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Arts & Culture Micro-Courses

Music, history, philosophy, literature and more — the courses real humans create when they follow their curiosity.

63 courses in this category

All Courses Science & Technology Arts & Culture Business & Career Health & Wellness Lifestyle & Skills Nature & World
The Road to Conflict: A Geopolitical History of Iran
Arts & Culture 10 lessons

The Road to Conflict: A Geopolitical History of Iran

How did an ancient empire become America's ultimate adversary?

Encounters of the Third Kind
Arts & Culture 10 lessons

Encounters of the Third Kind

What does a 'Third Kind' encounter actually mean?

The Carnyx: Ancient Celtic Sound Warfare
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Carnyx: Ancient Celtic Sound Warfare

Discover the ancient bronze beast designed to break minds.

Bauhaus: Less is More
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Bauhaus: Less is More

Did you know your IKEA furniture likely owes its style to 1920s Germany?

The Secret Art of Stoicism
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

The Secret Art of Stoicism

Want to unlock the ancient mind hack for ultimate stress relief?

The Architect of Disruption: History of Donald Trump
Arts & Culture 10 lessons

The Architect of Disruption: History of Donald Trump

How did a reality TV star pull off the ultimate political comeback?

Ancient Tech: Lost Inventions of the Past
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Ancient Tech: Lost Inventions of the Past

Did our ancestors have technology we still can't replicate today?

America 101: The Story So Far
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

America 101: The Story So Far

Think you know the real story behind the American experiment?

Austerlitz: Napoleon's Masterpiece
Arts & Culture 10 lessons

Austerlitz: Napoleon's Masterpiece

How did Napoleon's greatest trap destroy two empires in a single day?

China’s Wisdom & New Year Magic
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

China’s Wisdom & New Year Magic

How do a billion people celebrate and what fuels their faith?

The Bronze Age Collapse: Why Empires Disappeared
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

The Bronze Age Collapse: Why Empires Disappeared

How did the world's greatest empires vanish within a single generation?

Göbekli Tepe: The Temple That Rewrote History
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Göbekli Tepe: The Temple That Rewrote History

What if religion came before farming?

Sands to Superpower: The Rise of the UAE Dynasties
Arts & Culture 10 lessons

Sands to Superpower: The Rise of the UAE Dynasties

How did Bedouin tribes architect the world's most modern megacities?

The Pop Song Playbook
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Pop Song Playbook

Heard that song before? Here’s the secret why you probably have.

Kintsugi: The Art of Brokenness
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Kintsugi: The Art of Brokenness

Did you know that in Japan, broken objects are often seen as more beautiful than new ones?

Master the Hook: Writing Openers That Stick
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Master the Hook: Writing Openers That Stick

You have exactly 8 seconds before a reader quits. Can you win them over?

The Dancing Plague
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

The Dancing Plague

In 1518, hundreds of people literally danced themselves to death for no reason.

Victorian 'Death' Green
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Victorian 'Death' Green

In the 1800s, the most popular dress color was literally made of arsenic.

Beef Decoded: From Rations to Rap Wars
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Beef Decoded: From Rations to Rap Wars

Think 'beef' started with rap? Think again. The truth is way saltier.

Midnight Secrets: Why We Celebrate
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Midnight Secrets: Why We Celebrate

Ever wondered why we light up the sky on December 31st? Discover why.

Beyond Flowers: The Women's Day Story
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Beyond Flowers: The Women's Day Story

Ever wondered why we still need a global day for women?

The History of Energy Drinks
Arts & Culture 10 lessons

The History of Energy Drinks

Discover how ancient leaves and Thai truck drivers built a billion-dollar energy drink empire.

The Polychrome Myth
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

The Polychrome Myth

Everything you know about the white marble statues of Rome is a colorful lie.

The Underground Railroad: Geopolitics of the North Korean Escape
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Underground Railroad: Geopolitics of the North Korean Escape

Can you navigate the high-stakes logistics of the world's most dangerous geopolitical labyrinth?

The Dyatlov Pass Incident: Cold Case Files
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Dyatlov Pass Incident: Cold Case Files

What forced 9 experienced hikers to flee into freezing darkness?

Medieval Tree Climbers: Lithuanian Beekeeping
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Medieval Tree Climbers: Lithuanian Beekeeping

Why did medieval Lithuanians fight bears 10 meters up in the air?

Gilmore Girls: Stars Hollow Deep Cuts
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Gilmore Girls: Stars Hollow Deep Cuts

Did you know Sookie's house is physically attached to Lorelai's?

The Great Emu War of 1932
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

The Great Emu War of 1932

Australia once declared war on birds... and the birds won.

Welcome to Bluebell: The Magic of Hart of Dixie
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Welcome to Bluebell: The Magic of Hart of Dixie

Ready to trade the big city for Southern charm and quirky town festivals?

The History of Beef 🥩
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The History of Beef 🥩

Why do we call a feud 'beef' and not 'chicken'?

Origins of Bondage: Pre-History to Antiquity
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Origins of Bondage: Pre-History to Antiquity

Did the invention of agriculture make human enslavement inevitable?

Onna-musha: Women Warriors
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Onna-musha: Women Warriors

Did you know women in feudal Japan were trained to use the Naginata?

Alexandria: The Lost Knowledge
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Alexandria: The Lost Knowledge

Imagine if the collective knowledge of humanity was deleted in a single night.

Cunning Deities: Trickster Myths
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Cunning Deities: Trickster Myths

Did you know that many ancient cultures worshipped gods who were professional liars and thieves?

UAE Unlocked: Power, Wealth & Modern Statecraft
Arts & Culture 10 lessons

UAE Unlocked: Power, Wealth & Modern Statecraft

How does a desert nation outmaneuver superpowers to survive post-oil?

Project MKUltra: The CIA's Mind Control Secret
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Project MKUltra: The CIA's Mind Control Secret

Did the CIA really try to create mind-controlled spies?

The Dark Secret of Prussian Blue
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Dark Secret of Prussian Blue

What if a beautiful color held a sinister chemical secret?

Ramesses II: The Face of a Pharaoh
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Ramesses II: The Face of a Pharaoh

What did a 3,200-year-old king *really* look like, beneath the stone statues?

Cinema of Shadows: A Horror Guide
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Cinema of Shadows: A Horror Guide

Ever wonder why we love being scared? Let's dive into the dark.

The Golden Secret: Beekeeping in 1000 BC Lithuania
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Golden Secret: Beekeeping in 1000 BC Lithuania

Why did ancient Lithuanians treat bees like members of their own family?

Escape to Freedom: The Perilous Journey
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Escape to Freedom: The Perilous Journey

Why is the world's most guarded border the least used escape route?

The Secret Order of Forest Beekeepers
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

The Secret Order of Forest Beekeepers

Why was killing a bee in medieval Lithuania treated like murder?

Joe Rogan: The Podfather's Rise
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Joe Rogan: The Podfather's Rise

How did a reality TV host become the world's most influential media figure?

The Boy Band Blueprint: NKOTB
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Boy Band Blueprint: NKOTB

Who invented the modern boy band craze before the internet existed?

Deciphering the Voynich Manuscript
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Deciphering the Voynich Manuscript

The world’s most mysterious book: Is it an alien code or a brilliant hoax?

Stranger Things: The Real Files
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Stranger Things: The Real Files

Could the experiments in Hawkins actually happen in real life?

Dash of History: The Story of the Em-Dash
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Dash of History: The Story of the Em-Dash

Is this punctuation mark a stroke of genius or a writer's worst habit?

The Pulse of Pharaohs: The Nile 2000 BCE
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Pulse of Pharaohs: The Nile 2000 BCE

How did a single river turn a desert into history’s greatest empire?

Beyond the Bubbly: The Secret History of New Year's
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Beyond the Bubbly: The Secret History of New Year's

Think your party is modern? It’s actually 1,600 years in the making.

Politicians' Secret Lie Detector
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Politicians' Secret Lie Detector

Can you actually tell when a politician is lying to your face?

The Mozart Effect: Does Music Raise IQ?
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Mozart Effect: Does Music Raise IQ?

Can 10 minutes of Mozart really boost your IQ?

The Stoic Trick: Ignore Haters Forever
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Stoic Trick: Ignore Haters Forever

Want to become emotionally bulletproof against critics and trolls?

Hidden History Twists
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

Hidden History Twists

What if the history facts you learned were wrong?

The 1177 BC Mystery
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

The 1177 BC Mystery

How did every major civilization on Earth vanish at the exact same time?

Politics 101: Navigating the Basics
Arts & Culture 5 lessons

Politics 101: Navigating the Basics

Why do we even need politicians, anyway?

Prussian Blue: Toxic Art History
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Prussian Blue: Toxic Art History

Did you know that Prussian Blue was the key ingredient in a notorious cyanide gas?

Petals & Power: The Secret History of the Rose
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Petals & Power: The Secret History of the Rose

Did you know roses were once the ultimate symbol of secrecy?

The Secret History of the ABCs
Arts & Culture 3 lessons

The Secret History of the ABCs

Your A's were once ox heads! Discover how ancient traders created the code you use every day.

Vertical Forest Architecture
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Vertical Forest Architecture

Did you know some buildings produce more oxygen than a small park?

Izanagi & Izanami: Japan's Origins
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Izanagi & Izanami: Japan's Origins

Did you know the Japanese islands were said to be formed from drops of salt water?

The Blade's Soul: Katana Smithing
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

The Blade's Soul: Katana Smithing

Did you know a single katana could take months and thousands of folds to perfect?

The Ghost Army of WWII
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

The Ghost Army of WWII

How an army of inflatable tanks fooled the Nazis and won the war.

Project MKUltra Exposed
Arts & Culture 7 lessons

Project MKUltra Exposed

The terrifying true story of the government’s attempt at mind control.