This course is part of the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization

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Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.

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Foundations of Positive Psychology SpecializationUniversity of Pennsylvania

About this Course

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Dr. Martin E.P.  Seligman—renowned worldwide as the “father of Positive Psychology”—has led visionary leaps in the scientific research, empirical data and personal understandings of human flourishing. This course explores the past, present and future of positive psychology as a journey through the key scientific leaps led by Dr. Seligman and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center and Master of Applied Positive Psychology program. 
There are no prerequisites.

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Course 1 of 5 in the

Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

Understand the scientific foundations of Positive Psychology
Explain how skills of well-being can be learned and taught
Describe why mind and body flourish together
Discuss inspiring new developments in the field of Positive Psychology

Skills you will gain

Character Strengths And Virtues
Gratitude
Positive Education
Positive Psychology

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 5 in the

Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.89/5 (1,227 Ratings)

Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D.

Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology & Director, Positive Psychology Center

Positive Psychology Center

102,156 Learners

2 Courses

Offered by

University of Pennsylvania

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(35,030 ratings)

Week

Week 1

5 hours to complete

Positive Psychology Introduction by Dr. Martin Seligman

5 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 62 min), 5 readings, 3 quizzes

10 videos

Course Introduction1m

Module 1 Introduction1m

Positive Psychology: Toward a Balanced, Empirical Understanding of Well-being7m

What Do We Mean by the "Positive" in Positive Psychology?6m

Seeds of Flourishing: The Personal in Parallel with a Developing New Field7m

How Do People Explain Bad Events? Risk Factors and Protective Factors for Depression5m

Health is a Skill: Learned Optimism6m

Laying the Foundation: Defining, Measuring, and Testing Happiness and Flourishing8m

Building Blocks: PERMA: Defining Wellbeing12m

Try This At Home: Building the Skill of Gratitude. Suggested Exercise: What Went Well?3m

5 readings

Dr. Martin Seligman Biography5m

Key Point: Learned Helplessness3m

Key Point: Optimism can be learned

PERMA Overview15m

Which Character Strengths Are Most Predictive of Well-Being?10m

2 practice exercises

Try This At Home: What Went Well10m

Module 130m

Week

Week 2

3 hours to complete

The Skills of Well-being Can Be Learned, Taught, and Transformative

3 hours to complete

13 videos (Total 80 min), 2 readings, 2 quizzes

13 videos

Module 2 Introduction1m

Building Skills to Flourish7m

Positive Interventions: Testing What Works2m

Stage 1: Teaching Skills for Wellbeing Proactively Can Prevent Anxiety and Depression in Children8m

Stage 2: The Leap from Research to Policy in the United Kingdom3m

Stage 3: The Science of Grit and a New Understanding: How to Foster Flourishing in Schools3m

Stage 4: Transcending Curriculum to Transform Culture in Schools7m

Stage 5: From Whole Schools to Whole Communities4m

Stage 6: Whole Force Resilience11m

Positive Education: Teaching Academic Success and Well-Being9m

Positive Education: Taking It to Scale9m

Positive Education: Replicating Success Worldwide7m

Try This At Home: Building Positive Relationships Through Active Constructive Responding4m

2 readings

Review of Flourish by Richard Layard15m

Well-being and Public Policy15m

2 practice exercises

Try This At Home: ACR10m

Module 220m

Week

Week 3

5 hours to complete

Being Whole: Mind/Body Flourishing Throughout Life

5 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 68 min), 7 readings, 2 quizzes

10 videos

Module 3 Introduction1m

Drawn By the Future: A Revolution in Psychology9m

Drawn By the Future: A Revolution in Psychology Part 26m

Drawn By the Future: The Science of Prospection8m

Positive Health: Mind and Body Flourish Together6m

New Directions in Mental and Physical Health8m

Positive Aging: Creativity and Strengths Throughout Life4m

Creativity and Imagination10m

Creativity and Imagination Part 28m

Try This At Home: Know and Grow Your Strengths3m

7 readings

Watch This Video: Can You Believe Your Eyes?2m

Homo Prospectus Review10m

More about the Selective Attention Test20m

Optimistic Minds and Healthy Hearts20m

The Creative Life and Well-Being20m

What Are Your Signature Strengths vs. What's Your Type?20m

Share Your Strengths10m

2 practice exercises

Know and Grow Your Strengths10m

Module 3 Quiz30m

Week

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Future Directions in Positive Psychology

3 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 91 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

10 videos

Module 4 Introduction1m

The Future of Positive Psychology: Key Topics3m

Constructive Journalism22m

Constructive Journalism - some Q&A with Cathrine Gyldensted15m

Positive Psychology and Spiritual Experience7m

Positive Psychology and Spiritual Experience Part 26m

World Well-Being and Big Data10m

World Well-Being and Big Data Part 217m

Try This at Home: Fun Vs. Philanthropy3m

Drawn by the Vision of a Flourishing Future3m

3 readings

Learn More about Constructive Journalism15m

Truly Awe-some Science15m

What Your Tweets Say about You and Your World18m

2 practice exercises

Try This At Home: Fun vs. Philanthropy10m

Module 430m

Reviews

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TOP REVIEWS FROM POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN’S VISIONARY SCIENCE

by MWSep 28, 2020

Thank you Dr Seligman for a wonderfully insightful and efficient course on Positive psychology. This was the perfect course to take during COVID, when we could all use some positivity in our lives

by MKAug 25, 2018

Glad to learn lot of experimental positive psychology tools to use in day to day life and helped to practice positive psychology coaching through this course. Thank you Coursera for this opportunity.

by RKJan 1, 2018

Great course! Very good intro to the topic. I think it could be made better if we were forced to respond to 2-3 of our class mates posts per week in order to encourage more interpersonal discussion.

by NQOct 22, 2021

A rewarding course on the introduction of Positive Psychology.

Lot's of hands on tasks to practice and engage in and real life examples of implementing strategies that improve positive wellbeing.

View all reviews

About the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization

The University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman welcome you to Foundations of Positive Psychology. Our five-course specialization provides you with the key theories and research in the field of positive psychology as well as opportunities for application.

Course topics include • Positive Psychology: Martin E.P. Seligman’s Visionary Science with Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman • Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions with Dr. James Pawelski • Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods with Dr. Angela Duckworth & Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft • Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills with Dr. Karen Reivich • Positive Psychology Specialization Project with Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science

About this Course

What you will learn

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