/ Understand Our World: Humanities & Social Sciences
Discover the major thinkers and theories that shape our world through our multidisciplinary online education course, for the fraction of the cost & time spent at university.
Course enrolments are currently closed. Sign up to our newsletter to be notified about the next study period.
Why study this course?
The world is complex. Learning to demystify it doesn’t have to be.
In an age of crises and post-truth politics, we distrust governments and the media yet struggle to navigate issues logically or ethically. Perhaps you want to formulate well-reasoned opinions, or can’t deeply engage with problems. Worse still, you have an essay due but unsure how to develop ideas?
We have been in this position, and it was painful.
So painful that we returned to university, searching for a real education. One that goes beyond research and career-ready skills in a “siloed” approach, leaving graduates with blind spots and a huge debt — especially at the expense of nurturing intelligent and humane critical thinkers.
Did we find real education? Barely, so we created first philosophy to deliver an online education courses we would take.
Our inaugural course uses a multidisciplinary approach to connect seemingly independent fields, giving you a wider perspective in understanding yourself and the world around you with more authenticity; where knowledge allows you to act with reason, ethics, and justice.
-
Multidisciplinary
Vast disciplines with multiple instructors; each topic connects and draws novel conclusions while creating mind maps.
-
Flexible
On-demand, online education using a world-class platform, and Live Seminars easily accessible on your phone, tablet, or laptop.
-
Affordable
80% less than traditional university courses, our content delivers 95% more than a single university subject.
Course outline
This 2-part course provides an accessible, tertiary-level introduction to the humanities and social sciences, summarising for you a decade of our study.
We take you step-by-step through major thinkers, theories, and disciplines, to give you the tools and confidence to analyse the world and locate any new idea within western intellectual thought.
Unlike most online education courses that teach specific topics without rooting knowledge within intellectual traditions, we cover the A to Z comprehensively from antiquity to classical, modern and postmodern times through academic references, popular articles, art, film, music, literature and comedy.
-
Understanding the Foundations: Knowing how to think is the most important educational foundation hardly ever taught. Just as grammar corrects speech, logic corrects thought. Coupled with an intellectual history crash-course, the Foundations focus on thinking and intellectual epochs.
Understanding the Human Being: Before the external world, there is introspection of the Self. How we understand human nature are debated among contesting schools of thought. Key elements of understanding the human being is our psychology and emotions affecting who we are.
Understanding Knowledge: Learning and Thinking go hand-in-hand. Knowing, contemplating and experiencing require one to study Education, Philosophy, and the History and Philosophy of Science. Through these, we understand the foundations of almost all disciplines including the Arts and the Sciences.
-
Understanding our World: The final section exposes us to the topics that explain the world – its theories, ideas, past, present and future. The humanities and the social sciences with interdisciplinary weaving through contributions by polymaths and specialists create the civilisations which we witness today.
-
View course structure here.
How will this course help me?
-
Develop how to think deeply, critically and analytically through logical reasoning, philosophy, and academic disciplines to navigate your way though the world.
-
Learn new ways of visualising causes, correlations and effects. Through the theories, events and ideas behind issues, we navigate the flow-on impacts of decision making on strategy.
-
Identify and question biases and fallacious assumptions in the way people view the world, affirm a point, or provide reasoning reflecting an ideology.
-
Understand real world implications of when ideas go both right and wrong. Identify issues before they happen by connecting the dots, and notice what is left unsaid in the media by movers and shakers to analyse critically.
-
Develop cultural and social sensitivity through understanding the perspectives of people from various and diverse backgrounds. Discover a world beyond American, Eurocentric or soon to be Chinese worldview.
-
Study applied ethics through various disciplines which teach us a language to differentiate the wrong from right. Moral reasoning is vital at a time when money and utilitarianism rules society.
-
Be aquainted with literary, artistic, and cultural expressions of genius from various civilisations, addressing the social, political, economic and ethical issues covering topics from Homer to hip hop.
-
Improve lateral thinking, creativity and problem solving by approaching challenges and problems with a deep appreciation of the ways thinkers in the past creatively solved the problems of their times.
Meet Your Instructors
Shabeer
Broderic
Naushad
Scholarships - valid until 20 Dec 2022
First Philosophy, at all times, seeks to fulfil its mission if providing quality education to all. As such, our scholarship bursary is awarded to students who display a need and interest in our courses.
Send through a scholarship request to our team and receive up to 50% off all course fees.
Course Packages
-
Basic - $7.50/hr ($299)
• Full 18 lectures, 40 hrs over 20 weeks
• Recorded Lectures access on LMS
• Readings access for all topics
Not Included:
• Weekly Live Seminars
• Payment plan option
• Facebook group access
• Topic summary for all modules
• Additional Zoom drop-in sessions
• Certificate of completion
• Optional Assessment
• 1-on-1 mentoring session
-
Standard - $10/hr ($599)
• Full 18 modules, 60 hrs over 20 weeks
• Recorded Lectures access on LMS
• Readings access for all topics
• Weekly Live Seminars
• Payment plan option
• Facebook group access
• Certificate of completion
Not Included:
• Topic summary for all modules
• Additional Zoom drop-in sessions
• Optional Assessment
• 1-on-1 mentoring session
-
Complete - $15/hr ($899)
Full Access
• Full 18 modules, 60 hrs over 20 weeks
• Recorded Lectures on LMS
• Readings access for all topics
• Weekly Live Seminars
• Payment plan option
• Facebook group access
• Topic summary for all modules
• Additional Zoom drop-in sessions
• Certificate of completion
• Optional Assessment
• 1-on-1 mentoring session
Not what you were looking for?
Try all our online education courses - 100% RISK FREE.
If you don’t believe you have benefited after 14 days of studying, contact us, and we will happily provide a full refund AND a free book.
The best part is you don’t have to make up your mind right now. Enrol before the closing date, then take 14 days after joining lessons.
FAQs
-
On enrolment, you will be emailed with a link to First Philosophy - Thinkific page (LMS), where you need to create a username and password.
After completing this step, you will have access to a) the pre-recorded online lectures and course materials, and b) Zoom link for live seminars.
a) Pre-recorded online lectures and readings are easily accessible on your computer, tablet, or phone through the Thinkific platform for viewing at a suitable time prior to the live seminar. At least 1 week is given for all students to access the pre-recorded materials prior to live seminars.
b) Live Seminars are via Zoom. They are recorded and uploaded for later accessibility if you are unable to attend the live session.
As a student, no zoom account is required. We will provide a Zoom link which you can open from your web browser. The only account you need to create is for our First Philosophy page on Thinkific. -
Class time varies and will be discussed at the beginning of the course. Generally, they are held on weeknights or weekends (AEST), however with demand from international participants, we may run multiple tutorials at convenient times for all students.
-
Class recordings of live seminars are available for students to watch in their own time. Please inform us if you are unable to attend, and the recording will be made available to you.
-
No, we do not generally have assessments or examinations. However, should you choose the Premium package, you have the option to receive a certificate, transcript or letter of recommendation, for which we will happily organize an assessment.
-
The purpose of the course is to provide you with a high-quality, accessible, university-level engagement with the humanities and social sciences to help you analyse contemporary and topical issues, rather than to provide formal qualification. You are more than welcome to list completed courses in your academic profiles or CV’s, and First Philosophy will provide a certificate of completion.
