Arts and humanities courses
Arts and humanities courses. We don’t just teach, we inspire.
Exploring the depths of culture, philosophy and history has never been so accessible. Learn from experts in the field and create an everlasting bond with some of the world’s most impactful reading material. Our comprehensive arts and humanities courses offered at the University of Sydney provide students with unending knowledge that touches our roots while building towards the future.
Don’t be intimidated by our knowledgeable faculty – they know their stuff but they also understand that everyone starts somewhere, which is why we welcome inquiring minds without prejudice. Step up to unleash your inner scholar and get energised by mind-stimulating discourse amongst like-minded peers. Meet friends, form opinions and come out of it with a cultural experience you won’t soon forget!
Sign up now for your very own inspiring experience. We offer groundbreaking opportunities to unlock your intellectual potential, turning everyday people into more thoughtful citizens able to appreciate their pasts and consider their futures more deeply. So say farewell to mundane education and open your world through art and humanities today! Learn arts and humanities in Sydney with arts and humanities courses from the University of Sydney – your premier provider of short courses in Sydney and online.
Featured courses
Meet your facilitators
Brian Brennan
Brian Brennan hold a Master’s degree with honours in Classical Studies and a Ph.D in Ancient History. He has specialised in the religious and cultural history of the Later Roman World,...
Robert Gay
After gaining a BA, Dip. Ed. from the University of Sydney, Robert trained as a lyric baritone in London and Munich before turning to the field of music education. He has taught music history...
John Merchant
Dr John Merchant is a graduate of the University of Sydney in Zoology and Psychology (Honours). John’s career has spanned welfare work, school counselling and school administration. John is a...
John Wells
Armed with a Diploma in Fine Art from Brighton College of Art and a Masters degree, John left Reading University to endeavour to realise another ambition and that was to be an actor. He acquired a...
Featured Articles
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. Join us for this ten-week philosophy of media course, as we analyse the concept of ‘media’ and its definition. We will explore the types of ‘media’ from the invention of writing, through print media to telephone, radio, television, and finally the internet. During this course, we will focus on key philosopher Marshall McLuhan, who is considered by many to be the inventor of media philosophy in its... View Philosophy of Media Course.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. This course on the philosophy of religion examines religious experience while borrowing from different schools of thought, including psychology, anthropology, sociology, phenomenology and political theory. Religion is central to the personal lives of many people. It is integrated in the cultural heritage of every people, and understanding it is crucial to understanding the human condition. We will delve... View Philosophy Course: Philosophy of Religion.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. Astra Taylor (2019) quipped that 'Democracy may not exist but we will miss it when it’s gone': a timely remark as the discussion grows concerning the ‘crisis of democracy’ in the current world situation. During this course, we will study the philosophical and historical roots of democratic systems; why they emerge and why they falter. We will discuss the core elements that make a democracy ‘democratic’... View Philosophy Course: Democracy.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. Spinoza was one of the towering philosophers of the 17th century, described by Bertrand Russell as "the noblest and most lovable of all the great philosophers". His work investigates some of the deepest questions of philosophy. He made significant contributions to understanding the human mind, the emotions, moral philosophy and politics. In this introductory course, we will focus on Spinoza’s ideas and... View Philosophy Course: Spinoza.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. For Heidegger “we ourselves are the entities to be analyzed” and this is both a rational, objective task and a subjective introspection on ourselves. His phenomenology of ‘lived experience’ is a corrective to the enlightenment idea of reason: “Thinking begins only when we have come to know that reason, glorified for centuries, is the stiff-necked adversary of thought”. This course will approach... View Philosophy Course: Heidegger.
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History. See the future. It’s in the past. North Africa was one of Rome’s richest provinces, and today, some of the most impressive Roman ruins are to be found not in Italy, but in North Africa. Our armchair travels will range from the city of Volubilis and other sites in Morocco, through to Algeria, where we will be examining Timgad, Lambaesis, Djemila, Tipasa and St Augustine’s town of Hippo Regius, to Tunisia, with it's Roman towns such as Dougga, Sufetula (Sbeitla) and Thyrsdus... View History Course: Roman North Africa.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. Ludwig Wittgenstein occupies a unique place in 20th Century philosophy. He brings a depth of understanding and richness of vision unparalleled in the history of modern linguistics, and profoundly influenced all 20th and 21st Centuries development in the connection between language and thought. Ludwig Wittgenstein’s project is very ambitious in scope, he hopes to show the boundary between the thinkable and... View Philosophy Course: Wittgenstein's Life, Language and Thoughts.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. What a century! There are so many towering intellects to choose from it is difficult to decide who has had the most impact on the twentieth and twenty-first century. Marx utterly transformed political theory and political reality; Darwin’s evolutionary theory has affected almost every area of science and social theory; and even if Freud’s theory of the unconscious is objectively a ‘fiction’, it became one... View Philosophy Course: The Fabulous Nineteenth Century.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. This course explores the ways in which humans embody their ideas, spirits and power relations in built environments. Some issues discussed include: architecture and the ethics of a 'good' society; the role of creativity: imaginary cities of the mind; architecture and the phenomenal body in space; and the fundamental components of architectural design. We will begin with the Roman philosopher Vitruvius.... View Philosophy Course: Philosophy of Architecture.
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Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence. Join us for a beginner’s course in Existentialism – consider and discuss human existence in a social and supportive environment. Existentialism is concerned with the drama of human existence. In this course we explore: the quest for a meaningful life, realisation of human potential, ‘authentic’ life, existential ‘angst’, human freedom, and the absurdity of existence. This course introduces all of these... View Philosophy Course: An Introduction to Existentialism.