Interdisciplinary & Other
First-year seminars and cross-cutting programs that don't sit in one department.
33 courses from MIT OpenCourseWare.
CC.111 · Undergraduate · Spring 2013
<p>This course examines the modern definition of freedom, and the obligations that people accept in honoring it. It investigates how these obligations are captured in the principles of our political associations. This course also studies how the centrality of freedom plays out in the political thought of such authors as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke and Montesquieu, as well as debating which notions of freedom inspire and sustain the American experiment by careful reading of the documents and …
CC.112 · Undergraduate · Spring 2013
<p>This course explores the nature of love through works of philosophy, literature, film, poetry, and individual experience. It investigates the distinction among eros, philia, and agape. Students discuss ideas of love as a feeling, an action, a species of ‘knowing someone,’ or a way to give or take. Authors studied include Plato, Kant, Buber, D. H. Lawrence, Rumi, and Aristotle.</p> <p>This course is part of the Concourse program at MIT.</p>
CC.S10 · Undergraduate · Spring 2007
Explore where the prohibitions and permissions that occur in every day life come from, why they exist, and what gives them force. For example: food—you are only willing and able to eat a subset of the world’s edible substances. Marriage—some marriages are prohibited by law or by custom. This course addresses questions of prohibition and permission using psychological sources and literary works from ancient to modern. Texts include works by Shakespeare, Melville, Mary Rowlandson, and Anita Desai…
CC.S10 · Undergraduate · Fall 2011
This course focuses on an in-depth reading of <em>Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis</em> by Isaac Newton, as well as several related commentaries and historical philosophical texts.
RES.14-004 · Non-Credit · January IAP 2026
It is hard to predict what US tariffs will look like in a few months, or even in a few weeks from now. But there are many questions about tariffs that can be answered through a combination of theory and data. This lecture discusses seven such questions that everyone should know the answers to. This talk was given during MIT’s Independent Activities Period in January 2026.
RES.BLOSS · Undergraduate · Spring 2010
<p>BLOSSOMS stands for Blended Learning Science or Math Studies. It is a project sponsored by MIT LINC (Learning International Networks Consortium) a consortium of educators from around the world who are interested in using distance and e-Learning technologies to help their respective countries increase access to quality education for a larger percentage of the population.</p> <p>BLOSSOMS Online</p>
RES.ENV-001 · Non-Credit · January IAP 2017
<p>This course explores how citizen science can support community actions to combat climate change. Participants will learn about framing problems, design ways to gather data, gather some of their own field data, and consider how the results can enable action. Leaks in the natural gas system—a major source of methane emissions, and a powerful contributor to climate change—will be a particular focus.</p> <p>The course was organized by ClimateX and Fossil Free MIT, with support from the National …
RES.ENV-003 · Non-Credit · Fall 2019
<p>The Climate 101 presentation was developed by Brandon Leshchinskiy in collaboration with Professor Dava Newman, MIT Portugal, and EarthDNA in an effort to mobilize young people as educators on the issue of climate change. The presentation addresses not only the science but also the economics and civics of climate change, incorporating a negotiation activity that brings key concepts to life.</p> <p>This resource includes the slides and instructions for the presentation, along with a…
RES.ENV-004 · Non-Credit · Fall 2020
<p>To inform and empower the public on the complex issue of climate change, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has created a Climate Portal, an online home for timely, science-based information about the causes and consequences of climate change—and what can be done to address it. Whether you are new to climate change or ready for a deeper exploration, the MIT Climate Portal offers a virtual place to ground your knowledge and ask your questions of experts. It also highlights MIT’s latest…
RES.ENV-005 · Non-Credit
<p>The goal of the Climate Primer website is to summarize the most important lines of evidence for human-caused climate change. It confronts the stickier questions about uncertainty in our projections, engages in a discussion of risk and risk managment, and concludes by presenting different options for taking action. We hope that the facts prepare you for more effective conversations with your community about values, trade-offs, politics, and actions.</p> <p>In March 2024, the MIT Environmental…
RES.ENV-006 · Non-Credit · January IAP 2022
<p>Solving the interconnected complex problems that pervade our social, environmental, economic, and health systems requires concerted change. To achieve the lasting impact necessary for true change to occur, sustainability needs to be holistically integrated throughout an academic program, leveraging the knowledge of instructors to create a more sustainability-literate population.</p> <p>This resource presents materials associated with a four-week noncredit course intended to provide current a…
RES.ENV-007 · Non-Credit · January IAP 2025
This two-day course, a collaboration between the HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team) and MIT, focused on “Geothermal Energy Networks: Transforming Our Thermal Energy System” during the Independent Activities Period (IAP) in January 2025.
RES.ENV-008 · Non-Credit · Spring 2025
<p>The MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative’s Climate, Environment, and Sustainability Infusion Fellowship (CESIF) launched in February 2023 to empower faculty across MIT to cross their disciplinary boundaries and embed topics of climate science, the environment, and sustainability (CES) into the regular undergraduate curriculum.</p> <p>By infusing CES topics into regular undergraduate subjects, MIT students were introduced to the critical challenges facing society today and the pathways towa…
res.env-009 · Non-Credit · January IAP 2026
IAP 2026 provides members of the MIT community with a unique opportunity to participate in a wide variety of activities, including this lecture series on climate change produced by MIT’s Center for Sustainability Science and Strategy (CS3). Please join CS3 during IAP 2026 to learn more about the science of climate change and policies aimed at stabilizing the global climate.
RES.HS-001 · High School
<p>The Chandra Astrophysics Institute (CAI), a Chandra X-ray Observatory–sponsored program run by the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, was intended for students from the Boston area from a wide range of academic backgrounds with a limited opportunity to directly experience authentic science. </p> <p>The CAI was a year-long program to train for and take part in authentic astronomy projects. Participants built employable research, technology, and collaboration skills …
RES.HSO-001 · High School
<p>At the MIT Haystack Observatory, researchers use several basic science concepts every day. Electromagnetic waves, optics, and molecular chemistry are just a few of the core topics that can be incorporated into the high school science curriculum by exploring the atmosphere and the universe with lessons focused around the research specialties at Haystack.</p> <p>The original material presented here was developed by teachers, with the assistance of the staff at Haystack. All lesson plans have b…
RES.LL-001 · Undergraduate · Spring 2007
<p>This set of 10 lectures (about 11+ hours in duration) was excerpted from a three-day course developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory to provide an understanding of radar systems concepts and technologies to military officers and DoD civilians involved in radar systems development, acquisition, and related fields. That three-day program consists of a mixture of lectures, demonstrations, laboratory sessions, and tours.</p> <p>Online Publication</p>
RES.LL-002 · Undergraduate · Spring 2010
<p>The 16 lectures in this course cover the topics of adaptive antennas and phased arrays. Both theory and experiments are covered in the lectures. Part one (lectures 1 to 7) covers adaptive antennas. Part two (lectures 8 to 16) covers phased arrays. Parts one and two can be studied independently (in either order). The intended audience for this course is primarily practicing engineers and students in electrical engineering. This course is presented by Dr. Alan J. Fenn, senior staff member at M…
RES.LL-003 · Undergraduate · January IAP 2011
<p>Are you interested in building and testing your own imaging radar system? MIT Lincoln Laboratory offers this 3-week course in the design, fabrication, and test of a laptop-based radar sensor capable of measuring Doppler, range, and forming synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. You do not have to be a radar engineer but it helps if you are interested in any of the following; electronics, amateur radio, physics, or electromagnetics. It is recommended that you have some familiarity with MATLAB…
RES.LL-004 · Non-Credit, High School · Spring 2022
<p>Welcome to “Introduction to Engineering Concepts," a lesson that will introduce you to several STEM fields and help you build core skills that are helpful across many engineering disciplines. We also explain the engineering/research development process. This lesson assumes little to no prior engineering experience but does provide suggestions to increase the difficulty of the experiments should you desire to do so.</p> <p>This course is provided by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a research and deve…
RES.LL-005 · Undergraduate · January IAP 2020
This course introduces the Dynamic Distributed Dimensional Data Model (D4M), a breakthrough in computer programming that combines graph theory, linear algebra, and databases to address problems associated with Big Data. Search, social media, ad placement, mapping, tracking, spam filtering, fraud detection, wireless communication, drug discovery, and bioinformatics all attempt to find items of interest in vast quantities of data. This course teaches a signal processing approach to these problems…
RES.SolveX · Non-Credit · Summer 2021
<p>People in every corner of the world are innovating to solve social and environmental problems in their communities. In the past decade, new programs like MIT Solve have emerged to support those social entrepreneurs and drive partnerships to accelerate their impact. However, many startups find it difficult to develop business plans that clearly communicate their work and impact.</p> <p>The main focus of this course is to help early-stage social impact startups define key aspects of their busi…
RES.STP-001 · Graduate · January IAP 2011
<p>The careers of MIT scientists and engineers are significantly determined by public policy decisions made in Washington by the government. However, their access to information on how this system works is limited. Meanwhile, we increasingly understand that science and technology-based innovation is deeply connected to society’s economic growth and its ability to generate societal wellbeing, so the public role of science is growing. This course will examine the public policy behind and the gove…
RES.STR-001 · Non-Credit · January IAP 2022
Learn how to read and interpret maps and data and use basic cartography principles to create maps that can be used in reports and presentations. After learning basic concepts, attendees will work through an exercise using ArcGIS Pro or QGIS.
RES.STR-002 · Non-Credit · Spring 2016
The MIT Libraries Data Management Group hosts a set of workshops during IAP and throughout the year to assist MIT faculty and researchers with data set control, maintenance, and sharing. This resource contains a selection of presentations from those workshops. Topics include an introduction to data management, details on data sharing and storage, data management using the DMPTool, file organization, version control, and an overview of the open data requirements of various funding sources.
RES.SUD-01 · Graduate · Spring 2025
<p>Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Ventures is an intense and immersive hybrid program, offered through MIT Open Learning, whose aim is to fuel the next generation of innovation in the field of substance use treatment and research. This program is designed to support researchers and other innovators in the field of SUD with knowledge and examples of how to bring their innovations to market.</p> <p><em>The program and its research are supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of t…
RES.TLL-002 · Non-Credit · Spring 2012
<p>The Software Tools for Academics and Researchers (STAR) program at MIT seeks to bridge the divide between scientific research and the classroom. Understanding and applying research methods in the classroom setting can be challenging due to time constraints and the need for advanced equipment and facilities. The multidisciplinary STAR team collaborates with faculty from MIT and other educational institutions to design software exploring core scientific research concepts. The goal of STAR is t…
RES.TLL-004 · Undergraduate · Fall 2013
<p>The STEM Concept Videos are designed to help students learn a pivotal concept in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM). These ideas are the building blocks of many engineering curricula, and learning them will help students master more difficult material. The STEM Concept Videos were produced by the Teaching and Learning Lab (TLL) at MIT for the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).</p> <p>For more information on how these videos were developed, please s…
RES.TLL-005 · Non-Credit · January IAP 2018
<p>Patrick Winston’s <em>How to Speak</em> talk has been an MIT tradition for over 40 years. Offered every January during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), usually to overflow crowds, the talk is intended to improve your speaking ability in critical situations by teaching you a few heuristic rules. Professor Winston’s collection of rules is presented along with examples of their application in job-interview talks, thesis defenses, oral examinations, and lectures.</p> About Professor…
RES.TLL-007 · Non-Credit · Fall 2021
<p>The MIT Case Studies in Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) aims to advance new efforts within and beyond MIT’s Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing. The specially commissioned and peer-reviewed cases are brief and intended to be effective for undergraduate instruction across a range of classes and fields of study. The series editors expect the cases will also be of interest for computing professionals, policy specialists, and general readers. All cases will be made…
RES.TLL-008 · Non-Credit · Spring 2026
<p>Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC), a cross-cutting initiative of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, works to train students and facilitate research to assess the broad challenges and opportunities associated with computing, and improve design, policy, implementation, and impacts.</p> <p>This site is a resource for SERC pedagogical materials developed for use in MIT courses. SERC brings together cross-disciplinary teams of faculty, researchers, and students to deve…
RES.TLL-009 · High School · Fall 2022
<p>The Joint Entrance Examination—Advanced* is a prestigious exam for high school students in India, as successful candidates go onto pursue undergraduate education from top colleges such as Indian Institutes of Technology and National Institutes of Technology. This resource provides free, open-source videos for students preparing for JEE-Advanced.</p> <p>This project was conceptualized and implemented by Dr. Ankur Gupta, now a professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. He holds a Ph.D. i…
RES.TLL-010 · Non-Credit · Spring 2025
<p>The syllabus informs students’ first impressions of a class, the instructor, and their evaluation of whether they will succeed. Given the important role of the syllabus for students and for instructors’ intentional design of the course, this syllabus checklist is a tool to guide instructors in their construction and revision of course design, assessment descriptions, teaching practices, and policies in their syllabi. Many of the checklist items also apply beyond the syllabus to other communi…