Social Psychology
Wesleyan's Scott Plous covers the classic and contemporary research behind why people like or dislike each other, obey authority, conform to groups, and can be nudged toward more prosocial behavior, across seven modules built around named studies rather than abstract theory. Learners watch Stanley Milgram's original obedience documentary and Quiet Rage on the Stanford Prison Experiment directly, then work through cognitive dissonance, persuasion techniques, the Abilene Paradox, prejudice and discrimination, and what actually predicts a happy life and lasting attraction. Coursera's audit track, Full Course No Certificate, gives free access to every video, reading, and graded assessment. More than 700,000 learners have taken it, and Plous draws heavily on Social Psychology Network, the field's largest online community, which he also runs. It runs about four weeks at ten hours a week, self-paced.