ourse, you will learn to name what you see and then use it on purpose." } ] }, { "id": "humanities", "name": "Humanities", "host": "provolta", "blurb": "History, philosophy, languages and literature: what it means to be human, and how we tell it.", "courses": [ { "id": "phil101", "title": "Introduction to Philosophy", "host": "provolta", "desc": "The big questions: knowledge, mind, ethics and meaning, explored through clear arguments and great thinkers.", "lessons": ["What is philosophy? Arguments and reasons", "Knowledge and skepticism", "Mind and body", "Ethics: right and wrong", "Free will", "Meaning and the good life"], "intro": "Philosophy, from the Greek for 'love of wisdom', tackles questions that cannot be settled by experiment alone: What can we know? What is a mind? How should we live? Its main tool is the argument, a set of premises offered as reasons for a conclusion. An argument is valid when the conclusion must follow if the premises are true, and sound when it is valid and its premises really are true. Socrates, in ancient Athens, made this method famous by questioning people until hidden assumptions surfaced. As you read, practise his habit: state a claim clearly, ask what supports it, and look for the strongest objection before you decide." }, { "id": "hist101", "title": "World History: Turning Points", "host": "epistle", "desc": "A global survey of moments that changed everything, from farming and writing to revolutions and the digital age.", "lessons": ["The agricultural revolution", "Writing and the first states", "Empires and trade routes", "Revolutions in science and politics", "Industrialisation", "The digital age"], "intro": "For most of human history people lived as hunter-gatherers. Starting roughly 12,000 years ago, in several regions independently, including the Fertile Crescent of Southwest Asia, China, Mesoamerica and the Andes, people began to farm: they domesticated plants such as wheat, rice and maize, and animals such as goats and cattle. Farming produced food surpluses, which allowed larger, settled villages, specialised jobs, stored wealth and, eventually, cities and states. It also brought new problems: more disease, harder labour and greater inequality. Historians call this the Neolithic or agricultural revolution, and it is the turning point on which almost every later chapter of this course depends." }, { "id": "lang101", "title": "Languages: How Language Works", "host": "boss", "desc": "An introduction to linguistics: sounds, words, grammar, meaning and how people learn new languages.", "lessons": ["What is a language?", "Sounds: phonetics and phonology", "Words: morphology", "Sentences: syntax", "Meaning in context", "Learning a second language"], "intro": "There are roughly 7,000 languages spoken in the world today, and every one of them, including sign languages, is a complete system for expressing any thought its speakers need. Linguists study language scientifically, describing how people actually speak rather than prescribing how they should. They divide the system into layers: phonetics and phonology study sounds, morphology studies how words are built from meaningful parts (un-break-able), syntax studies how words combine into sentences, and semantics and pragmatics study meaning, including meaning that depends on context. Every language changes over time, so 'correct' is a matter of community and setting, not of logic." }, { "id": "write101", "title": "Writing with Power", "host": "boss", "desc": "Clear, persuasive writing: thesis, structure, evidence, style and revision, for essays, posts and speeches.", "lessons": ["Know your reader and purpose", "A thesis that earns attention", "Structure and paragraphs", "Evidence and examples", "Style: clarity and rhythm", "Revision"], "intro": "Every strong piece of writing starts with two questions: who is reading, and what do I want them to understand, believe or do? Your answers decide your tone, your vocabulary and what you can leave out. A thesis is the one-sentence claim the whole piece exists to support; 'social media is complicated' is not a thesis, but 'short-video apps reward outrage because their ranking systems measure watch time' is, because it is specific and arguable. Plain words usually beat fancy ones, active verbs beat passive ones, and every paragraph should do one job. Write the messy first draft fast, then make it clear in revision." }, { "id": "lit101", "title": "Reading Literature", "host": "epistle", "desc": "How to read stories, poems and plays closely: character, voice, form, theme and context.", "lessons": ["Close reading", "Narrative and point of view", "Poetry: sound and image", "Drama and dialogue", "Theme and context"], "intro": "Close re