Physically attending an Ivy League school isn’t an option for everybody, but taking a few courses online at these top universities definitely is. Yale and Harvard lead the pack in offering a wide variety of courses, so if you need the knowledge or want to learn for the fun of it, check out these online courses that are available on iTunes and/or the universities’ websites.
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Game Theory - Yale
Game theory is defined as the study of strategic decision-making, so don’t get turned off if you’re not a gamer (it’s not really about games). Learning these theories could actually help you in real life.
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Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to the Science of Soft Matter - Harvard
Cooking is essentially science, so if your cooking skills aren’t quite up to par, maybe learning about the science of it all will help you perfect that cheese souffle.
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History of the Modern Middle East - Columbia
With all the media attention directed at the Middle East, it’s easy for your perception of this region to become skewed. Learn how the modern Middle East came to be in this unbiased course.
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French in Action - Yale
You may have studied French in school, but those classes probably consisted of lots of worksheets and written lessons. This class focuses on teaching oral French, which can be infinitely more useful, particularly when traveling.
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Death - Yale
This philosophy course focuses on something that most people don’t want to think about, talk about, or least of all study. But you may find out that it’s actually more interesting and less scary than you originally thought (maybe).
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Religion and Its Future - Harvard
Will people still attend church in 100 years? Will religion eventually fade from our society? Get your questions answered with this Harvard class.
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Frontiers and Controversies in Astrophysics - Yale
As of right now, almost nothing in the science world is more intriguing than outer space (at least to the general public). At Yale, you can learn in-depth about where we’re going and what’s holding us back.
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The Brain: A User’s Guide - Princeton
You have a brain, but do you really know how it works? Where are memories stored? How does the brain transmit signals? Gain a new appreciation for all that gray matter with this course.
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Building Dynamic Websites - Harvard
Are you a business owner who's trying to get your website off the ground but doesn’t know where to start? This is the place for you.
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How Climate Works - Princeton
All Florida government officials in particular need to take this course (for banning the use of the term “climate change” in any government communications). Actually, everybody needs to. It should be required, like paying taxes.
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Mathematics Illuminated - Dartmouth
Think mathematics can’t be exciting? Think again. You’ll probably change your mind after taking this illuminating course.
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Quantum Physics Made Relatively Simple - Cornell
“Relatively simple.” This definitely still doesn’t mean this class is going to be a cakewalk, but you’ll find it much easier to understand and appreciate than a regular Quantum Physics class.
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Space, Time, and Einstein - Columbia
If that course title isn’t intriguing enough for you science buffs out there, I’m not sure what else would be.
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Human Emotion - Yale
If you were ever a big “Lie to Me” fan when it was on TV and were in awe of Cal Lightman’s (Tim Roth) ability to detect people’s emotions from the most subtle body language, this course is right up your alley.
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The Psychology, Biology, and Politics of Food - Yale
As I said before, cooking is science, but there’s so much more that goes into the world of food than that, including the psychology, biology, and politics of it.
