Back to School: Free MIT Courses in Writing, Rhetoric, and Linguistics

At a time when we think we should be retiring and settling into a life of shuffleboard and free lunches, perhaps we should be honing our skills to communicate to our successor generations values that are glossed over in today’s educational systems. MIT stands ready to help, and this is most marvelous. I have never taken a course in rhetoric.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the most highly regarded universities in the U.S. Admission is fiercely competitive, and tuition and fees run about $18,000 a semester. Yet regardless of your age, occupation, location, or educational background, you can participate--at no cost--in any of the 1,800 courses that MIT offers.

Since its launch in 2002, MIT's OpenCourseWare (OCW) project has shared course materials--syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, and exams--with over 50 million visitors. Students, educators, and independent learners in more than 200 countries and territories have already taken part in this remarkable program.

Yes, there are disclaimers. OCW doesn't grant degrees or allow access to MIT faculty. And the materials posted online don't always reflect the full content of a course. (For instance, you may need to buy a textbook, and of course you'll miss out on class discussions and labs.) But the OCW site contains academic resources prepared by MIT faculty under an open license that lets users download and modify the materials for noncommercial use.

If you have the impression that MIT is concerned only with science and technology, make a point of visiting the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. There, among countless other offerings, you'll find dozens of OCW courses--both undergraduate and graduate--in writing, rhetoric, and linguistics. (The date beside each course title refers to the semester in which the course was offered on campus; OCW course materials, however, are available at any time.)

Back to School: Free MIT Courses in Writing, Rhetoric, and Linguistics

Comments

[UGG Boots UK]

When I wake up in the morning,You are all I see;When I think about you,
And how happy you make me.
You're everything I wanted;
You're everything I need;I look at you and know;
That you are all to me.

[how to pick a college major]

This blog post makes people aware about the different courses offered in MIT. Since this school is generally good at technological courses, people tend to forget that it offers other courses too.