Coursera

Love as a Force for Social Justice (Coursera)

Offered by Stanford University,

This course will explore the concept of agape love (compassion/kindness) as a force for social justice and action and as the inspiration for service and the application of knowledge to positive social change. Biological, psychological, religious, and social perspectives of love will be discussed, drawing on the expertise of people from a variety of disciplines.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

The objectives of this course are:
-To introduce participants to different concepts of love, to empower them to be conscious of the power of love and the possibility of practicing it in everyday life, and to highlight in particular the idea of love as a force for social justice.
-To communicate a sense of personal strength and empowerment by actively learning from each other and beginning to define how participants can apply their learning in service to society.
During the six-week course, the following topics will be raised and discussed: kinds of love/defining love; non-violent communication; love and the biology of the brain; love as a basic concept of religious and ethical beliefs (e.g., Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Gandhian); love applied in action, and poetic expressions of love as a social force. This curriculum aims to foster a sense of the importance of love as a key phenomenon in creating community, connection, and functional societies among humans.
Course materials will draw from a variety of sources. One of the goals of the class is to provide participants with some knowledge of the literature of love, and readings for the course are listed in the outline of the course on the pages that follow.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Introduction
Course introduction
Words and the Meaning of Love

WEEK 2
Love and the Brain

WEEK 3
Love and Monotheistic Religions
Love and Systems of Ethical Thought

WEEK 4
Love in Action in One-on-One Interactions
Love in Action at Work in the Business Community
Love in Action in Non-Governmental Organizations

WEEK 5
Love and Social Justice

WEEK 6
Love as an Expression of Creativity and Meaning in Life
Love in our Future Lives

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Coursera

University of Edinburgh

Know Thyself - The Value and Limits of Self-Knowledge: The Unconscious (Coursera)

Humanities

A challenging but fascinating topic on the way to achieving self-knowledge is the unconscious. For well over a century, psychologists, philosophers, and many others have posited a level of mentality that is not immediately open to introspection; some would even say that certain unconscious elements cannot be known through introspection. This course will examine some of the most influential ideas about the unconscious starting with the work of Sigmund Freud, and follow the development of theories of the unconscious all the way to present research in experimental psychology.

Nov 16th 2026

4 Weeks

Neuroscience Social Psychology Emotions

Coursera

The State University of New York

Ignite Your Everyday Creativity (Coursera)

Personal and Professional Development

Creativity is an essential skill for the 21st Century that is innate in all people and can be nurtured. We constantly need new and better ideas for almost every aspect of our professional and personal lives. The goal of this course is to help you recognize, develop and act upon the creativity that you already possess. We will accomplish this using three methods: b aware, b inspired, and b creative.

Nov 16th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Creative Creativity Creativity Techniques

Coursera

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Intimacy of Creativity: Entering the Minds of Composers (Coursera)

Art and Culture

Bright Sheng guides us through three works — by Brahms, Beethoven, and Sheng — for an intimate look inside the composer's mind. This course strives to give students a new appreciation of music, based on an understanding of the craft behind each work. This class is perfect for those wanting to gain a unique perspective on the creative process of music composition, while challenging traditional notions of how composers approach formal structure, melody, and harmony.

Nov 16th 2026

3 Weeks

Music Creativity Beethoven

Coursera

The Museum of Modern Art

Modern Art & Ideas (Coursera)

Architecture & Design

Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. Over the next five weeks, you will look at art through a variety of themes: Places & Spaces, Art & Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society. Each week kicks off with a video that connects works of art from The Museum of Modern Art’s collection to the theme. You will hear audio interviews with artists, designers, and curators and learn more about selected works in the additional readings and resources.

Nov 16th 2026

5-12 Weeks

History Art Creativity

Coursera

Duke University

Medical Neuroscience (Coursera)

Health & Society Medicine & Pharmacology

Medical Neuroscience explores the functional organization and neurophysiology of the human central nervous system, while providing a neurobiological framework for understanding human behavior. In this course, you will discover the organization of the neural systems in the brain and spinal cord that mediate sensation, motivate bodily action, and integrate sensorimotor signals with memory, emotion and related faculties of cognition. The overall goal of this course is to provide the foundation for understanding the impairments of sensation, action and cognition that accompany injury, disease or dysfunction in the central nervous system. The course will build upon knowledge acquired through prior studies of cell and molecular biology, general physiology and human anatomy, as we focus primarily on the central nervous system.

Nov 9th 2026

13-24 Weeks

Neuroscience Medicine Health

Coursera

Exploratorium

Tinkering Fundamentals: Motion and Mechanisms (Coursera)

Personal and Professional Development

The Tinkering Fundamentals course will offer educators and enthusiasts an opportunity to develop a practice of tinkering and making. We see tinkering as a serious endeavor—one that is generalizable across content and especially good at interweaving disciplines in a way that leads to complex projects and individualized learning opportunities.

Nov 9th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Innovation Automata Personal Development

Coursera

University of Michigan

Sleep: Neurobiology, Medicine, and Society (Coursera)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Health & Society

The objective of this course is to give students the most up-to-date information on the biological, personal, and societal relevance of sleep. Personal relevance is emphasized by the fact that the single best predictor of daytime performance is the quality of the previous night's sleep. The brain actively generates sleep, and the first section of the course is an overview of the neurobiological basis of sleep control.

Nov 9th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Brain Neurobiology Circadian Clocks

Coursera

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Emotions: a Philosophical Introduction (Coursera)

Humanities Social Sciences

Philosophy is like sex: sure you can get some interesting results, but that's not why we do it. Going one step beyond…why do you FEEL pain or pleasure? Do plants have emotions? How is possible that some people do not understand other’s emotions? Emotions seem to be everywhere, giving meaning to all events of our lives. They are the backbone of social activities as well as they drive the cognitive processes of several living entities. Several animals, including humans, have emotions but…what about machines?...Do machine can have emotions?

Nov 9th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Emotions Emotional Awareness Emotional

Coursera

Emory University

Understanding Violence (Coursera)

Health & Society Social Sciences

We are so pleased to have you join us as we investigate this crucial topic. Violence is a leading cause of death, disability and health care use worldwide. Violence is a complex problem and can only be understood and reduced though a multidisciplinary approach. This course introduces you to experts who study different forms of violence and we will discuss the various causes of violence. You will also learn about efforts to reduce violence and engage in a day of compassion.

Nov 16th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Psychological Death Suicide

Coursera

Johns Hopkins University,University of Colorado Boulder

Principles of fMRI 2 (Coursera)

Health & Society Medicine & Pharmacology

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is the most widely used technique for investigating the living, functioning human brain as people perform tasks and experience mental states. It is a convergence point for multidisciplinary work from many disciplines. Psychologists, statisticians, physicists, computer scientists, neuroscientists, medical researchers, behavioral scientists, engineers, public health researchers, biologists, and others are coming together to advance our understanding of the human mind and brain. This course covers the analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data.

Nov 16th 2026

4 Weeks

Brain Mind Behavioral

Coursera

University of Pennsylvania

Ancient Philosophy: Plato & His Predecessors (Coursera)

Humanities

What is philosophy? How does it differ from science, religion, and other modes of human discourse? This course traces the origins of philosophy in the Western tradition in the thinkers of Ancient Greece. We begin with the Presocratic natural philosophers who were active in Ionia in the 6th century BCE and are also credited with being the first scientists.

Nov 9th 2026

4 Weeks

Philosophy Ancient Greece Plato

Coursera

University of Minnesota

Creative Problem Solving (Coursera)

Personal and Professional Development

This course deals directly with your ability for creativity which is a critical skill in any field. It focuses on divergent thinking, the ability to develop multiple ideas and concepts to solve problems. Through a series of creativity building exercises, short lectures, and readings, learners develop both an understanding of creativity and increase their own ability.

Nov 9th 2026

4 Weeks

Innovation Personal Development Creativity