Learn more about inequality and discrimination as they relate to economics, gender, technology, and much more from leading educational institutions
Inequality and discrimination have been a subject of study for fields like history, economics, politics, public policy, gender studies, and much more for decades. How do we achieve a more equal world free from discrimination? In this article, we’ll list 10 courses that seek to answer that question. The courses cover topics like poverty and inequality, gender inequality, anti-discrimination law, inequality in global pandemics, and more. Most of the courses are free to audit with an option to pay for a verified certificate.
#1. Understanding Poverty and Inequality (SDGAcademy)
#2. Understanding Gender Inequality (University of Exeter)
#3. Inequality and Democracy (Utrecht University)
#4. America’s Poverty and Inequality Course (Stanford University)
#5. Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law (Stanford University)
#6. Discrimination and Diversity in the Modern Workplace (Berkeley University)
#7. Understanding Gender Equity (Catalyst)
#8. Fighting for Equality: 1950-2018 (Columbia University)
#9. Justice and Equity in Technology Policy (University of Michigan)
#10. COVID-19 and Society: Inequality in Global Pandemics (UBCx)
#1. Understanding Poverty and Inequality (SDGAcademy)
| Length: 6 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 2-4 hours/week | Level: Intermediate |
Created in partnership with the Center for Sustainable Development at Brookings Institution, this course provides an overview of the definitions, scale, and scope of poverty and inequality around the world. You’ll study links between poverty, inequality, and well-being, as well as the opportunities for socioeconomic mobility, the challenges facing marginalized populations, and links to climate change, migration, and conflict. By the course’s end, you’ll also be ready to explain the different policy approaches and tools that address poverty and inequality.
There are 18 people involved in this course, including John McArthur (Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Sustainable Development), Chandrika Bahadur (Director, SDG Academy), and Sabina Alkire (Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative). With 2-4 hours of work per week, you can finish the course in 6 weeks. There are no prerequisites, but it’s an intermediate-level course. It’s best for policy professionals, development practitioners, and advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in poverty, inequality, economics, and development.
#2. Understanding Gender Inequality (University of Exeter)
| Length: 4 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 3 hours/week | Level: Beginner |
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals include gender equality and the empowerment of women. In this course, you’ll learn about gender inequality in the workplace, within family units, and in the media. Topics covered include gender as a construct, how gender inequality works in the workplace and at home, and how to challenge gender inequality through changing awareness, language, attitudes, and structures. By the course’s end, you’ll be ready to explain gender inequality, describe how practices are reinforced, discuss types of inequality, and identify ways to challenge gender inequality.
Emma J, who is a lecturer at the University of Exeter focused on gender relations and workplace discrimination, teaches the course. With 3 hours of work per week, you can finish the course in 4 weeks. There are no prerequisites, though the course is designed for people older than 16 and who are preparing for higher education or entering the workforce. Some knowledge of gender inequality will be helpful.
#3. Inequality and Democracy (Utrecht University)
| Length: 6 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 2-4 hours/week | Level: Beginner |
Inequality is growing within most countries around the world. How does this affect political equality? Can equal political power and economic inequality coexist? In this course, you’ll cover topics like the rise of economic inequality, property rights and corporations, democracy, campaign finance, capital flight and tax avoidance, and alternatives to current economic systems. As an interdisciplinary course, you’ll learn through lenses like politics, philosophy, economics, law, and history.
Yara Salman (MSc), Rutger Claassen (Prof. Dr), and Michael Bennett (Dr.) teach the course. It’s a great choice for anyone interested in politics, media, education, government, or law. With 3-4 hours of work per week, you should finish in 6 weeks. You can audit the course for free or pay for full access and a verified certificate upon completion. As a beginner course, there are no prerequisites; it’s about as difficult as a first-year undergraduate course.
#4. America’s Poverty and Inequality Course (Stanford University)
| Length: 9 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 2-4 hours/week | Level: Beginner |
The United States is facing a time where income inequality is the worst it’s ever been, poverty is high, and racial and gender inequalities persist. This course explores the reasons why. Students will learn the 40 key research results that explain US policy and the new science of poverty and inequality from leading scholars, who present their own research.
This course was developed by the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. It’s taught by David Grusky (Edward Ames Edmonds Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences) and Lindsay Owens (Economic Policy advisor, office of Senator Elizabeth Warren). The course is divided into 8 modules with short videos and readings, most of which come from Inequality in the 21st Century. The course is free and doesn’t require any prerequisites. With 2-4 hours of work per week, you can finish in about 9 weeks.
#5. Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law (Stanford University)
| Length: 16 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 2-6 hours/week | Level: Beginner |
Are you interested in learning about anti-discrimination law? This course uses a problem-based approach to study anti-discrimination law globally. You’ll compare US and European legal systems with national, regional, and international legal systems, like those in India and Brazil. Over five modules, you’ll cover employment discrimination and harassment, marriage equality, affirmative action/gender parity, hate speech, and secularism and the rights of religious minorities.
Richard Thompson Ford (George E. Osborne Professor of Law, Stanford Law School) and David B. Oppenheimer (Clinical Professor of Law, University of Berkeley) teach the course. With 2-6 hours of work per week, you can finish in 16 weeks. No prerequisites are required, though the textbook Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law, Third Edition enhances the course.
#6. Discrimination and Diversity in the Modern Workplace (Berkeley University)
| Length: 8 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 5-8 hours/week | Level: Intermediate |
This course is part of the “Beyond Diversity: Anti-Racism and Equity in the Workplace” professional certificate. It helps professionals advance in their careers by helping them navigate complex group dynamics, communicate effectively, and make key decisions about equity goals. In “Discrimination and Diversity in the Modern Workplace,” you’ll learn how to identify and respond to biases, understand the perspectives of minoritized employees, implement equitable hiring and evaluation practices, and create an inclusive, equitable workplace for everyone.
Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton (Lead Instructor, University of Berkeley) teaches the course. With 5-8 hours of work per week, you can complete the course in 8 weeks. It’s at an intermediate level, so while there are no specific prerequisites, some background knowledge about equity, discrimination, and diversity will be helpful.
#7. Understanding Gender Equity (Catalyst)
| Length: 1 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 1-2 hours/week | Level: Beginner |
This short course is a great introduction to gender equity. It’s part of the “Race, Gender and Workplace Equity” professional certificate. You’ll learn why gender matters, how to identify gender inequities, and how to address them in the workplace. By the course’s end, you’ll be ready to analyze how organizational policies and practices address gender inequities, determine the difference between gender equity and gender equality, and develop strategies to improve gender equity.
There are nine course advisors and course instructors, including Ashley Rivenbark (Senior Associate of Leading for Equity and Inclusion, Catalyst), Lauren Pasquarella Daley (Senior Director, Women and the Future of Work), and Joanna Duffett (Sr. Associate Librarian, Information Center, Catalyst). The course can be finished in just 1-2 hours. There are no prerequisites.
#8. Fighting for Equality: 1950-2018 (Columbia University)
| Length: 12 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 2-3 hours/week | Level: Intermediate |
This course is the last part of the “Women Have Always Worked” series. Here, students will examine how the Cold War reinforced visions of the suburban, nuclear family and impacted women’s pathway to independence and equality. You’ll learn how women’s participation in activism and work led up to the events of the 1960s, how different groups of feminists challenged systems, and how women’s participation in work and family impacted politics up to 2018.
Alice Kessler-Harris (R. Gordon Hoxie Professor of American History Emerita) and Nick Juravich (Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Women’s History, New-York Historical Society) teach the class. With 2-3 hours of work per week, you can finish in 12 weeks. It’s an intermediate class, so it’s best for students with an undergraduate-level interest in history, gender, and labor. There are no prerequisites.
#9. Justice and Equity in Technology Policy (University of Michigan)
| Length: 6 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 5-10 hours/week | Level: Not listed |
Technology and public policy are closely linked these days. Things like AI and algorithms affect government and industry decisions and reinforce social biases, especially against marginalized communities. There are also concerns about unfair allocations of government funding and emerging technologies to combat global climate change. In this course, you’ll explore the connections between technology, policy, and equality and how inequalities can be addressed. By the course’s end, you’ll be ready to rethink expertise, design, and policy and governance as it relates to technology.
Shobita Parthasarathy (Professor of Public Policy; Director, Science, Technology and Public Policy program) teaches the course. The course is broken into six weeks, but it can take up to 10 hours to complete a week’s worth of study. Luckily, the course is self-paced, so you can take longer if necessary. The course’s difficulty is not listed, but there don’t appear to be prerequisites.
#10. COVID-19 and Society: Inequality in Global Pandemics (University of British Columbia)
| Length: 5 weeks | Mode: Self-paced | Commitment: 1-2 hours/week | Level: Beginner |
This course explores that can be learned from COVID-19, how society was organized before the pandemic, and what society can look like in the future. You’ll examine how your local experiences during the pandemic connect to global trends, how ageism and racism exacerbated the pandemic, how COVID-19 and climate change are linked, and how the disease impacted existing health inequalities.
Dr. Katherine Lyon (Assistant Professor of Teaching) gives an introduction to each topic and offers literature recommendations. Experts from the University of British Columbia give five lectures in this course. With 1-2 hours of study each week, you can finish the course in 5 weeks. There are no prerequisites.
