followed by a case describing this technology’s implementation at a business organization. The dual nature of the course, coupled with its emphasis on interaction and inclusivity, makes it an ideal choice for those looking to enhance their knowledge and skills in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Enrolling in this course is a compelling choice for anyone seeking a global perspective and a deeper understanding of the latest technologies, regardless of their level of information technology expertise. Harvard Extension School students may only take one of the following for degree or certificate credit: ECON S-1561, ISMT E-195 (offered previously), or MGMT E-5406.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Science Center B-10
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
ECON S-1615
Managerial Economics
Aleksandar Tomic PhD, Associate Dean for Strategy, Innovation, and Technology and Director of Master of Science in Applied Analytics and Applied Economics, Woods College of Advancing Studies, Boston College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35964 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an overview of economic tools and analytic approaches available to the manager for business decision-making. It includes such topics as pricing, forecasting, demand analysis, production and cost analysis, and macroeconomic policy as it affects the business environment. The purpose of this course is to develop an economic perspective that is appropriate for students aspiring to manage business units or entire companies in a wide variety of industries. Students may not take both ECON E-1600 and ECON S-1615 for degree or certificate credit.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. ECON S-10a or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
ECON S-1814
Urban Economics
Daniel W. Shoag PhD, Professor in Economics and Department Chair, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35556 | Section 1
Description
Why are some cities richer than others? What factors determine where people and companies decide to locate? This course helps students understand the economic forces that matter at the local level and the impact they have on state and urban policymakers.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10a is helpful, but motivated students should be able to succeed without prior preparation.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1816
Economics of Innovation
Ashley Nunes PhD, Associate of the Department of Economics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35844 | Section 1
Description
The goal of this course is to give broad insight into the economic effects of invention and innovation. Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman once noted that while productivity isn’t everything, it is in the long run, almost everything. A country’s ability to improve its standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability to raise its output per worker. Doing so increasingly demands leveraging the power of invention and innovation to boost workforce productivity across industries like energy, medicine, and transportation. Innovations in each of these sectors have produced drills that can bore deeper, drugs that have a longer shelf life, and airplanes that can fly further than in decades prior. These innovations, and others like them, have over time fundamentally altered the economic status quo. This course explores the consequences both good and bad that invention and innovation has on consumers, firms, and governments.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Sever Hall 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ECON S-190
Introduction to Financial and Managerial Economics
Veysel Ulusoy PhD, Visiting Professor, Economics, Boston College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30298 | Section 1
Description
This course integrates financial economics concepts and their application in making financial decisions for organizations. Students examine the practices and perspectives of financial management, with reference to the foundations of modern finance: economics, managerial organization, and accounting. The course builds conceptual, analytical, and quantitative skills in several topic areas: financial condition and performance, financial planning and control, working capital management, long-term asset decisions based on the critical concept of net present value (NPV), and financial and capital structure. It introduces the concepts and processes of behavioral economics, financial engineering, innovation, and restructuring. The roles of economic value added (EVA) and the balanced scorecard concept in developing managerial strategies and incentive structures are also discussed. While it is not a course in personal finance, many of the concepts and techniques lend themselves to both the management of formal organizations, and the lifetime management of personal finances.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Sever Hall 106
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-1900
Financial Accounting
Lloyd Tanlu DBA, Associate Professor of Accounting, The Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics, Washington and Lee University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30071 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to financial accounting, its concepts, and the techniques of recording, summarizing, and reporting the flow of financial information through the entity concerned. The course offers an understanding of the information flow process and the necessary techniques for analysis and evaluation of a firm’s potential in light of historical data. Students can count either ECON S-1900 or MGMT S-1000 toward an Extension School degree or certificate, but not both.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Sever Hall 103
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ECON S-1901
Managerial Accounting
Lloyd Tanlu DBA, Associate Professor of Accounting, The Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics, Washington and Lee University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30073 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces the principles and methods of data collection and presentation for planning and control, performance evaluation, and management decision-making. It emphasizes product costing (both traditional and activity-based), cost-volume-profit analysis, operating and capital budgeting, evaluation of business operating segments, transfer pricing, and relevant costs for decision making. Students may not count both ECON S-1901 and the Harvard Extension School course MGMT E-1600 toward an Extension School degree or certificate.
Prerequisites: ECON S-1900 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ECON S-1915
Neuroscience and Economic Decision-Making
Duccio Martelli PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Perugia
John M. Burkhardt PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Capita Solutions
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34468 | Section 1
Description
The study of decision-making has a long tradition, particularly in economics, where the choices of economic agents have been analyzed with the aid of a number of methodologies and theoretical models. Many academic researchers and much empirical evidence show how individuals are inclined to make mistakes when making decisions; moreover, people do not have stable preferences, but make choices that are influenced by their feelings and the context in which subjects are asked to make a decision. Nowadays neuroscientific methodologies help to explain these anomalies, highlighting how individuals’ brains and bodies react to different stimuli and events. In-depth knowledge of these foundations is then crucial for making informed decisions and therefore better choices, which are consistent with people’s needs and expectations. The course is structured in two main parts, where the first one introduces the concepts through a more theoretical lenses, while the second part puts into practice what students have previously learnt in class, so to meet the needs of different types of participants, including students taking the course for undergraduate or graduate credit, and corporate managers or other professionals enrolling as noncredit students.
Prerequisites: ECON S-10ab or the equivalent; ECON S-190, ECON S-192 (offered previously), or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Boylston Hall 105
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ECON S-70
Personal Finance and Financial Well-Being
Duccio Martelli PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Perugia
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35466 | Section 1
Description
The need to develop personal finance literacy is an increasingly important issue worldwide, especially in the wake of the latest financial shocks and the current pandemic crisis. The large majority of households do not possess the basic knowledge of financial concepts necessary to effectively manage personal finances and achieve a lifetime of financial well-being. This course aims to bridge this gap by providing students a grounding in the fundamental principles and skills of financial planning. It focuses on the analysis of the major topics of personal finance and stresses the importance of behavioral biases that households confront every day in trying to reach their financial goals. The course is structured to meet the needs and expectations of different types of students, from high school and undergraduates to graduate students and adult learners.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, Harvard Hall 201
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 54 students
Stephen Greenblatt PhD, Cogan University Professor of the Humanities, Harvard University
Shaul Bassi PhD, Professor of English, Ca’ Foscari University
ENGL S-139
England After Empire
Duncan White DPhil, Lecturer on History and Literature, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35922 | Section 1
Description
This course considers the way England was transformed through the demise of its empire after the Second World War through to the advent of Brexit. From the birth of the welfare state to the rise of Thatcherism, from post-colonial migration to multicultural Britain, from the swinging sixties to punk rock and riots, we track these radical political, social, and cultural changes through novels, poetry, theater, film, pop music, photography, fashion, food, and sport. We explore the way Britain sought to retain its influence in the world, through its involvement in the cold war, its relations with the Commonwealth, and its continuing special relationship with the United States. As well as reading literary works by John Osborne, Sam Selvon, Zadie Smith, and Bernardine Evaristo, we consider British popular culture, from The Beatles to The Sex Pistols, from James Bond to The Crown.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 18 students
ENGL S-140
The Rise of the Novel
Leo Damrosch PhD, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature, Emeritus, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35958 | Section 1
Description
Literary narrative goes back to ancient times, but the novel, as the term is used today, did not appear until the seventeenth century, and only in the eighteenth century did it establish itself as the dominant literary form of our culture. This course explores the eighteenth-century novels long considered the best and most important, both for their achievement in developing the possibilities of narrative, and for their ability to give pleasure to readers. To bring out the particular qualities of each work, scenes from modern film adaptations are shown whenever available. Issues to be considered include genre (What was new about novels? Is the novel a genre?); features of omniscient, first-person, and epistolary narration; representation of character and subjective experience; the social function of fiction; the attractions of plot; the paradoxes of realism; moral didacticism and its subversion; and differences between British and French fiction. Novels include The Princesse de Cl ves, Robinson Crusoe, Clarissa, Tom Jones, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, and Pride and Prejudice. Due to the condensed summer schedule, the longer works are read in abridged form.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 35 students
ENGL S-185
Wit, Irony, and Comedy
Thomas Wisniewski PhD, Associate of the Department of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35783 | Section 1
Description
In literature, as in life, humor often takes us by surprise. Why? Laughter, in many ways, is a mystery, and literary criticism has always been more comfortable dealing with tragedy than comedy. Taking comedy seriously, this course provides a broad investigation into the myriad functions of humor (psychological, sociological, philosophical, and dramatic) and explores why what we find funny changes in relation to shifting social, cultural, and historical contexts. Topics include wit and wordplay; the differences between verbal wit and visual humor; the phenomenon of laughing; satire and irony; jokes and joking; sexual humor and the taboo; humor in performance; the roles of ethnicity, race, religion, and gender in humor. Readings include literary works from Shakespeare to the present day, as well as theater history, performance, film, television, stand-up, and cartoons.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ENGL S-207
The Culture of Capitalism
Martin Puchner PhD, Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33124 | Section 1
Description
The course asks how literature, theater, and film have captured the spirit of capitalism fueling its fantasies, contemplating its effects, and chronicling its crises. More than just an economic system, capitalism created new habits of life and mind; it also created new values, forged and distilled by new forms of art. Core readings by Franklin, O’Neill, Rand, Miller, and Mamet, films by Chaplin and Lang, and background readings by Smith, Marx, Taylor, Weber, and Schumpeter.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-10:00am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Please note: In addition to the scheduled class time, this course has required recorded lectures and activities that students complete on demand. Please see course syllabus for details. The overall amount of time students spend on this course is equivalent to other 4-credit courses.
ENGL S-221
Asian American Literature
Ju Yon Kim PhD, Patsy Takemoto Mink Professor of English and Harvard College Professor, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35939 | Section 1
Description
Aiiieeeee! An Anthology of Asian-American Writers (1974) was one of the earliest attempts to collect writings that were, to quote the editors, “exclusively Asian-American.” Yet as their lengthy and controversial explanation of the selection process makes clear, Asian-American literature defies neat categorization. How do we determine that a work of literature is Asian American when the term itself has been continuously revised, contested, and expanded since it first came into common usage in the late 1960s as a political, pan-ethnic identification? Furthermore, when assessing whether a literary work is Asian American, how important are considerations of its thematic concerns, its relationship to specific cultural forms and traditions, and the author’s background? This course is both a survey of Asian-American literature and an introduction to ongoing debates about what constitutes Asian America.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Harvard Hall 105
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
ENGL S-238
Indigenous Literatures
Rebecca H. Hogue PhD, Associate of the Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University and Assistant Professor, Department of English, University of Toronto
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35355 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces fiction and poetry in a small sampling of the over 1,000 native nations across North America and Oceania. Thematically, we consider a variety of contemporary issues that impact indigenous story-telling today: environmental and social justice, gender and sexuality, land rights and city life, war and extractive capitalism, and the law and tribal recognition. In our readings, we ask how do the oral, visual, sonic, cosmological, environmental, or political contexts influence contemporary indigenous authors and their writing? With attention to specific histories and traditions, while also considering shared experiences, we explore how literature plays a role in expressing contemporary indigenous sovereignty and self-determination.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ENGL S-264
Introduction to Latinx Studies
Tommy Conners PhD, Assistant Professor of Latinx Studies and World Languages and Cultures, Allegheny College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35806 | Section 1
Description
This course is an exploration of a broad range of issues relating to the lived experiences of Latinos in the United States. Students examine major events in the histories and cultures of Chicano, Puerto Rican, Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Afro-Latinx, Garifuna, and indigenous Latinx communities, with the primary goal of understanding the roles power and privilege play in constructing ethnic and racial identities. We consider how Latinx lives have been influenced by differences like gender, sexuality, class, language, and citizenship, as well as how Latinx communities have shaped larger discourses on intimacy, law, belonging, and social change. To do so, students study diaries, memoirs, court cases, short stories, novels, poetry, and music videos, paying careful attention to who has been included and excluded from latinidad, while also considering gender and language practices surrounding the use of Latino/Latina/Latinx and, more recently, Latine.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
ENGL S-305
Poetry in America for Teachers: Earth, Sea, Sky
Elisa New PhD, Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature, Harvard University
Jesse Benjamin Raber PhD, Writer
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35937 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed specifically for secondary school educators interested in deepening their expertise as readers and teachers of literature. In the course, we consider the evolving relationship of American poets to the environment from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Emily Dickinson, whose poems on the landscape of rural Massachusetts from the 1850s to 1880s drew from the science and the incipient environmental movements of that century, is a touchstone for the course. But her sparse lyrics are only one of the poetic technologies of looking at, caring for, and mourning the destruction of the natural world that we explore together: from haiku, to African American poems of exploitative agrarianism and fantastical gardening, to poems that expand the scope of nature from the vast and inhuman to the birdcalls echoing in urban backyards. Through field trips, classroom visits, and conversations with ecologists, scientists, gardeners, farmers and other guest interpreters, this course familiarizes students with a variety of canonical and contemporary American poets: Robert Frost, Jean Toomer, Lorine Niedecker, Gary Snyder, A.R. Ammons, Robinson Jeffers, Juliana Spahr, Ross Gay, and more.
Class Meetings:
Online
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. This course is offered in partnership with the Poetry in America (PiA) initiative. The course is also offered in partnership with the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). Teachers enrolled for noncredit who are interested in professional development can earn certificates of participation for 90 professional development hours from HGSE’s Professional Education. Teachers may apply for Poetry in America scholarships.
ENSC S-106
Problem Solving and Project Design
Kelly A. Miller PhD, Senior Lecturer on Applied Physics, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35463 | Section 1
Description
In this course, students work on real-world problems that do not have obvious solutions. As part of a project team, students are matched with a client that has a difficult challenge. The project team analyzes the challenge in the context of broader systems and designs a solution to present to the client at the end of the course. The course provides students with the ability to understand how an entire system works; how an action, change, or malfunction in one part of the system affects the rest of the system; and how a big-picture perspective can be adopted to assist in problem solving.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 12 students
ENSC S-135
Biochemical Engineering and Synthetic Life
Sujata K. Bhatia PhD, MD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Drexel University College of Medicine
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35403 | Section 1
Description
Biochemical engineering harnesses living cells as miniature chemical reactors, enabling the production of designer molecules ranging from pharmaceuticals to plastics to biofuels. Live cells possess unique capabilities to manufacture complex chemical entities, yet living cells also introduce unique challenges and tradeoffs. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of biochemical engineering, including its biological underpinnings, the flow of genetic information within biological systems, the building blocks of living cells, and cellular pathways and control mechanisms. The course then describes the sub-disciplines of genetic engineering and metabolic engineering, along with applications in specialty chemicals, nutrition, global health, environmental remediation, and sustainability. Finally, the course describes emerging areas of biochemical engineering, including synthetic biology, which enables engineers to create entirely new cells from scratch. The visionary J. Craig Venter has called DNA the software of life, and has proposed that synthetic cells will be part of the solution to meeting global demands. The course discusses the potential and pitfalls of synthetic life.
Prerequisites: Background in biology and chemistry is necessary.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
ENSC S-138
Introduction to Probability for Engineering and Data Science
Yue Lu PhD, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering and of Applied Mathematics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34796 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces students to probability theory and statistics, and their applications in engineering and data science. Topics include random variables, distributions and densities, conditional expectations, statistical sampling, limit theorems, and Markov chains. The goal of this course is to prepare students with knowledge of probability theory and statistical methods that are widely used in several engineering disciplines and modern data science.
Prerequisites: Mathematical knowledge at the level of MATH S-1a and MATH S-1b (set theory, Venn diagrams, basic algebra, basic differential and integral calculus, and matrices). Basic programming skills (in languages like Python or R) are optional but can be useful.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ENSC S-141
Thermodynamics for Energy Technologies
Scot T. Martin PhD, Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Science and Engineering and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35980 | Section 1
Description
Efficient production of electricity is key to a sustainable future. Efficient transportation in cars and airplanes is integral to economic activity. Efficient heating and air conditioning are necessary to human health. But how do we understand efficiency and increase it? This course treats fundamental concepts and formalisms of conservation of energy and increase of entropy as applied to energy systems.
Prerequisites: High school physics.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ENVR S-100
Introduction to Environmental Problems and Solutions
Michaela J. Thompson PhD, Lecturer in Anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35391 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces some of the critical environmental problems with which various groups, including scientists and policymakers, have struggled, including climate change, industrial pollution, waste management, and biodiversity decline. The purpose of the course is to introduce key disciplines in environmental science, along with their methodologies and approaches to knowledge production; to examine the relationship between environmental science and public policy, both historically and in the present day; and to encourage critical analysis and evaluation of potential approaches to environmental problem solving, with an emphasis on systems thinking. Each class session is divided between lectures and discussions, and often includes break-out group activities. Further, each topical session is also connected to a local case study some historical, some contemporary which is sometimes coupled with field trips to the sites relevant to these case studies. By examining these cases and the larger environmental issues that they represent, students gain a critical understanding of the scientific, social, political, cultural, and economic dimensions of environmental problems.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Science Center 228
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 60 students
ENVR S-111
Marine Policy and Ocean Resource Management
Andrew Tirrell PhD, Associate Professor, Political Science and International Relations and Associate Professor of Law, University of San Diego
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33867 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to marine policy and ocean resource management. Students engage with material focused on fisheries management, whaling, marine protected areas, off-shore drilling, and other topics of contemporary relevance, and also consider the cultural and social ties of coastal communities to ocean resources. The course both introduces students to the field of marine resources policy and the environmental and social implications of that policy domestically and internationally, and develops research skills that are broadly applicable to other policy areas. An interactive marine policy negotiation simulation is a highlight of the course.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ENVR S-117
Sustainability Leadership for the Twenty-First Century
Leith Sharp MEd, Director, Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Jack Spengler PhD, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33019 | Section 1
Description
To inspire and enable people to lead effective change towards environmental sustainability, we have created a course to enhance individual change agency skills as applied to a variety of organizational contexts (education, business, government, nonprofit, church, community). The course explores what change leadership for sustainability is, and guides students to advance their related capabilities, competencies, and strategies. The personal, interpersonal, organizational, and technical dimensions of change leadership for sustainability are addressed. A variety of specific case studies and examples of sustainability in practice, including everything from green building design and renewable energy to environmental purchasing are explored. Interdependencies between finance, politics, relationships, capacity building, technology, and more are discussed. Students leave with an experiential knowledge of change management because they are required to complete a project involving a real life change leadership project of their choice. Students typically find this project to be both deeply rewarding and central to the development of their knowledge and confidence as change managers.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
ENVR S-147
International Environmental Governance, Policy, and Social Justice
Andrew Tirrell PhD, Associate Professor, Political Science and International Relations and Associate Professor of Law, University of San Diego
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33398 | Section 1
Description
This course examines both the policy decisions and social justice issues that drive human actions and responses to environmental challenges. We begin by exploring three foundational topics: environmental governance, the global commons, and natural resource valuation. Core concepts from these sessions will continue to arise as we progress into classes focused on particular sectors of environmental policy, such as climate change, sustainable development, energy, and conservation. Upon completion of the course, students are prepared to engage with issues from a wide range of environmental policy areas that touch upon a number of social justice dilemmas. In addition, they further develop the analytic, rhetorical, written, and negotiation skills that are essential to environmental policy and advocacy careers.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
ENVR S-148
Environmental Crises and Systems Collapse
James J. Truncer PhD
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33511 | Section 1
Description
Present-day environmental crises are examined from an historical and analytical perspective investigating the contexts of these developing crises by exploring how past societies adapted, or failed to adapt, to changing environmental conditions. Only certain aspects of these developing environmental crises are completely under human control. As we begin to understand how the components of these crises arise, function, and interact, our control over them is likely to increase. Part of this understanding must come from a consideration of the origin and development of these crises. Studying how earlier societies grappled with environmental crises of their own provides important developmental contexts for our problems and useful lessons on the importance of resilience and adaptation. Students may not count both ANTH S-1060 (offered previously) and ENVR S-148 for degree or certificate credit.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, 1 Story Street 302
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
ENVR S-158d
Waste Management Practices
Nihar Mohanty PhD, Environmental Analyst, Office of Research and Standards, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35751 | Section 1
Description
Waste materials are often unavoidable by-products of most human activity and are defined as something to be discarded as unusable or unwanted. Rapid economic growth, urbanization, and increasing population have resulted in an increase in resource consumption and the consequent generation of large amounts of waste. This generation of waste reflects a loss of materials and energy and imposes economic and environmental costs on society for its collection, management, and disposal. Of the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, four are directly or partially related to waste management such as food waste, recycling, global carbon emissions, and the use of plastics. Traditional waste management options are chosen based on affordability, technical feasibility, and aesthetics. These options lack a holistic approach covering the whole chain of product design, raw material extraction, production, consumption, recycling, and waste management. Further, current waste management practices do not fully evaluate the ancillary human health and environmental impacts and the environmental equity of the chosen options. The recent detection of forever chemicals (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS) in waste threatens to disrupt most of the current waste management options. Although zero waste is an ambitious goal for many communities, currently, there is little evidence of decoupling of affluence and waste generation.
Prerequisites: High school science and mathematics is helpful.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
ENVR S-183
Water in the Twenty-First Century
Sonaar Luthra MPS, Chief Executive Officer, Water Canary
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35559 | Section 1
Description
The past five years have signaled a massive transformation in the world’s understanding of the connections between climate change and our planet’s water cycle. A single volcanic eruption off Tonga increased global atmospheric water vapor (our most abundant greenhouse gas) by five percent. Water became a weapon in the Ukrainian war. Insurance companies began pulling out of covering wildfire insurance as forests dried in the western United States, while updated flood insurance premiums skyrocketed nationally. All rainwater was discovered to contain dangerous levels of forever chemicals. Devastating floods submerged one-third of Pakistan underwater. And the United States, for the first time, declared water a national security priority. This course examines how rapid transformations in earth’s hydrological cycle will transform humanity’s relationship to its most precious resource in the decades to come. We start with an overview of the centrality of water to climate change, the orphaned status of water in climate policy and climate talks, the systemic problems that have produced this disconnect, the incentives that sustain it, and the conflicts that result. We then spend each class looking at a specific water development from the past five years that serve as the context for shaping our understanding of the social, political, environmental, and security dimensions of our changing water cycle. In the final stage of the course, students critique or devise novel interventions to emerging water problems using systems thinking, scenario planning, and stakeholder-centered design.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
ENVR S-186
Enabling a Sustainable Digital Transformation
Ahmad Antar PhD, Founder and Executive Director, Digital Emissions
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35616 | Section 1
Description
The digital age has arrived. The fourth industrial revolution, a fusion of cutting-edge technologies driven by artificial intelligence (AI), is blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. Thanks to the great accelerator of the COVID-19 pandemic, digitalization is increasingly ubiquitous in our daily lives, defining how we work and radically disrupting how we do business. However such digital transformation carries its own risks and opportunities. The World Economic Forum estimates that digital technologies have the potential to save up to 20 percent of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. Yet, the rapid proliferation of digitalization has far-reaching negative impacts on the environment and society. The ever-growing carbon footprint of the digital sector (for example, hardware, software, networks, and data centers) is now larger than that of the aviation one. Similarly, the digital era has introduced a new wave of societal and ethical concerns arising from adopting such technologies. Further understanding of such risks is imperative to make digitalization sustainable in the future. This course introduces students to the sustainability challenges associated with digital technologies. We explore the environmentally and socially responsible use of digital technologies. Course topics include the evaluation of digital carbon footprints, the promise of clean AI, the need for energy-aware computing, the unsustainable role of digital assets (for example, cryptocurrency), the deepening of the digital divide, and the rising tide of climate change disinformation. The course also examines the taxonomy of digital justice, with a focus on ethical issues of emerging technologies. The course draws on case studies and contributions from active practitioners. Throughout the course, students take part in a live learning experience with peer learning opportunities in addition to individual activities.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
ENVR S-188
Ventures in Sustainability
Dinesh Gurdas C ALM, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ADAPT Mobility, Inc.
Tony Keslinke ALM, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Veritel Energy, LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35691 | Section 1
Description
While a near consensus has been reached on the existence and impact of climate change, the question now turns to what can be done to address the problem. Sustainability challenges increasingly offer unparalleled opportunities for innovative solutions. This course guides students through the intricate process of transforming sustainability challenges into actionable projects or business opportunities. Through this journey, students craft sustainable ventures that prioritize environmental responsibility, financial sustainability, and meaningful global impact. This is a project-based course that melds entrepreneurial leadership with practical strategies tailored for sustainability. Students explore entrepreneurial leadership and mindset to understand the characteristics, motivations, and behaviors of entrepreneurs who emphasize sustainability. We cover marketing strategies for sustainability, which allow students to master market and consumer research, trend forecasting, and develop compelling marketing plans and messages tailored for sustainable ventures. Students learn to understand business structures in order to navigate the spectrum from for-profit corporations to social enterprises and charitable organizations, emphasizing the role of social entrepreneurship. We introduce the topic of impact measurement, so students recognize the importance of quantifying the social and environmental impact of ventures using industry-specific sustainability metrics. Emphasis is placed on vision, values, and high-performing teams, including how to establish a robust organizational vision, appreciate the role of values in guiding business actions, and learn the intricacies of building and engaging high-performing teams. Finally, we also cover financing and delve into the triple bottom line concept, exploring financing strategies that concurrently measure social, environmental, and financial impacts. This course is designed to amplify passion and knowledge, presenting students with a comprehensive framework that turns ideas into high-impact solutions. By the end, students are well-equipped to recognize, quantify, and seize opportunities, ensuring their ventures thrive and contribute positively to the global landscape. This course introduces participants to the many elements that they must consider in order to undertake an entrepreneurial venture with a reasonable expectation of success.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ENVR S-191
Community-Based Responses to Disaster
Eric J. Cesal MA, Director of Educational Initiatives, Curry Stone Foundation
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35612 | Section 1
Description
In an era of increasing climate-driven disasters, understanding community-based approaches to disaster prevention and response is crucial across all sectors. This interdisciplinary course explores disasters as complex social phenomena, blending environmental science, social studies, and policy to equip students with innovative tools for addressing global challenges. Students learn to analyze vulnerabilities, map stakeholders, and develop community-driven solutions applicable to various hazards from urban heat waves to ecosystem disruptions. Through a hands-on, project-based approach, participants will engage with real-world cases, applying cutting-edge methodologies like causal mapping and adaptive management strategies. The curriculum traces the evolution from traditional top-down disaster response to more progressive, grassroots models. Students gain practical skills in risk assessment, community engagement, and proposal development, preparing them for leadership roles in disaster management, urban planning, international development, and beyond. By examining historical trends and policy impacts, students learn to navigate the complex interplay of social, economic, and environmental factors that contribute to disaster vulnerabilities. Key outcomes include the ability to conduct comprehensive hazard analyses, develop stakeholder-informed mitigation plans, and design equitable, climate-just response strategies. The course culminates in creating a practical, community-based disaster response model, demonstrating students’ capacity to address pressing global challenges at a ground level. Join us to develop the critical skills needed to build resilient communities in an increasingly unpredictable world.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
ENVR S-192
Food Systems and Social Justice
Garrett Broad PhD, Associate Professor, Rowan University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35614 | Section 1
Description
There is widespread agreement that global and local food systems must be improved in order to promote long-term sustainability, but there is widespread disagreement about exactly what those changes should be. This course provides an overview of key approaches and debates in the study and practice of food system change. Students explore the strengths, limits, and tensions of movements for food system reform, food justice, and food sovereignty, as well as examine trade-offs across the domains of environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Further attention is granted to modes of organizing and advocacy, including the role of policy, media, philanthropy, and grassroots activism.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
ENVR S-194
Resilient Communities from the Ground Up
Alison Sant MA, Co-Founder and Partner, Studio for Urban Projects
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35613 | Section 1
Description
American cities have experimented with ways to remake themselves in response to climate change for decades. These efforts, often driven by grassroots activism, offer valuable lessons for transforming the places we live. This course focuses on the unique ways US cities are working to mitigate and adapt to climate change while creating equitable and livable communities in the process. The course relates national models to field study in Boston metropolitan area, highlighting the region’s bold approaches to addressing climate change. We meet with government officials in city hall, talk with scientists studying the impact of heat and flooding, designers transforming the city’s streets, and local advocates and community groups changing their neighborhoods for the better. Students in the course have the opportunity to work on an extended project in Dorchester, the largest neighborhood in Boston and one of its most racially diverse. The history of redlining and other discriminatory practices have left their mark on this environmental justice (EJ) community, evident in below-average tree canopy cover leading to higher temperatures, inadequate public transportation, and dangerous roads without adequate protected biking infrastructure. Yet, Dorchester also has a strong community of advocates and neighborhood leaders determined to bring investments there. Students spend class time meeting with locals to understand how their organizations, advocacy efforts, and businesses aim to serve the people of Dorchester. In collaboration with community partners Speak for the Trees, Livable Streets Alliance, and Fields Corner Main Streets, students work on a collective project that serves the long-term needs of Dorchester’s residents. Assignments focus on field study, where students survey the dynamics of the street and examine how disparities in the urban tree canopy or commuting time correlate to race and income. They interview residents to understand their experience of public space and map land use to determine where opportunities lie for creating greater community resilience. For the final assignment, students create a collective proposal to our community partners and a resource useful in their ongoing advocacy. Students come away from the course understanding how they can take action in their daily lives and careers to support efforts in their own communities for emboldening solutions.
Prerequisites: Students should be prepared for field study and be comfortable with moderate physical activity. Field trips include taking public transit, walking, and biking. This course is open to people of all abilities. Reasonable accommodations can be made for anyone unable or unwilling to take public transit, walk, or bike. The course includes field work where students measure heat and assess tree canopy cover, requiring time outdoors in the summer months. Students should be prepared for temperatures averaging 82 F/28 C.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Emerson Hall 101
Field trips may occasionally extend past 2:30 pm. See course syllabus for details.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
Daniel Russell Green PhD, Lecturer on Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
ENVR S-238
Sustainability and Impact Investments
Carlos Alberto Vargas PhD, Professor of Finance, EGADE Business School, Tecnol gico de Monterrey and Chief Sustainability Officer, Grupo HYCSA
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35987 | Section 1
Description
This course is an exploration of the intersection between finance and sustainability, designed for students with a foundational understanding of sustainable finance. It focuses on how financial markets integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria to drive both financial performance and measurable positive social and environmental outcomes. The course delves into the evolution of sustainable finance, moving beyond traditional ESG considerations to impact investing, where returns are pursued alongside tangible impacts. Throughout the course, key topics such as the role of ESG criteria in influencing financial performance, defining and assessing impact investments, and understanding multi-stakeholder perspectives in sustainability are covered. Additionally, students explore green bonds, sustainable financial instruments, sustainable asset management, and how these are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The course also addresses regulatory and voluntary frameworks, as well as global trends in sustainable and impact investments. This course adopts a workshop-based format. Students actively apply their knowledge throughout the term by developing a comprehensive sustainable investment strategy. This practical approach allows for a deeper understanding of how to create investment strategies that not only deliver financial returns but also contribute to positive social and environmental change.
Prerequisites: Either ENVR E-138(offered previously), ENVR S-138 (offered previously), ENVR E-138a, an equivalent course, or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 8:30am-11:30am, Harvard Hall 201
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
ENVR S-496
Crafting the Thesis Proposal in Sustainability
Mark Leighton PhD, Associate Director and Senior Research Advisor, Sustainability, Harvard Extension School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34137 | Section 1
Description
This course helps students develop critical thinking, scholarly writing skills, and research abilities while developing their individual thesis proposals. Class meetings feature lectures and discussions on different scientific approaches, group discussions, and intensive, constructive discussion of proposed student thesis research projects and proposals, from definition of research goals and hypotheses through research design and expected data analysis and presentation. Students are encouraged to contact their research advisor well before prework is due to discuss possible thesis topics and should not register for this course unless they are ready to engage in the entire thesis process. They should consider if this is the right time to start independent research, as the goal of the course is to move from crafting the thesis proposal to thesis registration with no extended breaks. Students should begin the thesis project during the next semester after completing this course.
Prerequisites: Registration is restricted to officially admitted candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, who have received CTP application approval. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Students must have completed eight courses (32 credits) toward the degree and fulfilled their research methods requirement. Students must be in good academic standing. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course. See application guidelines for details. CTP application submission deadline is February 1.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Northwest Science Building B104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 30 students
ENVR S-599
Independent Research Capstone
Jennifer Rivers Cole PhD, Associate Professor, American University of Afghanistan
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35991 | Section 1
Description
This course offers students the overview, direction, and support for completing an individual capstone project, creatively engaging their professional and personal interests. Lectures and discussions explore challenges and opportunities in project scoping, boundary delineation, stakeholder inclusion, impact assessment, and sampling design; logical consistency, lateral thinking, and case study analysis; prototyping, benchmarking, and bet hedging; effective writing, editing, graphic presentation, and information search; and public presentation and network building. Students are asked to prepare a poster of their work to present to the wider graduate community at the end of the semester. Listings of prior projects may be viewed at the Independent Research Capstone website.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, capstone track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, ready to graduate in November with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone), and have successfully completed the precapstone tutorial, ENVR E-598, in the previous term. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, CGIS South S040
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Once the three week, on-campus session is complete, students, when they return home, will continue to work on their capstone research through the remainder of the summer, participate in an online capstone presentation, and submit their final projects in early September.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 23 students
ENVR S-599a
Consulting for Sustainability Solutions Capstone
Brad Allen PhD, Professor of Marketing, School of Business, Plymouth State University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35693 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), sustainability, capstone track candidates. Course deliverables include a detailed, actionable, and measurable sustainability action plan (SAP), as well as a presentation to be given to the class and to client stakeholders. Appropriate clients may include communities, corporations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), governmental agencies, schools, universities, and hospitals. Students work with a client to develop and deliver a customized SAP focused on reduction of operating costs, minimization of the environmental footprint, brand differentiation, and improvement of environmental sustainability practices. Class time is devoted to addressing client requirements and developing actionable solutions.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability, consulting track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, have successfully completed the Harvard Extension School precapstone tutorial ENVR E-598a in the prior spring term, and be ready to graduate in November with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone). Candidates who do not meet these requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Harvard Hall 202
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Once the three week, on-campus session is complete, students, when they return home, will continue to work on their capstone research through the remainder of the summer, participate in an online capstone presentation, and submit their final projects in early September.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
ENVR S-599b
Innovation in Sustainability Capstone
Ramon Sanchez ScD, Chief Knowledge and Innovation Officer, The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36045 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), sustainability and global development practice, capstone track candidates. Course deliverables include a detailed, actionable, and measurable innovation/new product introduction plan or a sustainable start-up business plan and a presentation to the class, potential innovation investors, and client stakeholders. Appropriate clients may include communities, corporations, nongovernment organizations (NGOs), governmental agencies, schools, universities, and hospitals. Students work with a client to develop and deliver an innovation/new product development plan or sustainable business plan focused on reducing operating costs, minimizing the environmental footprint, and improving environmental sustainability practices. Class time is devoted to addressing client requirements and developing actionable solutions.
Prerequisites: Registration is limited to officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts, sustainability or global development practice, capstone track. Candidates must be in good academic standing, ready to graduate in November with only the capstone left to complete (no other course registration is allowed simultaneously with the capstone), and have successfully completed the precapstone tutorial, ENVR E-598b, in the previous term. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Emerson Hall 101
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Once the three week, on-campus session is complete, students, when they return home, will continue to work on their capstone research through the remainder of the summer, participate in an online capstone presentation, and submit their final projects in early September.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 12 students
EXPO S-15
Fundamentals of Academic Writing
Steven Wandler PhD, Senior Lecturer, Writing Studies, University of Minnesota
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34902 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for students seeking preparation for EXPO E-25, which is a course required for admission to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School. Students review such basics of academic argument as thesis, claims, evidence, and structure. Students complete short writing assignments that help develop the skills essential for producing persuasive academic essays. Students also learn strategies for reading and analyzing complex texts.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-15
Fundamentals of Academic Writing
Heidi A. Hendricks ALM
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35896 | Section 2
Description
This course is designed for students seeking preparation for EXPO E-25, which is a course required for admission to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School. Students review such basics of academic argument as thesis, claims, evidence, and structure. Students complete short writing assignments that help develop the skills essential for producing persuasive academic essays. Students also learn strategies for reading and analyzing complex texts.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-15
Fundamentals of Academic Writing
Sarah E. Case PhD, Lecturer, Writing Program, Princeton University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35904 | Section 3
Description
This course is designed for students seeking preparation for EXPO E-25, which is a course required for admission to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School. Students review such basics of academic argument as thesis, claims, evidence, and structure. Students complete short writing assignments that help develop the skills essential for producing persuasive academic essays. Students also learn strategies for reading and analyzing complex texts.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-15
Fundamentals of Academic Writing
Ben Parson MFA, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35870 | Section 4
Description
This course is designed for students seeking preparation for EXPO E-25, which is a course required for admission to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School. Students review such basics of academic argument as thesis, claims, evidence, and structure. Students complete short writing assignments that help develop the skills essential for producing persuasive academic essays. Students also learn strategies for reading and analyzing complex texts.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-15
Fundamentals of Academic Writing
Matthew T. Levay PhD, Associate Professor of English, Idaho State University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35920 | Section 5
Description
This course is designed for students seeking preparation for EXPO E-25, which is a course required for admission to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School. Students review such basics of academic argument as thesis, claims, evidence, and structure. Students complete short writing assignments that help develop the skills essential for producing persuasive academic essays. Students also learn strategies for reading and analyzing complex texts.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-15
Fundamentals of Academic Writing
Janet Sylvester PhD, Instructor, English Department, Endicott College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34243 | Section 6
Description
This course is designed for students seeking preparation for EXPO E-25, which is a course required for admission to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School. Students review such basics of academic argument as thesis, claims, evidence, and structure. Students complete short writing assignments that help develop the skills essential for producing persuasive academic essays. Students also learn strategies for reading and analyzing complex texts.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-20a
Writing and Literature
Jodi Johnson PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35724 | Section 1
Description
Students read literary works and write focused, persuasive essays on literary topics. Discussions encourage students to read closely and think clearly in order to write more effectively. Students learn to write essays that demonstrate their competence as critics.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Emerson Hall 106
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-20d
Writing About Social and Ethical Issues
Cody Carolina Brown Musselman PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35908 | Section 1
Description
Students read varying viewpoints on controversial current issues, such as medical ethics, poverty, the environment, race, ethnicity, immigration, privacy, and labor, and learn how to analyze and present conflicting opinions. They learn how to critically analyze texts and write papers in a social science context. They also learn to transform their own assertions and viewpoints into coherent arguments.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Harvard Hall 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-25
Academic Writing and Critical Reading
Fae Monaghan PhD
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35900 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces students to the demands and conventions of academic reading and writing. It focuses on analyzing texts, building effective arguments, and using evidence and secondary source material. Instruction on the stages of the writing process, from prewriting exercises through rough drafts and revisions, forms a key part of the curriculum. Students applying to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School must complete this course, but it is open to any student interested in gaining an understanding of academic writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-25
Academic Writing and Critical Reading
Brian Sweeney PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35914 | Section 2
Description
This course introduces students to the demands and conventions of academic reading and writing. It focuses on analyzing texts, building effective arguments, and using evidence and secondary source material. Instruction on the stages of the writing process, from prewriting exercises through rough drafts and revisions, forms a key part of the curriculum. Students applying to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School must complete this course, but it is open to any student interested in gaining an understanding of academic writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-25
Academic Writing and Critical Reading
Jen Nguyen PhD, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Bucknell University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35662 | Section 3
Description
This course introduces students to the demands and conventions of academic reading and writing. It focuses on analyzing texts, building effective arguments, and using evidence and secondary source material. Instruction on the stages of the writing process, from prewriting exercises through rough drafts and revisions, forms a key part of the curriculum. Students applying to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School must complete this course, but it is open to any student interested in gaining an understanding of academic writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-25
Academic Writing and Critical Reading
Emilie J. Raymer PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34582 | Section 4
Description
This course introduces students to the demands and conventions of academic reading and writing. It focuses on analyzing texts, building effective arguments, and using evidence and secondary source material. Instruction on the stages of the writing process, from prewriting exercises through rough drafts and revisions, forms a key part of the curriculum. Students applying to the undergraduate program at the Harvard Extension School must complete this course, but it is open to any student interested in gaining an understanding of academic writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-34
Business Rhetoric
Thomas Akbari MA, Lecturer in English, Northeastern University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35835 | Section 1
Description
This course helps business professionals improve their writing so they are better equipped to accomplish their educational and professional goals. Students consider how essential forms of business writing memos, cover letters, proposals, presentations, and reports address an audience, make claims, invoke prior claims, use key terms, and engage quantitative and visual evidence. The course fosters skills in drafting, revising, peer review, and using sources responsibly. It also offers sustained practice in constructing clear and precise sentences, coherent paragraphs, and well-ordered documents.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-34
Business Rhetoric
Randy S. Rosenthal MTS, Editor
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32927 | Section 2
Description
This course helps business professionals improve their writing so they are better equipped to accomplish their educational and professional goals. Students consider how essential forms of business writing memos, cover letters, proposals, presentations, and reports address an audience, make claims, invoke prior claims, use key terms, and engage quantitative and visual evidence. The course fosters skills in drafting, revising, peer review, and using sources responsibly. It also offers sustained practice in constructing clear and precise sentences, coherent paragraphs, and well-ordered documents.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-34
Business Rhetoric
Franklin J. Schwarzer JD, Attorney, Schlesinger and Buchbinder, LLP
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35015 | Section 3
Description
This course helps business professionals improve their writing so they are better equipped to accomplish their educational and professional goals. Students consider how essential forms of business writing memos, cover letters, proposals, presentations, and reports address an audience, make claims, invoke prior claims, use key terms, and engage quantitative and visual evidence. The course fosters skills in drafting, revising, peer review, and using sources responsibly. It also offers sustained practice in constructing clear and precise sentences, coherent paragraphs, and well-ordered documents.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-34
Business Rhetoric
Cynthia F. C. Hill PhD, Science Teacher, The Lawrenceville School
Geoffrey Hill PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, The Graduate School, Princeton University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34573 | Section 4
Description
This course helps business professionals improve their writing so they are better equipped to accomplish their educational and professional goals. Students consider how essential forms of business writing memos, cover letters, proposals, presentations, and reports address an audience, make claims, invoke prior claims, use key terms, and engage quantitative and visual evidence. The course fosters skills in drafting, revising, peer review, and using sources responsibly. It also offers sustained practice in constructing clear and precise sentences, coherent paragraphs, and well-ordered documents.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-42a
Writing in the Humanities
Patricia Bellanca PhD, Head Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35021 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for students who wish to build upon the skills developed in EXPO S-25 in order to produce more advanced research and writing in the humanities. The course is also appropriate for students who wish to review their research and writing skills before embarking on a proseminar at the Harvard Extension School or graduate study elsewhere. Students are introduced to the work of reading, writing about, and conducting research on literary texts.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-42b
Writing in the Social Sciences
Ross Martin PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35174 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for students who wish to build upon the skills developed in EXPO S-25 in order to produce more advanced research and writing in the social sciences. The course is also appropriate for students who wish to review their research and writing skills before embarking on a proseminar at the Extension or Summer School or graduate study elsewhere. Students are introduced to the various social science disciplines and their approaches, while also learning how to become critical consumers of social science research. Students develop their own independent research project in the social science field of their choosing. This project lasts the entire semester and involves developing a viable research question; learning how to find, analyze, and interpret resources appropriately; and, finally, developing and refining an original argument in a final paper.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-42b
Writing in the Social Sciences
Nicholas Coburn-Palo PhD, Preceptor in Public Speaking, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35773 | Section 2
Description
This course is designed for students who wish to build upon the skills developed in EXPO S-25 in order to produce more advanced research and writing in the social sciences. The course is also appropriate for students who wish to review their research and writing skills before embarking on a proseminar at the Extension or Summer School or graduate study elsewhere. Students are introduced to the various social science disciplines and their approaches, while also learning how to become critical consumers of social science research. Students develop their own independent research project in the social science field of their choosing. This project lasts the entire semester and involves developing a viable research question; learning how to find, analyze, and interpret resources appropriately; and, finally, developing and refining an original argument in a final paper.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-42c
Writing in the Sciences
Kristen Starkowski PhD, Lecturer in Rhetoric, Writing, and Professional Communication, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35711 | Section 1
Description
This course provides instruction in writing for students considering careers or advanced study in the natural, computational, or applied sciences. Through critical reading of key examples of the genres of scientific literature, students study how scientific texts address an audience, make claims, invoke prior claims, deploy key terms, and engage quantitative and visual evidence. The course’s workshop approach fosters skills in revision, peer review, and research into the scientific literature. The course offers writing strategies for successful communication in the field, including concise sentences, coherent paragraphs, and well-ordered documents. Projects include an academic research paper on a topic of a student’s choice in a form common to most scientific disciplines. The course is also appropriate for students who wish to review their research and writing skills before embarking on a proseminar at the Harvard Extension School or graduate study elsewhere.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
EXPO S-49
Introduction to Strategic Communication and Public Relations
Terry Gipson MFA, Preceptor in Public Speaking, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35605 | Section 1
Description
A theoretical and practical introduction to the role of strategic communication and public relations in corporate, nonprofit, and political spheres. Includes analysis and practical application of the skills involved in building strategic communication relationships with various publics and core audiences.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
FREN S-Aa
Beginning French I
Matthew Elbert Rodriguez PhD, Associate of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33550 | Section 1
Description
This beginning French course provides an introduction to French with emphasis on interpersonal communication and the interpretation and production of language in written and oral forms. Students engage in interactive communicative activities that provide rich exposure to the French language and francophone cultures. Students engage in the discussion and interpretation of various French-language media sources including video, images, music, and film. Note: this course is the equivalent of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences course French 10.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 9:30am-11:30am, Lamont Library 240
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 14 students
GERM S-Ba
Beginning German
Elaine Chen MA, Doctoral Candidate in Germanic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35992 | Section 1
Description
This beginning course introduces the fundamentals of the German language typically taught in one semester. The main goal is functional competence in German, including the vocabulary, grammar, and cultural knowledge to be able to interpret oral and written input, and to communicate in speaking and writing in everyday situations. The curriculum is designed to highlight comparisons of German, Swiss, and Austrian culture with students’ own cultural backgrounds. In addition, students are guided through reading strategies that enable them to interpret and compose different types of texts. Students may not take both GERM S-BA and GERM S-BAB (offered previously) for degree or certificate credit.
Prerequisites: This course is designed for students without prior knowledge of German. Students who have taken three years or more of German at the high school level are not eligible to take this course. For more information please contact the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 14 students
GERM S-R
German for Reading Knowledge
Anne C. Dymek PhD, PhD, Lecturer on Germanic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35867 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for students who wish to acquire a precise reading knowledge of sophisticated German prose for research, study, and/or career purposes. The course focuses on grammar topics, parsing, and translation, for which texts from a variety of fields are employed. Starting the course with no knowledge of German, students are able to decipher and translate Immanuel Kant, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Sigmund Freud and read scholarship in their field of specialization by the end of the course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-August 8, 10:00am-1:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 16 students
GOVT S-10
Introduction to Political Philosophy
Andrew F. March DPhil, Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30154 | Section 1
Description
This course investigates the central problems of political theory that concern the justification and operation of democratic forms of government. What is democracy? What is the proper purpose and scope of political life? How can we judge between different political systems and assess their relative merits and virtues? What are the various ends of political life and how do they conflict? What is the relationship between democracy and other values or goods, like rights, justice, equality, and solidarity? What is the purpose of democracy and the strongest defense of it? Given the purposes of democracy, how is it attained and preserved? What are some of the most urgent contemporary debates and controversies in democratic theory and practice? We take up these questions by reading a combination of classical works of modern political philosophy from Machiavelli to Marx, along with contemporary work in political theory.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Sever Hall 102
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
GOVT S-1045
Justice: Ethics in an Age of Pandemic and Racial Reckoning
Sergio Imparato PhD, Lecturer on Government, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35084 | Section 1
Description
What is a just society? What do we owe one another as citizens? What is a good life? These questions, long debated by philosophers, arise with special urgency at a time of pandemic and racial reckoning. The course explores these questions by considering how philosophers have tried to answer them, and by debating contemporary issues in politics and everyday life that prompt us to ask questions such as, what is the right thing to do? Topics include controversies about equality and inequality, individual rights and the common good, the role of government and markets, and competing conceptions of identity and community. Cases include ethical questions arising from the pandemic and recent debates about racial justice.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
GOVT S-1073
Science, Technology, and Political Theory
Andrew F. March DPhil, Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35766 | Section 1
Description
This course aims to introduce student to normative, ethical, and philosophical debates around the place of science and technology in human societies. Political theory brings a specific set of questions, problems, approaches, and conceptual tools for thinking about power, authority, human nature, the human good, and justice, all of which bear on the centrality of science and technology in social life. Political theory also approaches these questions through a wide variety of forms and genres of thought: historical analysis, normative philosophy, critical approaches to power, and even literature. The range of topics that could be explored in a course about the political theory of science and technology are vast and more than could be covered in any one semester. But course topics include the following: the history of anxiety around the place of technology in human life; technological determinist theories of history such as Marxism; techno-utopian and techno-dystopian ideologies; theories of the proper political and legislative authority of scientists and other experts; visions of freedom from labor and drudgery through technology; science as the supreme authority in modern secularism; philosophical discussions of the boundary between human nature and technology; considerations of the ethical limits of technological process (weapons, artificial intelligence, and environmental harm); techno-authoritarian political ideologies; surveillance and politics; the place of big data in governing populations; the ethics of modifying human nature and transhumanist visions; the effect of digital technologies on democracy and the public sphere; and artificial intelligence and its discontents.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Sever Hall 102
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
GOVT S-1116
Populism and the Erosion of Democracy
Jeeyang Rhee Baum PhD, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35566 | Section 1
Description
What is populism, and how much of a threat is it to democracy? The recent rise of authoritarian-populism, across both long-established and developing democracies, has posed new challenges for good governance. This course explores the conditions for the rise of populism, evaluates how much of a threat it poses for democracy, and examines the different forms it takes. Topics include: the role of economic grievances, immigration trends, civic culture, electoral rules, and party competition. We examine these topics through a range of comparative country cases including the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Hungary, Turkey, the Philippines, and India.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 19 students
GOVT S-1242
Power and Politics in Greater China
David A. Rezvani DPhil, Resident Research Scholar and Lecturer, Dartmouth College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35380 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces students to key concepts, actors, and events in the politics of greater China. Does democracy or China’s current system of rule have bigger advantages? What are the key sources of China’s remarkable economic growth? What is the nature of accountability and informal institutions within the Middle Kingdom? In light of China’s policies toward Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and the South China Sea, is China a status quo or revisionist power? Students confront these and a wide range of other pivotal economic, security, and global controversies. Students debate and assess the merits of China’s policies on issues such as the China model, economic growth, authoritarian resilience, decentralization, informal institutions, and media censorship, as well as the relations of China’s government with domestic, regional, and international actors. The course includes independent research, intensive writing, and debates on the conditions both within and beyond greater China.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, CGIS Knafel K108
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
GOVT S-1550
Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy
Matthew A. Baum PhD, Marvin Kalb Professor of Global Communications and Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33308 | Section 1
Description
This seminar surveys the theoretical and empirical literature on the influence of domestic politics on foreign policy and international politics, with a primary, though not exclusive, emphasis on American foreign policy. Scholars have long recognized that domestic politics influences states’ decision-making in international trade and finance. Yet, in recent years we have witnessed an explosion of interest in understanding the linkage between domestic politics and international relations more broadly, including the decidedly high politics arena of war and peace. We review a variety of theoretical perspectives concerning both international economics and international security, ranging from the role of individuals and individual psychology, to the influence of interest groups, political institutions, the mass media, and public opinion. The goal is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of domestic political explanations for policy outcomes in foreign policy and international affairs.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 16 students
GOVT S-1727
Intelligence and National Security Policy
Michael David Miner PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35978 | Section 1
Description
This advanced course explores the role of intelligence in the development of United States national security policy. We review the origins of American intelligence in Boston during the revolution and its subsequent evolution through the Civil War, world wars, cold war, and into the twenty-first century. The course examines covert action and how operations are authorized and overseen with consideration of the underlying laws, values, and principles that guide American foreign policy. The course segues into consumer perspectives and successful strategies for engaging principals grappling with the nuances of complex policy challenges. The second half of the course reflects on topical issues including espionage, signals collection, gadgetry, tools, and technology. We examine classic tradecraft and how old ways are adapting to new operational environments around the world. Guest speakers are invited as schedules permit. The course concludes with briefings on contemporary national intelligence priorities relevant for today and tomorrow.
Prerequisites: GOVT S-1726 (offered previously) is recommended but not required.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
GOVT S-1729
Debates in International Politics
David A. Rezvani DPhil, Resident Research Scholar and Lecturer, Dartmouth College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33627 | Section 1
Description
This course critically examines arguments, analytical frameworks, and potential solutions for major controversies in international politics. What are the sources of state failure? How is the global system of states evolving? What should countries do to solve global warming? Should economic distributive justice only exist within nation states or should it apply globally? Students confront these and a wide range of other key economic, security, and global controversies. The first part of the course critically examines the structure and actors of the international system. It also explores the challenges of nationalism, state evolution, partially independent territories, and global governance. The course then investigates questions of international cooperation regarding nuclear weapons, international injustice, environmental degradation, and military intervention.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 8:30am-11:30am, CGIS Knafel K107
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
GOVT S-1739
Leadership in War and Peace
Joan Johnson-Freese PhD, Senior Fellow, Women in International Security
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35979 | Section 1
Description
This course considers the pivotal role of the personalities and styles of leaders who take their nations into war or are able to avoid such and the military leaders who advise those individuals and execute operations once war has commenced. In others words, this course examines the premise that individuals and personalities matter in matters of national security. It bookends the more often studied macro considerations regarding the root causes of war and peace, such as foreign policies and the international system. The course considers how leadership is affected by the growing number of women in leadership positions and what that means to traditional views of masculinity and leadership, as well as the relationship between leadership and democracy and authoritarianism. Finally, the course considers key premises and the complexity of leadership: what makes a leader good or effective, and what is the difference? How is leadership learned? Does the environment make a leader or will a leader be a leader in any environment?
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
GOVT S-1749
The Political Economy of Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities
Thomas Gift PhD, Associate Professor of Political Science, University College London
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33666 | Section 1
Description
Even as new resistance has emerged to the internationalist agenda, globalization and the flattening of the world mean that countries and individuals are intertwined like never before in history. Against this backdrop, standards of living in many countries have skyrocketed, millions of people have escaped poverty, and countless others have capitalized on new opportunities in work and life. At the same time, serious problems have emerged that threaten sustained peace and prosperity across the globe. In this course, we explore the nature of these challenges and opportunities, why they have arisen, and what they portend for the future political and economic trajectory of citizens and societies. Particular attention is paid to topics such as global governance, technology and artificial intelligence, democracy and human rights, migration, and climate change. By the end of the course, students better understand what globalization is, what aspects of modern political and economic systems are due to globalization, the key advantages and disadvantages of globalization, and how globalization influences an array of exigent policy issues.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Harvard Hall 202
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
GOVT S-1754
International Relations, Global Governance, and the United Nations
Stefan Tschauko PhD, Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35837 | Section 1
Description
Humankind faces tremendous challenges. Lives and livelihoods of civilians around the world are threatened by conflict, the health of individuals everywhere is at risk due to infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and our planet is threatened by the consequences of climate change. How can the international community address these global challenges? One solution is called global governance, a central part of which is the United Nations (UN) and its many related organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). In this course, students learn about major challenges facing humankind, how the UN addresses them, and the UN’s successes and limitations. We focus on the UN’s key issues of maintaining peace and security, protecting human rights, and promoting sustainable development and climate action. Students engage with theories of international relations that explain state behavior and foundations of international law that constrain state actions. Students independently study an issue of their interest and develop insights as to how global governance may contribute to a solution. In short, this is a course on how the UN tries to save the planet and the challenges it faces in doing so.
Prerequisites: Students must bring a laptop to class.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, CGIS Knafel K050
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
GOVT S-1786
Globalization and the Nation-State: Theories and Case Studies
Nicolas Prevelakis PhD, Associate Senior Lecturer on Social Studies, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35405 | Section 1
Description
Despite globalization, the nation-state is still a major actor in today’s world. This course tries to understand why this is so by examining the role that nationalism plays in peoples’ identities and the effects of globalization on nations and nation-states. Has globalization undermined national sovereignty? What are its effects on global poverty, inequalities, and democracy? And to what extent are nation-states useful in addressing global issues? The course looks at theories as well as case studies from the recent rise of populism and authoritarianism, the role of supranational entities such as the European Union, and the urgency of global issues such as artificial intelligence, climate change, inequality, migration, and security. Examples are drawn from the United States, Europe, Latin America, China, and the Middle East.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
GOVT S-1886
The Role of Nuclear Weapons in the Twenty-First Century
Francesca Giovannini DPhil, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35787 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the role of nuclear weapons in US and international security. In addition to familiarizing students with the types and effects of nuclear arms, the course considers the history and future of nuclear strategy, the control and reduction of nuclear weapons, and the dilemmas of nuclear proliferation. The course is about the politics of nuclear weapons and does not require any specialized technical background.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
GOVT S-20
Foundations of Comparative Politics
Matthew John Reichert PhD, Preceptor in Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35990 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an introduction to concepts, theories, and evidence in the field of comparative politics. Topics include origins of nation-states, democracy and authoritarianism, social revolutions, politics of economic development, ethnicity and ethnic violence, modernization, political culture, institutions, and civil society. The empirical evidence is drawn from cases in Africa (Nigeria and Rwanda), the Americas (Mexico and the United States), Asia (China, India, and South Korea), Europe (Britain and Germany), post-communist areas (Russia and former Yugoslavia), and the Middle East (Iran).
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
GOVT S-40
International Conflict and Cooperation
Dustin Tingley PhD, Professor of Government, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30155 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to the analysis of the causes and character of international conflict and cooperation. Theories of international relations are presented and then applied to contemporary and historical cases. The course begins with a foundational review of the different levels at which states interact and the primary theoretical paradigms in the field. It then addresses how states achieve cooperation in the face of international anarchy, a question that has attracted the attention of scholars since Thucydides. The course next addresses basic bargaining theory, which uses insights from economics to explore how bargaining breakdowns, commitment problems, and incomplete information can lead to war. Thereafter we examine three popular topics in contemporary international relations research: the roles that psychology, leaders, and domestic politics play in explaining international conflict and cooperation. We also explore the sources and effects of international institutions such as the United Nations and World Trade Organization. We spend a week studying terrorism, a problem of particular significance in the modern world. We also look at trade, foreign aid, international development, and climate change. We conclude with international law and an exploration of the future of international relations.
Class Meetings:
Online
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 72 students
GREK S-Aa
Beginning Greek
Nadav Asraf PhD, Preceptor in Classics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35831 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to the Ancient Greek language and to the world in which the language was spoken and written. Students learn the fundamental rules of morphology and syntax while acquiring a basic vocabulary in the language. Additionally, students develop an appreciation for the literature, history, and culture of classical Athens through readings inspired by the works of literary figures such as Aristophanes, Plato, and Herodotus. Students who successfully complete the course are suitably prepared to continue their ancient Greek journey into more advanced courses.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Harvard University’s Classics department is offering scholarships for high school or college students taking introductory Greek or Latin, or CLAS S-97a. See the department’s website for more information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
GREK S-Aab
Intensive Beginning Greek
Nate Herter AM, Doctoral Candidate in the Classics, Harvard University
Phoebe Lakin MA, Doctoral Candidate in the Classics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35794 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for students with little or no prior instruction in ancient Greek who are committed to learning the language at rapid speed. Equivalent to the first two semesters of college-level instruction, it covers all basic grammar and vocabulary while offering considerable practice in reading.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 10:00am-12:00pm, Boylston Hall 203
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 1:00pm-3:00pm, Boylston Hall 203
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Harvard University’s Classics department is offering scholarships for high school or college students taking introductory Greek or Latin, or CLAS S-97a. See the department’s website for more information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
Yukio Lippit PhD, Jeffrey T. Chambers and Andrea Okamura Professor of History of Art and Architecture and Harvard College Professor, Harvard University
HARC S-197
Contemporary Photography: War and Conflict
Makeda Best PhD, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, Oakland Museum of California
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34739 | Section 1
Description
With a particular emphasis on the US context in the post-9/11 era, this course examines how photographs of contemporary conflict have had an impact on the history of photography and the role of the photographic documentarian in society. Contemporary war photographs circulate in various forms, from social media outlets to photobooks to museum walls. The so-called forever wars of the post-9/11 era have taken place alongside a burgeoning field of photographic image production, writing, and theorizing about photography as an art form, instrumental tool, and cultural and political force. Through these works and texts, we explore how contemporary war photographs challenge notions of photographic truth, have an impact on the role of photography in the museum, drive political discourse and transform the meanings of contemporary conflicts, disrupt ideas about art and warfare, and raise new ethical dilemmas around issues of privacy and public policy.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
HIST S-1225
The Rise of the Far Right in Europe
John R. Boonstra PhD, Teaching Assistant Professor, College of General Studies and the Department of History, University of Pittsburgh
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35365 | Section 1
Description
Far-right movements have, in recent years, gained striking momentum across Europe. From France’s anti-immigrant National Front and neo-Nazis in Germany to efforts to rehabilitate Francisco Franco and Benito Mussolini in Spain and Italy, forces of extreme nationalism, xenophobia, and imperial nostalgia have increased in prominence as well as popularity. The current moment is not, of course, the first time that the continent has experienced a rise in right-wing extremism. Fascism, from the 1920s onward, likewise offered violent, totalitarian solutions to the tensions of mass politics and populist resentment in polarized societies. How, precisely, do today’s reactionary political formations relate to their fascistic forebears? What social and cultural dynamics is each responding to and, perhaps just as significantly, what historical legacies are they drawing on? In this course, we ask how has the present wave of far-right parties in western and central Europe tapped into notions of national decline, instability, and changing demographics? What can we learn about these movements by studying histories of European fascism in France, Germany, Spain, and Italy? And finally, how have these histories been obscured and rehabilitated in different ways in each of these countries? By moving from contemporary cases of resurgent nationalist sentiment to their interwar predecessors and back again, and through a consideration of novels, films, historical documents, speeches, and monuments, the course seeks to uncover how anxieties of migration, race, and empire as well as changing roles of religion, gender, and nationhood shaped political animosities and allegiances within the European far right both a century ago and today.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
HIST S-1671
Encounters: Travel Narratives and the Origins of Race
John Harpham PhD, Lecturer on Social Studies, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35924 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the deep roots of race and racism with reference to the travel narratives that shaped them. The course proceeds in chronological order, with each week devoted to one of the classics of the genre. Our focus in time is the period that came to be known as the Age of Discovery, which lasted from around the middle of the fifteenth century to around the end of the seventeenth century. Our focus in space is the Atlantic world. Particular attention is paid to narratives that describe (or claim to describe) Africa and America and to accounts that were the work of Indigenous American and African authors. Texts include the Travels of Marco Polo, Leo Africanus’s History and Description of Africa, Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko, and the Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano. The interests and the contexts that informed the construction and dissemination of these accounts is central objects of inquiry. We examine the extent to which these texts were embedded in histories of enslavement, resistance, and empire, but we also read these texts on their own terms. We work to understand the ideas about the common structure of human life that seem to be embedded in them. We reconstruct their particular conceptions of political life and of the state. And we also consider the complex manner in which travel narratives at once resisted and disrupted and also contributed to the invention of the modern concept of race.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 19 students
HIST S-1672
The Long 1960s: Pop Music, Counterculture, and Black Awakening
Octavio Carrasco PhD, Visiting Instructor, Religious Studies, Georgia State University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35938 | Section 1
Description
The sixties broadly conceived as a period spanning the mid-1950s to the early to mid-1970s remain the most influential and turbulent era in the collective living memory of most Americans. The changes that occurred during the sixties transformed the United States, and are still evident today in national politics, foreign policy, social norms and values, culture, and fashion. The sixties themselves are closely associated with political, cultural, and social movements that effected so many of those changes the African American freedom struggle and the Black Power movement, the diverse movements to end the Vietnam war, women’s liberation, gay liberation, and the counterculture and communes of the era. But many Americans defined themselves in opposition to these movements, and the roots of the conservative politics ascendant in the late-1970s are a reaction to the developments of the sixties. The course focuses on the ongoing struggle of Americans to define themselves in this tumultuous period. We explore how participants in these movements understood themselves and their movements to change America, at the time and in retrospect, using a mixture of memoirs, oral histories, music, films, and videos, among other sources.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Erez Manela PhD, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, Harvard University
Joyce E. Chaplin PhD, James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History, Harvard University
Shigehisa Kuriyama PhD, Reischauer Institute Professor of Cultural History, Harvard University
HSCI S-170
Stigma, Women’s Health, and Reproduction
Sara Press PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in History of Science, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36025 | Section 1
Description
This course investigates the history of stigmatized diseases and conditions that predominantly affect or are most commonly associated with women. We examine the stigma around hysteria, breast cancer, menopause, abortion, obesity, and depression, among other diseases and conditions. A central goal is to understand the stigmatization of disease, its intersections with sexism, and its effects in diverse historical and cultural contexts. The course evaluates the impact of stigmatization on individuals, health disparities, and outcomes, as well as historical and contemporary attempts to destigmatize illnesses that are subject to discrimination, prejudice, and isolation. We center our attention on structural forces that promote stigma and how they may be modified over time.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
HUMA S-100
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Dramatic Arts, English, and Religion
Collier Brown PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33838 | Section 1
Description
In this proseminar, students develop the skills necessary to produce graduate-level research on a topic relevant to a humanities-related field. This course focuses on magical realism in global modern fiction. During the first part of the course, we read Guinean author Camara Laye’s The Radiance of the King, a classic in the genre of magical realism, early twentieth-century modernism, and African and world literature. In the second part, students write a ten-page research paper, analyzing a work of magical realism and engaging in the existing scholarship about it. Apart from expository writing prerequisites, this is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree. While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO S-42a is strongly recommended. In addition, at the first meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and capacity for coherent logical argument.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 19 students
HUMA S-101
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer’s Craft
Anne Elliott MFA, Workshop Leader, A Public Space
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34857 | Section 1
Description
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer’s perspective. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO S-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
HUMA S-110
Masterpieces of World Literature
Martin Puchner PhD, Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature, Harvard University
David Damrosch PhD, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33501 | Section 1
Description
This course surveys world literature from The Epic of Gilgamesh to the present, with an emphasis on different cultures and writing traditions. Produced by HarvardX, the course is based not on lectures but on a more vivid dialogue format between instructors Martin Puchner and David Damrosch. The course also includes travel footage from Istanbul and Troy to Jaipur and Weimar, and interviews with authors such as Orhan Pamuk and other experts.
Class Meetings:
Online
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: The recorded lectures are from the HarvardX course Masterpieces of World Literature.
HUMA S-111
Narratives of Mental Health and Mental Illness
Karen Thornber PhD, Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in Literature and Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36004 | Section 1
Description
Mental health experts believe that even before COVID-19, more than one billion people globally had a diagnosable mental health condition. The numbers and intensity have only increased in the years since the pandemic, and yet the biases and misconceptions surrounding mental health, not to mention the dehumanization and abuse in many communities of individuals with a mental illness, remains acute. This course uses literature and other arts from communities around the world to help students learn more about some of the prevalent biases, misconceptions, myths, and stigmas against individuals with mental illness and how these biases could be and in the past have been ameliorated, contributing to reducing inequity, isolation, and loneliness and increasing the connectedness, healing, and well-being of individuals with mental illness and their families.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. This course counts for the Aesthetics and Culture Gen Ed requirement and is equivalent to Gen Ed 1144. It does not count for the College’s divisional distribution requirement.
HUMA S-133
The Intersection of Art and Medicine: An Experiential Approach
Lisa M. Wong MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Cristina Pato DMA, Arnhold Visiting Professor, Theater and Dance, University of California, Santa Barbara
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36011 | Section 1
Description
A dichotomy has long existed in the public imagination of right brain versus left brain arts versus sciences but does that distinction make sense? The field of arts in health and the integration of the arts into medical education is advancing rapidly. Physicians and scientists are studying the neuroscience of aesthetic experience, looking at how the arts can enhance well-being and education, while musicians and artists are embracing their role in healing through the arts. What is the role of the arts in health and well-being? Social justice? Education? This course encourages students to integrate the arts with science and medicine through readings, art immersion, didactic talks, and hands-on experiential learning.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, Science Center 116
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
HUMA S-185
Gender Justice
Karen Thornber PhD, Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in Literature and Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35401 | Section 1
Description
With gender inequities and biases pervasive within and across cultures worldwide, and the global pandemics of gender-based violence and structural violence further intensified by responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, how have individuals, groups, communities, and nations globally fought for (and against) gender justice? How have struggles against gender injustice intersected and conflicted with struggles against racial, ethnic, environmental, health, LGBTQIA+, and other forms of injustice? Gender justice, as is true of justice more broadly, is often discussed in the abstract or as a matter of law, political history, protest movements, enfranchisement, and similar phenomena. Yet at its core, justice involves individuals and their experiences both their suffering and their triumphs most directly accessed through stories. In this course we explore a range of stories and different forms of storytelling on gender justice, from novels and films to memoirs and personal histories, histories, and creative nonfiction. In addition to Professor Thornber’s recent book on gender justice, we engage with narratives such as: Schuyler Bailar’s He/She/They, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Ito Shiori’s Black Box: The Memoir that Sparked Japan’s #MeToo Movement, Joshua Whitehead’s Jonny Appleseed, Miriam Toews’s Women Talking, Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals, Cho Nam-joo’s Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, and Cherr e Moraga and Gloria Anzald a’s This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. Students are also encouraged to write their own stories on gender and justice.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
HUMA S-205
Metals and Minerals: An Introduction to the Art and Science of Jewelry
Raquel Alonso-Perez PhD, Curator of the Harvard Mineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University
Melanie Grant
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35994 | Section 1
Description
In ancient civilizations around the world, jewelry straddled the lines between art and science. Gemstones were considered to have healing and scientific properties; metals such as gold were offered to the gods and the jewels that combined both provided spiritual protection. In this course, we explore the spell-binding history of jewelry, covering the following periods: Greek, Roman, Mayan, Aztec, Egyptian, Benin, Byzantine, Persian, Chinese dynasties, Japanese shogun, Indian maharaja, Mogul, Celtic, French royal courts, Italian renaissance, and the modern day. The course has a lab component to identify gemstones using the collections at the Mineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University (MGMH). We also visit the Harvard Art Museum to see key collections and texts, take a field trip to a local mine to understand the scientific implications of mining, and visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History to handle and discuss stones in depth.
Prerequisites: While there are no formal prerequisites, students would benefit from having a basic understanding of art history and some foundational knowledge of geology, particularly in mineralogy and gemstones. Basic scientific literacy, especially in chemistry, is helpful and an open-minded, curious approach will enrich the exploration of the course’s interdisciplinary themes.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 8:30am-11:00am, Geological Museum 375
Required labs to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 29 students
HUMA S-300
Engaging in the Scholarly Conversation
Stephen Spencer PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35828 | Section 1
Description
This course trains students in the skills of critically engaging the scholarly literature in their field of study. They learn how to assess the presuppositions, argumentation, methodology, evidence, and conclusions of scholarly writing in their discipline. After building that foundational skill set, the second portion of the course focuses on how to identify patterns, debates, and schools of thought in the larger body of existing scholarship relevant to the students’ interests, which is an essential precursor of the final goal: identifying gaps or opportunities for future scholarly contributions.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed HUMA S-100 or SSCI S-100a with a grade of B or higher in order to take this course. HUMA S-300 must be completed before registering in the Crafting the Thesis Proposal tutorial for thesis-track students and prior to precapstone course for capstone-track students.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Emerson Hall 106
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students in HUMA S-300, PSYC S-300, and SSCI S-300 may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
IORP S-1501
Industrial-Organizational Psychology
Adam Smith PhD, Consulting Associate, Leadership Advisory Services, Spencer Stuart
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35825 | Section 1
Description
How would you choose the ideal worker out of 400 applicants? Is it possible to predict employee motivation? Are virtual teams more effective than in-person teams? Questions like these can be answered through the help of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology, which is the application of psychological theories and principles to the workplace. Examining decades of research from psychology, sociology, management, and statistics, we discuss a wide range of theories and practices which have had an impact on I/O psychology applications. We also focus on how organizations currently use I/O principles in everyday scenarios and evaluate practical examples of how the field continues to influence talent management. Examined through the scientist-practitioner lens, course material covers both theoretical and real-world applications and addresses the gap between the two. Course topics include job/worker analysis, organizational research methods, employee selection, motivation, attitudes, health and stress, leadership, and a variety of other content areas. Students may not take both IORP S-1501 and PSYC E-1501 (offered previously) for degree or certificate credit.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 75 students
IORP S-1502
Psychometric Theory and Assessment
Leanne Tortez PhD, Supervising Research Specialist, Department of Public Social Services, County of Riverside and Assistant Professor, Organizational and Leadership Psychology Department, William James College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35775 | Section 1
Description
This course exposes the student to the basic principles of test construction and interpretation, including issues related to reliability and validity. Additionally, issues related to test administration, scoring, and reporting are explored, with emphasis given to the ethical uses of tests. Attention is also given to emerging trends in the practical uses and applications of tests. Students may not take both IORP S-1502 and PSYC E-1502 (offered previously) for degree or certificate credit.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
ISMT S-599
Capstone Seminar in Digital Enterprise
Zoya Kinstler PhD
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33285 | Section 1
Description
This course focuses on digital technologies as tools for achieving business goals. A digital enterprise is defined as an organization whose business model and operating platform are driven by information technology (IT). Through readings and case studies, we learn how companies transform their processes and systems by implementing digital technologies: cloud services, mobile and social platforms, data analytics, and machine-to-machine communications. Then we roll up our sleeves and build a capstone project, architecting an IT solution for a realistic business scenario. Concepts covered include enterprise architecture, software systems, business processes, service orientation, system integration, and project implementation framework. The course offers an intense learning experience via engaging lectures, case studies, demanding research and reading requirements, and stimulating teamwork.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted degree candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), information management systems. Prospective candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must be in good academic standing and have successfully completed all seven specific degree requirements and at least two electives with required grades. Candidates who do not meet these requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Science Center 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
Francesco Erspamer Laurea, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
ITAL S-Aa
Beginning Italian
Rebecca Peroni MA, Teaching Assistant in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35813 | Section 1
Description
Intended and designed for students with little, if any formal knowledge of Italian, this course enables beginning students to develop the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing Italian in a cultural context. Activities include listening comprehension, grammar exercises, conversation, and role-playing, with a strong emphasis on oral communication.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-5:15pm, Harvard Hall 105
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 14 students
JAPA S-120
Intermediate Japanese
Maiko Nakatani BA, Language Instructor in Japanese, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33130 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for students with a solid background in basic grammar, equivalent to one year of college study. Students are expected to have basic speaking and listening comprehension skills as well as reading and writing ability in hiragana, katakana and approximately 180 kanji in context. The course covers the second half of Genki 2 and some authentic materials. The goal is the simultaneous progression of four skills speaking, listening, reading, and writing enabling students to advance beyond beginning-level Japanese, further develop conversation strategies to improve daily communication, and become familiar with aspects of Japanese culture necessary for language competency.
Prerequisites: JAPA S-Bab or the equivalent of one year of college-level Japanese. Students must pass a placement test given the first day of class.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-12:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
JAPA S-Bab
Elementary Japanese I and II
Naomi Asakura MA, Preceptor in Japanese, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35789 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed for people with little or no background in Japanese. We cover lessons 1-12 of the Genki 1 textbook and lessons 13-16 of Genki 2. This fast-track introductory course aims to develop a basic foundation in the four skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course introduces basic sentence patterns, vocabulary, and common expressions, which allow students to speak and write about themselves, topics of personal relevance, and some aspects of Japanese culture. After this course, students have survival-level communication skills to communicate solely in Japanese in everyday situations of daily life. This course also introduces the hiragana, katakana, and about 209 kanji (Chinese characters).
Prerequisites: It is recommended that students study both Japanese hiragana and katakana prior to beginning the course. Since this is a summer-term course, it is faster-paced than the equivalent semester-long course, so it helps to get an advance start.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-12:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
JAPA S-C
Basic Japanese
Asako Higurashi MA, Language Instructor in Japanese, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35834 | Section 1
Description
This course is for people with little or no background in Japanese. The course aims to develop a basic foundation in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. This course also introduces the Japanese writing systems, hiragana, katakana, and approximately 60 kanji (Chinese characters). Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students have survival-level communication skills in common daily life situations in Japanese.
Prerequisites: Although the Japanese writing systems are introduced in this course, having knowledge of hiragana and katakana is helpful.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Northwest Science Building B110
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
JOUR S-137
Feature Writing
David M. Herszenhorn BS, Russia, Ukraine, and East Europe Editor, International Desk, The Washington Post
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36016 | Section 1
Description
In era of instant digital news delivery, distinctive feature and enterprise reporting are what set top-tier journalists and news organizations apart. In this course, students learn to write evocative in-depth feature stories, using specialized techniques of narration and character development that stretch the journalistic form and maximize impact while still economizing words. Students learn how to write in-depth articles without getting lost in the weeds and how to maintain balance and fairness even when writing about charismatic individuals and contentious topics. Students are expected to do their own original reporting and writing and to share this work in class.
Prerequisites: A beginning-level journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
JOUR S-140a
News Reporting and Writing
Jon Collins BA, Nieman Fellow, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36031 | Section 1
Description
This course explores how journalists write and produce news in a variety of platforms including print, digital, television, and radio. Students learn how to discern what constitutes news, how to gather reporting elements and interview sources, and how to write concise breaking-news stories. We also look at examples of in-depth and enterprise reporting, including conversations with journalists from ProPublica, National Public Radio (NPR), and other national media organizations. The course stresses accuracy, fact-checking, and the ethical considerations inherent in journalism. We also feature speakers who can advise students on how they can create a sustainable career in journalism.
Prerequisites: An introductory journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
JOUR S-150
Advanced Narrative Nonfiction
Jesselyn Cook MA, Nieman Fellow, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36029 | Section 1
Description
Good narrative nonfiction writing is immersive and incisive. Whether it takes the form of a biography, a journalistic essay, or other work, this genre combines the rigor of reporting with the art of literary storytelling. It affords writers the creative freedom to grapple with nuance, context, and human complexity while grounding them in an obligation to truth and accuracy. In this course we read and dissect a range of exemplary pieces by such writers as Eliza Griswold, Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, and David Foster Wallace. Students learn how to conceive and structure long-form narratives; conduct in-depth interviews and gather information required for detailed storytelling; weave in research, data, and dialogue; and recognize when to show and when to tell. In addition to completing a variety of short- to medium-length writing assignments, students spend the course drafting and revising one major work.
Prerequisites: An introductory journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
JOUR S-161
Podcasting
Bianca Giaever BA, Nieman Fellow, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36027 | Section 1
Description
Over the past decade, the global podcast industry has grown immensely. From deeply reported investigative shows like Serial and In the Dark to comedy chat shows like Poog and Smartless, podcasting is a continuously evolving art form. In this course, we explore audio storytelling in its varied forms, paying particular attention to what naturally grabs our ears and draws us in. What do you actually enjoy listening to and why? What is a piece of tape that has never left your mind? What makes a beautiful or meaningful podcast episode? During this course, students take an initial idea for an audio story and turn it into a finished product. Students learn how to plan their stories, conduct interviews, select tape, structure their narrative, write scripts, track narration, and add a musical score. As a group, we listen to podcasts like Rumblestrip, Heavyweight, The Heart, The Organist, Home of the Brave, The Kitchen Sisters Presents, and the BBC’s Falling Tree Radio. Texts include Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Successes of the New Masters of Radio by Jessica Abel, as well as selected readings from Transom.org. The goal of the course is to help students listen to podcasts with a critical (and creative) ear and to find their own voice as audio storytellers.
Prerequisites: An introductory journalism course, some journalism experience, or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
JOUR S-189
Content Creator Journalism
Ryan Y. Kellett BA, Nieman Fellow, Nieman Foundation for Journalism, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36030 | Section 1
Description
This course is for students looking to make the jump to becoming part- or full-time independent content creators on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Substack. Using journalism skills across disciplines video, audio, and writing the course walks through how to find your niche and expertise, identify the best platform for your purpose, and connect you with an audience. Case studies and guest speakers illuminate the business of becoming a creator journalist. Students end the course with writing a launch plan for their channel.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
JOUR S-50
Journalism in the Digital Age
Austin B. Bogues MA, Politics Breaking News Editor, USA Today
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32314 | Section 1
Description
This course equips students with an understanding of the principles and practices of journalism: how to recognize good stories, gather facts through skillful interviewing and research, develop sources, craft welcoming leads and satisfying endings, and create news and feature articles that inform and engage readers. The course emphasizes the time-honored skills of reporting and writing, which provide the foundation of journalism in any age, and which are of particular value in an era when journalism’s ability to uncover and convey the truth is under assault.
Prerequisites: A college-level writing course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Sever Hall 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
JOUR S-599
Journalism Capstone Project
June Carolyn Erlick MSJ, Publications Director, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, and Editor-in-Chief, ReVista: Harvard Review of Latin America, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33945 | Section 1
Description
The capstone is the culmination of the student’s work in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), journalism program and consists of a series of substantial stories completed in one semester. The capstone generally consists of three to five related pieces, text or multimedia based, in different styles. Text-based projects are generally about 5,000 words; the parameters of projects in other media are determined by the student and the project director together and are based on the requirements of the story. Past capstone directors have included Boston Globe editors and reporters, former fellows from the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, and other professionals in the field.
Prerequisites: Students must be officially admitted candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), journalism. Prospective degree candidates and students with pending admission applications are not eligible. Candidates must be in good academic standing with a minimum of 36 degree-applicable credits completed with required grades. Candidates submit capstone proposals by March 1. Proposals require revisions and must be approved by the capstone advisor by April 1. Candidates who do not meet these degree requirements or do not have their capstone proposals approved by the deadline are dropped from the course. See the journalism capstone project form for proposal details and approval deadlines.
Class Meetings:
Online
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Kyoungwon Oh PhD, Preceptor, East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Hi-Sun Helen Kim PhD, Director of the Korean Language Program and Senior Preceptor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Hi-Sun Helen Kim PhD, Director of the Korean Language Program and Senior Preceptor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Hi-Sun Helen Kim PhD, Director of the Korean Language Program and Senior Preceptor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
LATI S-Aa
Beginning Latin
Allison T. Resnick AM, Doctoral Candidate in the Classics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35169 | Section 1
Description
This beginning Latin course is designed for those who have had no previous instruction in classical Latin. The course covers the equivalent of one semester of college-level Latin and focuses on the acquisition of fundamental grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. By the end of the course, students are able to read, with the help of a dictionary, short continuous passages from such authors as Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, and Ovid. Students who successfully complete the course are equipped to enter into the equivalent of a second-semester sequence of college-level Latin in the following fall semester.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. Harvard University’s Classics department is offering scholarships for high school or college students taking introductory Greek or Latin, or CLAS S-97a. See the department’s website for more information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
LING S-101
The Science of Language: An Introduction
Ankana Saha PhD, Doctoral Candidate in Linguistics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36023 | Section 1
Description
Human language in all its natural complexity is an enduringly rich object of scientific study. Understanding the structural depth of language and the range of possible variation across languages is key to understanding the human mind and is increasingly relevant to cross-disciplinary discoveries in academia and innovations in technology. This course is an introduction to linguistics as a scientific discipline and it offers a comprehensive overview of the core components of language that make it an intelligent tool for human communication. By laying out the fascinating inner workings of sound, structure, and meaning, this course explores how these components interact with each other and the general cognitive sciences to make communication effortless, rational, and versatile. Students who are interested in natural language processing and/or language and the brain can expect to learn the basics of language that form the foundation for language-related fields.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Harvard Hall 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
LING S-120
Introduction to Historical Linguistics
Jeremy Rau PhD, Professor of Linguistics and of the Classics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35518 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to historical linguistics, the study of language change over time. It covers the fundamental aspects of language change (semantic, phonological, morphological, and syntactic), as well as the techniques and procedures involved in investigating these changes. Students study the comparative method, learn how to demonstrate or refute genetic relationships between languages, and try their hand at reconstruction of prehistoric phases of languages. The course further addresses the issues of long-range comparisons, externally (socially) and internally (structurally) motivated language change, and language contact. More culturally oriented topics, such as evolution of writing, decipherment of forgotten writing systems, and language and prehistory (linguistic paleontology) are likewise explored.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
LSTU S-121
Global Law, Global History: A Comparative Perspective
Liliana Obregón PhD, Professor of Law, University of Los Andes Law School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35371 | Section 1
Description
In this course, students discuss texts and videos on normative views of global history from the colonization of the Americas to the end of the cold war. In the process, they develop insight into the relation between the disciplines of law and history. This course allows students to discuss a variety of perspectives on state-building, nationalism, revolutions, empire, religion, and their relation to our contemporary world. This course also questions concepts such as civilization and progress and their impact in the history of global order. By introducing questions, themes, and approaches to the study of global law and history, this course provides a conceptual toolbox that may further students’ interest in international relations, political science, international law, or global studies. Students may not count both HIST S-1022 (offered previously) and LSTU S-121 for degree or certificate credit.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, CGIS Knafel K050
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
LSTU S-124
The History of Law in Europe
Tamar Herzog PhD, Monroe Gutman Professor of Latin American History, Harvard University and Affiliated Faculty Member, Harvard Law School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35155 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the history of law in Europe (including both England and the continent, as well as Europe’s overseas domains) from the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century to the present day European Union. During the course, we observe how European legal systems changed over time and what legacies they left in the present. We read and discuss historical texts that highlight the particularities of distinct moments, as well as debate some of the main dilemmas facing European law today.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 35 students
LSTU S-131
Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Business and Intellectual Property Law
Tiffany Nichols PhD, JD, Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of History, Princeton University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35780 | Section 1
Description
This course covers the intersection of start-ups, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property (IP) law. Students gain skills with navigation of major tenants of intellectual property law including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trades secrets as these concepts relate to start-ups and entrepreneurship. Students also gain experience in constructing and presenting formal product and funding pitches that incorporate references to the IP holdings of start-ups or small businesses. Further, students receive an introduction to the basics of contract instruments which allow for sharing of IP with entities outside of a start-up while protecting the IP of the start-up. Students are also exposed to the IP litigation landscape that start-ups face using actual litigation matters. Lastly, students engage in a mock intellectual property trial where they present opening arguments in support of the plaintiff or the defendant. Upon completing the course, students are able to perform basic legal research, understand basic case law, and interpret basic legal documents, such as patent applications and simple confidentiality agreements, which are relevant to start-ups during their funding and growth periods. This course is designed to provide a theoretical and pragmatic engagement with business, corporate, and IP law. In addition, students gain experience with key components of legal transactions and litigation including pitch development for funding, deposition, court arguments, copyright registration, trademark registration, patent application drafting, agreement drafting (such as non-disclosure agreements, non-compete agreements), and forms of trade secret, likeness, and fashion protection. Topics include a diverse set of technologies and exploration of key and recent court decisions to not only provide familiarity with reading and understanding case law, but to also allow for potential skills to make informed business decisions.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, 1 Story Street 306
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: All students are required to attend and participate during the regularly scheduled class time, either by being present in the classroom or via web conference. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 54 students
LSTU S-131
Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Business and Intellectual Property Law
Tiffany Nichols PhD, JD, Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of History, Princeton University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36048 | Section 2
Description
This course covers the intersection of start-ups, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property (IP) law. Students gain skills with navigation of major tenants of intellectual property law including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trades secrets as these concepts relate to start-ups and entrepreneurship. Students also gain experience in constructing and presenting formal product and funding pitches that incorporate references to the IP holdings of start-ups or small businesses. Further, students receive an introduction to the basics of contract instruments which allow for sharing of IP with entities outside of a start-up while protecting the IP of the start-up. Students are also exposed to the IP litigation landscape that start-ups face using actual litigation matters. Lastly, students engage in a mock intellectual property trial where they present opening arguments in support of the plaintiff or the defendant. Upon completing the course, students are able to perform basic legal research, understand basic case law, and interpret basic legal documents, such as patent applications and simple confidentiality agreements, which are relevant to start-ups during their funding and growth periods. This course is designed to provide a theoretical and pragmatic engagement with business, corporate, and IP law. In addition, students gain experience with key components of legal transactions and litigation including pitch development for funding, deposition, court arguments, copyright registration, trademark registration, patent application drafting, agreement drafting (such as non-disclosure agreements, non-compete agreements), and forms of trade secret, likeness, and fashion protection. Topics include a diverse set of technologies and exploration of key and recent court decisions to not only provide familiarity with reading and understanding case law, but to also allow for potential skills to make informed business decisions.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 302
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
LSTU S-133
Global Digital Law and Politics
Roxana Vatanparast PhD, Assistant Professor of Law, Capital University Law School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35571 | Section 1
Description
This course aims to provide students with an overview of issues relating to the relationships between digital technologies, politics, and law. It also introduces students to theoretical frameworks for examining the mutually interactive relationships between technology, law, and social order, where technology is both an object and source of governance. The course covers contemporary issues such as cyberlaw, digital infrastructures, surveillance, platforms and informational capitalism, datafication, privacy, data protection, the role of platforms in the governance of online speech, intermediary liability, blockchain, financial technologies, and the relationship between technology and inequality.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Harvard Hall 201
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 60 students
LSTU S-134
Creative Law: Ethics and Artificial Intelligence
Kevin Weaver EdD
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35993 | Section 1
Description
This course examines artificial intelligence (AI) from legal and educational perspectives, emphasizing ethical norms for AI advancements and preparing students to become future leaders in this emerging technology. It includes readings, films, and guest speakers from Harvard University’s leading AI-driven and innovation research centers. Additionally, students create their own AI civil rights project with a focus on legal protections and ethical considerations. This course focuses on civil rights issues within US and international law, including a primary focus on doctrinal topics in constitutional law, torts, contracts, and criminal law.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Northwest Science Building B108
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
LSTU S-136
Law in War
Franklin J. Schwarzer JD, Attorney, Schlesinger and Buchbinder, LLP
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35777 | Section 1
Description
This course examines how domestic and international legal institutions regulate the law of war, crimes against humanity, torture, and genocide, and the main legal theories that lawyers and judges use to address their violation. Students are introduced to the key statutes, treaties, and cases that govern these topics. While historical case studies, such as accusations of war crimes against US troops in Haditha, Iraq, in 2008; the international trial of Nazi war criminals at Nuremberg; and the 1968 massacre at My Lai in Vietnam are addressed, a focus is on the practice and procedure of the International Criminal Court and other judicial organs. Students are also asked to apply legal theories on individual accountability and command responsibility to emerging technological developments in warfare, such as the use of artificial intelligence.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements.
MATH S-101
Spaces, Mappings, and Mathematical Structures, with an Introduction to Proof
John W. Cain PhD, Senior Lecturer on Mathematics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35860 | Section 1
Description
The main purpose of this course is to introduce students to the world of mathematical formalism, proof writing, and basic proof techniques (contraposition, contradiction, induction, direct proof, and exhaustive case work). This course aids students as they transition into the study of advanced mathematics, where they may encounter abstract mathematical concepts that do not lend themselves to pen-and-paper calculations. Additionally, training in logic and formal proof is helpful outside of mathematics, especially in fields such as theoretical economics, philosophy, law, computer science, and physics. As we learn about proof writing, we draw examples from different mathematical sub-disciplines including abstract algebra (specifically group theory), basic number theory, probability and combinatorics, and basic point-set topology. Because mathematical reasoning relies heavily upon the language of set theory, learning a bit of this language is our first priority.
Prerequisites: Solid command of basic algebra and geometry at the high-school level is required. Additionally, students should have an interest in mathematical reasoning and a willingness to engage with proofs and formal logic. Technically, calculus is not required, but students with some prior exposure to calculus may find that this course enriches their understanding of that subject. Placement test recommended.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 8:30am-11:00am, Science Center B-10
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MATH S-116
Mathematical Modeling
Zhiming Kuang PhD, Gordon McKay Professor of Atmospheric and Environmental Science and of Applied Mathematics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35921 | Section 1
Description
Mathematical models are ubiquitous, providing a quantitative framework for understanding, prediction, and decision-making in nearly every aspect of life, ranging from the timing of traffic lights, to the control of the spread of disease, to resource management, to sports. They also play a fundamental role in all natural sciences and increasingly in the social sciences as well. This course provides an introduction to modeling through in-depth discussions of a series of examples, and hands-on exercises and projects that make use of a range of continuous and discrete mathematical tools. Harvard Extension School students may not take both APMA S-115 (offered previously) and MATH S-116 for degree or certificate credit.
Prerequisites: MATH S-21a and MATH S-21b or permission of instructor. Knowledge of some programming language is helpful, but not necessary, as we introduce Matlab to those with no previous experience. Students must have Matlab installed on their computers. Students proficient in Python are welcome to use that language instead of Matlab.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Vanserg Building 210
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
MATH S-156
Mathematical Statistics
Dmitry V. Kurochkin PhD, Senior Research Analyst, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Office for Faculty Affairs, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35960 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to mathematical statistics and data analysis. It starts by introducing central concepts of probability theory (events, probability measure, random variables, distributions, joint distributions, and conditional distributions) and then moves on to the development of mathematical foundations of statistical inference. Topics covered in the course include random variables, expectations, parameter estimation (method of moments, method of maximum likelihood, and Bayesian approach), properties of point estimators (bias, variance, consistency, and efficiency), confidence intervals, hypotheses testing, likelihood ratio test, data summary methods, and introduction to linear regression. A class of distributions, including chi-squared, t, and F distributions, the distributions derived from normal that occur in many applications of hypothesis testing and statistical inference, are introduced.
Prerequisites: MATH S-1a or equivalent. No prior knowledge of probability is assumed. Students are required to take a short pretest at the beginning of the course. The pretest score does not count toward the final grade but helps students understand whether their background in calculus positions them for success in this course.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 26 students
MATH S-1a
Calculus I
Carolyn Gardner-Thomas PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30391 | Section 1
Description
This course covers differential and integral calculus in one variable, with applications. We aim to develop conceptual understanding, computational skills, and the students’ ability to apply the material to science. The topics covered overlap with the advanced placement calculus curriculum to a large extent. A graphing calculator can occasionally be useful. Students enrolling for graduate credit participate in weekly pedagogical seminars investigating current research in mathematics education.
Prerequisites: A good working knowledge of algebra, functions, logarithms, trigonometry, and analytic geometry as demonstrated by the placement test. The graduate-credit option is available only to students participating in the Harvard Extension School’s mathematics for teaching program.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 9:30am-11:30am
Required sections Tuesdays and optional sections Thursdays, 1-3 pm, 3-5 pm, or 5-7 pm. Required seminar for graduate-credit students to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 60 students
MATH S-1b
Calculus II
Robin Gottlieb MSc, Professor of the Practice in the Teaching of Mathematics, Emerita, Harvard University and High School Mathematics Teacher, Buckingham Browne and Nichols School
Shanelle Davis MA, MBA Classroom Scribe, Harvard Business School and Proctor, Member of the Board of First-Year Advisers and Teaching Assistant in Mathematics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35795 | Section 1
Description
Speaking the language of modern mathematics requires fluency with the topics of this course: infinite series, integration, and differential equations. We model practical situations using integrals and differential equations. Students learn how to represent interesting functions using infinite series, and develop both conceptual understanding and the ability to apply it.
Prerequisites: First-semester calculus or AB calculus.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Science Center 119
Optional sections to be arranged. Required seminar for graduate-credit students to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 60 students
MATH S-21a
Multivariable Calculus
Oliver Knill PhD, Lecturer on Mathematics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30189 | Section 1
Description
This course covers the following topics: calculus of functions of several variables; vectors and vector-valued functions; parameterized curves and surfaces; vector fields; partial derivatives and gradients; optimization; method of Lagrange multipliers; integration over regions in R2 and R3; integration over curves and surfaces; Green’s theorem, Stokes’s theorem, Divergence theorem.
Prerequisites: Two semesters of calculus. Placement test recommended.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Harvard Hall 101
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
MATH S-21b
Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
Robert Winters PhD
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30190 | Section 1
Description
Matrices provide the algebraic structure for solving myriad problems across the sciences. We study matrices and solutions to systems of linear equations as part of understanding linear transformations and general linear spaces. Using the notions of orthogonality, eigenvalues, and eigenvectors, we find least-squares solutions, solve discrete and continuous dynamical systems using exact methods and phase-plane analysis, introduce the Spectral Theorem and Fourier series, and analyze different types of differential equations.
Prerequisites: MATH S-1B. Knowledge of partial derivatives is helpful. Placement test recommended.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 9:30am-11:30am, Harvard Hall 101
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
MATH S-240
The Mathematics of Democracy
Ismar Volic PhD, Professor of Mathematics, Wellesley College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35954 | Section 1
Description
How can a candidate in a political race win the majority of votes, yet lose the election? How can members of a community comprise almost half the electorate, yet have no representation in the legislature? How does the shape of a voting district affect whom its inhabitants elect? How much power does the President of the United States have? How can two competing candidates interpret the same statistic as being in their favor? In this course, we look at the mathematics behind these and related questions that have bearing on democracy. Some of the topics we examine are voting methods, apportionment of legislative seats, sizes of legislatures, proportional representation, quantification of power, mathematical tools for detecting gerrymandering, regulation of cryptography and repercussions on privacy, and data interpretation. We also study the larger context for these topics through an overview of the fields of social choice and game theory which are concerned with the quantification and analysis of notions such as fairness and conflict.
Prerequisites: A strong command of pre-calculus.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, Northwest Science Building B107
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
MATH S-3
Quantitative Reasoning: Practical Math
Graeme D. Bird PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34186 | Section 1
Description
This course reviews basic arithmetical procedures and their use in everyday mathematics. It also includes an introduction to basic statistics covering such topics as the interpretation of numerical data, graph reading, hypothesis testing, and simple linear regression. No previous knowledge of these tools is assumed. Recommendations for calculators are made during the first class.
Prerequisites: A willingness to (re)discover math, appreciate its practical uses, and enjoy its patterns and beauty. Placement test recommended.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-8:30pm, Harvard Hall 101
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $1,000.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MATH S-305
Mathematical Connections: Advanced Algebra and Trigonometry
Andrew Engelward PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35944 | Section 1
Description
Algebra is often considered the language of mathematics, for good reason. In this course, we continue the exploration that began in the Harvard Extension School course MATH E-303 of this rich, fascinating subject, taking on topics involving the form and function of polynomials, such as analyzing polynomials using difference tables (connecting with ideas leading to calculus), and touching on the concept of infinite polynomials. We also investigate sequences and series arithmetic, geometric, as well as others; explore complex numbers and their geometry; and thoroughly develop trigonometric functions and identities. The course is designed for teachers who teaching Algebra 2 classes or for anyone who wants to learn more about this interesting subject.
Prerequisites: A recent course in introductory algebra, such as MATH E-303, or its equivalent, as well as familiarity with K-12 mathematics.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
MATH S-329
Appraising and Reimagining Middle and High School Mathematics Education
Robin Gottlieb MSc, Professor of the Practice in the Teaching of Mathematics, Emerita, Harvard University and High School Mathematics Teacher, Buckingham Browne and Nichols School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35389 | Section 1
Description
This course examines critical issues in middle and high school mathematics education in the United States from a variety of perspectives. Questions addressed include: what are the goals of mathematics education at the middle and high school level? Why does math education in middle school and high school matter? What societal structures (historic, economic, political, and cultural) impact mathematics education and how does math education impact those structures in turn? As the world changes, in what way do the goals of mathematics education change? Given goals and what we know about learning, how can we improve practice in the classroom? We sharpen the lens through which we view math education in the US by looking at some international case studies, as well as case studies from different classrooms in the US. This is a discussion-based course. Students are expected not only to be active participants in discussions but also to take a lead in conducting discussions.
Prerequisites: Students should be teaching math, interested in becoming math teachers, or working with math teachers.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 8:30am-11:30am, Science Center 104
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MATH S-Ar
Precalculus Mathematics
Kyle Alexander Botkin ALM, Teacher, Mathematics, Fremont County School District #2
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35957 | Section 1
Description
In this course, we study the foundational mathematics needed for calculus and for the sciences with a goal of developing deep understanding as well as computational fluency. Topics include a review of algebra, functions, logarithms, trigonometry, and analytic geometry. The course is taught in small sections, emphasizing applications, problem-solving, and mathematical habits of mind.
Prerequisites: A good working knowledge of algebra, as demonstrated by a satisfactory score on the math placement test. The graduate-credit option is available only to students participating in the Harvard Extension School graduate program in mathematics for teaching.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Required seminar for graduate-credit students to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
MBB S-102
Becoming a Brain Scientist: Neuroscience and Psychology Research
Garth Coombs PhD, Preceptor in Psychology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33663 | Section 1
Description
How do scientists study the brain, behavior, cognition, and learning? This course is an introduction to how psychologists and neuroscientists formulate hypotheses, design experiments, and collect and analyze data to learn about nervous system and brain functioning, brain disorders and disease, learning, and behavior. Each student is matched with a research mentor in a Harvard laboratory. Students spend approximately ten hours per week on a project related to the lab’s research. In addition, all students meet weekly as a group to explore topics of interest to researchers in biological science, neuroscience, and psychology, including finding and reading primary research articles, scientific methods, research ethics and human subjects’ protection, and science communication. Students read both literature specific to their lab experience as well as more general material on research methods and experimental design. Host laboratories conduct research in a wide variety of areas, which may include neuroscience, cognition, brain disorders and disease, mental disorders, molecular neuroscience, and animal behavior.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed their junior year in high school. Students must submit a petition (maximum 3,000 characters) to enroll when adding this course to their cart. This petition will serve as a statement of interest, explaining the student’s relevant experience and reasons for wanting to take this courses. Please include the following information in your petition: your current year in school or the highest level of schooling you have completed if not currently a student; what topics in psychology and/or neuroscience excite you the most; why you are interested in taking this course and what you hope to learn from it; and a brief summary of any relevant coursework or other experiences you have had, if any. Students also need to upload a transcript via MyDCE (a Transcript Upload task will appear under My Tasks within an hour of adding the course) before their application can be considered. Students should submit all materials by March 30 for the best chance of admission to the course. Applications are reviewed by lab personnel and the instructor. Once a decision had been made on the application, students will see in their carts whether the petition has been approved or denied. Please contact brainscience@summer.harvard.edu if you have questions about this course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-2:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
MBB S-110
Neurodiversity
Juliet Sarmiento Ponce PhD, Associate of the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35791 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed to foster a deep understanding of neurodiversity and equip students with the knowledge and skills to create inclusive and supportive environments for individuals with diverse neurological profiles. In this course, students embark on a multifaceted journey that explores the intricate tapestry of human neurodiversity. They gain insight into the broad spectrum of neurological differences, encompassing conditions such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia. By delving into the scientific, social, and cultural aspects of neurodiversity, students acquire a solid foundation in the subject matter.
Prerequisites: An introductory biology course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, Northwest Science Building B108
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 32 students
MGMT S-10
HBS CORe: Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33543 | Section 1
Description
CORe stands for Credential of Readiness and is offered through Harvard Business School (HBS) Online. CORe is a primer on the fundamentals of business and is designed for students just getting started in the business world. Developed and taught by Harvard Business School faculty, this course covers business analytics, economics for managers, and financial accounting. The business analytics portion is taught by Janice Hammond and introduces quantitative methods used to analyze data and make better management decisions. The economics for managers portion is taught by Bharat Anand and includes the topics of customer demand, supplier cost, markets and competition, pricing, production, and differentiation. The financial accounting portion is taught by V.G. Narayanan and covers concepts such as profit and revenue, and assets and liabilities, and how to prepare and analyze financial statements. All learning materials and instructor and participant interaction take place within the HBS Online learning environment. Although the professors do not have direct real-time interaction with students, they have developed short video lectures, cases, exercises, and other interactive learning elements to create a highly engaging educational experience. Participants typically learn as much (if not more) from thoughtful participation and from peers in this active learning ecosystem as they do from faculty content. For more information see HBS Online’s CORe.
Prerequisites: To register for this course, students must apply to and be admitted by HBS Online for the May cohort. Apply now. If accepted, registration transactions must all be done on the HBS Online website. For more information, contact hbsonlinesupport@hbs.edu. After registering with HBS Online, students receiving financial aid or any other type of financial assistance (for example, consortium agreements) should contact the Summer School Student Financial Services office at studentfinance@extension.harvard.edu.
Class Meetings:
Online
Term Start Date: May 20, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $4,200.
Credits: 8
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
This course is graded pass/fail with grades of high honors, honors, pass, or fail. Extension of time (EXT) grades are not available. Harvard University’s Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP) cannot be used. Certain other tuition discounts and scholarships are also excluded. Students registered for MGMT S-10 are considered full time and may not take other Harvard Summer School courses, are not eligible for on-campus housing, and are not eligible for health insurance. Admission, registration, refund, make-up exam, and grading policies are determined by the HBS Online CORe administration and have precedence over corresponding Harvard Summer School policies.
- Start date: May 20
- Last day to apply: May 12
- Last day to register: May 15
- Last day to drop for 100% tuition refund, minus the HBS Online $100 enrollment fee: May 21
MGMT S-1000
Financial Accounting Principles
Andrew Azer MS, Assurance Senior Manager, CohnReznick
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35879 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces the generally accepted principles that govern an entity’s financial accounting system and the income statement and balance sheet that are the principal end products of the system. Students learn how accounting information is used to evaluate the performance and financial status of an organization, both by managers within the organization and by shareholders, lenders, and other outside parties. Students who have completed MGMT S-10 may not count this course toward the ALB degree at Harvard Extension School. Students may not take both MGMT S-1000 and ECON S-1900 for degree or certificate credit.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MGMT S-105
Machine Learning Techniques in Economics and Finance
Sudhakar Raju PhD, Professor of Finance and Data Science, Rockhurst University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35878 | Section 1
Description
This course covers machine learning techniques that can be applied to the fields of economics and finance. The techniques covered in this course include multiple linear regression, logistic regression, decision trees, Naive Bayes, and unstructured learning techniques such as k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) algorithm means and cluster analysis.
Prerequisites: Prior knowledge of R. ECON S-110 is recommended.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 6:30pm-9:30pm, One Brattle Square 203
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-2000
Principles of Finance
Gregory Sabin DBA
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35680 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an introductory survey of the field of finance. It examines the agents, instruments, and institutions that make up the financial system of the modern economy, such as bonds, the stock market, derivatives, and the money market. Along the way, standard concepts and tools of financial analysis are introduced: present discounted value, option value, and the efficient markets hypothesis. Recent developments in the field in particular, the application of psychology to financial markets (called behavioral finance) are also discussed. The course is designed to equip students with the tools they need to make their own financial decisions with greater skill and confidence. Specifically, we see how insights from academic finance can inform and improve students’ own investing decisions.
Prerequisites: High school algebra.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MGMT S-2000
Principles of Finance
Bruce D. Watson MA, Master Lecturer on Economics, Boston University and Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32611 | Section 2
Description
This course provides an introductory survey of the field of finance. It examines the agents, instruments, and institutions that make up the financial system of the modern economy, such as bonds, the stock market, derivatives, and the money market. Along the way, standard concepts and tools of financial analysis are introduced: present discounted value, option value, and the efficient markets hypothesis. Recent developments in the field in particular, the application of psychology to financial markets (called behavioral finance) are also discussed. The course is designed to equip students with the tools they need to make their own financial decisions with greater skill and confidence. Specifically, we see how insights from academic finance can inform and improve students’ own investing decisions.
Prerequisites: High school algebra.
Class Meetings:
Online
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MGMT S-2035
Principles of Real Estate
Teo Nicolais MS, Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33385 | Section 1
Description
This course offers practical, real-world knowledge for investing in real estate. It’s designed both for those pursuing an active career in the industry as well as individuals interested in building wealth through passive real estate holdings. Students learn what really drives land values, explore how market forces shape their cities, and discover where to look for future growth. Students practice spotting investment opportunities in the lifecycles of properties, neighborhoods, and cities. They also study the four phases of the 18-year cycle that shapes the real estate investment landscape. Students also receive practical, hands-on training for building financial models, analyzing cash flows, and measuring investment returns. Finally, students learn how entrepreneurs raise capital through debt and equity partnerships and explore strategies for successful investing. No prior real estate background is required.
Prerequisites: High school algebra.
Class Meetings:
Online
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MGMT S-2037
Real Estate Finance and Investment
Teo Nicolais MS, Lecturer in Urban Planning and Design, Harvard Graduate School of Design
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33506 | Section 1
Description
This course provides a rigorous exploration of real estate investment and is designed for both emerging professionals and individuals seeking to enhance their understanding of the field. Students gain a comprehensive knowledge of commercial property types, risk evaluation, financial modeling, and real estate investment strategy. Beginning with an overview of the key drivers in real estate returns, the course examines the economic and legal frameworks that shape property investments. Students acquire practical tools for identifying and analyzing potential investment opportunities. They study advanced financial mechanics, cash flow modeling, and the taxation of real estate assets. Through case studies and applied exercises, students acquire the practical skills necessary to evaluate end-of-holding-period decisions and manage portfolio-level investment strategies. The course also covers critical aspects of capital raising, with a focus on debt financing and equity partnerships. By the end of the course, students have the tools to rigorously analyze real estate investments and make informed decisions in both active and passive investment contexts.
Prerequisites: MGMT S-2035 is strongly recommended but not required.
Class Meetings:
Online
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MGMT S-2600
Financial Statement Analysis
Andrew Azer MS, Assurance Senior Manager, CohnReznick
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35880 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed to prepare students to interpret and analyze financial statements for tasks such as credit and security analyses, lending and investment decisions, and other decisions that rely on financial data. This course explores in greater depth financial reporting from the perspective of financial statement users. Students develop a sufficient understanding of the concepts and recording procedures and therefore are able to interpret various disclosures in an informed manner. Students learn to compare companies financially, understand cash flow, and grasp basic profitability issues and risk analysis concepts. Ultimately, students who complete this course develop a more efficient and effective approach to researching, interpreting, and analyzing financial statements.
Prerequisites: MGMT S-1000 and MGMT S-2000 or the equivalent required. ECON S-1901 or MGMT S-1600 (offered previously) and MGMT S-2020 (offered previously) would be helpful.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-2700
Corporate Finance
James F. White MBA, Executive Director and System Controller, Boston Medical Center Health System
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35684 | Section 1
Description
The goal of this course is to develop skills for making corporate investment decisions and for analyzing risk. Topics include discounted cash flow and other valuation techniques; risk and return; capital asset pricing model; corporate capital structure and financial policy; capital budgeting; mergers and acquisitions; and investment and financing decisions in the international context, including exchange rate/interest rate risk analysis.
Prerequisites: ECON S-1900, MGMT S-2000, or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 60 students
MGMT S-2784
Hedge Funds: History, Strategies, and Practice
Peter Marber PhD, Managing Director, Emerging and Frontier Markets, Global Evolution USA
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35162 | Section 1
Description
While beating the markets was long thought to be impossible, hedge funds have seemingly challenged many financial theories, cracked the mysteries of Wall Street, and made fortunes in the process. They are also one of the fastest growing and least understood areas in the asset management industry. What exactly are hedge funds? How has the sector developed? What do hedge fund managers strive to capture and how do they do it? What are the major hedge fund strategies and their mechanics? What are their hidden risks and unique limitations? How important are hedge funds to investors, regulators, and the public? From both a theoretical and practical perspective, this course is geared to help answer these questions. It surveys the hedge fund industry from its origins in the 1940s, and explores hedge fund strategies including long/short, event-driven, market neutral, relative value, dedicated short-bias, convertible arbitrage, emerging markets, fixed income arbitrage, global macro, managed futures, and multi-sector investing. Students develop an understanding of how hedge fund managers think, operate, and invest. The course tracks a multi-sector hedge fund portfolio throughout the semester and analyzes current events and price action.
Prerequisites: The course requires a basic knowledge of finance and modest competency in Excel. Prior coursework or work experience in finance would also be useful.
Class Meetings:
Online
Required sections to be arranged. Recordings will be posted for asynchronous viewing for those who cannot attend live.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. While attendance is not required, this course offers students the opportunity for high-touch weekly online engagement with the instructor. A weekly online session discussing course topics and materials will be hosted by the instructor and recorded for those who do not attend.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 80 students
MGMT S-2790
Private Equity
Viney Sawhney MS, President, Boston National Capital Partners
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33375 | Section 1
Description
This course is the study of private equity money invested in companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange or invested in as part of buyouts of publicly traded companies. The main objective of the course is to provide students with the necessary theoretical and conceptual tools used in private equity deals. The course provides the intellectual framework used in the private equity process, valuation in private equity settings, creating term sheets, the process of due diligence, and deal structuring. Other learning objectives include building an understanding of harvesting through initial public offerings or mergers and acquisitions, public-private partnerships, and sovereign wealth funds. The final objective of this course is to show how corporate governance, ethics, and legal considerations factor into private equity deals.
Prerequisites: MGMT S-2000, MGMT S-2700, or an introductory accounting course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
MGMT S-3012
The Art of Communication
Mimi Goss PhD, President, Mimi Goss Communications
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33039 | Section 1
Description
Today’s leaders must convey their messages concisely, confidently, and memorably. This course is for students who want to strengthen their public speaking and writing skills, and develop their authentic voices as professionals. We explore speechwriting, public speaking in victory and crisis, communicating from values, and working with social media and the news media. How can you make every communication a dialogue? How can you advance your goals and those of your listeners? How does speaking from the best of yourself give you confidence? How do you distill a message into one memorable sentence that captures your listeners’ attention, moves your ideas forward, focuses the problem, and helps you achieve your goals?
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Sever Hall 107
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
MGMT S-4000
Organizational Behavior
Robert T. Anthony PhD, Professor of Management, Hult International Business School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35888 | Section 1
Description
This course deals with issues related to human behavior in a variety of organizational settings. Conceptual frameworks, case discussion, and skills-based activities are applied to each topic/issue. Topics include communications, motivation, group dynamics, leadership, power and politics, influence of technology, corporate social responsibility and ethics, conflict resolution, and workplace culture. Class sessions and assignments are intended to help participants acquire the skills managers need to improve organizational and individual performance.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4000
Organizational Behavior
Tonya Echols PsyD, Managing Principal, Vigere and Adjunct Faculty, Leadership and Organizational Behavior, William Mary
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35776 | Section 3
Description
This course deals with issues related to human behavior in a variety of organizational settings. Conceptual frameworks, case discussion, and skills-based activities are applied to each topic/issue. Topics include communications, motivation, group dynamics, leadership, power and politics, influence of technology, corporate social responsibility and ethics, conflict resolution, and workplace culture. Class sessions and assignments are intended to help participants acquire the skills managers need to improve organizational and individual performance.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4000
Organizational Behavior
Paul Green DBA, Assistant Professor of Management, McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35769 | Section 4
Description
This course deals with issues related to human behavior in a variety of organizational settings. Conceptual frameworks, case discussion, and skills-based activities are applied to each topic/issue. Topics include communications, motivation, group dynamics, leadership, power and politics, influence of technology, corporate social responsibility and ethics, conflict resolution, and workplace culture. Class sessions and assignments are intended to help participants acquire the skills managers need to improve organizational and individual performance.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Fridays, June 27-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Please note: In addition to the scheduled class time, this course has required recorded lectures and activities that students complete on demand each week prior to the live web conference session. Please see course syllabus for details. The overall amount of time students spend on this course is equivalent to other 4-credit courses.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 60 students
MGMT S-4150
Leadership
John Paul Rollert PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor of Behavioral Science, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33824 | Section 1
Description
How do you become a leader? How do you maintain a successful claim to leadership? This course aims to answer these questions with lessons drawn from history, literature, politics, and business. The course is highly interactive, and students are expected to discuss and debate the qualities of strong leadership and followership in class and online. Throughout the course, we welcome guest speakers from business, government, politics, and the Harvard faculty to talk about their perspectives on leadership.
Prerequisites: This course is best suited for students with less than 15 years of experience in a professional setting.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Northwest Science Building B103
Required sections Wednesdays, 4:30-5:30 pm, and on Monday and Tuesday, July 7-8, 4:30-5:30 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
MGMT S-4182
The Future of Work and Jobs: An Organizational Perspective
Prithwiraj Choudhury PhD, Lumry Family Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35893 | Section 1
Description
The workplace is undergoing a transformation, given the widespread adoption of remote and hybrid work and technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and digital twins. The course outlines how the future of work is affecting workplaces, work arrangements, and jobs, and discusses the opportunities and challenges thereof. In doing so, the course draws on organizational theories such as flexibility and algorithm aversion and introduces students to basics of machine learning and large language models (LLMs).
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Sever Hall 107
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4225
Negotiation and Organizational Conflict Resolution
Katri Nousiainen LLM, Professor, Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35807 | Section 1
Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the concept and types of negotiation. It is designed for students who wish to manage individual and organizational conflict and negotiations more effectively based on the premise that those in management positions engage in some form of negotiation daily. Students discuss the meaning, types, and different strategies of negotiation with an emphasis on an integrative, collaborative, win-win negotiation approach. A variety of topics are discussed including, but not limited to, workplace conflict, strategies for diagnosing, emotional elements in approaching negotiation and conflict resolution, psychological subprocesses, social contexts, individual and cultural differences, multiparty situations, and dealing with impasses. Students learn theories of interpersonal and organizational conflict and its resolution as applied to personal, corporate, historical, and political contexts. Students engage in topic driven discussions, deep case study analysis, mediation training, and a capstone simulation exercise. The course emphasizes the significance of leadership in approaching and managing a negotiation situation and organizational conflict resolution.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Boylston Hall 103
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4225
Negotiation and Organizational Conflict Resolution
Nicholas Coburn-Palo PhD, Preceptor in Public Speaking, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35171 | Section 2
Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the concept and types of negotiation. It is designed for students who wish to manage individual and organizational conflict and negotiations more effectively based on the premise that those in management positions engage in some form of negotiation daily. Students discuss the meaning, types, and different strategies of negotiation with an emphasis on an integrative, collaborative, win-win negotiation approach. A variety of topics are discussed including, but not limited to, workplace conflict, strategies for diagnosing, emotional elements in approaching negotiation and conflict resolution, psychological subprocesses, social contexts, individual and cultural differences, multiparty situations, and dealing with impasses. Students learn theories of interpersonal and organizational conflict and its resolution as applied to personal, corporate, historical, and political contexts. Students engage in topic driven discussions, deep case study analysis, mediation training, and a capstone simulation exercise. The course emphasizes the significance of leadership in approaching and managing a negotiation situation and organizational conflict resolution.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, One Brattle Square 201
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4225
Negotiation and Organizational Conflict Resolution
Nicholas Coburn-Palo PhD, Preceptor in Public Speaking, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35892 | Section 3
Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the concept and types of negotiation. It is designed for students who wish to manage individual and organizational conflict and negotiations more effectively based on the premise that those in management positions engage in some form of negotiation daily. Students discuss the meaning, types, and different strategies of negotiation with an emphasis on an integrative, collaborative, win-win negotiation approach. A variety of topics are discussed including, but not limited to, workplace conflict, strategies for diagnosing, emotional elements in approaching negotiation and conflict resolution, psychological subprocesses, social contexts, individual and cultural differences, multiparty situations, and dealing with impasses. Students learn theories of interpersonal and organizational conflict and its resolution as applied to personal, corporate, historical, and political contexts. Students engage in topic driven discussions, deep case study analysis, mediation training, and a capstone simulation exercise. The course emphasizes the significance of leadership in approaching and managing a negotiation situation and organizational conflict resolution.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 6:30pm-9:30pm, One Brattle Square 201
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4225
Negotiation and Organizational Conflict Resolution
Lakshmi Balachandra MBA, Consultant and Author
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36052 | Section 4
Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the concept and types of negotiation. It is designed for students who wish to manage individual and organizational conflict and negotiations more effectively based on the premise that those in management positions engage in some form of negotiation daily. Students discuss the meaning, types, and different strategies of negotiation with an emphasis on an integrative, collaborative, win-win negotiation approach. A variety of topics are discussed including, but not limited to, workplace conflict, strategies for diagnosing, emotional elements in approaching negotiation and conflict resolution, psychological subprocesses, social contexts, individual and cultural differences, multiparty situations, and dealing with impasses. Students learn theories of interpersonal and organizational conflict and its resolution as applied to personal, corporate, historical, and political contexts. Students engage in topic driven discussions, deep case study analysis, mediation training, and a capstone simulation exercise. The course emphasizes the significance of leadership in approaching and managing a negotiation situation and organizational conflict resolution.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Emerson Hall 108
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4227
Negotiation Strategies with Artificial Intelligence Simulations
Niraj A. Kumar MA, Chief Executive Officer, ZenKoder, LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35883 | Section 1
Description
In this course, students not only learn practical techniques for handling high-stakes deals and partnerships, but also practice using artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools to simulate real-world negotiation scenarios such as negotiating salaries, hiring employees, negotiating contracts, dealing with investors, and even buying or selling a business. Through hands-on exercises and role-playing with classmates and AI, students develop the skills to confidently navigate tough business negotiations. Perfect for aspiring business leaders, this course prepares students to excel in dynamic, technology-driven negotiation environments by learning how to negotiate effectively without damaging relationships. Students practice creating and claiming value in negotiation simulations and evaluate the impact of underlying psychological biases and personality types on negotiations. After each negotiation simulation, students receive personalized feedback so that they can repeat the simulation and try out other strategies that they learn in this course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Science Center B-10
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4510
Rethinking Performance and Stress: A Multidisciplinary Approach
Carin-Isabel Knoop MBA, Executive Director, Case Research and Writing Group, Harvard Business School
Susanna Sjoberg MA, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Inner Work World
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35894 | Section 1
Description
How can we thrive under pressure while supporting our well-being and the well-being of others? The internal pressure that motivates us to become the best is the same pressure that breaks us apart. In this multidisciplinary course, we explore the dynamic intersection of performance and resilience, drawing on insights from neuroscience, psychology, management, sports, the military, and the arts to address the tensions between achieving excellence and maintaining balance. Participants engage with conceptual material and apply it to real-world challenges through rigorous discussions, case studies, group and individual exercises, and reflections on their experiences. Our curriculum emphasizes hands-on practice, real-time feedback, and collaborative learning to simulate real-world leadership scenarios, equipping students with tools to regulate stress, perform under pressure, and lead with empathy and effectiveness. We have seen in our lives, leadership, and work with managers worldwide how important a holistic, scientific, and human approach is for our performance and well-being.
Prerequisites: Experience with organizational dynamics is helpful but not required.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-4520
The Science of Happiness and Well-Being
Maren Wright Voss PhD, Research Associate, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35781 | Section 1
Description
The course translates findings from academic research, particularly in positive psychology and behavior change, into attitudes, behaviors, and practices that students can apply across careers and work settings to thrive in the workplace and beyond. We explore the various definitions of happiness and the theoretical foundations of well-being science, then glean evidence-based practices to chart a path for achieving a greater sense of well-being. We then apply the science to positive organizational behavior, examining the return on investment (ROI) of happiness as it directly impacts productivity, innovation, and the business case. The course goes beyond knowledge acquisition and requires hands-on student engagement with skill-building practices, first tested on the self and then discussed for application in leadership and management. Students should expect to engage with weekly reflections, goal setting, and practices for behavior change.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
MGMT S-5000
Strategic Management
Shawn P. O’Connor MBA, JD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Reflections Lifestyle Center
Luke John Albertson ALM, Chief Executive Officer, Reflections Lifestyle Center/DWUS, Inc.
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33845 | Section 1
Description
To succeed in the future, managers must develop the resources and capabilities needed to gain and sustain advantage in competitive markets traditional and emerging. The way in which organizations attempt to develop such competitive advantage constitutes the essence of their strategy. This course introduces the concept of strategic management through case analyses, and considers the basic direction and goals of an organization, the environment (social, political, technological, economic, and global factors), industry and market structure, and organizational strengths and weaknesses. The emphasis is on the development and successful implementation of strategy in different types of firms across industries.
Prerequisites: Course work in accounting and two other functional areas recommended.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5015
Applied Sustainable Corporate Responsibility
Brad Allen PhD, Professor of Marketing, School of Business, Plymouth State University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32870 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the role of corporate responsibility as a strategy to improve products, profits, and brand equity. The idea of corporations as simply wealth-creating organizations with no obligations to the environment is no longer acceptable. Globalization and increased transparency of corporate operations have revealed significant variations in how organizations attempt to balance the pursuit of profits and good corporate citizenship. Expectations for measurable progress of corporate environmental programs addressing natural resources, pollution controls, monitoring ethical supply chains, and expanded training of employees are growing globally. Stakeholder expectations have accelerated the need to monetize these initiatives. However, the lack of standardized methodology and metrics has resulted in confusion within many industries, hindering progress. Tracking sustainability progress within organizations has often revealed tremendous opportunities for growth.
Prerequisites: Basic understanding of Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Harvard Hall 202
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
MGMT S-5027
Emerging Markets in the Global Economy
Mohsin Habib PhD, Associate Professor of Management, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34435 | Section 1
Description
This course examines emerging countries in the global economy. Globalization offers these countries the opportunity for economic development. By participating in the international marketplace, emerging countries increase their chances of raising wages and income, accumulating wealth, and reducing poverty. These countries also provide opportunities for companies, mostly from developed countries, to extend their markets. Many emerging countries lack the necessary resources, capacities, and institutions to manage globalization effectively. In this course, students study the institutions in emerging markets that are relevant for managers; explore the differences in the contexts and roles of various actors, such as the government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs); analyze market opportunities and risks; and examine the strategies of firms dealing with emerging markets.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Boylston Hall 105
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5030
Project Management
Shannon Pettiford MS, Senior Information Technology Program Manager, Boston Consulting Group
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35877 | Section 1
Description
This course provides a comprehensive overview of fundamental project management concepts, tools, techniques, and behavioral characteristics necessary for successfully launching, leading, and delivering projects in organizations. Students explore the project management lifecycle, including project definition, scope, planning, monitoring, and benefits realization. Effective project managers must simultaneously manage teams, schedules, risks, budgets, and stakeholders, while delivering desired outcomes within scope, on time, and under budget. The course emphasizes practical, hands-on learning through case studies, team assignments, and individual contributions. Students analyze the impact of organizational change management theory and critical success factors for overcoming resistance to change. Additionally, the course simulates real-world project environments, focusing on group accountability, schedule deadlines, and efficient resource use. Whether a student is new to project management or seeking to refine their skills, this course equips them with the knowledge and facilitation techniques needed to analyze and manage complex projects. By the end of the course, students have practiced and honed the essential skills required for effective project management, bringing project principles to life in an engaging, collaborative team setting.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Science Center B-10
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5030
Project Management
Deb Cote MA, Senior Director, Strategic Planning and Performance, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham
David A. Shore PhD, Adjunct Professor of Organizational Development, Business School, University of Monterrey, Mexico
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35181 | Section 2
Description
This course provides a comprehensive overview of fundamental project management concepts, tools, techniques, and behavioral characteristics necessary for successfully launching, leading, and delivering projects in organizations. Students explore the project management lifecycle, including project definition, scope, planning, monitoring, and benefits realization. Effective project managers must simultaneously manage teams, schedules, risks, budgets, and stakeholders, while delivering desired outcomes within scope, on time, and under budget. The course emphasizes practical, hands-on learning through case studies, team assignments, and individual contributions. Students analyze the impact of organizational change management theory and critical success factors for overcoming resistance to change. Additionally, the course simulates real-world project environments, focusing on group accountability, schedule deadlines, and efficient resource use. Whether a student is new to project management or seeking to refine their skills, this course equips them with the knowledge and facilitation techniques needed to analyze and manage complex projects. By the end of the course, students have practiced and honed the essential skills required for effective project management, bringing project principles to life in an engaging, collaborative team setting.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Boylston Hall 103
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 30 students
MGMT S-5030
Project Management
Luis Sanchez MS, Director of Program Management, Enterprise Project Management Office, Santander Bank
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36055 | Section 3
Description
This course provides a comprehensive overview of fundamental project management concepts, tools, techniques, and behavioral characteristics necessary for successfully launching, leading, and delivering projects in organizations. Students explore the project management lifecycle, including project definition, scope, planning, monitoring, and benefits realization. Effective project managers must simultaneously manage teams, schedules, risks, budgets, and stakeholders, while delivering desired outcomes within scope, on time, and under budget. The course emphasizes practical, hands-on learning through case studies, team assignments, and individual contributions. Students analyze the impact of organizational change management theory and critical success factors for overcoming resistance to change. Additionally, the course simulates real-world project environments, focusing on group accountability, schedule deadlines, and efficient resource use. Whether a student is new to project management or seeking to refine their skills, this course equips them with the knowledge and facilitation techniques needed to analyze and manage complex projects. By the end of the course, students have practiced and honed the essential skills required for effective project management, bringing project principles to life in an engaging, collaborative team setting.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Sever Hall 110
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5030
Project Management
Shannon Pettiford MS, Senior Information Technology Program Manager, Boston Consulting Group
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36056 | Section 4
Description
This course provides a comprehensive overview of fundamental project management concepts, tools, techniques, and behavioral characteristics necessary for successfully launching, leading, and delivering projects in organizations. Students explore the project management lifecycle, including project definition, scope, planning, monitoring, and benefits realization. Effective project managers must simultaneously manage teams, schedules, risks, budgets, and stakeholders, while delivering desired outcomes within scope, on time, and under budget. The course emphasizes practical, hands-on learning through case studies, team assignments, and individual contributions. Students analyze the impact of organizational change management theory and critical success factors for overcoming resistance to change. Additionally, the course simulates real-world project environments, focusing on group accountability, schedule deadlines, and efficient resource use. Whether a student is new to project management or seeking to refine their skills, this course equips them with the knowledge and facilitation techniques needed to analyze and manage complex projects. By the end of the course, students have practiced and honed the essential skills required for effective project management, bringing project principles to life in an engaging, collaborative team setting.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Science Center B-10
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5033
Supply Chain Management
Zal Phiroz PhD, President, Pier Consulting Group
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33018 | Section 1
Description
From corporate giants to small businesses, the optimization of supply chain techniques and operations practices plays a critical factor in establishing a competitive advantage. This course introduces the concept of supply chain management and identifies industry innovation, methods of cost reduction, and operations optimization techniques. In addition to hosting industry leading guest speakers, the course follows a case study approach to identify the relationship between domestic and foreign goods supply and logistical efficiency, while examining a number of areas including strategic positioning, environmental factors, and effective supply chain growth and development.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
MGMT S-5081
Innovating with Generative Artificial Intelligence for Leaders and Managers
Steven Strauss PhD, Lecturer and John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs Co. Visiting Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36053 | Section 1
Description
This course provides current and future leaders and managers with practical knowledge and strategic insights to become first movers in generative artificial intelligence (GAI) innovation at three essential levels: as individual contributors, team managers, and organizational leaders. The insights and skills gained help differentiate students professionally, providing valuable expertise in one of today’s most sought-after domains and preparing them to reimagine processes and organizations for the GAI era. GAI is a general purpose technology a versatile innovation with broad economic impacts and extensive spillover effects, similar to historical transformations driven by electricity and computing. Achieving GAI’s full potential requires significant innovation in work processes and management practices, a transformation that is just beginning. Through interactive discussions, real-world case studies, and hands-on exercises, students explore foundational concepts, examine diverse business applications, and evaluate the strategic, ethical, and operational implications of deploying GAI. A core component of this course involves developing a no-code GAI application to address a specific business challenge or opportunity. This is a hands-on course, and we actively use GAI in every class session.
Prerequisites: No technical or programming background is required. Students should be comfortable working in teams and experimenting with new technologies. Recommended preparation includes coursework or experience in business, government, the not-for-profit sector, management, technology and society, or microeconomics.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Emerson Hall 108
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. A subscription to ChatGPT Plus (a generative artificial intelligence model) is required for this course. The subscription costs $20 for the month and can be canceled after the course ends.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5100
Essentials of Management
Carmine P. Gibaldi EdD, Professor of Management and Organizational Psychology, St. John’s University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34434 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces the important aspects of managing a business in a global environment. It addresses decision-making in connection with communications, marketing, human relations, managing people, corporate social responsibility, and managerial ethics, as well as issues affecting efficiency, and it provides the framework for making sound decisions among competing strategic priorities and objectives. Students weigh the risks and rewards of different types of management decisions while acquiring varied business skills.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Please note: In addition to the scheduled class time, this course has required recorded lectures and activities that students complete on demand. Please see course syllabus for details. The overall amount of time students spend on this course is equivalent to other 4-credit courses.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-540
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Mike Grandinetti MBA, Adjunct Lecturer in Engineering, School of Engineering and Faculty Lead, School of Professional Studies, Brown University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35857 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed to teach fundamental principles and best practices and methodologies for creating and scaling a successful, high-impact entrepreneurial venture. The course is highly experiential and action-based. Human-centric design and highly iterative lean/agile methodologies serve as cornerstones for this course. Students are grouped into teams around common interests and the venture creation process is walked through step by step, culminating in a pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists. Students may not take both MGMT S-540 and MGMT S-5400 for degree or certificate credit.
Prerequisites: Very strong communication skills as this is an intensely team-focused course. Students work on real ventures and there is a workshop component to each class.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, Emerson Hall 101
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
MGMT S-5400
Introduction to Entrepreneurship
Lakshmi Balachandra MBA, Consultant and Author
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35891 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed to teach fundamental principles and best practices and methodologies for creating and scaling a successful, high-impact entrepreneurial venture. The course is highly experiential and action-based. Human-centric design and highly iterative lean/agile methodologies serve as cornerstones for this course. Students are grouped into teams around common interests and the venture creation process is walked through step by step, culminating in a pitch to angel investors and venture capitalists. Students may not take both MGMT S-540 and MGMT S-5400 for degree or certificate credit.
Prerequisites: Very strong communication skills as this is an intensely team-focused course. Students work on real ventures and there is a workshop component to each class.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Boylston Hall 105
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5406
Entrepreneurship in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Niraj A. Kumar MA, Chief Executive Officer, ZenKoder, LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35882 | Section 1
Description
This course explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the world of entrepreneurship, making it easier to launch and grow businesses. Students learn how to use AI-driven tools to streamline everything from product development to marketing. Through case studies and practical exercises, students see how AI is changing the way start-ups operate. Students learn about the lean start-up, how to evaluate a competitive landscape, develop a customer interview protocol, practice an investor pitch, and gain the entrepreneurial mindset. Perfect for students interested in technology and innovation, this course helps students understand how to thrive as an entrepreneur in the AI era.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Harvard Hall 201
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-542
Leadership and Impact: Applying Design Thinking to Real-World Challenges
Steve Gardner ALM, Owner and Teacher, Global Impact Council
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35884 | Section 1
Description
In this course, students identify their core values, explore how to align them with daily actions, and apply the framework of design thinking to lead to meaningful change. They develop the skills to navigate ambiguity and complexity in problem-solving, learning how to create impact even in uncertain environments. Through hands-on projects, students master strategies to tackle challenges in a rapidly evolving world, including those driven by emerging technologies like generative artificial intelligence (AI). This course challenges students to move beyond the traditional school progression mindset and make an immediate impact on their communities by solving real-world problems that violate their core values. By focusing on core values and emotional intelligence, students learn that leadership is not dependent on titles alone, but on the ability to guide teams through ambiguity and complexity with empathy and collaboration. This action-oriented approach, when combined with appropriate skills and experience, empowers students to leverage the opportunities and navigate the challenges that generative AI brings. Even as job markets evolve, human-centered problem solving always remains a valuable and essential skill.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 8:30am-11:00am, Northwest Science Building B108
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5425
Design Thinking and Innovation
Katri Nousiainen LLM, Professor, Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35886 | Section 1
Description
The world is changing at an unprecedented pace and ambiguity is everywhere. Design thinking, innovation, agile, and many other approaches to problem solving have never been more important. But often these methods are only accessible to an exclusive club of people who are certified in a methodology and allowed to practice design and innovation. In this course, we believe in radical access to design and innovation. We believe that for design and innovation to change the world for the better it has to be inclusive, human centered, and accessible to everyone everywhere. In this course, students learn how to leverage the foundational mindsets and abilities of design thinking and innovation to make change in their lives, organizations, and the world. Students hone their ability to learn from others, find unexpected insights, tell world changing stories, and generate innovative ideas through ongoing collaborative course work. This is a practical, hands-on course that requires group work and comfort with ambiguity (just like design in the real world).
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Boylston Hall 105
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5700
Management Consulting
Mukul Kumar PhD, Chief Innovation Officer, Hult International Business School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35782 | Section 1
Description
This course offers an in-depth overview of the management consulting industry. Topics include the structure, conduct, and performance of the management consulting industry; firms in the industry and their competitive strategies; ideas, tools, and frameworks that these firms have put into practice; problem-solving, communication, interviewing, and client relation skills that are necessary for success in the industry; and navigating management consulting careers. This is not a traditional lecture-based course. Conceptual material is illustrated and applied to the real world through rigorous class discussion of business cases, examples, group and individual exercises, and students’ experiences. The course emphasizes hands-on skills practice and real-time feedback via a live consulting engagement experience.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 3:15pm-6:15pm, Sever Hall 102
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5752
Future Vision 2050: Strategic Implications of the Big Trends Shaping Our World
Mukul Kumar PhD, Chief Innovation Officer, Hult International Business School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35881 | Section 1
Description
How will your organization, industry, and professional career adapt to the major trends reshaping our world? As the pace of change accelerates, it can feel overwhelming to anticipate and prepare for future shifts. This course addresses that challenge by examining ten major trends set to transform business, society, and human life by 2050. Through tools like scenario planning, systems thinking, and creative storytelling, we explore key areas such as technological innovations (for example, artificial intelligence [AI], quantum computing, and personalized medicine), demographic shifts, climate change, and workplace transformation. Students create narratives about the impact of these trends on industries, businesses, and personal futures through writing, video projects, group presentations, and discussions with guest experts.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 6:30pm-9:30pm, One Brattle Square 205
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-5755
Decision-Making in Business: Past, Present, and Future
Areen Shahbari MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Executive and Corporate Training and Consulting, Cactus International
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35885 | Section 1
Description
This course examines decision-making through the lens of business strategy across three critical phases: the past, present, and future. In the first segment, we journey back in time to scrutinize historical business decisions. We analyze pivotal moments like Apple’s groundbreaking introduction of the iPhone and Sony’s launch of the PlayStation gaming console. Through lively debates and deep dives into the context surrounding these decisions, we uncover valuable insights into their effectiveness and the factors influencing their outcomes. Next, we shift our focus to the present, dissecting contemporary business decisions with a critical eye. We explore examples such as Aramco’s strategic investments in renewable energy and Microsoft’s bold push into artificial intelligence. Through rigorous analysis and open dialogue, we evaluate the potential impacts of these decisions and engage in thought-provoking discussions on whether they represent the right strategic moves for the companies involved. In the final leg of our course, we peer into the future, anticipating the decisions that companies will need to make. We explore Spotify’s potential expansion into video content and exclusive podcasting and The Honest Company’s strategy for diversifying its product lines. Drawing on current trends and emerging market dynamics, we collectively envision optimal avenues for these companies to expand further, providing a glimpse into the strategic landscape that lies ahead.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-599
Capstone: Entrepreneurship in Action
Henrik Totterman DSc, Professor of Practice, Entrepreneurship and Management, Hult International Business School and Chief Executive Officer, Lead X3M, LLC
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34791 | Section 1
Description
This course is intended as the capstone course for the Harvard Extension School’s Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), management, integrating coursework in functional areas such as marketing, finance, accounting, human resource management, and operations management. It introduces the concept of strategic management through case analyses involving the basic direction and goals of a real-world challenge, organization, or capstone client; the social, political, technological, economic, and global environment; the industry and market structure; and the organization’s strengths and weaknesses. The emphasis is on the development and successful implementation of strategy in different types of firms.
Prerequisites: This course is only for officially admitted capstone track candidates in the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM), management. Candidates must be in good academic standing and have successfully completed the seven core degree-applicable courses and the precapstone course, MGMT E-597, in the previous Harvard Extension School spring term with a grade of B-minus or higher. Candidates who do not meet these requirements are dropped from the course.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Harvard Hall 201
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 30 students
MGMT S-6000
Marketing Management
Shawn P. O’Connor MBA, JD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Reflections Lifestyle Center
Luke John Albertson ALM, Chief Executive Officer, Reflections Lifestyle Center/DWUS, Inc.
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34220 | Section 1
Description
In this comprehensive and practical introduction to marketing management, students improve their ability to make effective marketing decisions, including assessing marketing opportunities and developing marketing strategies and implementation plans. Course topics include market-oriented strategic planning, marketing research and information systems, buyer behavior, target market selection, competitive positioning, product and service planning and management, pricing, distribution, and integrated communications including advertising, public relations, internet marketing, social media, direct marketing, and sales promotions. Through a combination of interactive discussions, cases, practical examples, individual assignments, and a group project, the course applies marketing topics to consumer and business-to-business products, services, and nonprofit organizations. Students gain significant experience in communicating and defending their marketing recommendations and building on the ideas of others.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
MGMT S-6000
Marketing Management
Susan Hughes-Isley PhD, Associate Professor of Speech Communication/Journalism, Perimeter College, Georgia State University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35887 | Section 2
Description
In this comprehensive and practical introduction to marketing management, students improve their ability to make effective marketing decisions, including assessing marketing opportunities and developing marketing strategies and implementation plans. Course topics include market-oriented strategic planning, marketing research and information systems, buyer behavior, target market selection, competitive positioning, product and service planning and management, pricing, distribution, and integrated communications including advertising, public relations, internet marketing, social media, direct marketing, and sales promotions. Through a combination of interactive discussions, cases, practical examples, individual assignments, and a group project, the course applies marketing topics to consumer and business-to-business products, services, and nonprofit organizations. Students gain significant experience in communicating and defending their marketing recommendations and building on the ideas of others.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 40 students
MGMT S-6630
Sustainability Marketing
Thomas Murphy MBA, Professor of Practice, Graduate School of Management, Clark University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33345 | Section 1
Description
This course develops the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully market sustainable products and services. At the end of the course students are able to understand the key elements of developing a successful marketing strategy and branding approach for a sustainable market offering. The course also reviews global trends and issues that influence sustainable product success.
Prerequisites: Working knowledge of marketing or customer engagement.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
MGMT S-8010
Microeconomics of Business
Zinnia Mukherjee PhD, Associate Professor of Economics, Simmons University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35830 | Section 1
Description
This course presents the basic analytical tools of microeconomics. We start by looking at the basic operation of a market where price and quantity of a product are determined. Then we focus on the decision-making of individual consumers and ask how these decisions can be optimized or improved. Next, we look at the ways firms make and coordinate their decisions under varying market structures, including perfect competition and monopoly. Then we look at strategic behavior in imperfectly competitive markets, such as monopolistic competition and oligopoly, making use of concepts from game theory. Finally, we take up topics including information economics, environmental externalities, and public goods. Students may not take both ECON S-1010 and MGMT S-8010 for degree or certificate credit.
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of algebra. A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 80 students
MUSE S-100
Introduction to Museum Studies
Katherine Burton Jones MA, Director, Museum Studies, Harvard Extension School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33278 | Section 1
Description
This course provides a behind-the-scenes view of museums from the people who are actively involved in their operations. Students learn about the history and objectives of various types of museums (art, natural history, science, historical, zoological) through panel discussions that involve museum directors, curators, conservators, collection managers, and exhibit designers. The focus is the rich and diverse resources of Harvard University’s museums, but there are also guest lecturers from other local museums. The course is required for students planning to apply to the Harvard Extension School’s graduate program in museum studies, but is also appropriate for the avid museum-goer who desires a more comprehensive understanding of how museums function.
Class Meetings:
Online
Optional sections Mondays, 6:30-7:30 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. The recorded lectures are from the fall 2022 Harvard Extension School course MUSE E-100.
MUSE S-102
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Research in Museum Studies
Jeffrey Robert Wilson PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33935 | Section 1
Description
In this proseminar, students develop the skills necessary to engage in graduate-level research in the field of museum studies. Students read classic scholarly texts in museum studies and complete short assignments designed to hone their academic writing skills including critical reading, textual analysis, and argument development. Students also write a 10-page research essay that reflects a particular area of interest within the field of museum studies. Throughout the semester we consider the theory that informs museum practice. In particular, we examine how museums can powerfully mediate encounters with the collective past and reflect the politics of race, class, and gender as well as individual, communal, and national identities. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course, EXPO S-42a. MUSE S-100 is also recommended.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
MUSE S-131
Museum Informatics: Leveraging Information to Make Data-Driven Decisions
Katherine Burton Jones MA, Director, Museum Studies, Harvard Extension School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33529 | Section 1
Description
Museums have managed large amounts of data for over forty years, often relying on disparate systems within siloed departments. This fragmentation makes it challenging to identify the natural connections that exist in managing data about people, objects, and events. This course focuses on the data systems used in museums to explore these underlying relationships and their potential benefits. We examine the key metrics and data points between various museum functions, such as the relationships between fundraising, membership, attendance, and social media engagement. Additionally, we delve into collections management systems to identify patterns in giving that could be leveraged by connecting this data with other datasets. This analytical approach is particularly relevant to museum educators, as they gather and interpret data on programs offered, attendance rates, and evaluation feedback to inform the design and success of future initiatives. Moreover, big data extends beyond merely connecting information about constituents and visitors. By digitizing historical collections, researchers gain the ability to analyze field notes, specimen records, and scientific analyses from past fieldwork. This digitization enables the measurement of historical trends and their comparison with current data, providing researchers with access to insights that may otherwise remain hidden in paper records. Topics covered in this course include museum data systems and their key metrics, developing an effective information policy, systems integration for seamless data connectivity, metadata and tagging for enhanced data categorization, and information storage and retrieval techniques. By concentrating on these areas, the course aims to equip participants with the knowledge to effectively manage and utilize museum data, thereby enhancing operational efficiency and the overall visitor experience.
Prerequisites: MUSE S-100 preferred. The Harvard Extension School course MUSE E-130 is recommended.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 18 students
MUSE S-141a
Close Looking in the Museum: Pedagogies in Practice
Jen Thum PhD, Associate Director of Academic Engagement and Campus Partnerships and Research Curator, Harvard Art Museums
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36012 | Section 1
Description
Museums are spaces for learners of all kinds to question, wonder, investigate, discuss, and build practical and analytical skills. Yet the average museum visitor spends less than 30 seconds looking at a work of art. How does one even begin to look closely? And how can we convince audiences of the power of slowing down? Based in the diverse, world-class collections at the Harvard Art Museums, this practice-based course explores a variety of strategies for close looking and object-based learning, while taking a critical approach to these pedagogies. We read key scholarship on a range of methods for learning from art and other objects, and then model and assess those methods ourselves. We explore what close looking can feel like for various types of learners and imagine creative ways to engage them longer and more deeply. Course activities include field-testing and reflecting on various close-looking strategies at the Harvard Art Museums, active discussions, and group work. Readings on theories and methods in museum pedagogy, with particular emphasis on art museum pedagogy, form the basis of our inquiries. The final project is for students to design a hypothetical museum-based learning experience for an audience of their choice. Students may not take both MUSE E-141 (offered previously) and MUSE S-141a for degree or certificate credit.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-31, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Harvard Art Museums 0600
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 18 students
MUSI S-190r
Technomusicology
Wayne G. Marshall PhD, Assistant Professor of Music History, Berklee College of Music
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33876 | Section 1
Description
In this course we make audio and video art that examines the interplay between music and technology since the dawn of sound reproduction and especially in the digital age. Embracing new technologies ourselves, we use the popular, powerful music software Ableton Live to explore new techniques and idioms for storytelling by composing a series of etudes, or studies, in particular media forms. These etudes can accommodate novice experimentation or virtuoso programming while offering shared conceptual ground to all. Students develop a familiarity with the history of sound media while cultivating competencies in audio and video editing, sampling and arranging, mixing and remixing, as well as in critical listening, writing, and discussion.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHIL S-109
Buddhist Philosophy
Parimal G. Patil PhD, Wales Professor of Sanskrit and Professor of Religion and Indian Philosophy, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35522 | Section 1
Description
Indian Buddhism has inspired philosophers for almost 2500 years. Yet, relative to Euro-American philosophy, Buddhist philosophy has received little attention. In this course, we explore the rich traditions of Indian Buddhist philosophy. More specifically, we discuss topics in Buddhist epistemology, ethics, metaphysics, philosophy of action, and philosophy of mind. We pay particular attention to the arguments that Buddhist philosophers used to defend their views and respond to their critics. In addition to understanding these arguments in their historical contexts, we ask what we can learn from them today and, when relevant, investigate how they are being used in contemporary philosophy.
Prerequisites: Previous coursework in philosophy would be helpful.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, 1 Story Street 304
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHIL S-12
Deductive Logic
James Pearson PhD, Professor of Philosophy, Bridgewater State University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33526 | Section 1
Description
Logic is the study of valid argumentation. A valid argument is one whose conclusion is implied by its premises. By learning to paraphrase English arguments in a formal symbolic language, we clarify this relationship between premises and conclusion, and refine our ability to distinguish good reasoning from bad reasoning. Students in this course learn how to analyze argumentative structure, construct counter-examples, and formally deduce one statement from another. It is expected that students work in groups on weekly problem sets. These problem sets are designed to challenge students’ communication and critical thinking skills.
Prerequisites: A strong background in mathematics is recommended.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, 1 Story Street 304
Optional sections Fridays, time to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHIL S-150
Philosophy, Ethics, and Technology
Jordan Kokot PhD
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35833 | Section 1
Description
From TikTok to Meta and from CRISPR to digital gamification, extended reality, and the struggle against climate change, dramatic advances in technology are shaping our world and our lives like never before. This course investigates the moral, social, and political implications of these and other new technologies. How should we understand privacy and surveillance in the age of metadata? Will emerging biotechnologies and life-tracking metrics allow us to re-engineer humanity? Should we edit our genes or those of our children to extend human lives and enhance human abilities? Can geo-engineering resolve the climate crisis? How will artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics change the work world? Can machines be conscious and what would it mean if they can? Will AI help us reduce bias and combat bigotry or make things worse? What does the explosion of social media mean for human agency? How can we live an act in meaningful ways in a world increasingly dominated by technological and capital forces? This course explores how technology and our attitudes toward it are transforming who we are, what we do, how we make friends, care for our health, and conduct our social and political lives. In doing so, we also investigate fundamental philosophical and ethical questions about agency, integrity, virtue, the good, and what it means to be human in an uncertain and shifting world.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Boylston Hall 103
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
PHIL S-159
Biotechnology and the Human Good
Timothy Furlan PhD, Burnett Family Distinguished Chair in Ethics, University of St. Thomas, Director, Center for Ethical Leadership, and Senior Editor, Pediatric Ethicscope
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34553 | Section 1
Description
Biotechnology offers exciting and promising prospects for healing the sick and relieving suffering. But exactly because of their impressive powers to alter the workings of body and mind, the dual uses of the same technologies make them attractive also to people who are not sick but who would use them to look younger, perform better, feel happier, or become more perfect. These applications of biotechnology are already presenting us with some unfamiliar and very difficult challenges. In this course, we consider such possible beyond therapy uses, and explore both their scientific basis and the ethical and social issues they are likely to raise. We consider how pursuing the goals of better children, superior performance, ageless bodies, or happy souls might be aided or hindered, elevated or degraded, by seeking them through a wide variety of technological means. Among the biotechnological techniques considered are techniques for screening genes and testing embryos, choosing sex of children, modifying the behavior of children, augmenting muscle size and strength, enhancing athletic performance, slowing senescence, blunting painful memories, brightening mood, and altering basic temperaments. Toward the end of the course, we begin to ask what kinds of human beings and what sort of society we might be creating in the coming age of biotechnology.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHIL S-167
Introduction to Biomedical Ethics
Eli Hirsch PhD, Charles Goldman Professor of Philosophy, Brandeis University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30201 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces the basic concepts and theories of ethics and applies them to some of the most widely discussed issues of the day. Students examine ethical issues that arise in a biomedical context, such as euthanasia, eugenics, reproductive control, lying to patients, and the right to health care.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHIL S-167
Introduction to Biomedical Ethics
Jordan Kokot PhD
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35933 | Section 2
Description
This course introduces and wrestles with some of the central themes, concepts, and issues in biomedical ethics. Ethics is the study of normativity or shoulds, and biomedical ethics takes on the challenge of thinking through the normative aspects of the fact that we are all biological beings who frequently require medical intervention to help us live and flourish. In a modern context, this medical intervention is highly structured by institution, economic, and legal background conditions, so this course also takes on questions concerning the medical complex, social norms and assumptions around treatment, and the normative language of cure. In this course, students consider some of the ethical dilemmas that scientists, researchers, health care practitioners, policymakers, and individuals face in the wake of the tremendous scientific and technological changes that have taken place in the medical world over the last few centuries. How ought we balance patient autonomy with the specialized knowledge of medical professionals? Should people be able to sell their organs or reproductive services? Should parents be allowed to choose their child’s genetic makeup? What is the relationship between social norms and personal health care? How should we think about disability? What are the consequences of the medicalization of gender? Along the way, students read both works of academic bioethics as well as popular articles on salient contemporary issues.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 8:30am-11:00am, Boylston Hall 103
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
PHIL S-178
Gender, Race, and Social Reality
Quyen Pham PhD, Lecturer on Philosophy, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35952 | Section 1
Description
What is gender, and how is one’s gender distinct from one’s sex? What is race, and how is it different from ethnicity? This course introduces students to major connected themes and philosophical perspectives in classic and contemporary discussions about gender and race, through foundational questions about their reality, nature, and intersection, as well as practical issues concerning morality, personal identity, and social justice.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Sever Hall 105
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHIL S-18
Human Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy
Seth Robertson PhD, Lecturer on Philosophy, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35011 | Section 1
Description
Does might make right? Should a person focus on achieving immortality or on living a simple, happy, mortal life? Is morality simply a matter of convention? Why be moral when being immoral could provide access to wealth, fame, and power? What do people owe a society that has failed in its obligations to its people? How can we identify and resist oppression, marginalization, and injustice? Human beings have been thinking about and debating questions like these for thousands of years. This course explores the history of ethics and moral philosophy from a genuinely inclusive perspective by focusing on ethical thought from all over the world, with special emphasis on marginalized groups that have typically received little attention in academic philosophy.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, Sever Hall 106
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHYS S-11
Introduction to Relativity: From Cosmic Rays to Black Holes
Nicholas A. Agia PhD, Preceptor in Physics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35798 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an introduction to basic notions in special relativity and general relativity. After discussing the older Galilean relativity of Newtonian mechanics, the Lorentz transformations of special relativity are derived and their consequences (including length contraction, time dilation, simultaneity, causality, and relativistic kinematics) are explored. The larger framework of Einstein’s general relativity is then introduced, focusing on the underlying equivalence principle and how spacetime is properly described by a metric. Toward the end of the course, Einstein’s field equations are introduced and applications to gravitational wave interferometry and black holes are briefly discussed.
Prerequisites: MATH S-1a or the equivalent. Students must have familiarity with single-variable calculus, though multivariable calculus is preferred; they should also have familiarity with vectors, matrices, and Newtonian mechanics.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 304
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHYS S-12
Introduction to Digital Fabrication
Nathan Melenbrink MDes, Lecturer on Physics, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34524 | Section 1
Description
This course is a hands-on introduction to rapid prototyping, integrating physics, engineering, design, computer science, and art. Students learn to safely use software and hardware to fabricate programmable projects in a collaborative environment. Tools and topics include shop safety, hand tools, laser cutter, 3D printer, computer-controlled milling, electronic circuit design, programmable microcontrollers, molding, and casting. Applications include personal fabrication, product prototyping, fine arts, and creation of scientific research tools. Biweekly class meetings consist of a discussion of the previous assignment, a short lecture on the next topic, and a hands-on training session for the accompanying assignment. The course culminates with an individual final project, integrating as many of the topics as possible. In addition to class meetings there are supervised help sessions to work on assignments. Each student documents work on each biweekly topic in a personal website, thereby finishing the course with an online portfolio that not only illustrates their new skill sets, but also contributes to a collective repository of knowledge. Although no fabrication expertise is required, the open-ended nature of the course would make it valuable for students with any amount of prior experience.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Science Center 102
Required sections Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3-5 pm, or Wednesdays and Fridays, 3-5 pm.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 25 students
PHYS S-1a
Principles of Physics: Mechanics
Olivia C. Miller PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Learning Incubator, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35715 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to Newtonian mechanics. Topics include Newton’s laws, kinematics, statics, conservation of energy and momentum, the simple harmonic oscillator, and rotations. This course fulfills one of two semesters of physics for entrance to medical school. May be taken concurrently with PHYS S-1b.
Prerequisites: This course presumes that students have taken precalculus and are comfortable with trigonometry and algebra. Exposure to the concepts of mechanics is helpful.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Science Center B
Required labs and sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PHYS S-1b
Principles of Physics: Electromagnetism, Circuits, Waves, and Ray Optics
Timothy W. Milbourne PhD, Preceptor in Physics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35735 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to electromagnetism, wave optics, and ray optics. Topics covered include electrostatics, circuits, magnetism, diffraction, interference, and image formation via reflection and refraction. This course has a laboratory component and fulfills one of two semesters of physics for entrance to medical school. It may be taken concurrently with PHYS S-1a.
Prerequisites: Strong knowledge of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry is required. This is not a calculus-based course; familiarity with differential calculus is helpful but not necessary. Background in mechanics at the level of PHYS S-1a is also helpful but not necessary.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Science Center B
Required labs and optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PORT S-Ac
Beginning Portuguese for Spanish Speakers
Jaqueline Ristau PhD, Teaching Assistant in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36024 | Section 1
Description
This is the first course in the beginning Portuguese sequence for students with a strong background in Spanish who intend to establish a solid foundation in Portuguese. This course offers the linguistic and cultural structures necessary for basic communication in Portuguese, with emphasis on the features of Portuguese that are most challenging for Spanish speakers: pronunciation, idioms, and grammatical structures peculiar to Brazilian Portuguese. Over the course of the semester, students learn to express themselves effectively in Portuguese. Students are exposed to contextualized Luso-Afro-Brazilian culture through music, film, literature, and social media. By the end of the semester, students have developed linguistic and cultural competence sufficient to expresses themselves, participate in conversations on familiar topics, and handle short social interactions in Portuguese. This course is conducted entirely in Portuguese.
Prerequisites: A solid knowledge of, but not necessarily native proficiency in, Spanish.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-8:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 14 students
PSYC S-1
Introduction to Psychology
Elizabeth Phelps PhD, Pershing Square Professor of Neuroscience, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 30204 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of psychology and the results of classic studies and current research in the major areas of this discipline: physiological psychology, learning and motivation, sensation and perception, cognition, emotion, development, social psychology, personality, and clinical psychology. Students gain an understanding of major issues addressed in psychological research today, including the complex interactions between nature and nurture and the neural bases of human behavior.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Boylston Hall FONG
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PSYC S-1022
The Psychology of Happiness
Matthew O. Kimble PhD, Professor of Psychology, Middlebury College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35849 | Section 1
Description
What can psychology contribute to the discussion of happiness and meaning in life? That is the central question for this course. The overall purpose is to provide an appreciation for how psychology approaches this question and how psychology, both through theory and research, has provided knowledge and guidance around this issue. What have the major thinkers in the field said about happiness? What does contemporary research add to the discussion? In the process, the course explores the limitations, strategies, and possibilities with respect to how humans can change their sense of well-being.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
PSYC S-1027
Psychophysiology of Stress and Resilience
Vladimir Ivkovic PhD, Instructor in Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35815 | Section 1
Description
This course explores the concepts of stress and resilience in relation to the underlying psychophysiologic mechanisms that regulate them. Shaped by evolutionary forces, human psychophysiologic, emotional, behavioral, and social performance continuously adapts to intrinsic and extrinsic stressors with the aim of improving fitness. The traditional topics are supplemented with current stress-related research in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. These core topics and processes are discussed in the broader context of (mental) health and understanding of the etiology of stress-related psychopathologies, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Contemporary findings from research studies conducted in laboratory (for example, neuroimaging), occupational and extreme (for example, spaceflight), and clinical (for example, mental health clinic) environments are discussed in the context of history, systems, and research paradigms used to study psychophysiology of stress. Theoretical concepts and research findings are evaluated relative to their utility in developing prevention and mitigation strategies for stress-related psychopathologies, and translational implementation in clinical treatments. This course may feature expert guest lecturers (occupational health experts, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA] and Antarctic researchers) and demonstrations of state-of-the-art experimental methodologies used in psychophysiologic research on stress and resilience.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 19 students
PSYC S-1240
Psychopathology
Shelley H. Carson PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33784 | Section 1
Description
This course is an introduction to the study of psychopathology. It focuses on theoretical models of abnormal behavior as they relate to the definition, etiology, and treatment of mental disorders. Diagnostic classification, and behavioral and biological features of the major syndromes of psychopathology are emphasized.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PSYC S-1242
Introduction to Research in Psychopathology
Mayron Piccolo PhD, Lecturer on Psychology, Harvard University
Romina Evelyn Recabarren MA
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35801 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed to make students familiar with the fundamental concepts, methods, and ethics of conducting research in the field of psychopathology. Students gain an understanding of the research process, starting from the development of a research question to the articulation of hypotheses, methods, and data analysis. During the course, students engage with both classic and contemporary studies, critically evaluating methods and findings in the domain of psychopathology research. A cornerstone of the course is the development of a group research proposal on a topic related to psychopathology, aimed at offering students hands-on experience in conceptualizing and planning a research study.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Sever Hall 110
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
PSYC S-1310
Cognitive Neuroscience
Elizabeth Phelps PhD, Pershing Square Professor of Neuroscience, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36007 | Section 1
Description
This course provides students with a foundational knowledge of cognitive neuroscience, a field that studies the intricate links between the mind, the brain, and behavior. Students learn basics about brain anatomy and function and the methods used to study how the brain supports cognition and behavior. We explore the various functions of the brain by taking a journey from lower to higher level cognitive processes. We study how we can sense and perceive the world, act in it, remember it, feel about it, control thoughts and behaviors, make decisions, and think about others.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Online
Required sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 100 students
PSYC S-1410
Introduction to Psychopharmacology
Steven Raymond Boomhower PhD, Principal Toxicologist, Gradient
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34864 | Section 1
Description
Human interaction with drugs permeates our society. Alcohol, cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, heroin, and marijuana all of these chemicals act on the brain and alter an individual’s behavior. Psychopharmacology is the study of drugs’ effects on behavior and is a growing interdisciplinary field in psychology. This course is designed as an introduction to the methods of psychopharmacology, both in humans and nonhumans. We survey a wide variety of drug classes, select drugs, basic concepts in pharmacology, behavioral methodology, clinical applications, and drug effects on the nervous system. This course is meant to emphasize both historical and classical studies in the field of psychopharmacology, as well as topical developments relevant to present-day issues related to drugs, addiction, and human behavior.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PSYC S-1440
Sleep and Mental Health
Edward Franz Pace-Schott PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34537 | Section 1
Description
The scientific study of sleep is an area of research that is both highly diverse and among the most interdisciplinary and unifying of topics in psychology and neuroscience. In the past several decades, exciting new discoveries on the neurobiology of sleep have been facilitated by technologies such as functional neuroimaging and molecular genetics. Nonetheless, sleep remains mysterious and controversial and, remarkably, there still is no generally agreed upon function for this behavioral state that occupies one third of our lives. Importantly, sleep science exemplifies the translational approach in biomedical science whereby human and animal research together continually advance the field of sleep medicine. Following an overview on the physiology and behavioral neuroscience of sleep, students choose a topic related to the effects of sleep on mental health to research in depth, to present to the class, and to discuss in a term paper. Topics might include the characteristic abnormalities in sleep occurring in mood, anxiety, psychotic, addictive, autism spectrum, or neurodegenerative disorders. Such changes are increasingly seen as bidirectional, with sleep disturbances contributing to the waking symptoms of these mental disorders. Other topics might focus on the contribution of primary sleep disorders to psychiatric and neurological illness such as the linkage between sleep apnea and depression, circadian rhythm disorders in bipolar illness, insomnia as a risk factor for mood and anxiety disorders, or contribution of nocturnal seizures to neurodevelopmental disorders. Still other topics may focus on the contribution of normal sleep to emotional regulation, memory consolidation, and human performance factors. For those with more neuroscientific interests, topics might include neuroimaging of cognitive functioning following sleep deprivation or the growing interest in trafficking and disposal of abnormal proteins during sleep having a potential role in neurodegenerative illness.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 19 students
PSYC S-1503
The Psychology of Close Relationships
Holly Parker PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34497 | Section 1
Description
This course is an exploration of the psychology of close human relationships. We learn about intimate (romantic) relationships and friendships, and the ways in which these two kinds of relationships interact. Other kinds of close relationships (family and work relationships, for example) are integrated into the course, and although they are extremely valuable relationships in their own right, they are addressed secondarily to romantic relationships and friendships for the purposes of this course. Examples of topics include the biological bases of attraction and love, relationship formation and dissolution, relational interaction patterns, relationship satisfaction, and the social context of relationships (the influence of others). Students have an opportunity to explore relationships through readings in the popular press, but ultimately a scholarly, critical examination of the scientific literature serves as the foundation of our learning throughout the course. Students find that the literature contains unexpected findings that can change the way they look at relationships, both from academic and applied, real-life perspectives.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or the equivalent.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PSYC S-1507
Psychology of Diversity
Mona Sue Weissmark PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Mennatallah Essam Aly Mohamed Mohamed Saleh
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32397 | Section 1
Description
This course goes beyond traditional diversity approaches, focusing on the application of scientific thinking to explore diversity and polarizing topics. It examines how diversity intersects with psychological processes at individual, interpersonal, and global levels. Key questions addressed include: what is diversity? How do race, nationality, and religion shape individuals and relationships? How does diversity impact perceptions of fairness, justice, and social change? Can respect for diversity foster peace and positive change? A new focus of this course is diversity and artificial intelligence (AI), including an exploration of how AI may address diversity topics as it has an ever more global impact. Through evidence-based insights and thought-provoking discussions, students gain a deeper understanding of how diversity influences individuals, relationships, and society.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
PSYC S-1609
Neuroscience of Learning: An Introduction to Mind, Brain, Health, and Education
Tracey Noel Tokuhama-Espinosa PhD, Educational Researcher
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35800 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an overview of the neuroscience of learning through mind, brain, health, and education science (MBHE), or the intersection of psychology, cognitive neuroscience, health, and education. Fundamental biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors are introduced with an emphasis on critical functions related to learning and achievement across settings, age groups, and concepts, such as epigenetics, sensitive periods, and neuroplasticity. In addition, factors that facilitate and roadblocks that inhibit optimization of learning are explored as we discuss key cognitive constructs (language, attention, memory, executive functions, and affect/emotions) with special attention to comparative cultural influences on neurocognitive processes. These studies are directly applied by students who complete the transdisciplinary research project, which is conducted in an area of personal interest.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Harvard Hall 202
Required sections for graduate-credit students, optional sections for undergraduate-credit students to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PSYC S-1812
Explaining Beauty: The Hidden Functions Behind Aesthetics
Bethany Burum PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35784 | Section 1
Description
Why do people from some cultures find body modifications attractive that others find ugly? What makes a Picasso beautiful? Why are fashion trends constantly changing? This course delves into the hidden functions that explain our aesthetic tastes, including what we find beautiful in the physical body, art, and fashion. Drawing on classic evolutionary theory, theories of cultural evolution, and game theory, we seek to explain both aesthetic tastes that remain relatively constant and those that differ dramatically across time and culture. We begin the course by building a toolkit for generating hypotheses about the hidden function behind what we find beautiful and then apply these tools to a series of diverse case studies.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
PSYC S-1860
Pseudoscience and Mental Health
Cynthia A. Meyersburg PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36010 | Section 1
Description
In clinical psychology, it is essential to distinguish valid scientific claims from pseudoscientific ones so that we conduct research that is elucidating and provide treatments that work. This course teaches students the critical thinking skills necessary to identify the characteristics of pseudoscience, applying what they learn to evaluate popular, and often controversial, methods, assessments, and treatments within the field of clinical science. Controversies to be examined include: is the Rorschach inkblot test a valid measure of psychopathology? Is there such a thing as multiple personality disorder? Is it possible to remember events that did not actually occur? The critical thinking skills learned in this course can help students recognize bias and errors in their own research and that of others.
Prerequisites: PSYC S-1 or permission of the instructor.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 6:30pm-9:30pm, One Brattle Square 203
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 30 students
PSYC S-1872
Power and Privilege in the Criminal Justice System
Lindsey Davis PhD, Assistant Professor in Clinical Psychology, William James College
Laura Hilton Cohen PsyD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Clinical and Forensic Psychology, We’re Here: Clinical and Forensic Psychological Services
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35153 | Section 1
Description
This course looks at a variety of intersections between psychology and the American criminal legal system, with a particular eye on issues related to power and privilege. Students are introduced to the stages and processes of the criminal legal system and explore the psychosocial risk factors that contribute to engagement in juvenile delinquency and criminal behavior. The differential treatment of individuals at the various stages of criminal justice involvement is discussed and pertinent case examples are explored through a social-cognitive lens. Students review key pieces of literature in the fields of juvenile justice, risk assessment, hate crime, law enforcement practices, and coercion of false confessions.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
PSYC S-300
Engaging in the Scholarly Conversation
Vladimir Ivkovic PhD, Instructor in Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Mayron Piccolo PhD, Lecturer on Psychology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36022 | Section 1
Description
This course trains students in the skills of critically engaging the scholarly literature in their field of study. They learn how to assess the presuppositions, argumentation, methodology, evidence, and conclusions of scholarly writing in their discipline. After building that foundational skill set, the second portion of the course focuses on how to identify patterns, debates, and schools of thought in the larger body of existing scholarship relevant to the students’ interests, which is an essential precursor of the final goal: identifying gaps or opportunities for future scholarly contributions.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed SSCI S-100a with a grade of B or higher to take this course. PSYC S-300 must be completed before registering in the Crafting the Thesis Proposal tutorial for thesis-track students and prior to precapstone course for capstone-track students.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Sever Hall 102
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students in HUMA S-300, PSYC S-300, and SSCI S-300 may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 50 students
RELI S-1502
Technology and Spirituality
Swayam Bagaria PhD, Assistant Professor of Hindu Studies, Harvard Divinity School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36008 | Section 1
Description
This course provides students with an introduction to the frontier, cutting-edge, and weird world of engineered spirituality. In this world, advances in technology are used for new forms of spiritual exploration, extending the range of cognitive enhancement, consciousness hacking, and achieving altered and mystical states of awareness that are otherwise hard to access by ordinary means. Populated by a range and variety of digital prostheses that extends mind-body-machine couplings in directions that are surprising and novel wearables that track brain activity to assist in achieving advanced meditative states, using neuro-feedback mechanisms to sync the emotional states of different people, curated psychedelic tourism that adjusts the design of the environment to induce a mystical experience, and artificial intelligence (AI) digital twins that track your biomarkers, stress levels, and google calendars to help one create a sense of peak performance this world of spirit technology does the most to reveal the future shapes of spirituality and perhaps even religion. With the massive rise of people who identify as nones (or members of no organized religion, some of whom identify as atheist or agnostic), and spiritual but not religious in the US, as well as the overwhelming malaise that can be gleaned from the rising levels of loneliness and hopelessness amongst the people, engineered spirituality might become the norm sooner than we realize. This course provides students with front-row seating to this nascent new world.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Sever Hall 107
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
RELI S-1508
Religion in American Media and Pop Culture
Christopher Glen White PhD, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Religion, Vassar College
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36038 | Section 1
Description
This course introduces students to religion, media, and American popular culture. It begins with an introductory unit on religion, spirituality, and new electronic media. The course then examines how religious ideas, practices, and communities are being reshaped by television, films, the internet, mobile devices, and popular culture. How are electronic media changing religious values and behaviors? How might we understand the relationship between American Christians and American popular culture? Have sports, television, or entertainment replaced older ways of being religious? Is our modern media environment hostile to faith, or is it religious or spiritual in wholly new and unexpected ways? We explore these questions and others through readings, films, videos, websites, and other forms of new media.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm, 1 Story Street 306
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
RELI S-1510
Ballots and Bibles: Why and How Americans Bring Scriptures into Their Politics
David Holland PhD, John A. Bartlett Professor of New England Church History, Harvard Divinity School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34764 | Section 1
Description
In 2018, the US attorney general used a scriptural passage to defend tougher implementation of immigration laws. His reference bewildered observers who were unaware of a long tradition of citing Romans 13 in American political controversies and conflicts, including the American Revolution and the crisis over slavery. This course introduces students to a complex history of political invocations of scripture. Students engage thoughtfully with primary sources (campaign speeches, Congressional debates, and civil rights slogans) and scholarly literature, such as the wealth of research on the history of biblical justifications for war, biblically inflected calls for social justice, and scripturally resonant theories of Constitutional interpretation. The objective of the course is to equip students to recognize the historical legacies that contemporary political conversations carry, to engage critically the modes of textual interpretation that inform political rhetoric, and to write cogently about the complex implications of political appeals to scriptural authority.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. This course counts for the Histories, Societies, Individuals Gen Ed requirement and is equivalent to Gen Ed 1062. It does not count for the College’s divisional distribution requirement.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 20 students
RELI S-1703
Religion, Neuroscience, and the Human Mind
David C. Lamberth PhD, Professor of Philosophy and Theology, Harvard Divinity School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36015 | Section 1
Description
Over 150 years after Charles Darwin’s epochal account of evolution, over 85 percent of the world’s eight billion people are still religious and the percentage is growing. What does religion do for human beings? What does an evolutionary and biologically informed understanding of the mind and brain lead us to think about where religion fits into human life? Harvard’s first psychologist, William James, engaged these questions in the late-nineteenth century, bringing the cutting edge of empirical psychology to the philosophy of religion. Today these same questions animate the field of neuroscience, where researchers are showing how affectivity, emotions, and our evolutionary past come together to form the self philosophers have long thought to be primarily rational. This course brings together the thought of James, writing at the turn of the twentieth century, with the work of contemporary neuroscientist Antonio Damasio to ask what kinds of beings we are, how our minds function, and what religion contributes to human individual and societal experience. The course takes up the philosophy of belief, affect, and emotion, and engages the biology of the brain and homeostasis. We close the course by assessing contemporary views of religion from evolutionary psychology (Pascal Boyer and Scott Atran) and cultural anthropology (Clifford Geertz, Tanya Luhrmann, and Talal Asad) in light of James’s and Damasio’s models of the human mind.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 19 students
RELI S-1805
Islam: Fundamentals of Thought and Practice
Aaron Spevack PhD, Senior Research Associate and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University and Associate of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35654 | Section 1
Description
This course seeks to introduce students to the core beliefs and practices of Islam, with special focus on how Islam has manifested in diverse cultures throughout its vast history (China, Spain, the United States, and the Middle East). Students obtain a comprehensive literacy in the subject of Islam, enabling them to better interpret the various literary, cultural, artistic, religious, or political expressions of Islam in history and the modern world. Topics explored include theology, ritual, art, music, law, politics, and Sufism. Students have opportunities to relate course material to their own interests through research papers and presentations.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Sarah Grace Chin MA, Preceptor in Mathematics, Harvard University
Kate Penner EdM, Undergraduate Science Research Advisor, Office of Science Education and Preceptor in Mathematics, Harvard University
Luke Jackson
Tad Davies PhD, Senior Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Margaret Deli PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
John Robert Sampson PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
SOCI S-11
Introduction to Sociology
Danilo Mandic PhD, Associate Senior Lecturer on Sociology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34720 | Section 1
Description
What is society? What is the role of the individual in society? How does the way society is organized affect the behaviors and beliefs of people who live in it? How can we change our societies? This course introduces students to the field of sociology. By surveying social theory as well as empirical studies, students acquire what C. Wright Mills calls the “sociological imagination:” the ability to think beyond our personal lives and to connect the experiences of individuals with large social structures. Readings include prominent empirical investigations into family dynamics, class inequalities, gender roles, organizations, religions, the nation-state, capitalism, democracy, and globalization. We examine common-sense assumptions about culture, politics, history, and psychology, and empower students to replace them with evidence-based reasoning. By emphasizing reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, this course helps students build the foundation for a deeper understanding of theory and methods in the social sciences. Students may not take both SOCI S-11 and SOCI E-10 for degree or certificate credit.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, 1 Story Street 306
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
SOCI S-143
Refugees: Forced Migration in Global Perspective
Danilo Mandic PhD, Associate Senior Lecturer on Sociology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35997 | Section 1
Description
What does it mean to lose your home? Who are refugees? Why are there so many forced migrants in our world? How are they displaced? Where do they travel, and why? This course inquires into the nature, causes, and consequences of contemporary refugee waves in our globalized world. Students survey regional dynamics in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. We examine the particularities of refugees (compared to other migrants) and the changing nature of forced migration since the second world war. Students explore historical precedents to contemporary waves, learn about different host society approaches to asylum, compare government and criminal mechanisms of forced migration, and examine the reasons refugees are the object of increasing suspicion and hostility around the world. Particular attention is paid to the recent European Union crisis, the role of refugee camps in the twenty-first century, and alternative strategies for global asylum management by bridge and destination countries.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, 1 Story Street 302
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
SOCI S-165
Nationalism: Historical Roots and Contemporary Effects
Yuval Feinstein PhD, Associate Professor, Sociology, University of Haifa
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36005 | Section 1
Description
Nationalism remains a powerful political force, even in democratic countries with long traditions of commitment to liberalism and republicanism, including the United States. This course examines the critical aspects of the history and present state and functioning of nationalism worldwide. The course is structured around three sets of questions. First, we examine nationalism as a macro-historical phenomenon. We ask, is nationalism ancient or a recent phenomenon? How has the nation-state become the dominant form of political organization globally? What is the relationship between nationalism and fighting wars? What is the current state of nationalism in the world? How has globalization affected nationalism? Then, we shift our focus to institutions and social divisions within nations and countries. How are citizenship and civil rights related to nationalism? What relationship does nationalism have with other systems of social division and ideology (particularly gender, ethnicity/race, and religion)? Lastly, we zoom in on individuals’ beliefs, emotions, and attitudes. We ask, what is national identity? How do national beliefs vary within nations? How do national beliefs impact people’s political attitudes and the way people respond to significant events such as elections, natural disasters, or wars? Why are some people ready to put their lives or the lives of others at risk in the name of the nation? How are the recent rise of radical-right populist leaders and increased political polarization in many countries related to individual-level national beliefs? Learning in this course is through a combination of three activities: instructed reading, class discussions, and hands-on investigation of cases of the students’ choice.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 12:00pm-2:30pm, Sever Hall 106
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 27 students
SOCI S-192
Globalization and Global Justice
Jeffrey Swindle PhD, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine and Lecturer on Sociology, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32788 | Section 1
Description
This course provides an opportunity to discuss diverse theories of globalization and global justice via perspectives from sociology, economics, political science, anthropology, geography, history, and the emerging literature from civil society. The course considers research on issues such as democracy, trade, technology, poverty, ecology, culture, diversity, and the search for identity.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 8:30am-11:00am, CGIS South S050
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
SPAN S-27
Oral Expression: El español hablado
Wilnomy Z. Perez Perez PhD, Teaching Assistant in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 31128 | Section 1
Description
This is an intermediate language course designed for students familiar with Spanish grammar who need to improve their oral expression. It emphasizes consolidation and expansion of the skills of oral fluency, writing, and reading comprehension. In addition to focusing on spoken Spanish, the course uses short movies and readings to develop vocabulary and to practice discussing topics of interest in the Hispanic world. At the end of the course, students are expected to speak more accurately and fluently on topics that interest them; have a clearer idea of their strengths and difficulties in spoken Spanish; feel more comfortable using fundamental structures of Spanish grammar; and have a basic knowledge of some of the current cultural issues in the Hispanic world. Note: this course is the equivalent of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences course Spanish 20.
Prerequisites: Three years of secondary school Spanish or three semesters of college-level Spanish.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Boylston Hall 103
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 14 students
Adriana Gutierrez PhD, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
María Luisa Parra PhD, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
SPAN S-Aa
Beginning Spanish
Juan Manuel Arias PhD, Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36021 | Section 1
Description
This is an intensive introductory course designed for students with little or no previous knowledge of Spanish. In this course, students interact with instructors, peers, and native Spanish speakers around the world as we explore the culturally and linguistically rich content included in our three units: personal representations (my community and I), local representations (exploring Boston), and national representations (Spanish in the USA). While learning and discussing course content, students are able to develop and enhance their linguistic and cultural knowledge of Spanish and the Spanish-speaking world by exploring a wide array of authentic texts (written, audiovisual, and visual) from many different sources, including social media, art, literature, and music. These texts are presented in ways that help students interact with them in all modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational), familiarizing them with and deepening their understanding of the cultures and worldviews of some Spanish-speaking communities in the United States, Latin America, and Spain. Note: this course is the equivalent of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences course Spanish 10.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-5:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 14 students
Johanna Damgaard Liander PhD, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
SSCI S-100a
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Anthropology and Psychology
Bethany Burum PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36003 | Section 1
Description
This proseminar introduces students to basic behavioral science research methods in psychology and anthropology. It teaches them how to read and evaluate research papers and translate their ideas into viable research projects. Topics include library and archival research, scholarly writing and argumentation, descriptive research methods, quasi-experimental and experimental design, ethical issues, and analytical methods. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate statistics and research methods courses are recommended, computer literacy (skills and experience with the internet, Word, and Excel) required. A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a grade of B or higher in the alternate expository writing course; an undergraduate statistics course and EXPO S-42b are strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
SSCI S-100a
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Anthropology and Psychology
Richard Joseph Martin PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34247 | Section 2
Description
This proseminar introduces students to basic behavioral science research methods in psychology and anthropology. It teaches them how to read and evaluate research papers and translate their ideas into viable research projects. Topics include library and archival research, scholarly writing and argumentation, descriptive research methods, quasi-experimental and experimental design, ethical issues, and analytical methods. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate statistics and research methods courses are recommended, computer literacy (skills and experience with the internet, Word, and Excel) required. A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a grade of B or higher in the alternate expository writing course; an undergraduate statistics course and EXPO S-42b are strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
SSCI S-100a
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Anthropology and Psychology
Deborah R. Phillips PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36058 | Section 4
Description
This proseminar introduces students to basic behavioral science research methods in psychology and anthropology. It teaches them how to read and evaluate research papers and translate their ideas into viable research projects. Topics include library and archival research, scholarly writing and argumentation, descriptive research methods, quasi-experimental and experimental design, ethical issues, and analytical methods. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: Undergraduate statistics and research methods courses are recommended, computer literacy (skills and experience with the internet, Word, and Excel) required. A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a grade of B or higher in the alternate expository writing course; an undergraduate statistics course and EXPO S-42b are strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
SSCI S-100b
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Government, History, and International Relations
Doug Bond PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 33943 | Section 1
Description
This proseminar addresses problems and methods related to the study of government, history, and international relations. It stresses the critical analysis of sources, constructing explanatory models, standards of logical demonstration, and organizing and presenting research results. Emphasis is on developing both writing and research skills. Students study essential categories of analysis used in history and political science. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO S-42b is strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
SSCI S-100b
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Government, History, and International Relations
Ariane Liazos PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36018 | Section 2
Description
This proseminar addresses problems and methods related to the study of government, history, and international relations. It stresses the critical analysis of sources, constructing explanatory models, standards of logical demonstration, and organizing and presenting research results. Emphasis is on developing both writing and research skills. Students study essential categories of analysis used in history and political science. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO S-42b is strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
Giulia dal Maso PhD, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow, Ca’ Foscari University
Giorgio Pirina
SSCI S-172
Storytelling and Global Justice
Michael Patrick MacDonald BA, Professor of the Practice and Honors Writer in Residence, University Honors Program, Northeastern University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35738 | Section 1
Description
This course is about the use of storytelling in advancing restorative and transformative justice endeavors and practices. In Greater Boston, a powerful restorative justice movement has been growing at the intersection of justice and healing. Restorative justice practices are holistic, community-focused, and usually involve dialogue among victim, offender, and their families and communities. It is a reparative rather than punitive approach to justice. On the global stage transitional or transformational justice efforts in post-conflict, post-colonial societies have included truth commissions and reparative processes. This course looks at the role of storytelling as a tool for the transformation of individual lives and communities. Students read and write on the topic of restorative justice at the local, criminal justice level or transitional/transformational justice on the global stage, such as in South Africa, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland. Readings begin with memoir in order to experience the role of empathy in telling one’s story and listening to others’. From there, we work outward to other nonfiction approaches: straight journalism and research, personal journalism, and opinion/advocacy essay. Students’ writings come from personal reflection, observation of local and global peace and justice movements, including visits to their local community, as well as assigned reading and research.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference with Required On-Campus Weekend
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Saturday, Sunday, August 2-3, 9:00am-5:00pm, One Brattle Square 203
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Along with the web-conference meetings, this course also includes an intensive—and mandatory—weekend residency. Students must be present for the entire on-campus weekend session to earn credit for the course. The course begins via web conference during the first week of the term and continues to meet throughout the term. Please see the syllabus for the specific course meeting dates. Tuition does not include hotel accommodations, transportation, or meals for the on-campus weekend session. International Students see important visa information. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 30 students
SSCI S-173
Self, Society, and Politics
Nicolas Prevelakis PhD, Associate Senior Lecturer on Social Studies, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35406 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the main ways in which the relationship between self, society, and politics has been conceptualized in major sociological and philosophical texts. What are the political implications of different ways of understanding the self? Is it fair to talk about a western individualistic tradition? And how do recent technological changes affect our understanding of who we are and how we interact? The course relies on readings of classical texts, from sociology, anthropology, philosophy, and history. It includes primary texts (Plato, Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud, mile Durkheim, W.E.B. Du Bois, Michel Foucault, and Judith Butler), as well as recent sociological studies. Particular emphasis is placed on the ways in which social and political theorists have used conceptions of the self as foundation for their views of society and politics.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 54 students
SSCI S-188
Intercultural and Global Competence
Darla K. Deardorff EdD, UNESCO Chair on Intercultural Competence, Stellenbosch University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36006 | Section 1
Description
In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to navigate across differences is critical for successfully interacting and connecting with people shaped by different values, beliefs, and experiences whether as a leader, educator, employee, or policymaker. This course provides an in-depth exploration of the theory, research, and practical applications of intercultural competence in different contexts. The course draws on global perspectives, with particular emphasis on frameworks that promote intercultural competence in leadership roles within organizations, communities, and educational settings. Participants also engage with real-world examples and challenges related to migration, globalization, and social justice. This course is designed for students and professionals who aspire to become leaders in a globalized world, equipped with the intercultural tools to address pressing challenges.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 3:15pm-5:45pm, Emerson Hall 104
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes:
Enrollment limit: Limited to 36 students
SSCI S-300
Engaging in the Scholarly Conversation
Ariane Liazos PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Doug Bond PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36017 | Section 1
Description
This course trains students in the skills of critically engaging the scholarly literature in their field of study. They learn how to assess the presuppositions, argumentation, methodology, evidence, and conclusions of scholarly writing in their discipline. After building that foundational skill set, the second portion of the course focuses on how to identify patterns, debates, and schools of thought in the larger body of existing scholarship relevant to the students’ interests, which is an essential precursor of the final goal: identifying gaps or opportunities for future scholarly contributions.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed SSCI S-100b with a grade of B or higher to take this course. SSCI S-300 must be completed before registering in the Crafting the Thesis Proposal tutorial for thesis-track students and prior to precapstone course for capstone-track students.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, June 23-July 10, 8:30am-11:30am, Sever Hall 113
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Students in HUMA S-300, PSYC S-300, and SSCI S-300 may interact with one another, for example, in Canvas or class sessions. Accordingly, when students participate in live class sessions, they will do so alongside students in other sections. If students participate in a way that causes them to appear in recordings of the class, those recordings may be shown to students enrolled in other sections of this course.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 52 students
STAT S-100
Introduction to Statistics and Applied Data Analysis
Julie Phuong Vu MS, Preceptor in Statistics, Harvard University
Kevin A. Rader PhD, Senior Preceptor in Statistics, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32188 | Section 1
Description
This course is an intensive introduction to the fundamental concepts of probability, statistical inference, and statistical computing necessary for a working knowledge of applied statistics. The course moves at an accelerated pace and requires a substantial commitment in time and effort. The primary goal of this course is to prepare students for conducting research in an applied field, which requires being comfortable with the technical details of analysis, statistical computing, and the scientific process as a whole, from determining appropriate methods for addressing a research question to clearly communicating findings in the context of the question. The course explores applications within biostatistics, among other fields. Harvard Extension School students may count one of the following courses toward a degree or certificate, but not more than one: MGMT E-104, STAT S-100, STAT E-101 (offered previously), STAT E-102, or STAT E-104.
Prerequisites: No prior knowledge of statistics is required; students with prior exposure to introductory statistics (such as through an AP statistics course) will encounter some overlapping material but gain a better understanding of the statistical thinking and principles behind commonly used methods, in addition to learning practical skills for visualizing and analyzing data. This course uses the statistical programming language R. No prior experience with a programming language is required, but expect to devote the first 1-2 weeks to acquiring fluency with R (using materials provided in the course). Precalculus is the only mathematical prerequisite.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Open to admitted Secondary School Program students by petition. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 200 students
STAT S-103
Introduction to Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Amy Tsurumi PhD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34177 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed to introduce students to basic concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics. Selected sections from textbooks and recent primary literature are used. Students learn how to critically read published epidemiological studies and understand the study design, analyses, and conclusions drawn from the studies. There is a substantial hands-on component in which students learn basic R statistical programming, using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dataset primarily, to make discoveries.
Prerequisites: Basic algebra skills are expected. Students are required to have access to a computer with R and RStudio installed. No prior experience in R is expected. We start the course by showing students how to install R and RStudio.
Class Meetings:
Online or On Campus
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm, One Brattle Square 204
Optional sections to be arranged.
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Students can attend in person on campus, participate live online at the time the class meets via web conference, or watch the recorded video asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 100 students
STAT S-115
Data Science: An Artificial Ecosystem
Xiao-Li Meng PhD, Whipple V.N. Jones Professor of Statistics, Harvard University and Founding Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Data Science Review
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35611 | Section 1
Description
This course aims to introduce students to the world of the data science via articles published in the Harvard Data Science Review, a global forum disseminating everything data science and data science for everyone. The course emphasizes the evolutionary nature of the data science enterprise as an artificial ecosystem, where the phrase artificial shares a similar connotation as it is in the phrase artificial intelligence (AI). However, unlike the common algorithmic or robotic depictions of AI, this course espouses a panoramic view of data science, from philosophical conceptualization of data to interpretation and policy implications of statistical findings and to the re-use of data for addressing scientific replicability and reliability. Topics such as generative AI, data generation, and data privacy are explored from multiple perspectives to demonstrate the necessity of the panoramic approach. Questions such as what is intelligence or what is data require philosophical contemplation, while assessing the positive and negative impact of generative AI or digital technologies in general demand careful sociological, computational, and statistical thinking. Furthermore, determining how to ensure effective and safe human-computer interaction requires advanced data science theory and methods. Throughout the course, students engage with and critique a broad range of data science articles that incorporate perspectives from computer science, statistics, philosophy, social sciences, and other fields of study. During course meetings, there are many opportunities to discuss some of these articles with the authors themselves.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 45 students
STAT S-150
Intermediate Statistics: Methods and Modeling
Carolyn Gardner-Thomas PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34213 | Section 1
Description
This intermediate statistics course is intended to give students familiarity with statistical tools used to analyze data in a variety of disciplines, including psychology, and provides experience reading and understanding studies based on data analysis. The focus is on understanding underlying concepts rather than on memorizing mathematical formulas. The course covers linear regression, various types of analysis of variance (ANOVA), including factorial, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and repeated measures, as well as effect sizes and power analyses. These topics are explored using the statistical package R, with a focus on understanding how to interpret R output. Harvard Extension School students may only take one of the following for degree or certificate credit: PSYC E-1900 (offered previously), STAT E-150, STAT S-150, or STAT E-160.
Prerequisites: STAT S-100, STAT E-101, STAT E-102, STAT E-104, or the equivalent; understanding of univariate statistics, correlation, univariate regression, t-tests, and one-way ANOVA is assumed.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 3:15pm-6:15pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Undergraduate credit $2,100, graduate credit $3,340.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Not open to Secondary School Program students.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 80 students
SWGS S-1270
Sick, Fat, Ugly, Useless: Disability and Fat Studies
Kerey Luis PhD, Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35995 | Section 1
Description
We are now in the twenty-first century: why do we still have so much prejudice about bodies that differ from the so-called norm? What, indeed, is the norm and why is it so important to us? In this course, students are introduced to fat studies and disability studies in tandem to explore the politics of the body. We examine questions drawn from disability studies about bioethics, community organization, and the use of technology; and we examine questions drawn from fat liberation about the construction of aesthetics, the history of fatphobia and racism, and the way we layer symbolic meaning on the body. We look at stereotypes of disabled and fat people in media studies, examine prejudice in sociology, and ask some hard questions about the persistence of eugenics through the lens of bio-power and necropolitics.
Class Meetings:
Flexible Attendance Web Conference
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 6:30pm-9:30pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students may attend at the scheduled meeting time or watch recorded sessions asynchronously. Recorded sessions are typically available within a few hours of the end of class and no later than the following business day. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 35 students
UKRN S-131
Ukraine’s State and Society
Sophia Wilson PhD, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36037 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the patterns and dynamic of interactions between the state and society in Ukraine, and the effects of the Russian invasion. We address historical legacies of totalitarian occupations by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, drawing comparisons with the current Russian occupation of Ukraine. We analyze nation-building processes after the Soviet collapse, focusing on the role of civil society. The course discusses the 2013-14 Ukrainian Maidan Revolution as a grassroots movement that challenged state-imposed repressive terms of legality and successfully re-established a democratic social contract. Finally, we examine the causes of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the nature of atrocities committed by Russian forces, and the multi-faceted character of Ukrainian social resistance. To analyze these developments in Ukraine, we engage major political science perspectives, namely structuralism, constructivism, and rational choice.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Harvard Hall 104
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. For more information about the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute (HUSI), see the HUSI website.
UKRN S-132
Tradition and Modernity in Ukraine in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
Serhiy Bilenky PhD, Research Associate, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of Alberta
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 34502 | Section 1
Description
The main focus of this course is on the cities and complex relations between tradition and modernity in Ukraine in a wider imperial and transnational context. The course introduces students to the most important social, political, and cultural issues facing modern Ukraine, from the imperial to Soviet and post-Soviet times, primarily in urban settings. We consider major cities such as Kyiv, Odessa, Lviv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, as well as Jewish shtetls and monuments of Soviet industrial sublime, such as the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station. We explore such topics as the reactionary responses to modernity ranging from anti-semitism to religious conservatism; the central role of the city and urbanization; making and unmaking of nationalities; public hygiene and the limits of control; revolutionary culture and artistic avant-garde; the long-lasting effects of wars and extreme violence on society; the curse of resources; and the rise of mass culture and sport, among others. Students learn why studying Ukraine is essential for our understanding of the modern world.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm, Sever Hall 109
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. For more information about the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute (HUSI), see the HUSI website.
UKRN S-Aab
Intensive Elementary Ukrainian
Nataliya Shpylova-Saeed PhD, Preceptor in Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35708 | Section 1
Description
This intensive course provides a comprehensive introduction to modern Ukrainian language and culture for those who would like to speak Ukrainian or use the language for reading and research. Designed for students without any previous knowledge of Ukrainian, the course stresses all four major communicative skills (speaking, listening and viewing comprehension, reading, and writing). Students are introduced to Ukrainian culture through readings, screenings, and class discussions. This course prepares students to continue in Ukrainian at the intermediate level or for future study or travel abroad.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Barker Center 316
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. For more information about the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute (HUSI), see the HUSI website.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 12 students
UKRN S-G
Ukrainian for Reading Knowledge
Volodymyr Dibrova PhD, Media Content Specialist, Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 32718 | Section 1
Description
This course is designed primarily for graduate students of humanities who wish to acquire a reading knowledge of Ukrainian for research purposes. A variety of texts from different fields are used to allow students to learn about Ukrainian culture and history and explore the social, cultural, and historical context of the Ukrainian language.
Prerequisites: Some previous background in Ukrainian, Russian, or other Slavic language.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, June 23-August 8, 10:00am-1:30pm, Lamont Library 230
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $7,700.
Credits: 8
Notes: Not open to Secondary School Program students. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information. For more information about the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute (HUSI), see the HUSI website.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 12 students
VISU S-194
Animating Sculptures: Coding and Interactivity for Artists
Pascale Tétrault MFA, Artist and Educator
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 36032 | Section 1
Description
This course offers a hands-on introduction to coding and electronic arts, focusing on open-source tools like Arduino and Processing to create interdisciplinary projects. The curriculum merges on-screen and off-screen experimentation by placing code, electronic components, and traditional art materials in dialogue with one another. One section of the course focuses on programming interactive visuals on the screen, while another explores animating physical sculptures using lights and motors. Screenings, readings, and artists’ works are shared to encourage group discussions on topics such as technology and the notion of progress, the importance of technical knowledge transmission, and the possibilities of invention. By the end of the course, students have acquired the skills to write code, assemble electronic circuits independently, and navigate the steps required to create experimental videos, interactive sculptures, or installations. On the final day, students present their projects to the class during a critique.
Prerequisites: Students must bring a laptop to class.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, July 14-August 7, 8:30am-11:00am, Science Center 105
Term Start Date: July 14, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
VISU S-23
Painting in Time
Scott Roben MFA, Artist
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35998 | Section 1
Description
This course is dedicated to getting our hands on the materials of oil painting. We begin with a series of studio assignments that build in technical difficulty as we develop a shared language for talking about and evaluating form; later, we continue this work as we move away from observation alone as a way into painting. Time, as a formal quality, condition, and subject, is our touchstone in these explorations. By looking together at a wide range of examples of painters working today, as well as through a series of more experimental and open-ended assignments, we explore both how time is embedded and shaped in painting through qualities like immediacy, duration, sequence, and trace, as well as the way that our works are themselves situated in, and act through, time. Studio assignments are the bread and butter of this course, with an emphasis on forming your own relationship with the materials and learning by doing. Topics introduced in each session are complemented by readings and slide talks that explore them further within the broad field of contemporary painting.
Class Meetings:
On campus only
Mondays, Wednesdays, June 23-August 8, 8:30am-11:30am, Carpenter Center 203
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
VISU S-52
Creating Comics and Graphic Novels
Peter A. Kuper BA, Cartoonist and Illustrator
Summer Term 2025 | CRN 35822 | Section 1
Description
This course examines the history of the form, including graphic novels and comic strips, and explores the building blocks necessary to create effective comics based upon personal experiences and research. Students are taught ways to access their writing and artistic abilities and apply them to sequential narratives. There is an emphasis on capturing ideas through regular sketchbook exercises that draw from students’ daily encounters in their environment. Students are encouraged to explore an array of visual approaches and techniques in the creation of weekly assignments within the confines of a single black-and-white page.
Prerequisites: Students should have basic drawing skills, an interest in the form, and a desire to write and draw sequential narratives.
Class Meetings:
Live Attendance Web Conference
Tuesdays, Thursdays, June 24-August 8, 12:00pm-3:00pm
Term Start Date: June 23, 2025
Tuition:
Noncredit, undergraduate, graduate credit $3,850.
Credits: 4
Notes: This course meets via web conference. Students must attend and participate at the scheduled meeting time. See minimum technology requirements. Harvard College students: This course is eligible for degree credit, but see important policy information.
Enrollment limit: Limited to 15 students
