Coursera

Futures Thinking (Coursera)

Offered by Arizona State University,

You can’t always know what’s coming, but you can imagine it. You have the ability to embrace new ideas and stay hopeful about the future. That’s what futures thinking is all about. By exiting your default frame and asking the right questions, you can start to imagine new scenarios and use those to inform your decisions. For anyone trying to think ahead and act strategically, this kind of thinking is a must.

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With the expertise of Dr. Timiebi Aganaba from the ASU School for the Future of Innovation in Society, the Futures Thinking course will put the tools, knowledge and strategies for imagining possible futures directly into your hands. You’ll learn the fundamentals and get acquainted with your futures thinking toolkit. Then, you’ll directly apply them in hands-on scenarios.
Relying on your usual framework will not produce every possible future. Instead, you need to open your mind and remain hopeful. You also need to learn which questions to ask. By the end of your process, you should be able to exit your usual frame of mind and imagine new scenarios that you can plan for — skills that anyone can learn and apply anywhere. Jump-start your futures thinking journey today!
Course 1 of 4 in the Strategic Thinking for Everyone Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Welcome to Futures Thinking!
WEEK 2: Imagining the future with a frame
WEEK 3: Asking the right questions
WEEK 4: Harnessing imagination in scenarios
WEEK 5: Regaining power over the future
WEEK 6: Course Conclusion

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