Harvard’s Online Constitution Course Goes Viral
Credit: Bloomberg / Getty Images- Viral TikToks are highlighting Harvard’s online courses amid its battle with the Trump administration.
- Some of these online courses cover key civics topics like the U.S. Constitution, public policy, and U.S. political institutions.
- Harvard also offers other online classes in areas like entrepreneurship and computer science.
- Many of those courses can be taken online for free.
A Harvard course on the U.S. Constitution is going viral amid the university’s fight with the Trump administration.
A TikTok user pointed out that Harvard University offers dozens of free online courses, including in areas like civics and the U.S. Constitution. That post went viral, garnering more than 8 million views.
The viral post comes as President Donald Trump has frozen billions in grants and contracts to Harvard after the school said it would reject a series of demands from the administration. In addition to freezing funding, Trump also said he would revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status.
Trump has also demanded that the university turn over the names and countries of its international students. And he subsequently revoked Harvard’s ability to enroll international students — although a judge has since blocked that move.
The funding battle is also playing out in court, with Harvard recently asking a federal judge to unfreeze $2.5 billion in funding.
Online Civics Courses From Harvard
The online courses from Harvard aren’t new. The university has long offered online classes in everything from computer science to civics — through its own Harvard Business School Online platform and other platforms like edX.
The viral social media post on Harvard’s online classes mentions that they will launch “soon,” but Harvard’s civics online courses are already available and feature rolling admissions, meaning students can enroll today.
Want to put Harvard on your resume without the Ivy-level price tag? Here are some courses you can take on edX right now:
Many of those courses come with paid certificates, but they can also be audited for free. Auditing a class means students can work through the course but won’t take part in graded assessments or receive a certificate.
These courses have no prerequisites. Each can be taken for free, or students can pay for a certificate for $149.
Those aren’t the only online offerings from Harvard. The university also offers in-depth online classes in topics like computer science and entrepreneurship.
Harvard Business School Online also offers a number of leadership-focused credentials, including its newly launched digital innovation credential, although those programs are longer and can’t be taken for free.
Disclosure: edX/2U is a BestColleges partner
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