Specialty Topics: Biology Across Disciplines (Coursera)

Specialty Topics: Biology Across Disciplines (Coursera)

In this course, we will explore the applicability and relationship of biology to the arts, business, and psychology. First, we’ll discuss art as a foundational practice to biology and how biology as a science can explain how we interact with the arts, in particular, our experiences making and listening to music. Next, we will discuss the business of biology and how research is funded and the process of clinical trials and human subjects research.

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

Then we will examine two topics at the interface of psychology and biology: (1) human development from conception to adulthood, and (2) how cognition influences how we make decisions about biological issues and best practices for evaluating biological evidence in light of what we know about how we use evidence to make decisions. We will close with a discussion of education and why evidence-based education is important for promoting overall science literacy.
What You Will Learn

  • Describe how biology as a field interfaces with other fields, in particular the arts, business and psychology.
  • Explain how we use evidence to make decisions and why this is important to consider when promoting science literacy.

Course 4 of 4 in the Biology Everywhere Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
The Arts and Biology
In this module, we'll explore the intersection of biology with the fine arts.

WEEK 2
The Business of Biology
In this module, we'll explore how business practices and economics influence biology.

WEEK 3
Tiny Humans: An Exposé at the Intersection of Psychology and Biology
This module explores human development, including content typically taught in biology and psychology departments.

WEEK 4
Making Decisions Using Biological Evidence
How does psychology inform how we engage with biology? This module explores the psychology of decision making, including advice for assessing science information you may encounter over the course of your day.

WEEK 5
Biology, Psychology, and Education
In this final module, we'll explore the future of biology education and how to move forward with the biology everywhere mindset.

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

Related Courses

Emergence of Life (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Emergence of Life (Coursera)

How did life emerge on Earth? How have life and Earth co-evolved through geological time? Is life elsewhere in the universe? Take a look through the 4-billion-year history of life on Earth through the lens of the modern Tree of Life. This course will evaluate the entire history of life on Earth within the context of our cutting-edge understanding of the Tree of Life. This includes the pioneering work of Professor Carl Woese on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus which revolutionized our understanding with a new "Tree of Life."

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Arranging for Songwriters (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Arranging for Songwriters (Coursera)

You've created a song. You wrote the lyrics, decided on the melody, and maybe even recorded a simple demo. Now what? If you have a basic knowledge of how to use a digital audio workstation (DAW) and are passionate about being a songwriter, this course will help you take your song from a simple recording on your phone to a fully arranged song ready for the recording studio.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Unethical Decision Making in Organizations (Coursera) Coursera
University of Lausanne

Unethical Decision Making in Organizations (Coursera)

This course 'Unethical decision making in organizations : A seminar on the dark side of the force' will teach you how strong organizational contexts push good people towards unethical decisions. You will also learn how to protect yourself and your organization against such forces lurking in the dark. This course teaches how narrow frames and strong contexts can push good people towards unethical decisions and how they can protect themselves and their organization against ethical blindness.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Charles Darwin: El origen del evolucionismo moderno (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Charles Darwin: El origen del evolucionismo moderno (Coursera)

Este curso está dirigido a cualquier persona que desee conocer de manera general qué es y cómo se ha explicado la evolución de las especies. Será de gran interés para alumnos, profesores y profesionales del área de ciencias biológicas y de la salud que deseen conocer los antecedentes históricos, así como los fundamentos centrales de la teoría de Charles Darwin, que configuraron el pensamiento evolutivo moderno.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Systems Biology (Coursera) Coursera
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Introduction to Systems Biology (Coursera)

This course will introduce the student to contemporary Systems Biology focused on mammalian cells, their constituents and their functions. Biology is moving from molecular to modular. As our knowledge of our genome and gene expression deepens and we develop lists of molecules (proteins, lipids, ions) involved in cellular processes, we need to understand how these molecules interact with each other to form modules that act as discrete functional systems.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Science of Stem Cells (Coursera) Coursera
American Museum of Natural History

The Science of Stem Cells (Coursera)

What promise do stem cells hold for the treatment of medical conditions? In this five-part online course you will explore the history and basic biology of stem cells, learn about new research techniques, and find out how stem cells could lead to cures for diseases and to individualized medicine.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Cycle: Management of Successful Arts and Cultural Organizations (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

The Cycle: Management of Successful Arts and Cultural Organizations (Coursera)

What makes a successful arts and cultural organization? Led by DeVos Institute Chairman Michael M. Kaiser and President Brett Egan, this course will introduce you to a management theory called the Cycle which supports thriving arts and cultural organizations. Learning from our work with managers from over 80 countries around the world, the DeVos Institute developed the Cycle as a simple, but powerful tool to assist managers in their effort to respond to an increasingly complex environment and propel their institutions to excellence.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Psychological First Aid (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Psychological First Aid (Coursera)

Learn to provide psychological first aid to people in an emergency by employing the RAPID model: Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition. Utilizing the RAPID model (Reflective listening, Assessment of needs, Prioritization, Intervention, and Disposition), this specialized course provides perspectives on injuries and trauma that are beyond those physical in nature. The RAPID model is readily applicable to public health settings, the workplace, the military, faith-based organizations, mass disaster venues, and even the demands of more commonplace critical events, e.g., dealing with the psychological aftermath of accidents, robberies, suicide, homicide, or community violence.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Jazz Improvisation (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Jazz Improvisation (Coursera)

Learn the basic concepts of improvisation from Gary Burton, one of the most renowned improvisers in the jazz world, including the mental, melodic, and harmonic processes that contribute to the instinctive skills that an improviser puts to use when taking a solo. While many people are fans of jazz and understand that musicians are often “making up” the notes they are playing during a performance, most people—often including musicians, themselves, who are beginning to learn improvising—aren’t clear about what exact processes take place to enable this to happen. The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic concepts of modern improvisation and how to go about mastering the different musical and mental skills involved.

Oct 5th 2026
5-12 Weeks