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Hi all,
This entire folder is set up to draw attention to any free courses, either online or in person, that fit with the history interests in our group theme Ancient and Medieval.

We hope only to post topics on individual courses if they fit those time periods, but have pushed it back to include any history pre 1800.

So if you see a course that sits within that pre 1800 spread of time, let is know in this thread. If it looks like it may be a popular course and gets a lot of interest or looks like it will get a lot of interest with its own thread, then I will give it its own thread.

In an effort to keep the folder clear of dead threads, spam and topics that don't fit the pre1800 history theme, please don't post your own thread. Post here in tnis thread, or send me a pm, with course info so we mods can 'vet' the courses. To make sure only theme appropriate ones get their own topic thread.

Hi Marita,
That one is in this folder. Many of us have signed up for it.
/topic/show/...

P.S When I say folder, I mean this one. /topic/group...

I found this aggregate site MOOC = Massive Open Online Courses that lists free online courses from multiple sources. It includes the entries we've already discussed at EdX and Futurelearn. I was able to simply put "History" in the search box and come up with way more courses than I think I can handle currently. Haha

Good find, Leslie.

I wish these places would take down their courses that are finished though. I see plenty from Edx that are long expired. Like that Alexander the Great course. :/

Maybe it gets offered periodically. *shrug* I hope so, it looks interesting. :) I'm sure new to this newfangled online course thing-a-ma-bob. You kids and your ipads and androids. How's an old lady supposed to keep up?

heeheee

Leslie wrote: "Maybe it gets offered periodically. *shrug* I hope so, it looks interesting. :) I'm sure new to this newfangled online course thing-a-ma-bob. You kids and your ipads and androids. How's an old..."

Hey old lady, you ain't so old. :) That would make me old too. :D

Don wrote: "The Great Courses cds are available at many local libraries and are great for long drives. The history catalog is at: "

I think these are only available from libraries in the US?
Otherwise you have to pay for them I think.

Don wrote: "The Great Courses cds are available at many local libraries and are great for long drives. The history catalog is at: "

I use my Audible.com subscription solely for buying Great Courses lectures. They are only one credit, so it is a cost effective way to get them as well.

That's good to know. That people can get them via their Audible subscriptions.

Open Culture and edX are 2 great sites for free classes, some of which can be taken for college credit.

has a bunch of free history classes.

is another site that offers free classes. I am currently working through a class on Greek and Roman mythology. I have done a previous class on World History from 1760-present. Everything was crunched into nine weeks so it wasn't very in-depth but the professor was excellent. He really encourages people to look past the who and focus more on how and why.

Brilliant. Thanks for adding that one, Gretchen.

There is this interesting course on Shipwrecks coming up in October. If anyone likes the idea of doing it.

Ooh that does sound interesting. I'll sign up!

I was going to...but then I realised I am doing two NON history courses at that time through EdX. Thought it might all get a bit much for me in the time department. :)

I have hubby hooked on the courses now.
He found one on Coursera and has started it already.

Music of the Beatles

Future Learn is also offering Shakespeare and his World, The University of Warwick, 29 September @ and (I'll most definitely be taking this one....) Archaeology of Portus: Exploring the Lost Harbour of Ancient Rome, University of Southampton, early 2015 @

I saw the Shakespeare one. Thought some here might enjoy that one.

The Portus one, if anybody is into that (I am) I set a thread up for that one a few days back. :) Thought it would be a good histiory one that would intrigue many here.
/topic/show/...

Yay for the Portus thread! I find the thought of that one oddly fascinating although it is outside my area of current interest. Pretty sure I'll be taking the Shakespeare one as well but am concerned that it starts the day before Hadrian's Wall. I guess it will be good practice for going back to University online.

I'm really looking forward to the Portus one. Lots of stuff to learn there that I had no previous knowledge of.

I'm not 100% certain it's free, but there is no few noted on the advert.
A course on palaeography in Oxford (not online - I'm totally jealous!)



ETA: I am now 100% certain it is free, but one must call to register on order to participate.

Jus to say im currently doing a course through Future learn (which is outside of the A&M framework) which i wont name :) but jus to say the amount of media & information available to you to go through in terms of glossaries & future reading is incredible & worth the admission fee alone..... Oh its FREE - even better!!!

Jus finished week 1..... yeah I know its Week 2 day 2.... always did leave term coursework to the last week of term..... all those allnighters on caffeine pills, such happy times :)

Beginning the Portus course today on FutureLearn. Also taking the Hamlet course which so far has been only moderately interesting. However, that being said, my goal is to learn more on what I have not learned before. So I pervevere.

Coursera has free online classes. I took a Greek/Roman mythology course a few years ago and it was very good. The only thing I see which might be of interest is on the French Revolution beginning in July -
or history of the slave south which just started. You can keep checking in periodically as the courses change often.

Found this course on Coursera and I think most of us in this group are familiar with the instructor!

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

Get out of town. :) That's a cool one, and by Bruce which is also cool.. I'll set up a special thread.
Good find, Gretchen.

And it doesn't look like there is any kind of time window for the class. People can join and work at their own pace.

Here is a link:

Ancient Greece: City and Society � Free iTunes Audio � Dr Gillian Shepherd, La Trobe University, Australia

Ancient Greece: Myth, Art & War � Free iTunes Audio - Dr Gillian Shepherd, La Trobe University, Australia

Ancient Greek History � Free Online Video � Free iTunes Audio � Free iTunes Video � Course Materials � Donald Kagan, Yale

Ancient Israel � Free Online Video & Resources � Free Online Video � Free iTunes Video � Daniel Fleming, NYU

Colleges and Universities Offering Free History Courses Online


See our list of the top free online history courses.

Learn about what courses are available, what topics they cover and whether you can use them to get college credit.

Online History Courses for Credit

Study.com's collection of courses offer a cost-effective option to students looking for a flexible form of online learning that can save them some of the time and expense associated with completing a traditional course. Unlike the free courses listed in the section below, these history classes can be used to earn college credit applicable toward a degree program. Instruction is delivered in the form of free text lessons. There are also 5-10 minute video lessons and self-assessment quizzes available to registered members who pay a nominal fee. Available history courses include:

History 101: Western Civilization I - Lessons begin with an overview of prehistory and the civilizations of the ancient Near East, Greece and Rome. Instructors also cover the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Elizabethan Era.

History 102: Western Civilization II - Instructors discuss imperialism in the 17th and 18th centuries along with the era's political, scientific and industrial revolutions. The course concludes with chapters on World War I and II and Western civilization since 1945.

History 103: U.S. History I - Topics of study cover U.S. history from first contacts with the Americas' indigenous peoples to the end of Reconstruction. The American Revolution and the country's early presidencies are covered in between.

History 104: U.S. History II - Chapters in this course range from the Gilded Age and American imperialism to the Cold War and contemporary America.

History 106: The Civil War and Reconstruction - Causes of the war and key battles are among the topics addressed in this course. Instructors also delve into the war's conclusion and the effects of Reconstruction.

History 108: History of the Vietnam War - Use this course to explore roots of the Vietnam War as well as U.S. involvement during the administrations of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon.

Free Online Non-Credited History Courses
African American History II at Notre Dame University
This course is one of three non-credit history classes that learners can survey for free on Notre Dame's OpenCourseWare (OCW) site. Detailed lecture notes include links to some of the reading material. The course concentrates on the progress of the African American population from the south to the north during the Reconstruction, as well as the political development of African American society.

The American Revolution at the University of Washington
This course is divided into three sections and discusses America before, during and after the Revolutionary War. Each section includes several pages of readings and a follow-up quiz. To access the course materials and quizzes, students need to agree to the school's terms and submit their name and email address, but there is no verification process. College credits are not awarded upon completion.

History of the American West at the University of Michigan
This history course covers topics relating to the birth of the American West, including Manifest Destiny, Indian relations and the Mexican-American War. Materials for this free OCW course include downloadable PowerPoint slides used in class lectures, supplemental reading materials and an interactive class syllabus. The downloads are available as both pdf. and .ppt files.

Ancient History Courses
The Ancient City at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In this non-credit OCW history course, students can wander through the ancient buildings of Rome and Greece while exploring the connections between urban architecture and the sociopolitical world during this time period. Textbooks are not included for free, but there is an extensive list of Web resources and assignment descriptions for self-assessment.

History and Civilization at Utah State University
The reading materials for this OCW course cover the creation, culture and transformation of several Western civilizations and overviews of different belief systems. The course materials include readings, lecture notes and lists of important terms to know. PowerPoint slides from the original in-class lectures are also accessible. The school offers options to earn college credit for the course through various examination options.

World History Courses
Western Civilization I at Study.com.
This course covers world history beginning with the Ice Age, moving through ancient empires, like ancient Greece and Rome, and up through the colonial period of the fifteenth century. The course includes free videos, transcripts, and quizzes and leads to real college credit that is accepted at over 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities.

Nineteenth Century Europe at University of Massachusetts - Boston
Educational materials from four free online history courses are available within the non-credit program offerings on the UMass Boston OCW website. The Nineteenth Century Europe course covers a spectrum of topics ranging from the Industrial Revolution to the German unification. Written assignment topics and lecture notes are included in the online materials, but the textbook must be purchased to participate in the reading assignments.

Welsh History and Its Sources at The Open University
This 25-hour course provides a list of resources that lead students to a greater understanding of the history of Wales. Website links, history timelines, audio files and video excerpts are included in the outline of course materials. Online students may need Adobe Acrobat or Windows Media Player software to access the files in this course. No college credit is awarded for this free course.

World War and Society in the 20th Century: WWII at Harvard University
Harvard University offers a free, non-credit course on the history of World War II through its Open Learning Initiative. It includes videos of 24 recorded lectures that cover topics on the Cold War, the war on the home front, the Japanese perspective and the aftermath of the war, among others. Each video is 50 minutes long.

It can be argued whether or not this is a "history" class but I think with so many of our group members having in interest in Ancient worlds, this class could be of interest:
Greek and Roman Mythology


Let me know if this is out of the wheelhouse and I'll get rid of the post.

Battle of Agincourt course is coming up soon to mark the 600th Anniversery

Coursera just sent out their list of Arts and Humanities classes across the globe. For anyone interested:

If I had the time and inclination, I'd do the Roman Architecture one. Even though I am known as someone who doesn't like the Romans nor fiction about them, ;), I still enjoy the history and non fiction and would find the architecture course interesting.

Andy wrote: "

Battle of Agincourt course is coming up soon to mark the 600th Anniversery"

Tnx Andy, I just enrolled

new course started today, missed it earlier, pesky SPAM filters....

Andy wrote: "

new course started today, missed it earlier, pesky SPAM filters...."

Thanks Andy

Looks good & a few empires Ive not really heard of so looking forward to it

Signed up for it

Started a course on magic in the Middle Ages given by U of Barcelona. Found it in Coursera. Really interesting and after I took Holsinger's course I have gotten into these superstitious beliefs of the Middle Ages

Semi-free. The Great Courses now has several classes available with their regular subscription ($7.99 a month) on Amazon Prime. The subscription is for all of their on-line classes, and there are all kinds of history classes included. I am excited about the class in Ancient Greek!

Lynne wrote: "Semi-free. The Great Courses now has several classes available with their regular subscription ($7.99 a month) on Amazon Prime. The subscription is for all of their on-line classes, and there are a..."

If there is anyone who is considering The Great Courses but needs to know if they are worth it... they are... I have been listening to them since about 2001 (and no, I am not going to admit how many of their courses I have). I have quite a few of the older history courses, so if you need any info about them, just ask. You can also get them from both audible and hoopla (though I have to admit that I, personally, have yet to be able to get them to work on hoopla others I know in other groups have been able to watch the courses, so they work for some folks) And, no, I do not get paid for telling how much I like the classes, I just really enjoy listening to the lectures while I walk. And I learn a lot! <><

Msjodi777 wrote: "Lynne wrote: "Semi-free. The Great Courses now has several classes available with their regular subscription ($7.99 a month) on Amazon Prime. The subscription is for all of their on-line classes, a..."

Good to know I am not the only addict. I have yet to be disappointed with any of the history classes, and have listened to some of them more than once--Brian Fagan and Bob Brier are two favorites for really early history.

Lynne wrote: "Brian Fagan and Bob Brier are two favorites for really early history. ..."

Oh, yes, Brian Fagan is one of my favorites too. It seems that Kenneth Harl is one of my other favorites, but I can't tell if I like him that much or the classes he teaches - I have 7 of the 10 classes he has available on audible. So much to learn, so little time.... <><

Not a course, per se, but History of Rome is an extraordinary podcast that outlines the history starting with Aeneas and ending with the last Roman Emperor. It's 179 episodes and incredibly well-done.



The author is now doing a podcast about great revolutions in history all over the world in a variety of eras. It looks like it's up to about 146 episodes.

There is also the British History Podcast, The History of WWII, The Civil War 1861-1865, and, if you like history mixed with Humor, The Life of Caesar. All are excellent and free.

Crystal wrote: "Not a course, per se, but History of Rome is an extraordinary podcast that outlines the history starting with Aeneas and ending with the last Roman Emperor. It's 179 episodes and incredibly well-do..."

Where's Jane...?? Jane, does this appeal to you? It sounds right up your alley.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Doing a fantastic course on China which I mentioned elsewhere but thought to post the link here



Its gives an overview of Chinese History & Culture, then covers the Mongols conquest, Marco Polo, Portuguese & Spanish Explorers & Missionaries & the Ming Dynasty (which is when us Europeans discovered China)

Im on week 7/8 & it has been a fascinating course for someone from the West whose only prior knowledge of China was Genghis Khan's conquest along with a bit of Marco Polo. This has been such an eye-opener of a course & highly recommend for anyone wanting to learn about China (and European discoverers of China) through to the 17th Century

It IS Free but the free version expires on 17th Dec, but you can always sign up for the next time they run it.