Wesleyan University Courses

Writing Stories About Ourselves

0

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeIn this course, creative nonfiction writers will explore traditional storytelling methods, especially those which overlap between fiction and memoir. By looking at examples from a wide range of genres, including film, song, painting—even the theme music for Jaws!—we’ll practice exercising the creative muscle that sees ourselves as characters and the experiences we’ve had as tales. We’ll focus on critical elements, like how to begin a story, what makes for worthy content, the essential use of detail, the strengths and limits of dialogue, the power of the white space. The ultimate goal is for us to become aware of an “audience” when we write, so that the documentation of our lives will begin to resemble a “performance” crafted onto paper rather than a private entry in a journal.

History of Mental Illness

0

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeOur lexicon of mental illness is immense: There currently are hundreds of classified disorders and an extensive assortment of medications and therapies. This course explores the history of this productive science -- its discoveries, classifications, and treatments of psychiatric distress. The excursion begins with a general introduction and proceeds to explore 4 kinds of mental illness: neurasthenia, depression, attention deficits (ADD/ADHD), and narcissism. Each kind is examined in terms of its scientific research and classification; treatments developed to cure or alleviate its symptoms; lived-experiences of those so diagnosed with the disorder; and critical reflection on the diagnosis. This course departs from histories that mainly chronicle scientific achievements and, instead, invites you to investigate how the scientific discoveries and therapies were deeply informed by cultural conditions of the time. The cultural influences on psychiatric science include ideals of individual happiness; conceptions about what is ‘normal’; notions of rational personhood; and existing social, gender, and racial hierarchies/biases. We investigate these cultural dynamics and then look at the lived experiences of those who were diagnosed or living with the condition. Paying attention to culture and lived experiences accords with the perspective of “mad studies,” a recent movement to foreground the people who suffer and the socio-political conditions surrounding their experiences. Exploring cultural dynamics and lived experiences along with the scientific milestones prepares us to critically reflect on world of psychopathology and on psychopathology in the world.In our reflection classes we will ask, for instance, about the forces behind incredible increases in depression and attention deficit disorder; racial and gender biases in research and treatment; the apparent happiness epidemic; and the prospects of neurodiversity.

The Ancient Greeks

4.6

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis is a survey of ancient Greek history from the Bronze Age to the death of Socrates in 399 BCE. Along with studying the most important events and personalities, we will consider broader issues such as political and cultural values and methods of historical interpretation.

Suicide Prevention

0

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis course will explore the science of suicide research, prevention, and intervention. The field of suicide research is young and knowledge is rapidly changing. Topics will include terminology, epidemiology, historical and contemporary theories of suicide, modern approaches to suicide research, empirically supported approaches to prevention and intervention, the lived experiences of those with suicidal thoughts and attempts. Note: this course is not designed to address personal experiences with suicidal thoughts, suicide loss, or mental illness nor will it address assessing suicide risk among friends or family members. If you are thinking about suicide or are worried about someone else – please contact your local suicide prevention crisis center as soon as possible. Your life matters and help is available.Each module will include a quiz. The last module’s quiz will be cumulative.

The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 2)

3.5

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis course examines how the idea of "the modern" develops at the end of the 18th century in European philosophy and literature, and how being modern (or progressive, or hip) became one of the crucial criteria for understanding and evaluating cultural change. Are we still in modernity, or have we moved beyond the modern to the postmodern?

Creative Writing: The Craft of Setting and Description

3.6

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeIn this course aspiring writers will be introduced to the techniques that masters of fiction use to ground a story in a concrete world.From the most realist settings to the most fantastical, writers will learn how to describe the physical world in sharp, sensory detail.We will also learn how to build credibility through research, and to use creative meditation exercises to deepen our own understanding of our story worlds, so that our readers can see all that we imagine.

Analysis of a Complex Kind

4.7

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeComplex analysis is the study of functions that live in the complex plane, i.e. functions that have complex arguments and complex outputs. In order to study the behavior of such functions we’ll need to first understand the basic objects involved, namely the complex numbers. We’ll begin with some history: When and why were complex numbers invented? Was it the need for a solution of the equation x^2 = -1 that brought the field of complex analysis into being, or were there other reasons? Once we’ve answered these questions we’ll devote some time to learn about basic properties of complex numbers that will make it possible for us to use them in more advanced settings later on. We will learn how to do basic algebra with these numbers, how they behave in limiting processes, etc. These facts enable us to begin the study of complex functions, and at this point we can already understand the basics about the construction of the Mandelbrot set and Julia sets (if you have never heard of these that’s quite alright, but do look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandelbrot_set for example to see some beautiful pictures).When studying functions we are often interested in their local behavior, more specifically, in how functions change as their argument changes. This leads us to studying complex differentiation – a more powerful concept than that which we learned in calculus. Don’t worry! We’ll help you remember facts from calculus in case you have forgotten.  After this exploration we will be ready to meet the main players: analytic functions. These are functions that possess complex derivatives in lots of places, a fact which endows these functions with some of the most beautiful properties mathematics has to offer. We’ll explore these properties! Who would want to differentiate without being able to undo it? Clearly we’ll have to learn about integration as well. But we are in the complex plane, so what are the objects we’ll integrate over? Curves! We’ll study these as well, and we’ll tie everything together via Cauchy’s beautiful and all encompassing integral theorem and formula.   Throughout this course we'll tell you about some of the major theorems in the field (even if we won't be able to go into depth about them) as well as some outstanding conjectures.

Introduction to Psychology Part 2

0

In Introduction to Psychology Part 1, you learned about the foundations of human behavior including contributions of the brain, sensation and perception, emotions, and development. In Introduction to Psychology Part 2, we cover learning, mental health, our social world and more.This course is an instance of creative education. Psychology courses typically use lectures and tutorials to focus on key concepts, the history of psychology and the scientific methods used in psychological research. This course takes a different approach. It harnesses the creative and collaborative power of project-based learning using a series of digital projects which are scaffolded to create a coherent understanding of this important field of study. Each project is set up using Digital Intro to explain and frame the work students undertake alone or in small groups.All of you will be bringing different backgrounds, skills, abilities, cultures, and perspectives. We want to fully embrace this vast resource to maximize growth and learning for each of us. Our collective wisdom will spark all sorts of beautiful and transformative experiences in ways we cannot even see coming!Here are THE ESSENTIALS:Lessons will be delivered through a series of video presentations aimed at teaching you about the field of psychology and preparing you conceptually for approaching a series of digital projects.Projects will allow you to engage with the course concepts in ways that offer deeper learning. You will have opportunities to investigate for insight, design for change, advocate for influence, teach to learn, and make learning stick.Opportunities for reflection are also woven into the course giving you the chance to give your learning meaning and value.

Schizophrenia

5

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThe main goal of this class is to gain an introductory exposure to the nature of the psychiatric disorder known as schizophrenia as revealed by the scientific method. We will discuss a broad range of findings from the scientific investigation of biological and psychological factors related to schizophrenia and its treatment. More specifically we will learn about: (1)key symptomatic features through discussion and enactments of interviews with actors portraying many of the cardinal features of the illness, (2) what brain imaging studies (MRI and fMRI) and neurochemistry have taught us about the neuroscience of the disorder, (3) scientific psychological data and theories concerning cognition, emotion and behavior in schizophrenia, and (4) current, evidence-based somatic and psychosocial approaches to treatment. A brief historical overview of the recent emergence of the psychiatric category of schizophrenia will be presented as well.

Shakespeare: On the Page and in Performance

4.7

Shakespeare wrote for a popular audience and was immensely successful. Shakespeare is also rightly regarded as one of the greatest playwrights the world has known. This course will try to understand both Shakespeare’s popularity and his greatness by starting from a simple premise: that the fullest appreciation of Shakespeare can be achieved only when literary study is combined with analysis of the plays as theatre. Hence, as we delve into the dimensions that make Shakespeare’s plays so extraordinary--from the astonishing power of their language to their uncanny capacity to illuminate so much of human life--we will also explore them in performance from Shakespeare’s own theatre to the modern screen. At the same time, actors will occasionally join our effort and demonstrate ways of bringing the text alive as living theatre. Plays to be studied will include Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, King Lear, and The Winter's Tale.Image courtesy Castle Rock Entertainment/The Kobal CollectionBefore your course starts, try the new edX Demo where you can explore the fun, interactive learning environment and virtual labs. Learn more.Is there a required textbook?The texts of all six plays will be required. Free, electronic versions can be found on numerous sites on the internet, including the following, which offers pdf downloads: http://www.folgerdigitaltexts.org/download.html. However, free, internet editions do not provide glosses or notes that explain difficult words and phrases. We strongly recommend that participants purchase texts (paper or electronic) that provide important aids to reading.

Creating Behavioral Change

0

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeIn this course you will learn about understanding and changing mental and physical health behavior. We will examine both the historical context and the current science. Major topics will include fundamental behavioral principles and basic elements of empirically supported individual treatments (e.g., motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapies). Lectures and examples will illustrate both the theory and the practice of evidence-based approaches to behavior change. You will engage in a course-long behavior change experiment as well as brief quizzes. Please note: this course is designed to introduce you to a range of contemporary approaches to behavioral treatments; however, it will not provide the skills needed to implement psychological interventions with others (this requires years of graduate training) nor is it designed to address or resolve your own psychological problems.For each module, students will complete 1 assignment related to their personal behavior change project and 1 quiz on the week’s material.

Memoir and Personal Essay: Write About Yourself

0

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeHow To Write About Yourself...so that someone else wants to read it! This is the heart of this Coursera specialization in Memoir and Personal Essay. Masters of both genres share tips, prompts, exercises, readings and challenges to help every writer imagine, construct and write compelling pieces of non-fiction's most popular form: the personal narrative.

The Modern and the Postmodern (Part 1)

4.8

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis course examines how the idea of "the modern" develops at the end of the 18th century in European philosophy and literature, and how being modern (or progressive, or hip) became one of the crucial criteria for understanding and evaluating cultural change. Are we still in modernity, or have we moved beyond the modern to the postmodern?

Property and Liability: An Introduction to Law and Economics

1

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThink about the oldest and most familiar principles of American law, property and proportional liability, in a new and surprising way, and learn to apply economic reasoning to an especially important and interesting aspect of life.

The Language of Hollywood: Storytelling, Sound, and Color

4.3

Class Central TipsLearn How to Sign up to Coursera courses for free1600+ Coursera Courses That Are Still Completely FreeThis history course explores how fundamental changes in film technology affected popular Hollywood storytelling. We will consider the transition to sound, and the introduction of color. Each change in technology brought new opportunities and challenges, but the filmmaker's basic task remained the emotional engagement of the viewer through visual means. We will survey major directors and genres from the studio era and point forward to contemporary American cinema. Our aim is to illuminate popular cinema as the intersection of business, technology, and art. Through film history, we will learn about the craft of filmmaking and how tools shape art. This online educational experience is not equivalent to a college course. Subtitles for all video lectures available: Turkish (provided by Koc University), English