The Right to Freedom of Expression:online course by: AMNISTY

This short course will equip you with the knowledge to understand and claim your right to freedom of expression, and the skills and confidence to take action to defend it.

HONOR CODECERTIFICATE

Regions, EU Institutions and Policy-Making, online course

European Union: 28 countries, over 270 regions, 507 million people. Learn more about the EU and the regions and cities within it. In this course, experts, politicians, academics – and you! – will have a voice in Europe and its regions.

About this course

Did you know that three quarters of EU policies affect our everyday lives in our regions and cities? Did you know that regional and local governments in Europe manage two thirds of all public investments? Be it the economy, social affairs, territorial cohesion, education, youth or culture, energy, environment, transport, immigration – local government in Europe matters. The importance of the regional and local dimension has continued to increase in Europe. Among the EU institutions in Brussels, the European Committee of the Regions stands up for the rights of citizens, ensuring that the local perspective is heard and giving communities a voice in Europe. This introductory course aims to explain how the European Union works and what the European regions' place is within it. Join us to (re)define the role of regions in European policy making!

EXPLORING ENGLISH: MAGNA CARTA .... online course

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Introduction to the Quran, online course

HONOR CODE CERTIFICATE

In this course.... the learner will discover the content and structure of the Quran, explore its meaning to Muslims, and study its relationship with the Bible.  Along the way, there will be diverse readings and dynamic interactive activities.  You will also have the opportunity to engagewith your classmates and instructors through the discussion forums.  All students are expected to follow the edX Honor Code and our Expectations of Conduct.  We hope you find this course to be a meaningful and enlightening learning experience!

Course description

According to Islamic tradition the Quran is not simply an inspired scripture.  It is a divine book brought down from heaven by the angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad, and its message is the key to heaven.  In this course we will explore the principal themes of the Quran, examine the ways in which Muslim scholars have interpreted it, and discover its surprisingly intimate relationship with the Bible.

Course Objectives

1. Describe the Quran’s literary features, including its structure and its style.
2. Explain the Quran’s religious arguments.
3. Identify strategies the Quran uses to convince its audience of specific religious arguments.
4. Discuss traditional Islamic and critical academic perspectives on the origins of the Quran.
5. Identify how the Quran employs Biblical characters and traditions.

Texts

All of the assigned texts for this course are embedded in the courseware.  All Quran translations come from T. Itani, Clear Quran.  I am grateful to Mr. Itani for his permission to use his translation of the Quran for this course.  Students interested in purchasing a complete copy of his translation can click here.  All Bible quotations in this course are from the Revised Standard Version.

Among our reading are several chapters from Prof. Reynolds’ textbook, The Emergence of Islam.  These chapters are embedded in the courseware, but edX students have the exclusive opportunity topurchase the ebook at a greatly reduced price of $9.99.  Note:  This is also available through other booksellers (e.g., Amazon.com, www.bn.com, etc.).

The EU and Human Rights, online course

The course objectives will give you an overview of what you will learn each week. You can download the PDF of the course objectives, goals and outcomes here.

HONOR CODECERTIFICATE

Terrorism and Counter-terrorism, online course

Terrorism has gone from a persistent yet marginal security concern to one of the most important security problems of our day: indeed, there are few countries that do not suffer from some form of terrorism. Though many terrorist attempts fail, some groups wage lengthy and bloody campaigns and, in exceptional cases, kill hundreds or even thousands in pursuit of their ends. Course topics include the nuances involved in defining terrorism, the nature of Al-Qaeda, Hamas, and other important groups, the effectiveness of different counter-terrorism tools like detention and military force, linkages (or the lack thereof) between terrorism and world religions like Islam, terrorist recruiting, the rule of law, the political context in South Asia and the Middle East, and terrorist use of technology.