

Our Courses

Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners
In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis. Teachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of these programs.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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English

US Social Services: Where did they come from?
The course probes the formation of social policy in the United States from its very first cultural and religious roots. Starting with the transition from hunter-gatherer groups to agrarian villages, the course will examine the passage of the Poor Laws that shaped social policy through the colonial period until the beginnings of the 20th century, when the challenge of making the industrial city livable gave rise to the development of the welfare state. As part of this transformation, the provider of social welfare shifted from the local community to the state to the federal government.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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15 hours
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English

US Social Services Compared
In all nations, social policy is a very large public investment. Course 1 will explore the size, structure, and outcomes of U.S. social policy and compare this policy to those of similar developed countries. The course will also probe the values this policy represents and the values debate regarding about how big our welfare state should be— in other words, how much of our education, housing, health, income support, and social services the government should supply and how much individuals should supply for themselves.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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16 hours
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English
![Economics: Society, Markets, and [In]equality](/sites/default/files/styles/course_thumbnail/public/GoLearning4.png?itok=J1ORsXF4)
Economics: Society, Markets, and [In]equality
Thinking critically about today's economy can help you understand the world around you. Economics: Society, Markets, and [In]equality will pique your curiosity and inspire you to learn more about the power dynamics that determine how people and resources are valued, how goods move around the world, and how we manage our planet and the future. Your understanding of economics will make you a better advocate, voter, investor, consumer, and citizen.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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24 hours
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English

Earth Economics
After this course you will be an Earth Economist that can provide evidence-based advise on the best global policy. As an Earth Economist you will better understand the behavior and advice of economists, have become a better economist yourself and know where to find Earth's data and how to analyze these world observations. Our planet is too important: we need you to get engaged! Earth Economics offers a completely new angle to policy analysis by its focus on the truly global level and its empirical orientation on very recent data.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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21 hours
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English

Poverty & Population: How Demographics Shape Policy
This course has four modules, or foci. The first is to understand the categories of social welfare—populations, income, earnings, and assets— and some related concepts that play a very large role in shaping policy decisions: unemployment, inflation, and the minimum wage. The second deals with the central institution of social welfare—the labor market, which largely determines how many resources a person has. The labor market also establishes hierarchy, both through meritocracy and through categories of privilege.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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12 hours
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English

Health, Housing, and Educational Services
Course 5 discusses policies in four areas: housing, education, healthcare, and immigration, with an optional fifth module in child protection. This course addresses issues of power, oppression, and white supremacy. -First we’ll look at housing policy, with its contrasting supports for homeowners and renters. -Then we’ll interpret the structure that provides education and examine debates about its future. -The third module will differentiate the issues in the U.S. healthcare system and develop the structure of public healthcare programs.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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15 hours
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English

Assisting Public Sector Decision Makers With Policy Analysis
Develop data analysis skills that support public sector decision-makers by performing policy analysis through all phases of the policymaking process. You will learn how to apply data analysis techniques to the core public sector principles of efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. Through authentic case studies and data sets, you will develop analytical skills commonly used to analyze and assess policies and programs, including policy options analysis, microsimulation modeling, and research designs for program and policy evaluation.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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16 hours
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English

Ukraine: History, Culture and Identities
Explore the history, culture and society of the people of Ukraine from the Middle Ages to the present in this introductory course developed by the Ukrainian Institute, educational studio EdEra, and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and offered on Coursera in cooperation with the University of Washington. The culture and identities of Ukrainian people have existed in this region for more than a thousand years. Like most Eastern European countries, Ukraine is a rather young country — it declared its independence in 1991.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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5 hours
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English

Social Services for Families, Seniors and Those with Disabilities
Course 4 discusses four populations: families, poor families, people with disabilities, and people as they age. This course addresses issues of power, oppression, and white supremacy. -The first module identifies the needs of children and the role of the state in child development. We will explore changes in the family and the resulting debates about how to best support families and child development.
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Course by
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Self Paced
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11 hours
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English