AIDS: Fear and Hope (Coursera)

AIDS: Fear and Hope (Coursera)

The basic biology of the virus, HIV, and the disease it causes, AIDS. The economic, social and political factors that determine who gets sick and who remains healthy, who lives and who dies. The progress of scientific research and medical treatments. The reasons for hope; the reasons for fear.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Beginnings: A New Disease Surprises The World
HIV Basics, Stigma, Three Books, Chimps to Humans, Some Memories

WEEK 2
Transmission, Gender, Politics
Transmission, Gender, More Memories

WEEK 3
Testing (and Some Politics and Memories)
The Critical Issue--Testing

WEEK 4
Living With HIV
Not a death sentence, but not easy; More Politics, Sexual Orientation

WEEK 5
Caring for Patients
Doctors, Medication, More Politics, More Memories

WEEK 6
Prevention, Art, Poetry

WEEK 7
Wrapping Up
Cure? Legal Issues, Cost, The Future, Acting Up

Suggested Readings:

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

The exposome: cracking the science about what makes us sick (Coursera) Coursera
Universiteit Utrecht

The exposome: cracking the science about what makes us sick (Coursera)

What are the causes of disease? We know that most diseases result from a combination of genes and environment (nature and nurture). Our genes alone do not determine our fate. For most complex diseases, externalities - environmental factors in the broad sense - are more important. This includes our living and working environments, diet, social support and stress, pollution, and exposure to infectious agents. Exposome research is about discovering the non-genetic drivers of health and disease.

Nov 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. No additional hardware or software are required for this course. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social/Peer Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social/Peer Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace. Transformative health care delivery programs depend heavily on health information technology to improve and coordinate care, maintain patient registries, support patient engagement, develop and sustain data infrastructure necessary for multi-payer value-based payment, and enable analytical capacities to inform decision making and streamline reporting.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
The New Nordic Diet - from Gastronomy to Health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen

The New Nordic Diet - from Gastronomy to Health (Coursera)

The New Nordic Diet is a new food culture developed in 2009-13 with key emphasis on gastronomy, health, and environment. Major research in its effect on acceptability, behaviour and learning skills, and disease prevention have been conducted by the OPUS centre at the University of Copenhagen and the people behind the award-winning restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. This course will give the participants the opportunity to experience a healthy and palatable new food and eating concept diet “The New Nordic Diet” and an understanding of how food and diets can affect mental and physical health and ensure the foundation for a healthier life style for future generations with a regional based diet and food culture.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Network Analysis in Systems Biology (Coursera) Coursera
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Network Analysis in Systems Biology (Coursera)

An introduction to data integration and statistical methods used in contemporary Systems Biology, Bioinformatics and Systems Pharmacology research. The course covers methods to process raw data from genome-wide mRNA expression studies (microarrays and RNA-seq) including data normalization, differential expression, clustering, enrichment analysis and network construction. The course contains practical tutorials for using tools and setting up pipelines, but it also covers the mathematics behind the methods applied within the tools.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Population Health: Study Design (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

Population Health: Study Design (Coursera)

Health care professionals increasingly have to make clinical decisions in aging and diverse populations. Also, they have to deal with rising health care costs, fragmented health care supply and advancing medical technologies and IT systems. These developments go beyond every day practice and will require new skills. In this course we will walk you through key steps in designing a research study, from formulating the research question to common pitfalls you might encounter when interpreting your results.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Pensamiento Científico (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Pensamiento Científico (Coursera)

¿El pensamiento científico es sólo para científicos? Su utilidad va mucho más allá, ayudando a las personas a tomar mejores decisiones todos los días. El objetivo de este curso es fomentar en pensamiento científico en los alumnos para ayudarles a tomar mejores decisiones profesionales, personales y sociales.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Living with Dementia: Impact on Individuals, Caregivers, Communities and Societies (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Living with Dementia: Impact on Individuals, Caregivers, Communities and Societies (Coursera)

Health professionals and students, family caregivers, friends of and affected individuals, and others interested in learning about dementia and quality care will benefit from completing the course. Led by Drs. Nancy Hodgson and Laura Gitlin, participants will acquire foundational knowledge in the care of persons with Alzheimer’s Disease and other neurocognitive disorders.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is a 12-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. Also, it has additional, optional modules on other topics of interest or relevance. Although we suggest to complete the course within a month's timeframe, the course is self-paced and so you can start and finish the course at anytime during a month's time period. No additional hardware or software are required for this course.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Bioinformatic Methods II (Coursera) Coursera
University of Toronto

Bioinformatic Methods II (Coursera)

Large-scale biology projects such as the sequencing of the human genome and gene expression surveys using RNA-seq, microarrays and other technologies have created a wealth of data for biologists. However, the challenge facing scientists is analyzing and even accessing these data to extract useful information pertaining to the system being studied. This course focuses on employing existing bioinformatic resources – mainly web-based programs and databases – to access the wealth of data to answer questions relevant to the average biologist, and is highly hands-on.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows (Coursera) Coursera
Tel Aviv University

Understanding Plants - Part I: What a Plant Knows (Coursera)

For centuries we have collectively marveled at plant diversity and form—from Charles Darwin’s early fascination with stems and flowers to Seymour Krelborn’s distorted doting in Little Shop of Horrors. This course intends to present an intriguing and scientifically valid look at how plants themselves experience the world—from the colors they see to the sensations they feel. Highlighting the latest research in genetics and more, we will delve into the inner lives of plants and draw parallels with the human senses to reveal that we have much more in common with sunflowers and oak trees than we may realize.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Genetics and Evolution (Coursera) Coursera
Duke University

Introduction to Genetics and Evolution (Coursera)

Introduction to Genetics and Evolution is a college-level class being offered simultaneously to new students at Duke University. The course gives interested people a very basic overview of some principles behind these very fundamental areas of biology. We often hear about new "genome sequences," commercial kits that can tell you about your ancestry (including pre-human) from your DNA or disease predispositions, debates about the truth of evolution, why animals behave the way they do, and how people found "genetic evidence for natural selection." This course provides the basic biology you need to understand all of these issues better, tries to clarify some misconceptions, and tries to prepare students for future, more advanced coursework in Biology (and especially evolutionary genetics). No prior coursework is assumed.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks