Why I'm swapping endless doom-scrolling for free Harvard classes - and you can too!
Brat summer is so 2024, I’m going to be having a smarty-pants summer.
Lately I’ve been struck by how much is at stake for honest, unbiased education - as we see the Trump administration asking the Supreme Court to lift injunctions so it can proceed with dismantling the Department of Education, while also targeting elite universities for “liberal bias.” Universities produce critical minds that turn a mirror to society - it’s no surprise why authoritarians and wannabe dictators loathe universities more than I loathe the way my thighs chafe during the summer. In an era when far-right ideas gain traction, sharpening critical thinking feels more essential than ever.
Pew Research Center data (May 2024) reveal stark partisan divides:
50% of Republicans vs. 30% of Democrats say it’s not too or not at all important to have a four-year college degree in order to get a well-paying job.
57% of Republicans vs. 43% of Democrats say a college degree is less important now than it was 20 years ago
42% of Republicans vs. 25% of Democrats say it’s extremely or very likely someone without a four-year college degree can get a well-paying job.
Of course, rising tuition, student debt, and uncertain job outcomes have fairly played a big role. Yet as Guardian columnist Bernard Harcourt shows, ideological campaigns against 'liberal universities' date to Nixon's era and have intensified under recent administrations.
Meanwhile, women continue to outpace men in college enrollment, today about 47% of U.S. women ages 25-34 hold a bachelor’s degree compared with 37% of men. ‘Interestingly,’ research shows that fields becoming female-majority often face devaluation in prestige and pay This dynamic reflects underlying sexism: as women enter and transform certain fields, those fields can be perceived as less ‘valuable,’ which in turn can breed broader skepticism about the worth of higher education - especially when economic and ideological anxieties are already in play.
(one quick note before I yap onwards: not that college is the only path to wisdom, there’s so much knowledge outside academia, but it remains a valuable option we shouldn’t dismiss.)
On a personal note, I’m itching to return to my Italian lessons once my finances allow (#BallinOnABudget), but I keep wondering if there’s something more nourishing (and budget friendly) I could be doing in the meantime than bed rotting while doom-scrolling social media (especially since it’s come to my attention that it can have a negative impact on our gray matter - not that I think that will surprise anyone).
With all of these thoughts floating around in my head, I stumbled across something spectacular -
Harvard (yes that Harvard), like many Universities, offers free short courses!
And if this all couldn’t get any cooler, you can frequently get a verified certificate for the class for a small fee. I don’t know about you but I would feel pretty stellar having one of those babies hanging pretty on my wall - at the very least as a conversation starter to spread the word about the classes!
Oh, and yes - these are of course accessible to people outside of the US as well. :)
Several that immediately caught my eye include:
Structure and Function of Argument: Introduction to Critical Thinking (because who couldn’t use a bit more critical thinking in their life? I know I certainly could).
Building Personal Resilience: Managing Anxiety and Mental Health (timely for all of us)
Negotiating Salary (this one happens to only be a 15 minute lesson - with a big potential payoff!)
American Government: Constitutional Foundations (brush up on civics so you can argue better at dinner parties 👹)
All of this just to say… The course that especially caught my eye, and inspired me to write all of this, was the PredictionX: Omens, Oracles & Prophecies class. It’s a 1 week course that dives into divination systems from ancient bone burning to the Oracle of Delphi to modern forecasting frameworks.
Idea that I would love your feedback on: How about a monthly “Course Club” here? Each month we pick a free course (starting with PredictionX), attend the class on our own schedule, then share our thoughts and what we learned at the end of the month (I would make comments open to all levels of subscribers on these posts).
And also - please help me choose a course club name!! (if you have a suggestion I would LOVE to hear in the comments, I’m not sure if any of my current ideas are quite right 🧐)
Speaking of studying Italian…
My current favorite way to squeeze some practice in naturally is complimenting little old ladies at the super market. The way they glow after someone notices them gets me choked up every time 😭💖👵🏼
A brief love note 💌
A HUUUUGE thanks to everyone who’s become a paid subscriber! Because of you, my weekly groceries have been paid twice over!!! So wild and so appreciated. I appreciate you exponentially 💖
As always thanks for reading! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, whether it’s a favorite course, a club name suggestion, or your take on the thighs vs. dictators hierarchy of hate.
🧡,
Katrin