The University of Liverpool is a public university based in the city of Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as a university college, it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic universities.
Psychological therapies and the work of clinical psychologists are now very popular. This free online course provides an introduction to how psychologists understand emotions, behaviours and thinking patterns, and how this helps clinical psychologists make sense of their clients’ problems.Over six weeks, you will explore some of the current challenges and debates in the area of diagnosis and treatment, and discover new ways of thinking psychologically about mental health.You will gain new perspectives on the “nature vs nurture” debate, and understand how we are affected by life experiences. You will also discuss new research, which promises to help us improve our own mental health and well-being.You will learn with Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Liverpool, and author of “A Prescription for Psychiatry: Why We Need a Whole New Approach to Mental Health and Wellbeing.”You can find out more about this course in Peter’s post for the FutureLearn blog: “Rethinking mental health and well-being.”This course is aimed at anyone who wishes to understand more about psychology, about mental health or who wishes to maintain their own mental health and wellbeing.
Explore the benefits and drawbacks of psychiatric diagnosisThe issue of medical diagnosis in mental health has always been contentious, with many professionals questioning the reliability and validity of psychiatric diagnosis.On this course, you’ll get an introduction the history, practice and functions of psychiatric diagnosis.You’ll find out about some of the benefits of psychiatric diagnosis, as well as the possible negative outcomes.You’ll understand the principal criticisms of psychiatric diagnosis, including validity, utility and underlying theoretical assumptions.You’ll explore some of the possible alternatives to psychiatric diagnosis.This course is aimed at anyone with an interest in mental health and psychology, but may be of particular interest to health and social care professionals.
Health is the most important thing we have, and nurses are at the forefront of healthcare delivery in a rapidly changing world. This is a central message of this free online course, which takes you on a journey from the past to the future of nursing.Explore nursing’s history and impact todayOver four weeks, we will consider how historical developments in the city of Liverpool continue to impact on nursing today. You will also consider and share how developments in your region have influenced nursing.Our focus then moves to modern, innovative nursing, which has a direct impact on the quality of people’s lives in the UK. Next, we look at global nursing and how innovation in nursing is truly international.The course finishes with glimpses into the future, to see how nursing can evolve, considering the ethical issues that will inform the responsible growth of our profession.Join a global network of nursing professionalsThe course is the first of its kind, offering a unique opportunity to become part of a global network of healthcare professionals. You will learn from and interact with like-minded individuals from around the world.Led by educators from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Liverpool, the course features individual contributions from some of the UK’s leading nursing professionals, including:Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer for EnglandAndrea Spryropoulos, President of the Royal College of Nursing.You can read more about the course in this blog post by lead educator, Denis Parkinson.All of us will interact with a nurse at some point in our lives, so this course is not only for nurses, but for anyone with an interest in healthcare, and its impact, diversity and contribution to quality of life.
##Energy is essential to life at many levels and its transformation from one form to another – whether in the cells of our bodies or the machines that enable modern society – is governed by the laws of thermodynamics.This free online course provides you with an introduction to these laws, and the application of thermodynamics to both everyday examples and issues of global concern.Anyone interested in finding out more about the course can visit our Thermodynamics Facebook pageThermodynamics, sustainability and nature’s limitsOver five weeks, you will explore some of the challenges associated with energy supply and consumption. You will also perform simple experiments in your kitchen, to develop your appreciation of the significance of the laws of thermodynamics. These will help you discover new ways of thinking about energy, and how we use it and lose it.Gaining new perspectives on the sustainable energy debate is an important skill you will develop, and this will help you to comprehend how we are limited by the laws of nature.You will also discuss new research that explores the boundaries of these limitations.Understand thermodynamics with a global network of learnersYou will learn with me, Eann Patterson, the AA Griffith Chair of Structural Materials and Mechanics at the University of Liverpool. I will bring my experience of teaching and lecturing in the UK, USA and China, and give you the chance to work alongside University of Liverpool undergraduates, who will be taking this online course as part of their degree course.If you are interested in reading more before the course starts, you can find background information in Peter Atkin’s book “The Entropy Vector: Connecting Science and Business”, although this is not compulsory. You can also visit my blog.Develop your skills or career as an engineerThe knowledge you gain from this course may prompt you to consider a career as a professional engineer.You may even wish to take your learning further, with the University of Liverpool’s Mechanical Engineering or Aerospace Engineering degrees.The course is aimed at anyone with a need or desire to learn more about the laws governing energy.Some knowledge of physics and mathematics will be assumed.
##Over four weeks, this free online course explores four ancient Near-Eastern cultures and how they interacted with each other 3,500 years ago.Tracking the Egyptian, Mitannian and Hittite superpowersTravel, diplomacy, trade and warfare feature, as we track the ancient Egyptian, Mitannian and Hittite superpowers. We will see how they came into contact with each other in their efforts to extend their influence into the ever-contested Syria-Palestine lands.We will examine objects from the University of Liverpool’s Garstang Museum of Archaeology - one of the most important collections of artefacts in the UK - enabling you to learn not only about the history of this period, but also how experts use artefacts to reconstruct the past.Using the present to illuminate the pastThe archaeological evidence that we will consult is often disparate and fragmentary, so in order to understand it better, we will look into current approaches to international relations and discuss modern parallels with an expert from our Department of Politics.Accessing ancient landscapesOur experts will familiarise you with the ancient Near-Eastern landscapes and introduce you to key objects that featured in diplomacy and warfare at this time in the distant past.You will also consider the bigger picture, as empires prospered and floundered in the struggle to become the main superpower of the ancient Near East.This course is for anyone interested in archaeology and ancient history. Previous study in archaeology is not necessary, as this course serves as an introduction to the study of the history of the ancient Near East. Please join our Facebook page for more information, competitions, freebies and to meet others who will be on the course
Explore the amazing physiological systems that keep us alivePhysiology is the study of normal function within living things. It examines and explains how organisms, organs and cells carry out the chemical and physical processes that keep us going.This course, in partnership with the Physiological Society, will take you beneath the surface of three key physiological systems - respiratory, cardiovascular and nervous - allowing you to explore the discipline of physiology.You will also examine some of the practical uses of physiology and consider the exciting career opportunities available if you study physiology.The course might be of particular use for 16-19 year olds studying biology and physiology, and considering further studies in these areas on degrees like medicine, dentistry or other healthcare and life sciences. However, we would hope that anyone who enrols on this course would enjoy the learning experience and gain useful knowledge about the human body.
Engineering is all about using science to make the world a better place and touches our everyday lives; the device you’re reading this on wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for electrical and electronic engineers!In Electrify we’ll cover six different areas of electrical and electronic engineering over the six weeks:ElectromechanicsDC CircuitsAC CircuitsDigital ElectronicsAnalogue ElectronicsIntroduction to C ProgrammingEach week is a topic in it’s own right, so if you find one week difficult the next week will give you something rather different to think about.You won’t find a hard hat or a spanner anywhere in this course, we’ll be focussing on how engineers use their brains to solve problems and to give a taste of some of the topics a degree level course in Electrical and Electronic Engineering may include.If you’d like to meet up and chat with your fellow participants before the course starts, get extra updates and have access to special offers and competitions, you can join our Facebook group.Electrify is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about Electrical and Electronic Engineering, particularly at anyone aged 16+ thinking about their career choices.The maths in this course is kept to a minimum, however a knowledge of GCSE maths will be helpful.