How can literature and literary analysis allow us to understand the dynamics of contemporary China? **** China’s historical and cultural transformations, and its imaginary and actual engagements in everyday life are vividly dramatized by five Chinese authors featured in this course. Taught by Harvard faculty member Professor David Wang, this course will employ the tools of close reading, discussion, and analysis to explore issues that concern the Chinese people, and ponder the power (and limitations) of literature in imagining China anew. Featured Books and Authors **** China in 10 Words by Yu Hua (ISBN: 978-0-307-73979-7) Red Sorghum: A Novel of China by Mo Yan (ISBN: 978-0-14-016854-9) Lenin's Kisses by Yan Lianke (ISBN: 978-0-8021-2177-6) Waiting by Ha Jin (ISBN: 978-0-375-70641-7) The Song of Everlasting Sorrow by Wang Anyi (ISBN: 978-0231143431) This course features interviews and discussions with the authors. More Information about each of these authors is available in the syllabus.

This short literature course, based on the first half of the Masterpieces of World Literature edX MOOC, examines how civilizations and cultures of the ancient world defined themselves through literature and how that literature has continued to contribute to our understanding of those civilizations and cultures today. Cities, nations, and empires from antiquity through the middle ages drew on foundational histories and myths for their identities, relating these narratives through generations by means of oral-storytelling and new writing technologies. These epics, story collections, and novels, which take a keen interest in heroic travelers, would eventually travel themselves, finding new global audiences as the first works of world literature. Tracing developments in language, writing, and literary genre, this course also travels in time, from legendary accounts of ancient kings to histories of medieval courts and early-modern exploration. We will stop to consider how all of these texts affected the history of their own eras, but also how they have continued to find new prominence and significance in ours.

The challenges of sustainable development are more than technical or political--they are also moral, calling on us to examine who we are as human beings, and who we want to be going forward. This examination of what makes a "good person"--called virtue ethics--has long been the purview of philosophers and theologians. So what do the world's great religious and secular philosophies have to say about ethical conduct? Which virtues are common across creeds and cultures? And what role do ethics, spirituality, and religious communities have to play in sustainable development? In 2016, distinguished leaders from the world's major religious traditions, philosophers, scholars, and scientists were invited by Pope Francis to the Vatican for a series of meetings. Known as the Ethics in Action initiative, these meetings sought to promote dialogue and find consensus about the values needed to advance transformative action for our common home and the human family. This course features Ethics in Action meeting participants, as well as other leading voices, and discusses the perspectives of some of the world's great traditions and their role in addressing our world's most pressing challenges, including poverty, corruption, and climate change. It presents multi-faith cooperation as essential for achieving sustainable development, and calls for the development of a new shared virtue ethics to bring us all into a sustainable and peaceful future. This course is for: Religious and spiritual communities and individuals who want to contribute to the work of sustainable development Development professionals who want to understand and engage local faith communities Advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in philosophy, religion, theology, and their relation to global issues

Can you be confident that the person sitting next to you on the bus is really a human rather than some remarkable replica conjured up by a mad scientist or, perhaps, an alien from another planet? What evidence is needed to conclude that the person casually looking at her mobile device is human? What, after all, distinguishes us humans from unhumans? Is there something unique about our brains, our external features, our consciousness, or our imaginations? How have we constructed the conceptual boundary between what we qualify as human and what we categorize as robotic, animal, android, or alien? What, in the end, makes the human “human”? Join me as we dive into these and related questions in a distinctive way through the gamified structure of this course. Using simple tools, you’ll create your own avatar and begin a virtual journey led by a humanoid and professor through various imaginative realms. Your travels will be brought to virtual life by literature and made visible on the course map. Your assignments and readings will be quests that concentrate on integral parts of a story, and themes that run throughout the duration of the course. These quests challenge you to do things such as produce visualizations (graphs, word clouds, network diagrams, etc.) utilizing easy-to-use online tools, capture interpretations through art, and engage in battles with characters from the readings. Before you choose to accept this mission, ask yourself if you answer “yes” to any of the following questions: Do you love reading literature whose plot, characters, or themes challenge you to empathize with formerly unknown or unimagined beings or feelings? Do you find reading literature a great way to think deeply about important ideas and want a fun, unusual way of doing so? Are you a gamer who loves fiction? Are you looking for a course that will put you in touch with some cutting-edge pedagogical learning strategies? Are you looking for a course that covers time-tested literary themes taught in a radically new way? Have you been looking for a way to indulge your love of literature while also dipping your toes into online gaming? Step into the realm of fiction and fantasy and join us in examining what exactly it means to be human.

Boost your IELTS speaking score by learning advanced conversation skills Secrets shared by Misa Zhang, an IELTS 9 speaker, originally from China Misa has worked in sales for top global firms, including Reuters, Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal Curriculum has been co-designed with Shani Raja, one of Udemy's top instructors NOTE: This is not a comprehensive IELTS training course, but one focused on mastering the speaking part only "This course is excellent. Took my test last week and my result is out. I got an 8! I got a friggin 8!" -- Ede Omokhudu, Udemy student "I was expecting it to be a stereotypical tutorial course but it turned out to be a lot more than that. The course touched on other aspects of speaking English in general that I would have otherwise missed if I had not taken the course. The course is concise and really helpful for those looking to add a bit of that natural essence and flair in your English." -- Rahil Rajbhandari, Udemy student "Fabulous insights, not just for achieving higher IELTS bands but also to improve your overall communication skills and leave an impact on the other person. Recommended to everyone." -- Mit Sheta, Udemy student Every year, millions of people around the world dream of making it big in English-speaking countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. For many, IELTS is the magic ticket to getting accepted into universities, landing their perfect job and obtaining residency. But many people from places like India, China, Brazil, and other countries where English isn't the first language, fail to score high enough marks in the IELTS examination to achieve their ambition. Hi, I'm Misa Zhang, and a few years ago I scored an overall 8.5 out of 9 in the IELTS test. In the speaking part, I obtained a band 9, the highest possible score. That result got me permanent residency in Australia, where I've built a successful career in sales working for top-tier global companies, including Dow Jones, The Wall Street Journal, Wood Mackenzie and Thomson Reuters. I got my exceptional IELTS speaking score by using a combination of "technical" and "people" skills that I teach in this program. IELTS has four components: listening, reading, writing and speaking. Of those four, most people struggle with writing and speaking, because those rely less on easily learnable rules and more on creative ability and language mastery. While things like grammar, vocabulary and other technical elements are important, those who focus solely on those lose sight of a whole universe of conversation and people skills that are less tangible and often neglected. Learning those skills could boost their speaking score to well above the minimum requirement -- all the way up to the maximum 9. *****NOTE: This course does not cover the basics of grammar and pronunciation, as there is plenty of material covering those topics, and it's assumed you have obtained such fundamental  knowledge before taking this program.***** The official IELTS scoring guide defines success as competence in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and fluency. Such technical skills are, no doubt, of critical importance. But what made the biggest difference, in my case, were the "people" skills many IELTS teachers and students aren't even aware of. Those skills -- things like mindset, body language, the ability to stir emotions, showing cultural sensitivity and avoiding verbal and other landmines -- helped set me apart from other candidates. Using those techniques, developed through years of working as a sales professional, I managed to create an instant connection with my examiner, answer difficult questions while maintaining an upbeat vibe, and leave a strong impression by projecting a positive personality throughout the interview. What's more, I was able to demonstrate a high degree of cultural awareness, while neutralising my accent to the extent that the examiner couldn't hide her surprise and even asked where I learned my English from. Few of those people skills are taught in other IELTS courses, but they're essential for survival in the sales industry, where clients don't give you a second chance if you fail on the first impression. Take this course and you too will discover the techniques that will make you stand out and sparkle in the speaking examination, including: * How to evolve from a 6 to a 9 * How to grasp the basic requirements of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, accent, and fluency * How to make your answers relevant * How to be interesting, logical and genuine * How to master speech structures that help your answers seem coherent and convincing * How to come up with appropriate things to say * The right mindset for displaying confidence * How to create a good first impression through appearance, body language, facial expressions, and small talk * How to give powerful answers that will stir emotions * The importance of curiosity * The value of displaying humor * Other superior qualities to portray, and which to avoid * How to prepare for the speaking test in the long-term and short-term * How to overcome nerves in the exam, buy yourself time, and leave a glowing final impression If you can grasp the essence of this course, practice diligently and internalize these skills, you'll likely walk into the examination room with an air of confidence that will set you apart. But the benefits of learning what I'm going to teach you go well beyond the initial objective you have of passing the IELTS test. They'll help you, as well, to improve your social experience overseas, to get your voice and opinion heard, to be recognised and respected for your unique personality and talent, to make fabulous friends at university, to find well paid jobs, to build a successful business, to make a tremendous social impact, to develop a high-quality network, to get into to a desired social circle, or simply to enjoy yourself at any party. This is not black magic, it is simple and plain fact - communications skills at a higher level is directly correlated to the success in all above areas. And any improvement counts, even just a little, especially in the beginning when you're trying to get the direction right. Of course, your own dedication in practicing in the long term makes the rest of the difference. The course was co-designed with Shani Raja, one of the most successful instructors on the Udemy platform, whose courses are enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of students worldwide.

What is “Laudato Si”? First presented by Pope Francis – spiritual leader to the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics – to his faith-based cohort, it is a call to action addressed not only to Catholics, but to all people of the world. Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home raises the profile of the grave ecological crisis that humanity has created and issues a moral clarion call for urgent action to protect the earth and its inhabitants from ruin. This short course provides an overview of the main themes and messages of Laudato Si’. No affiliation or prior familiarity with Catholic teaching is required, nor any prior knowledge of the sustainable development agenda. Students are guided through the basic structure of the Laudato Si’ message – diagnosis of the ecological crisis, an overview of its theological and philosophical underpinnings, evaluation of the human behavior at its root, the need for institutional solutions, and the call for personal action. Issued in the months leading up to adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement, Laudato Si’ can be read as a moral charter for sustainable development. It provides a firm ethical foundation for actions that need to be taken urgently at all levels – global, national, local and personal, too. This is what makes it so important. This course is for: Anyone new to the concept of sustainable development who wants to understand its importance and the rationale for their own personal commitment to its principles Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students interested in a core principle in their study of sustainable development – the interplay of various stakeholders in achieving the agenda Those in faith-based communities interested in the relationship between faith and action to protect the planet

In this course you'll learn to master grammar as you understand basic grammar rules. We'll cover spelling, grammar and punctuation including commas, colons, adverbs and prepositions, meaning you will be able to write English  better – enhancing both your personal and professional skills. This course also examines sentence structure, correct verb forms, pronouns and much more! This course is ideal for those working in the business world that are already fluent in English. This course will help those improve their writing skills and give an excellent refresher on basic grammar. This course is also great for anyone that is learning the English language. If you just started learning English, you first need to know some basic rules of the language. Developing a solid foundation in English grammar will not only help you create your own sentences correctly but will also make it easier to improve your communication skills in both spoken and written English.

We provide you with every step you need to take in order to launch a profitable online course. Though creating an online course requires some tech know-how, the benefits of building an online course greatly outweigh the negatives. The reason for this is that online course creators are making a full-time living selling their online courses. This incredible monetary payoff is worth the effort of creating an online course. In order for the creator to make money off their online course, the course must have several attributes. Without these attributes, customers will immediately assume that the online course may not be worth their time or money… The first step to creating an online course is picking the perfect topic. This topic should be one that you are passionate about, knowledgeable on, and in high demand on the market. If the topic fails to meet any one of these three criteria, then it is not the perfect topic. Here is how to decide on the best topic for your online course. When drafting your learning outcomes, think about the most important things that the student will take away from the course. You do not want to add filler topics in your learning outcomes. Instead, make sure that the learning outcomes are tailored to the course’s main topic and parallel the course’s title. Get these 10 exclusive video tutorials that’ll show you the most important steps to creating and launching an online course that is successful and profitable.

OVERVIEW Online Learning for Businesses (OLB) is an online learning program for learning and development teams and stakeholders to create online learning experiences for clients, customers, and personnel. Throughout the program, participants will learn everything that goes into creating an online course—from careful planning and preparation , to designing an effective and engaging curriculum , to creating the course collateral (e.g., videos, graphics, exercises), and finally to launching the course. Applicable to L&D stakeholders across the organization: Instructional designers who are responsible for designing learning materials Project Managers who are relied on for smooth execution Subject-Matter Experts whose knowledge is too important not to share Product Owners who are accountable for training development and sign-off Practical, hands-on training: Templates for designing your course and aligning with stakeholders Tools and exercises to think through options and make the best decisions Activities to practice and apply creative skills INSTRUCTOR Katharine Kormanik, your instructor, brings years of experience creating online courses for organizations such as: Udacity McKinsey & Company Oliver Wyman Applied Materials Stanford Graduate School of Business Stanford Graduate School of Education African Leadership University Cisco Visa Generation Dribbble She has worked with many different teams on many different learning experiences with hundreds of subject-matter experts and has seen what works well, what doesn’t, and what to plan ahead for and when. Read more about Katharine on TURN THE WHEEL’s About page. PROGRAM DETAILS The full program consists of three courses that cover two tracks: Course 1: Getting started with creating online courses Learn what makes a high-quality online course and the various options to consider when you first plan to create a course. Be guided through an envisioning exercise to plan and align on the course experience and potential delivery platforms, and then hear an overview of the full process of creating an online course. Course 2: Designing online learning experiences Learn how to develop a logical curriculum flow and choose an effective content delivery method . This involves making critical instructional design decisions and completing key deliverables at each step of the course creation process: plan, develop, build, and run. Course 3: Bringing the learning experience to life Learn how to push a project forward from start to finish : workplanning, budgeting, aligning stakeholders and keeping them accountable , selecting and managing vendors, tracking and organizing course collateral , logging and addressing issues , and releasing the course to participants. ABOUT COURSE 1 The first course in the OLB series, Getting started with creating online courses , is useful for teams that are just beginning to think about how to develop online learning programs. After taking this course, participants from the same organization will be able to: review the many options for course design align on major decisions for the course get on the same page regarding the path forward While organizations can still benefit from just one or several team members taking part in this course, we strongly encourage all stakeholders who will be involved in the course development process to complete the course: course owners, subject-matter experts, instructional designers, project managers, and others who will have a voice in creating the course experience. By independently exploring options, teams can combine ideas to develop a powerful vision for their organization’s learning program. Lesson 1: What is an online course? Hear a brief history of online learning Consider the benefits of online learning over traditional in-person learning Explore the three critical elements of online courses today See demos of some of the most advanced online courses Lesson 2: Options for designing your course Review the many options to navigate when beginning to plan the course experience Articulate the course objectives in a way that will set your course up for success Think through the key points to be made in your course Hear about common mistakes that teams make in the early stages of planning a course Lesson 3: Envisioning the learning experience Walk through an exercise to envision the entire course experience Align on key decisions with your course development team Lesson 4: Course production overview Prepare for the entire process of course creation Explore the pros and cons of the best off-the-shelf learning platforms and the option to custom-build Hear the steps of creating common course collateral, including various types of videos Prepare to launch and run the course seamlessly while continuing to offer new interactive content

The Tale of Genji ( Genji Monogatari ) is a long-form narrative composed in Japan at the beginning of the eleventh century. It depicts relationships both harmonious and discordant among a wide cast of the men and women of the Heian court. These revolve around the many love affairs of the main character, the Shining Genji (Hikaru Genji). The Tale of Genji is said to be the world’s first novel and a work of extended prose fiction. But the tale is not notable simply because it is old or long. It must be emphasized that this tale is the centerpiece of a long and vital literary practice with outsized cultural impact, inaugurated by a noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu and her female contemporaries at imperial court more than one thousand years ago. Their active engagement in such literary productions represents a ground-breaking shift in human history. At the same time, we must not overlook the contribution The Tale of Genji made to the creation of culture in the eras that followed it. From Genji-themed pictures ( Genji-e ) and Genji-inspired noh dramas ( Genji nō ) to contemporary manga, films, and plays, examples of what we might call “Genji Culture” have continued to appear. This course will give an overview of the story of The Tale of Genji with ample visual references to explain the daily court life, manners and customs, and aesthetic sensibilities, as well as the city (Kyoto), society, and systems that Japanese aristocrats developed a thousand years ago. As a result, students will gain a precise and sophisticated understanding of the world of the tale. Furthermore, with The Tale of Genji and its reception history as a pivotal point, the course structure will enable participants to approach the foundations of Japanese culture and its spirituality that have been passed down from the ancient time. *This program is supported by Global Japanese Studies Model Unit, Waseda University Top Global University Project. For more information, please visit here .