Just like a traditional school, the courses now available online run the full spectrum from extremely practical to completely ridiculous and fun. Anyone who missed the chance in high school or college to explore a subject they're fascinated with can now take an online course from some of the top universities in the world. Online learning platforms offer more than you might imagine, including classes on the plausibility of life on other planets and how to survive the zombie apocalypse portrayed in TV show "The Walking Dead."
They're also a reminder that education doesn't always need to be career-oriented, and can be something you simply want to know more about.
-Society, Science, Survival: Lessons from AMC’s "The Walking Dead"-
*Platform: *Canvas Network
*Affiliated university: *The University of California at Irvine
*Description: *"From understanding social identities to modeling the spread of disease, this eight-week course will span key science and survival themes using AMC’s 'The Walking Dead' as its basis."
Topics include:
· Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Is survival just about being alive?
· Social order and structures, from the farm and the prison to Woodbury
· Social identity, roles, and stereotyping, as shown through leaders like Rick and the Governor
· The spread of infectious disease and population modeling
· The role of energy and momentum in damage control: How can you best protect yourself?
· Nutrition in a post-apocalyptic world: Are squirrels really good for you?-Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science-
*Platform: *edX
*Affiliated university:* Harvard University
*Description: *"During each week of the course, you will watch as chefs reveal the secrets behind some of their most famous culinary creations — often right in their own restaurants. Inspired by such cooking mastery, the Harvard team will then explain, in simple and sophisticated ways, the science behind the recipe.
"Topics include: soft matter materials, such as emulsions, illustrated by aioli; elasticity, exemplified by the done-ness of a steak; and diffusion, revealed by the phenomenon of spherification, the culinary technique pioneered by Ferran Adrià."-Imagining Other Earths-
*Platform: *Coursera
*Affiliated university:* Princeton University
*Description: *"Over the past two decades, astronomers have discovered over a thousand planets around nearby stars. Based on our current knowledge, it seems likely that there are millions of stars in the Galaxy that host Earth-sized planets in Earth-like orbits. What is the range of conditions for these planets to host life? In this course, students will engage with a wide range of concepts in astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology and physics with a focus on developing the background they will use need to think further about this profound question."
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Reported by Business Insider 3 hours ago.