Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Pragmatics is a subfield of linguistics and semiotics that studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning. Pragmatics encompasses speech act theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other approaches to language behavior in philosophy, sociology, linguistics and anthropology. Unlike semantics, which examines meaning that is conventional or "coded" in a given language, pragmatics studies how the transmission of meaning depends not only on structural and linguistic knowledge (e.g., grammar, lexicon, etc.) of the speaker and listener, but also on the context of the utterance, any pre-existing knowledge about those involved, the inferred intent of the speaker, and other factors. In this respect, pragmatics explains how language users are able to overcome apparent ambiguity, since meaning relies on the manner, place, time etc. of an utterance.

University of Pennsylvania

Five-course specialization provides the key theories and research in the field of positive psychology as well as opportunities for application:

1. Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science
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.
Taught by: Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D., Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology & Director, Positive Psychology Center

2. Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions
Positive interventions are one of the building blocks for the application of positive psychology in our day-to-day lives. In this course taught by Dr. James Pawelski, we explore positive interventions through theory, research and practice. We provide learners the basic tools for using and measuring positive psychology in professional or personal contexts. Suggested prerequisite: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science.
Taught by: James Pawelski, Ph.D. , Director of Education and Senior Scholar Positive Psychology Center

3. Positive Psychology: Character, Grit and Research Methods
Learners discover how apply to research methods to their study of Positive Psychology. In this course, we study with Dr. Angela Duckworth and Dr. Claire Robertson-Kraft. Through an exploration their work "True Grit" and interviews with researchers and practitioners, you develop a research hypothesis and learn how to understand the difference between internal and external validity. You also begin to understand and apply the strengths and weaknesses associated with different types of measurements and evaluation designs. You then interpret the results in an empirical study. Suggested prerequisites: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science and Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions.
Taught by: Claire Robertson-Kraft, Ph.D., Director, ImpactED Positive Psychology Center and Fels Insititute of Government
Taught by: Angela Duckworth, Ph.D., Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Psychology

4. Positive Psychology Center Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills
Learn how to incorporate resilience interventions into your personal and professional life with Dr. Karen Reivich. In this course, you are exposed to the foundational research in resilience, including protective factors such as mental agility and optimism. Several types of resilience interventions are explored including cognitive strategies; strategies to manage anxiety and increase positive emotions such as gratitude; and a critical relationship enhancement skill. Throughout the course, you will hear examples of individuals using resilience skills in their personal and professional lives. Suggested prerequisites: Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science, Positive Psychology: Applications and Interventions and Positive Psychology: Character, Grit & Research Methods.
Taught by: Karen Reivich, Ph.D., Director of Resilience Training Services Positive Psychology Center

5. Positive Psychology Specialization Project: Design Your Life for Well-being
You are encouraged to take the first four courses of the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization before starting this course and completing the Specialization Project. This course, taught by Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman brings all the key concepts from the first four courses to practice as you develop and test a new positive intervention for an audience of your choice. You identify opportunities in your daily life to increase the wellbeing by using knowledge you developed in the first four courses of the Specialization. In this final project, you evaluate the efficacy of a positive intervention based on subjective and objective measures. Then, you compare how empirical and non-empirically-based positive interventions can be applied to influence a person's wellbeing. Lastly, you reflect on how the fundamental elements of research methods are important in the everyday application of positive psychology.
Taught by: Martin E.P. Seligman, Ph.D., Zellerbach Family Professor of Psychology & Director, Positive Psychology Center

Case Western Reserve University
Leading to inspire and engage others. Learn concepts and skills to inspire and engage others for performance, innovation and satisfaction.
About This Specialization
In this specialization you will learn how to overcome the ravages of chronic stress and renew your body and mind by building better relationships and positive approaches to leadership. You will learn the power of asking questions to become a more inclusive and self-confident leader, and how to effectively coach others toward sustained, desired change, learning or increased motivation in life and work.

Case Western Reserve University
About the Course
Emotional intelligence, hope, mindfulness, and compassion help a person reverse the damage of chronic stress and build great leadership relationships. The Positive and Negative Emotional Attractors inspire sustained, desired change and learning at many levels.

Case Western Reserve University
About this Course
Coaching can inspire and motivate people to learn, change, and be effective leaders, among other roles in life. Although most attempts are “coaching for compliance” (coaching someone to your wishes or expectations), decades of behavioral and neuroscience research show us that “coaching with compassion” (coaching someone to their dreams and desires) is more effective.
Taught by:
Ellen VanOosten, PhD, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, Director Coaching Research Lab
Melvin Smith, Professor of Organizational Behavior, Faculty Director, Executive Education
Richard Boyatzis, Distinguished University Professor, and a Professor in the Departments of Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science

University of Massachusetts Medical School
The program includes 9 sessions over 8 weeks through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society (CFM) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Taught by: Éowyn Ahlstrom

Yale University
About this Course
“The Science of Well-Being” taught by Professor Laurie Santos overviews what psychological science says about happiness. The purpose of the course is to not only learn what psychological research says about what makes us happy but also to put those strategies into practice. The first half of the course reveals misconceptions we have about happiness and the annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do. The second half of the course focuses on activities that have been proven to increase happiness along with strategies to build better habits.
Taught by: Laurie Santos, Professor

Berkeley University of California
The eight-week course explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life through science and practice. Students will engage with some of the most provocative and practical lessons from the latest research, discovering how cutting-edge research can be applied to their own lives. The course is divided into eight one-week segments, with an additional week in the middle for a midterm and an extra week at the end for a final exam, though students have six months to complete the material at their own pace if they wish.
Taught by the GGSC's Dacher Keltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas, The Science of Happiness zeroes in on a fundamental finding from positive psychology: that happiness is inextricably linked to having strong social ties and contributing to something bigger than yourself—the greater good.

University of Virginia
About this course
Tibetan Buddhist Meditation and the Modern World explores the immense variety of meditation practices past and present. We present their histories, their philosophical underpinnings, their transformations in the modern global world, and we give you a chance to reflect upon meditation practices through secular contemplations designed just for this course. We use a traditional, if overly simplistic, way of grouping Buddhist philosophical systems and ritual-contemplative practices into “three vehicles”, three programs of theory and practice supporting the personal journey from suffering to enlightenment. This scheme became normative in India and Tibet: (i) the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna), (ii) the Great Vehicle (Mahāyāna), and (iii) the Adamantine Vehicle (Vajrayāna), also referred to as “esoteric Buddhism” or “Buddhist tantra”. To this, we will add a fourth Vehicle which is explicit in many Tibetan materials, though no standard term ever emerged that was accepted by all sectarian traditions - we will thus term it as the “Natural Vehicle” or “Post Tantra”. We follow an indigenous Tibetan tradition in terms of characterizing each with a specific orientational paradigm - repression, refinement, transformation, and natural freedom. These twelve meditative traditions constitute the framework for the course’s discussion of the main streams of Tibetan Buddhist meditation. The five modules of the present course, dedicated to "Lesser Vehicle" practices and perspectives, treat the first five of these twelve types. Each module in turn has four components: (i) the specific Buddhist meditation in its traditional presentation and practice; (ii) modern scientific research into its efficacy and dynamics, or on practices, principles, and processes related to this type of meditation in our analysis; (iii) the fact, problems, and opportunities of modern secular adaptations in a variety of educational, professional, and personal settings; and (iv) secular practices for experimentation, which are either direct adaptations or new practices designed to give an experiential sense of some of the principles underlying the Buddhist meditative practice.
Taught by: Prof. David Francis Germano, Professor Religious Studies
Taught by: Kurtis R. Schaeffer, Frances Myers Ball Professor of Religious Studies

Johns Hopkins University
About this Course
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. In addition, the RAPID model has been found effective in promoting personal and community resilience.
Participants will increase their abilities to:
- Discuss key concepts related to PFA
- Listen reflectively
- Differentiate benign, non-incapacitating psychological/ behavioral crisis reactions from more severe, potentially incapacitating, crisis reactions
- Prioritize (triage) psychological/ behavioral crisis reactions
- Mitigate acute distress and dysfunction, as appropriate
- Recognize when to facilitate access to further mental health support
- Practice self-care
Developed in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Open Education Lab.
Taught by: George Everly, Jr., PhD, Professor, Center for Public Health Preparedness Bloomberg School of Public Health

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
About this Course
This course discusses research findings in the field of positive psychology, conducted by Barbara Fredrickson and her colleagues. It also features practical applications of this science that you can put to use immediately to help you live a full and meaningful life.
Taught by: Dr. Barbara L. Fredrickson, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Director of the Social Psychology Doctoral Program and the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory, President-Elect, International Positive Psychology Association Kenan-Flagler School of Business

The University of Sydney, Australia
About this Course
In today’s world, mental illness and distress are common and these account for a significant burden of disability within our community. At the same time, there is a growing interest in understanding and enhancing positive mental health and wellbeing; particularly from developments in the fields of positive psychology and mental health promotion. Positive Psychiatry is a new term (Jeste et al 2016) that describes a dual approach to mental health, where we build strengths, supports and healthy lifestyles as well as treating illness and distress.
In this course, we will explore different aspects of good mental health as well as provide an overview of the major kinds of mental disorders, their causes, treatments and how to seek help and support. The course will feature a large number of Australian experts in psychiatry, psychology and mental health research, and we will also hear from “lived experience experts”, people who have lived with mental illness, and share their personal stories of recovery.
We take an evidence-based approach to a range of strategies that anyone can use to enhance their own mental health and that of others, from exercise and relaxation techniques through to the role of love, relationships and 'good' types of work. We cover topics from creativity and yoga through to psychiatric medications and psychotherapies.
This course is designed for anyone with an interest in psychiatry and mental health. It may be particularly helpful if you have struggled with illness, cared for a family member or friend, or work in a related field and would like to know more about how to assist people.
Taught by: Sonia Kumar, Psychiatry Course Coordinator , Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney

Universiteit Leiden, Netherlands
About this Course
Interest in meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation has grown exponentially in recent years. Rather than being seen as mystical practices from ancient Buddhism or esoteric philosophy, they are increasingly seen as technologies rooted in evidence from psychology and neuroscience. Mindfulness has become the basis for numerous therapeutic interventions, both as a treatment in healthcare and as a means of enhancing well-being and happiness. For millions around the world, mindfulness has become a life-style choice, enhancing and enriching everyday experience. Mindfulness is big business. But, what actually is mindfulness? Is it really good for you? Can anyone learn it? How can you recognize charlatans? Would you want to live in a mindful society, and would it smell like sandalwood? What does it feel like to be mindful? Are you mindful already, and how would you know? Evolving from the popular Honours Academy course at Leiden University, this innovative course combines conventional scholarly inquiry from multiple disciplines (ranging from psychology, through philosophy, to politics) with experiential learning (including specially designed ‘meditation labs,’ in which you’ll get chance to practice and analyze mindfulness on yourself). In the end, the course aims to provide a responsible, comprehensive, and inclusive education about (and in) mindfulness as a contemporary phenomenon. During the production of this course, we have been supported by Willem Kuyken, Director of the University of Oxford Mindfulness Centre, and Stephen Batchelor, co-founder of Bodhi College. And we gratefully acknowledge the contributions made by Mark Williams, co-developer of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Rebecca Crane, Director of the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice at the University of Bangor.
Taught by: Chris Goto-Jones, Prof. dr. Honours Academy

Wharton - University of Pennsylvania
About this Course
Pursue a meaningful life and improve your performance as a leader. Taught by acclaimed Wharton professor, best-selling author, and former Ford Motor Company executive and head of its Leadership Development Center, Stew Friedman, Leading the Life You Want provides you with the skills you need to lead in all four domains of your life: at work, at home, in the community, and in your private self (mind, body, and spirit). You'll explore the core principles of leadership and learn the skills you need to bring them to life. You learn how to find a greater sense of purpose, see how to convey values with stories, learn how to manage attention, feel less stressed, lead through serving others, and more. You'll see these skills illustrated in the inspiring yet imperfect lives of six remarkable leaders: Tom Tierney (former CEO of Bain), Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook), Michelle Obama (former First Lady), Eric Greitens (Republican Governor of Missouri), Julie Foudy (world champion soccer star and three-time Olympic medalist), and Bruce Springsteen (world-famous rock musician). You'll have the opportunity to assess your own leadership skills, and learn simple, proven exercises to practice them. By the end of this course, you'll have the tools you need to develop your skills so you can grow as a leader in all areas of your life and create greater harmony among them.
Taught by: Stewart D. Friedman, Practice Professor of Management and Director of the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project

Princeton University
About this Course
The Dalai Lama has said that Buddhism and science are deeply compatible and has encouraged Western scholars to critically examine both the meditative practice and Buddhist ideas about the human mind. A number of scientists and philosophers have taken up this challenge. There have been brain scans of meditators and philosophical examinations of Buddhist doctrines. There have even been discussions of Darwin and the Buddha: Do early Buddhist descriptions of the mind, and of the human condition, make particular sense in light of evolutionary psychology? This course will examine how Buddhism is faring under this scrutiny. Are neuroscientists starting to understand how meditation “works”? Would such an understanding validate meditation—or might physical explanations of meditation undermine the spiritual significance attributed to it? And how are some of the basic Buddhist claims about the human mind holding up? We’ll pay special attention to some highly counterintuitive doctrines: that the self doesn’t exist, and that much of perceived reality is in some sense illusory. Do these claims, radical as they sound, make a certain kind of sense in light of modern psychology? And what are the implications of all this for how we should live our lives? Can meditation make us not just happier, but better people?
Taught by: Robert Wright, Visiting Lecturer -Religion Department and the Center for Human Values

University of Michigan
About this Course
Sleep deprivation is a silent epidemic. Since the invention of the light bulb, we have obtained less sleep than our ancestors, prioritizing work, school, socializing, sports, screen time – just about everything – over sleep. Sleep is viewed as compressible, something that can be made up at any time, but rarely is. Most believe this poses little risk. Unfortunately, they could not be more wrong.
The truth is, an adequate amount of good-quality sleep is critical to good health. Lack of sleep leads to deadly crashes, reduces productivity, and harms quality of life. Insufficient or disordered sleep can increase risk for ADHD, depression, heart attack, stroke, arrhythmia, heart failure, and early death.
This Teach-Out can be your first step in doing something about sleep deprivation. Learn how sleep works, why it is important, and what bad sleep habits are. Hear solutions you can start tonight to sleep better for the rest of your life. Understand strategies to help family and friends improve their sleep. Learn to advocate for the sleep health of your community. This Teach-Out is intended to connect learners worldwide to the University of Michigan in conversation around sleep deprivation.
Taught by:
Johnathan Barkham, MD, Clinical Instructor of Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine & Ann Arbor Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Center
Ronald Chervin, MD, MS, Professor of Neurology and Michael S. Aldrich Collegiate Professor of Sleep Medicine, Director, Sleep Disorders Center
Cathy Goldstein, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Sleep Disorders Center and Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine & Ann Arbor Veteran’s Affairs (VA) Medical Center
Louise O'Brien, PhD, MS, Associate Professor Sleep Disorders Center and Department of Neurology; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Michigan Medicine
Sonja G. Schuetz, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology , Sleep Disorders Center and Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine
Anita Valanju Shelgikar, MD, MHPE, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Sleep Disorders Center and Department of Neurology, Michigan Medicine

University of Michigan
About this course
The opioid epidemic is the deadliest drug crisis in US history, killing around 64,000 people in 2016 alone. Recently, the growing crisis was declared a “public health emergency.” In this Teach-Out, experts from the fields of Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Dentistry will help us examine the impacts of this national epidemic and answer the key questions: What are opioids? How did we get to the current crisis? How can we recognize opioid abuse and what can we do about it? What makes the crisis so complex? Join us in this active and ongoing public conversation as we create and share solutions.
This Teach-Out is being offered in partnership with the University of Michigan’s Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation and includes a number of expert voices including:
-Jay S. Lee, MD
-Rebecca L. Haffajee, J.D., Ph.D., M.P.H
-Michael A. Smith, PharmD, BCPS
-Pooja Lagisetty, M.D.
-Daniel Clauw, M.D.
-Vicki Ellingrod, PharmD
-Romesh Nalliah, D.D.S., M.H.C.M.
-Amy Bohnert, Ph.D., M.H.S.
-Larry Gant, Ph.D., MSW
-Will Potter

The University of Edinburgh
About this Course
In this course, we’ll look at the facts and misconceptions around obesity and discuss key physiological and psychological concepts around the brain’s control of appetite and body weight. We’ll consider the biological and environmental pressures that make it easy to gain weight (and hard to lose it!). Most importantly, we'll give you the opportunity to reflect on your own knowledge and assumptions around the subject.
We deliver course materials as a mixture of videos, audio-only MOOCcasts, and a selection of short readings. There are short weekly quizzes, a peer-reviewed exercise, and discussion activities on the forum. These will help you prepare for the final project. In it, you are invited to demonstrate your evidence-informed understanding and express how you'll develop it beyond the course.
The course features Citizen Science projects. We'll collect data from you (anonymously, of course) and use it to drive participant-led discussions of controversial ideas. In this way, we hope to explore ideas around diet and obesity. These projects also give a taste of how scientific evidence is collected and interpreted by scientists, and give some indication how much there still is to discover and understand.
Taught by: Dr John Menzies - University of Edinburgh

Stanford University – Stanford School of Medicine
About this Course
Around the world, we find ourselves facing global epidemics of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes and other predominantly diet-related diseases. To address these public health crises, we urgently need to explore innovative strategies for promoting healthful eating. There is strong evidence that global increases in the consumption of heavily processed foods, coupled with cultural shifts away from the preparation of food in the home, have contributed to high rates of preventable, chronic disease. In this course, learners will be given the information and practical skills they need to begin optimizing the way they eat. This course will shift the focus away from reductionist discussions about nutrients and move, instead, towards practical discussions about real food and the environment in which we consume it. By the end of this course, learners should have the tools they need to distinguish between foods that will support their health and those that threaten it. In addition, we will present a compelling rationale for a return to simple home cooking, an integral part of our efforts to live longer, healthier lives. View the trailer for the course here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7x1aaZ03xU
Taught by: Maya Adam, MD, Lecturer

Stanford University – Stanford School of Medicine
About this Course
Eating patterns that begin in childhood affect health and well-being across the lifespan. The culture of eating has changed significantly in recent decades, especially in parts of the world where processed foods dominate our dietary intake. This course examines contemporary child nutrition and the impact of the individual decisions made by each family. The health risks associated with obesity in childhood are also discussed. Participants will learn what constitutes a healthy diet for children and adults and how to prepare simple, delicious foods aimed at inspiring a lifelong celebration of easy home-cooked meals. This course will help prepare participants to be the leading health providers, teachers and parents of the present and future.The text and other material in this course may include the opinion of the specific instructor and are not statements of advice, endorsement, opinion, or information of Stanford University.
Taught by: Maya Adam, MD, Lecturer -Stanford School of Medicine

Omega institute, NY
The Being Fearless Conference brings together activism and contemplative wisdom as a foundation to navigate the times in which we live.
Race. Climate. Politics. We live in a time of disruption. We need a new way forward.
How do we find ways to enter profound and necessary dialogue to address the urgent questions before us?
This critical conference, guided by an extraordinary group of courageous and insightful teachers, thinkers, and community leaders, brings together innovative thought, deeply felt activism, and contemplative wisdom as a foundation to navigate the times in which we live. Through stories from the front lines of change and panel discussions, along with interactive sessions, engaging conversations, community experience, and mindfulness practice, we explore the way ahead.
Whether you are a concerned citizen, business leader, educator, student, designer, builder, social activist, or politician, this gathering will inform and inspire you to take further action in your community.
Join us and step into a deep dialog engaging the path forward and exposing the strength and hope we all share for the future.