Coursera’s free online university course on social context of mental health

Feel free to check out the massive online courses (MOOC) offered by Coursera. The Social Context of Mental Health and Illness starts June 24th, taught by University of Toronto Faculty of Social Work associate professor Charmaine Williams.

Course description:
This course is an opportunity to explore how social practices and ideas contribute to the ways in which society, families and individuals are affected by mental health and mental illness. We will look at issues like why some people think mental illness is a myth, how people think about mental health and illness in different cultures, who gets mentally ill and why, how families are affected by mental illness and what interventions are available to treat mental illness and promote mental health.”

Course Syllabus

Week One: A brief history of madness 
Week Two: What is mental health and what causes mental illness?
Week Three: The social context of diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses
Week Four: Culture, mental health and mental illness
Week Five: Families, caregiving and mental illness
Week Six: Society, communities and mental health