Question

Harvard offers a free course on U.S. government basics and spotting dictatorships after recent Trump actions.

Answer 1

This claim is that Harvard has launched a free course in response to Donald Trump's actions is not entirely true. Yes, Harvard does have a course called "We the People: Civic Engagement in a Constitutional Democracy," but it is unclear whether it was just launched. The course itself is free, but Harvard has had free audited courses for many years. The course description according to Harvard's page for courses is "In We the People: Civic Engagement in a Constitutional Democracy, you will gain a foundational knowledge of American constitutional democracy and understand how to encourage others to explore their own civic paths, while in parallel crafting your own civic voice and identity. You'll learn about rights and responsibilities, constitutionalism, the philosophical foundations of democracy, and the levers of change. This course is built on more than ten years of academic research through the Democratic Knowledge Project, an initiative of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University."

According to this, spotting dictatorships is not advertised for the course, but could not be said to be included or excluded unless the course is taken and it's reported to be a topic that is discussed. 

https://pll.harvard.edu/course/we-people-civic-engagement-constitutional-democracy?fbclid=IwY2xjawKkrStleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFuSGt2VVlNWkZKam9JTlc5AR6zXvV8-BjhpENvvm0NtuORbCiRQ4eI4AWc6sHLafzjZBugjvjX4Dh1V3eF2w_aem_7En-k5ImpQbKjiN4FHTdZw

https://www.facebook.com/RealMamaBears/posts/harvard-universitylaunched-a-free-college-course-online-that-covers-basic-us-gov/1095202719300372/

Comments

Your response to this claim is very well thought out and detailed. I like the use of multiple sources, but I would avoid using social media posts as sources.

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I like how detailed your response to this claim was, and that it distinguishes that yes the course exists and is free, but it was not created in response to Trump. I liked that you used information from Harvard's own course. It might be interesting to include exact dates as to when the course was initially published, so that we can prove whether or not it was created after Trump's administration.

Answer 2

Harvard does offer a free course on U.S. government basics. It is called "American Government: Constitutional Foundations." Professor Thomas E. Patterson says in the opening video that the U.S. Constitution "marked the founding of a new form of government. One based on the consent of the governed, rather than the dictates of the king." In this way, the course educates on the differences between America's "limited government" and historical monarchy. While "spotting dictatorship" is not necessarily a key component of the course, understanding American personal freedoms and civil liberties granted by the U.S. governmental structure can inform students of how the American system differs from dictatorship.

The course has been regularly starting new sessions since its inception in 2018. The latest started on May 27, 2025, and the next begins today, June 1st. Therefore, it is only a correlation that the course is running after recent Trump actions. The course description does not explicitly state that it covers Trump administration actions, but it indicates that contemporary issues, such as affirmative action, and rights held by Americans today, as well as challenges to those rights, are part of the curriculum. 

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/harvard-constitution-course/

https://www.edx.org/learn/government/harvard-university-american-government-constitutional-foundations

Comments

You are correct in that the claim is misleading as the free Harvard audited courses have been offered for years (since like 2018). I appreciate that you offered websites that aren't involved in social media like the original claim cited though your response would've been more influential if you had cited more reputable sources.

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Your factcheck on the original claim was important because you provided sources on why the claim was misleading. I appreciated how you used credible sources to backup your claim.

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Using several different sources to backup your factcheck is a good idea, and I appreciate the inclusion of both as it gives a broader understanding of the whole scope of the situation. Using a website that functions as a fact-checker is a good inclusion for this.

Answer 3

This claim immediately has some red flags, since the source is a Facebook post which is not a reliable source to accurately find this type of information. According to Harvard's course listing website, this information is technically true but not necessarily connected to recent political events. The information provided in this Facebook post has no grounds in any of the facts listed on Harvard's website and the University has not put out any sort of statement about why these courses are free.

https://pll.harvard.edu/subject/government