Coursera Learner Story: Fighting Sexual Abuse With Social Psychology

In August and September of 2013, more than 250,000 learners from over 200 countries took Wesleyan University’s Social Psychology course on Coursera. The course’s final “Day of Compassion” assignment asked participants to live 24 hours as compassionately as possible and to analyze their experience. Roughly 700 students received a perfect score on the assignment, and the class then voted to select a winner.

Balesh Jindal, a physician in a rural area near New Delhi, India, won the grand prize for her efforts to address sexual violence in her community. Balesh visited a local school to talk to more than 2,000 female students, ranging in age from 4 to 17 years, about inappropriate touching and how to report incidents of abuse. In her conversations, she uncovered multiple cases of abuse by neighbors, brothers, cousins, and even fathers. After the Day of Compassion, Balesh invited the mothers of abused girls to her clinic for free counseling, and began setting aside one day each week to continue working with local children and their families. ------

Coursera partners with more than 275 leading universities and companies to bring flexible, affordable, job-relevant online learning to individuals and organizations worldwide. We offer a range of learning opportunities—from hands-on projects and courses to job-ready certificates and degree programs.

Remember to like, subscribe, and share this video with friends and colleagues looking to create new career possibilities.

Check out more from Coursera: @Coursera

Connect with us:

#CourseraPlus #Coursera #LearnWithoutLimits #OnlineLearning