Oxford University has been in operation for almost one thousand years. According to Wikipedia, there is evidence of teaching happening there as far back as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s second oldest university in continuous operation.

But Oxford has resisted offering a MOOC for a long time — until today.

Oxford university will offer a MOOC on edX, and it starts early next year.

From Poverty to Prosperity: Understanding Economic Development.

The MOOC, entitled “From Poverty to Prosperity: Understanding Economic Development,” will teach about the role of government and the key political, social, and economic processes that elevate any society from poverty to prosperity.

The online course will be taught by Sir Paul Collier, professor of economics and public policy in the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. You can watch his Ted Talk here.

This course will discuss and examine the following topics:

• the role of government and the key political, social, and economic processes that affect development;
• why societies need policies that are both centralized and inclusive, and the process by which these policies develop;
• the social factors that are necessary for development, including the importance of identities, norms, and narratives;
• the impact of economic processes on development, including discussion about how government policies can either promote or inhibit the exploitation of scale and specialization; and
• the external conditions for development, including aid, trade, migration, military interventions, and international rules for governance.

The course is six weeks long and it starts in February 2017. You can earn a verified certificate for $49. You can sign up for the course here.