Spirituality Courses

It’s important to learn about spirituality because it touches all of humanity in ways that affect well-being, happiness, life fulfillment, and how we address issues of death. The term spirituality is a broad one with many aspects to study, including Buddhism, science, and the effects of modern meditative practices to the importance of bringing a curriculum of social and emotional learning into prekindergarten through high school classrooms. Philosophy, science, and religion also fall under the heading of spirituality because it can help you to think more meaningfully about your beliefs and your place in the world. In addition, you will learn about the concept of mindfulness, an evolving topic that is used in numerous therapeutic interventions as a treatment in all aspects of healthcare, and most importantly in mental health. When you learn about spirituality, you will also be able to incorporate it into your daily life, your relationships, and your career.‎

When you learn about spirituality, you will acquire a comprehensive understanding of the skills and habits that can make people happy and how to implement them in your life and other people’s lives. You will learn the necessary skills needed to navigate the challenges and habits that can sometimes block happiness. You will also learn the practical skills of meditation and mindfulness that you can use for yourself and teach to others.‎

There are numerous career opportunities in healthcare and wellness, neurology and behavioral science, social work, pastoral, and educational fields that can arise from learning about spirituality. For example, if you are in the educational field, you will learn about the research on developing social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs that are becoming important in elementary, middle, and high schools. If you are in the medical, behavioral science, neuroscience, or social work fields, learning about spirituality can broaden your skill set, allowing you to better support patients and clients who have life-threatening illnesses, need palliative care, who are questioning the existence of the soul, and who may need to grieve.‎

Online courses on Coursera will help you apply the new concepts you learn about all aspects of spirituality so you can use them in real-life situations. Professors share cutting-edge programs and associated research into all areas of spirituality that are being practiced. Professors will offer you insight into how modern spirituality is shaping philosophical, psychological, and political views around the world. By taking courses on spirituality on Coursera, you will be given multiple chances to cultivate meaningful and supportive practical resources and research you can immediately use in your daily life and in your career. For example, taking an SEL course helps you gain graduate credits towards teacher recertification. Other courses teach mindfulness and meditation through hands-on labs. You'll also learn from the courses how Buddhism and science have come together to examine why it’s beneficial for our health and well-being to practice meditation. You will also learn how to practice mindfulness using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), using curriculum that was shaped with contributions made by Mark Williams, co-developer of MBCT. In palliative care courses, you can also learn skills to help you support patients and families who may need to address aspects of grief.‎