1 . Free online courses

Greek and Roman Mythology

Instructed by Peter Struck, an associate professor of classical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, this three-week course introduces students to mythology, specifically in reference to Greek and Roman cultures. Each week students will be required to watch video lectures, ending with a quiz reviewing that week’s lessons.

Scandinavian Film and Television

This six-week course is perfect for those wanting to get familiar with Scandinavian film and television scene throughout the 20^th and 21^st centuries. Instructor Eva Novrup Redvall, an assistant professor of film and media studies at the University of Copenhagen, leads students through weekly modules, kicking off with the early years of Scandinavian cinematic work. Film and TV clips (片段) help bring each lesson to life, as do supplemental (补充的) readings.

A Virtual Tour of the Ancient City

This class starts off with the following question: “What has Rome ever done for us?” Professor Matthew Nicholls in the Department of Classics at the University of Reading deals with that question head-on during his five-week course, focusing on the building of the ancient city of Rome and how it laid the groundwork for the construction of cities throughout the world. In addition to online discussions, the course includes digital models that students can download and view, giving them a 3-D perspective of Rome without setting foot there.

The Bard’s Life and Work

Reading Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet or any of the other works by William Shakespeare is practically a rite of passage in high school English classes, but this four-week course explore the life of the English playwright and poet. Stephen Greenblatt, the John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, leads students through different approaches to literary analysis and examines how his writing has been interpreted over the centuries.

3 . We sometimes think that everything was much better and easier in the past. It’s one of the tricks our minds play on us, especially when we are in low spirits.

Actually, it’s unlikely that things were objectively better in the past. This form of thinking is called rosy retrospection, which is a well-studied cognitive bias. It happens because when we think about the past, we are more likely to focus on positive generalities than annoying details.

If you think back to a holiday with your family five years ago, you’re likely to recall the beautiful views rather than the uncomfortable bed. In other words, the negative details disappear from our memory over time while the positive ones remain.

Rosy retrospection can influence how we make decisions, and it’s one of the reasons why we easily return into problematic relationships. The longer it is since we experienced the negative influence of a relationship, the more likely we are to let the good memories outweigh the bad memories and to perhaps forgive unforgivable behavior. It’s always a good idea to review our nostalgic (怀旧的) feelings with a healthy degree of doubt.

But rosy retrospection does serve an important purpose. It keeps us in a positive state of mind in the present and is important to our psychological wellbeing. In fact, people who tend to remember negative experiences more than positive ones are likely to exhibit psychological disorders. Research generally suggests that our happiest days are still to come. And even if they’re not, it’s still important to believe that they are. Don’t shy away from looking upon the past with a certain degree of nostalgia. But, for the same reason, don’t use the past as an excuse to be unhappy in the present.

4 . Many of our family traditions centered around food. We’d gather in the kitchen for every birthday and holiday and enjoy delicious food. My grandparents always held Christmas dinner, which included chicken cacciatore, sausage, meatballs and salad. But right before we sat down to eat, my grandmother would pull me aside to show me the dish she made just for me: fresh pasta (意大利面) with tomato sauce.

It was a simple dish, but to me it was warm food that filled me with happiness. But more than that, it made me feel like I belonged. I was a shy kid and, in many situations, I felt ignored. And here was my grandmother, showing me that I mattered.

Years went by; I moved away and got married. I’d visit throughout the years and my grandmother would serve up a plate of pasta.

When my daughter was born in 2020, for the first time in my life I wasn’t about to make the trip back home for Christmas. I cooked my family’s traditional foods and my husband and I had a big meal that included, of course, fresh pasta. I had a video call with my grandmother and showed her the pasta. Shortly after the holidays she passed away unexpectedly.

It seemed so unfair that my grandmother passed away soon after I became a parent. I’d hold my daughter and think about how I could tell her what an amazing great-grandmother she had.

In my sadness I came to an answer: food. Late at night after my daughter had gone to bed, I’d go to the kitchen and learn how to make fresh pasta, cooking my grandmother’s recipes. Before long I started experimenting, making a bit changes to classic recipes. When my daughter got a little older, I began making special dishes for her with my grandmother’s flavors in mind.

I know that no matter how hard I try, my daughter will never have a bowl pasta with sauce exactly like the ones my grandmother would make for me. While that makes me sad, she’ll still get to have my pasta sauce. I know there’re two things she’ll never lack for in this life: pasta and love.