Disclosure: Human Rights Careers may be compensated by course providers.

5 Anti-Racism Courses You Can Audit For Free

Racism, Xenophobia and Discrimination exist in all societies. The need for education to tackle these human rights issue is evident. We have compiled a set of anti-racism online courses that will equip you with the knowledge and skills to fight racial prejudice and challenge intolerant attitudes. The courses are free to audit. You can opt-in for a paid certificate for an extra fee. Financial aid is available for those who qualify through the course providers.

Anti-Racism I

Anti-Racism is a course offered by the University of Boulder Colorado and takes roughly 11 hours to complete. The course will provide you with an introduction to racism in the United States. You will explore what systemic and institutionalized racism is, why smear campaigns like #AllLivesMatter and #BlueLivesMatter are racist and you will learn to stand up against white supremacists. You will also discuss important terms such as “white privilege” and the concept of “whiteness” and develop a deeper understanding what they mean. The primary audience for this course is anyone who is interested in learning about race/racism in the US.

Race and Cultural Diversity in American Life and History

This self-paced online course is offered by the University of Illinois and takes approximately 12 hours to complete. The course will introduce and deepen your understanding of race, ethnicity, and cultural diversity. You will discover the complex lived realities of race and ethnic diversity in contemporary American society and investigate institutional racism, systemic social inequalities, and patterns of discrimination in American Social Institutions. In this course you will learn to expose everyday racism and discrimination, inequalities in housing and education and identify social disparities of race and ethnicity.

Narratives of Nonviolence in the American Civil Rights Movement

This online course will explore the modern civil rights movement and struggle for human rights in the United States. More specifically, the course investigates the strategic planning that supported the events. It is told by a voice intimately involved in the organization of the movement. You will learn about various civil rights activists and leaders and how they contributed to create change. Moreover, you will learn about the different phases, struggles and achievements of the civil rights movement in the US and explore the different principles and strategies of non-violent protest. This course is offered by Emory University and takes about 15 hours to complete.

Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change

This online course which is offered by University of Michigan takes roughly 10 hours to complete. It is part of a MicroMasters program on Social Work Practice, Policy and Research but can be taken on its own. You will learn about the key roles social workers play in upholding social justice, the strategies social workers apply to advocate for change and explore the core values of the social work profession. You will look into issues such as privilege, oppression and discrimination and what social workers can do to effectively tackle them. Other courses specifically focused on social justice include:

Revolutionary Ideas: Utility, Justice, Equality, Freedom

This more philosophical course offered by Rutgers University takes 21 hours to complete. It explores questions such as “What is the purpose of government? Why should we have a State? What kind of State should we have?”. Each chapter of the course is dedicated to a specific theme including Welfare, Justice, Equality and Freedom. The course is offered in English with Spanish and Albanian subtitles.

About the author

Robert Fellner

Robert is founder of Human Rights Careers (HRC). A platform with the aim to support human rights students, alumni, graduates and professionals in pursuing and developing their career in human rights. Prior to launching HRC, Robert worked as Global Human Rights EdTech Manager at Amnesty International in London and as consultant for international human rights organizations globally. During 2011 and 2012, Robert worked as lecturer at Ain Shams university in Egypt. Robert has a masters in literature and human rights.

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