We’re now inviting JHU grad students in the humanities and social sciences to propose a course on a topic of your choice. If your course is selected, you’ll receive dedicated training and support starting in March and a stipend of $2,500. Courses will run across five weeks in July–Aug. 2025. Questions? Email Milan Terlunen ([email protected]). Grad students click here for more information on how to apply by February 10th!
What are Blast Courses?
Blast Courses in the Humanities are interactive, free summer courses offered by AGHI since July 2020. All members of the public are welcome to join an online, flexible, and fun group as you dive into five weeks of ideas, questions, and skills centered on a special topic. Early-career instructors lead these gatherings and offer interactive opportunities so that any student, especially those without any prior experience in that subject, can learn, discuss, ask, wonder, gather, and find a community of fellow curious folks just like you.
In short, every Blast Course is:
- Free to all students—truly, everyone! Adults ages 16 to 116+ are welcome.
- Interactive—so you can ask questions and get feedback from the instructor, plus join a new community of fellow learners and discuss important ideas with them.
- Online + Flexible—only about 2 hours/week, divided into 2+ videos (and for some courses, live Zoom sessions) that you can watch/listen to while you work, drive, garden, work out, or whatever else you need to do.
- Entry-level—no homework, prior experience, or outside pre-reqs needed.
- Question-focused—asking big, thought-provoking questions about a range of topics, so that no matter what the subject (from ancient myths to current events to timeless art), you’ll find yourself looking at the world around you a little differently.
To learn more about our past courses, scroll down and find out full class list archive.
Past Courses
Summer 2024
- “Don’t Lose Your Head!: Tracing the Disembodied Head Through Culture, Fairy Tales, Food, and Beyond” with instructor Rini Barman (Anthropology)
- “Truth & Historical Dramas: Slavery, Data & Film” with instructor Arianna Browne (History)
- “‘Exquisite is her Splendor’: Women in Ancient Egypt” with instructor Tori Finlayson (Near Eastern Studies)
- “From Clay to Code: A Journey Through the History of Writing” with instructor Marc Flores (Near Eastern Studies)
- “Shakespeare on Screen and Stage: Adaptations and Us” with instructor Neah Lekan (English)
- “Fatal Allure: Imagining Death” with instructor Keisuke Nakajima (Classics)
- “More Than a Feeling: Sensory Experience in Ancient Egypt” with instructor Maarten Praet (Near Eastern Studies)
- “Sushi, Ramen, and Tempura: The History of Food (Ex)Change in Japan” with Wesley Sampias (History)
- “Chess as Art— From Shakespeare’s ‘Tempest’ to ‘The Queen’s Gambit’” with instructor Jonah Shallit (English)
- “Ancient Highways: Trade Routes of the Middle East and North Africa” with instructor John L. Shannon (Archaeology/Interdisciplinary Humanistic Studies)
- “2500+ Years of Artificial Life: A.I. and the Idea of the Human” with instructor Dr. Chris Taylor (CTL)
- “The Image of China Abroad and at Home” with instructor Shengshuang Wang (Modern Languages/Interdisciplinary Humanistic Studies)
- “Poetic Architectures, Building Worlds” with instructor Jess Yuan (Writing Seminars)
Summer 2023
- “1000 Bread, 1000 Beer: Food & Drink in Ancient Egypt,” Instructor: Dr. Morgan Moroney (Near Eastern Studies)
- “Insurrection & Conspiracy: America & Ancient Rome,” Instructor: Juan Dopico (Classics)
- “Listening to the Past: Clues to the Social Lives of Ancient Egyptians,” Instructor: Alison Wilkinson (Near Eastern Studies)
- “The Meaning of Extinction: Cinema and the End of the World,” Instructor: Brad Harmon (German/Modern Lang. & Lit.)
- “Nature Poetry,” Instructor: Martin Michálek (Classics)
- “Power, Pleasure, Personhood: Indian Painting, 1500-2000,” Instructor: Meghaa Ballakrishnen (Art History)
- “Reform or Revolution: Political Rebellion in German Thought and Literature from Plato to Star Wars,” Instructor: Luke Beller (German/Modern Lang. & Lit)
- “The Stories Maps Tell: Ancient Civilizations to Modern Readers,” Instructor: Paige Paulsen (Near Eastern Studies)
- “Writing Poetry of the Environment,” Instructor: Samantha Neugebauer (Writing Seminars)
Summer 2022
- “The Atomic Age Today,” instructor: Ruoyu Li (Political Science)
- “Ancient Poetry at the End of the World,” instructor: Martin Michalek (Classics)
- “Fast Fiction,” instructor: Eric Emmons (Writing Seminars)
- “A Voyage and the Marvel: Discovering Maryland in the 17th Century,” instructor: Ambra Marzocchi (Classics)
- “Glory of an Ancient, Storied Land: Tolkien and the Ancient World,” instructor: Kathryn H. Stutz (Classics)
- “Cut and Paste: Remediating the DIY Archive through the Creation of Cyber-Zines,” instructor: Lauren Mushro (MLL)
- “Where Are We at Home? Literature of Exile,” instructor: Marta Cerreti (MLL)
- “Tomorrow Will Be Too Late: Reading The Second Sex,” instructor: Thomas Mann (Political Science)
- “Talk Like an Egyptian: Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs,” instructor: Maarten Praet (Near Eastern Studies)
- “The Production of Forensic Space in Crime Fiction,” instructor: Antonia Grousdanidou (MLL)
Summer 2021
- “Exploring Uncanny Valleys in Contemporary Literature” – instructor: Antonia Grousdanidou [Dept. of Modern Languages and Literatures]
- “Surgery, Herbs, and Amulets: A Social History of Ancient Medicine” – instructor: Dr. Lingxin Zhang [Dept. of Near Eastern Studies]
- “Medieval Irish Sagas” – instructor: Daniel McClurkin [Dept. of English]
- “Reading Poetry for Everyday Life” – instructor: Martin Michalek [Dept. of Classics]
- “Letters from Prison—Homegrown Terrorism and Basque Nationalism” – instructor: Lauren Mushro [Dept. of Modern Languages and Literatures]
- “Introducing Gilgamesh” – instructor: Michael Chapin [Dept. of Near Eastern Studies]
- “Science and Utopian Fiction” – instructor: Mitchell Cram [Dept. of English]
Summer 2020
- “Modern Painting and Prostitution” – instructor: Meghaa Ballakrishnen [Art History]
- “How to Read Poetry” – instructor: Joel Childers [English]
- “Science and Utopian Fiction” – instructor: Mitchell Cram [English]
- “What is Knowledge?” – instructor: Cara Cummings [Philosophy]
- “Discriminating Taste: Understanding the French Approach to Fashion, Conversation, Food, and Art” – instructor: Nicole Karam [Modern Languages and Literatures]
- “Latinx Immigration and Literature: Interpreting the Border” – instructor: Alexandra Lossada [English]
- “The Northern Irish Troubles: Literature of Conflict” – instructor: Daniel McClurkin [English]
- “Bad Mothers in Literature, On Screen, and Across History” – instructor: Sarah Ross [English]
- “Conceptualizing the Pandemic: Emergency Humanities during COVID-19” – instructor: Arpan Roy [Anthropology]
- “Astronomy and Astrology in Ancient Egypt” – instructor: Lingxin Zhang [Near Eastern Studies]