Psychology is the academic and applied study of the human mind and behavior. Perhaps there are no more salient topics in the information age and the global economy than a comprehensive understanding of how learning takes place and what predicts and determines human behavior. The course is a primer, meant to provide substantive content through which to understand the human condition and to inspire students to continue their learning and growth. Students interested in the study of psychology are interested in why people do, say and think what they do. They have questions about how learning takes place, how genetics dictate certain traits but not others, how memories are formed, where to draw the line between normality and disorder, whether a damaged brain can regain function and the predictors of addiction. Through this introductory course, students will have the opportunity to understand the science of psychology and how psychologists measure mental function and behavior and how the results are reported. They will better understand perception and consciousness and the mysteries of sleep and dreams. Through child development, they will understand how the brain is ready for learning and pre-wired for language. Motivation, cognition and personality will be analyzed through the lens of past and current psychological thought. Students will understand the statistical reality of the normal distribution and how that is relevant to most traits. They will review new research on the plasticity of the brain and consider whether intelligence is fixed or flexible. Lastly, the array of disorders and dysfunction will be analyzed and discussed and the line between normal and abnormal will be considered. Learn more about our High School and AP* Exam Preparation Courses

The course reviews case studies of past and recent corridor initiatives, provides rigorous analysis of the literature on the spatial impact of corridors, and offers assessments of corridor investment projects supported by international development organizations. A series of spotlights examines such issues as private sector co-investment; the impacts of corridors on small enterprises and women; and issues with implementing cross-border corridors. The course aims to introduce its participants to a sound empirical methodology that could ensure that the social and economic benefits of transport corridor investments are more widely and equitably spread, and possible negative impacts such as congestion, environmental degradation, and other risks or unintended consequences are minimized or avoided. The appraisal perspective and methodology introduced in this course shows how the web of interconnected elements around corridors can be disentangled and the most promising corridor proposals—the ones with the greatest wider economic benefits (WEB)—can be selected.

This psychology course is an introduction to the field of psychology. It begins by asking “What is Psychology?” and provides some concrete answers to that question. Next, it covers the history of psychology and provides a look at the state of psychology today. This course will provide you with research-based study tips — to help you in this course and in the future. You will learn the methods a psychologist uses in their research. From experimental design to coverage of some basic statistics — by the end of this course you will have a comprehensive appreciation for the methods of psychology. This course includes video-based lectures and demonstrations, interviews with real research psychologists and a plethora of practice questions to help prepare you for the AP® Psychology exam. This is the first in our six-course AP® Psychology sequence designed to prepare you for the AP® Psychology exam. Additional Courses: AP® Psychology - Course 2: How the Brain Works AP® Psychology - Course 3: How the Mind Works AP® Psychology - Course 4: How Behavior Works AP® Psychology - Course 5: Health and Behavior AP® Psychology - Course 6: Exam Preparation & Review

This course is part of the Leadership in Global Development MicroMasters program. In order to get the most out of this course, we recommend that you have experience working in the development sector or a strong interest in this area. We also recommend that you complete the other three courses that make up the Leadership in Global Development MicroMasters program: The Science and Practice of Sustainable Development, Adaptive Leadership in Development, and Critical Development Perspectives. Are you working in the development sector and looking to take the next step in your career and take on a leadership role? This business and management course is an introduction to key leadership theories and concepts that you will need to be an effective leader and manager. You will learn how leadership is different from management. You will learn practical skills needed to build a shared vision, and lead across boundaries. You will learn to recognise your own leadership style, and the leadership styles of others. You will learn the different types of power, and tools for gaining legitimacy in your development work. Upon course completion, you will be prepared to take on leadership roles in development and work effectively across geographical, cultural, organizational and disciplinary boundaries. You will also develop a personalized leadership plan throughout the course, which will help you continue your leadership journey after you complete the MOOC.

This introductory global health course aims to frame global health's collection of problems and actions within a particular biosocial perspective. It develops a toolkit of interdisciplinary analytical approaches and uses them to examine historical and contemporary global health initiatives with careful attention to a critical sociology of knowledge. Four physician-anthropologists - Paul Farmer, Arthur Kleinman, Anne Becker, and Salmaan Keshavjee - draw on experience working in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Americas to investigate what the field of global health comprises, how global health problems are defined and constructed, and how global health interventions play out in both expected and unexpected ways. The course seeks to inspire and teach the following principles: A global awareness. This course aims to enable learners to recognize the role of distinctive traditions, governments, and histories in shaping health and well being. In addition, rather than framing a faceless mass of poor populations as the subject of global health initiatives, the course uses ethnographies and case studies to situate global health problems in relation to the lives of individuals, families, and communities. A foundation in social and historical analysis. The course demonstrates the value of social theory and historical analysis in understanding health and illness at individual and societal levels. An ethical engagement. Throughout the course, learners will be asked to critically evaluate the ethical frameworks that have underpinned historical and contemporary engagement in global health. Learners will be pushed to consider the moral questions of inequality and suffering as well as to critically evaluate various ethical frameworks that motivate and structure attempts to redress these inequities. A sense of inspiration and possibility. While the overwhelming challenges of global health could all too easily engender cynicism, passivity, and helplessness, learners will observe that no matter how complex the field of global health and no matter how steep the challenges, it is possible to design, implement, and foster programs and policies that make enormous positive change in the lives of the world’s poorest and suffering people. HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. HarvardX will take appropriate corrective action in response to violations of the edX honor code , which may include dismissal from the HarvardX course; revocation of any certificates received for the HarvardX course; or other remedies as circumstances warrant. No refunds will be issued in the case of corrective action for such violations. Enrollees who are taking HarvardX courses as part of another program will also be governed by the academic policies of those programs. HarvardX pursues the science of learning. By registering as an online learner in an HX course, you will also participate in research about learning. Read our research statement to learn more. Harvard University and HarvardX are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and work environment in which no member of the community is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination or harassment in our program. All members of the HarvardX community are expected to abide by Harvard policies on nondiscrimination, including sexual harassment, and the edX Terms of Service. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact [email protected] and/or report your experience through the edX contact form .

The freedom to call for change, and to amplify that call through mass mobilization, is vital for open and rights-respecting societies. Protests enable people to air grievances, express opinions, petition for remedies for wrongdoing, and to publicly demand accountability. Through protest, those who have been silenced, disempowered or disenfranchised can claim their voice, their strength and their political power. Yet protests around the world are being met with obstruction, repression, punishment, and other forms of restrictions. Many people sense that these restrictions are often wrong. But do you know why they're wrong, and what alternatives you can rightfully demand? You will know this and more after taking this introductory course on the right to protest. You will be able to outline the human rights standards and principles that provide protection, and you will be able to identify which infringements on the freedom to protest are human rights violations. Most importantly, you will be able to defend the right to protest by taking action based on what you learn in this course. Be prepared for active learning, connecting with course participants from around the world, and becoming part of a global community dedicated to defending human rights!

Urban design, inequality and segregation are strongly connected. Cities around the world, from the Global South to the Global North, are facing a rise in inequality and socio-economic segregation. The wealthy are increasingly concentrating in the most attractive urban areas and poverty is spreading to the suburbs. Rising levels of segregation have major consequences for the social sustainability of cities and leads to unequal life opportunities depending on where in the city you live. In this course, aimed at a broad range of professionals, from urban planners and architects to geographers, you will learn what the main drivers and indicators of urban inequality and segregation are, using examples from cities from all over the world. You will learn how segregation is measured, how to interpret the results of the analyses of segregation and how to relate these insights to urban design. With this knowledge, you will be able to analyze how these issues may be affecting your local environment. Additionally, we will present some historical examples of how urban design has played a role shaping spatial inequality and segregation in a selection of case study cities. This will help you to get a better understanding of how urban design can reduce spatial inequality and segregation. The course is taught by the editors of the new SpringerOpen book “Urban socio-economic segregation and income inequality. A global perspective” and senior experts from the Urban Design section of TU Delft, which is ranked number 2 in the QS World University Rankings in the field of Architecture.

This psychology course will show you how the brain works. You will learn the basics of neuroscience, genetics and evolutionary psychology. We will also cover the visual system and other sensory systems. The course concludes with coverage of the variety of states of consciousness. This course includes video-based lectures and demonstrations, interviews with real research psychologists and a plethora of practice questions to help prepare you for that AP® Psychology exam. This is the second in a six-course AP® Psychology sequence designed to prepare you for the AP® Psychology exam. Additional Courses: AP® Psychology - Course 1: What is Psychology AP® Psychology - Course 3: How the Mind Works AP® Psychology - Course 4: How Behavior Works AP® Psychology - Course 5: Health and Behavior AP® Psychology - Course 6: Exam Preparation & Review

While the advances in genomics promise to usher a new era in medical practice and create a major paradigm shift in patient care, the ethical, legal and social impact of genomic medicine will be equally significant. The information and potential use of genomic discoveries are no longer issues left for scientists and medical professionals to handle, but have become ones for the public at large. Rarely a day passes without a genomics-related story reported in the media. By the end of this course, students will be able to better understand the field of genomics; be familiar with various online databases and resources; and understand and appreciate the medical, social, ethical, and legal issues associated with the availability of personal genomic information. Given the diversity of the topics and the specific expertise required to cover each, this is a unique cross-disciplinary course where faculty from different disciplines including genetics, computational sciences, bioinformatics, genetic counseling, bioethics, law, and business will participate in lecturing. We have assembled a team of experts from various departments at Georgetown University and other institutions, to teach this comprehensive online genomics course. For a detailed description of the weekly topics, see the course outline .

Developed by Penn and the Satell Institute, this course provides theory and practical working concepts in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), exploring cases that demonstrate the great potential CSR may have to improve communities in the world, and to create awareness of potential pitfalls. Students will learn (a) how to leverage corporate structures and nonprofits’ experience to undertake CSR activities that have real public benefit, (b) the relationship between philanthropy and corporate self-interest, and (c) how ventures can assess whether they are doing good CSR, exploring topics including measurement, attribution, and cost benefit analysis. Through this four-week course, students from either the business or the philanthropic sector will develop a greater understanding of both sides of the partnerships that underlie Corporate Social Responsibility projects. They will learn how they might improve their interactions with their cross-sector partners, develop better partnerships, improve their use of pooled resources, and deepen their impact. Finally, they will learn from many examples of Corporate Social Responsibility across the world. This course will teach students interested in developing a CSR project to conduct a wider search than they may have previously undertaken to identify lessons and solutions that they may adapt to their own setting.