Free Content
First Online Courses at University of Basel Announced
Exploring Possible Futures and From Ink to Sound: anyone interested in participating in the first two online courses offered by the University of Basel can register on the FutureLearn platform.
14 September 2015
The University of Basel now offers free online courses that are open to the general public. The courses are optimized for mobile learning on participants' own schedules, allowing them to participate via their tablets or smartphones without being bound to fixed class times. The courses offer an appealing mix of videos, articles, discussions and tests. Course participants also have the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with other course participants.
The University of Basel online courses are offered on the FutureLearn partner platform. The two online courses are Exploring Possible Futures (starting on October 19) and From Ink to Sound (starting on November 2).
Both members and non-members of the university can join courses for free. People who just want a taster of the course offerings are also welcome. The language of instruction is English, and the courses last from six to eight weeks.
Exploring Possible Futures: Introduction to Economic Modelling
If we are to stop climate change, we have to reduce our emissions now. But is a renewable supply of energy really feasible, and what are the associated costs and consequences? The online course Exploring Possible Futures examines these questions and identifies methods for addressing them through mathematical models. The course builds on the expertise of the University of Basel’s thematic focal area Sustainability and Energy Research and is part of the educational program of the Competence Center for Research in Energy, Society and Transition (SCCER CREST).
Professors Frank Krysiak and Hannes Weigt will be teaching the course together with PhD student Julia von Esebeck. They will explain theoretical as well as numerical models, discuss the latest research methods and invite participants to conduct their own experiments. The course is aimed at people who have an interest in issues relating to environmental economics and energy policy and who have a basic grasp of economics and good math skills.
From Ink to Sound: Music Notation Over the Course of Time
The online course From Ink to Sound looks at the theoretical and practical aspects of writing down music and highlights the evolution of music notation from the Middle Ages through to the Renaissance. Prof. Matteo Nanni and Angelika Moths from the musicology department at the University of Basel will demonstrate how music was recorded in manuscripts and how it is decoded and transcribed into modern notation. Musicians with ties to the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis academy prepared over 15 recordings specifically for the course. These include a musical manuscript from the University Library of Basel, which was transcribed and performed again for the first time in 700 years.
The course is intended for musicians with an interest in musical paleography as well as students and anyone else interested in music, history, philology, theology, art history and semiotics. The only prerequisite for participants is knowledge of the modern musical notation system.
