Macquarie University

Analysing Complexity

21,547 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

(150 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 12 hours
Learn at your own pace
92%
Most learners liked this course
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

(150 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
Approx. 12 hours
Learn at your own pace
92%
Most learners liked this course

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

12 assignments

Taught in English

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Placeholder

Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Solving Complex Problems Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate
Placeholder
Placeholder

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV

Share it on social media and in your performance review

Placeholder

There are 6 modules in this course

Welcome to the first course of our specialisation on solving complex problems! In this module, we will be looking at complexity in the broadest sense and how it relates to us. From there we will zoom in to different aspects of this universal and all-encompassing concept.

What's included

5 videos8 readings2 assignments

In this module, we'll look at how complexity operates in the inanimate universe, the corresponding links between physics, chemistry, and geology and how they reflect the ground rules of all forms of complexity.

What's included

5 videos9 readings2 assignments

In this module, we'll explore the ratcheting up of complexity inside adaptive systems, and the impact adaptation has on the rules of the game for constantly evolving complex systems.

What's included

6 videos11 readings2 assignments

In this module, we'll look at an even more powerful adaptive system - culture. We'll survey what is at the root of this new form of complexity and how this impacts our thinking about how human society, the most complex system of which we are aware, functions and evolves.

What's included

6 videos11 readings2 assignments

In this module, we'll look at the decline of complexity. So far we've focused on how complex systems sustain or increase themselves. In order to truly understand every angle of all complex systems - physical, biological, and cultural - we need to understand how and when they collapse, and what all those breakdowns have in common.

What's included

7 videos13 readings2 assignments

Now that we've explored the different kinds of complex systems and have some idea of the risks and dangers involved, this module will look at how these concerns impact us in the present Anthropocene epoch, where humanity faces many threats of decline and collapse amid the most complex system that we know of in the visible universe.

What's included

6 videos9 readings2 assignments1 peer review

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.6 (33 ratings)
A/Professor Iain Hay
Macquarie University
8 Courses145,419 learners

Offered by

Recommended if you're interested in Leadership and Management

Why people choose Coursera for their career

Felipe M.
Learner since 2018
"To be able to take courses at my own pace and rhythm has been an amazing experience. I can learn whenever it fits my schedule and mood."
Jennifer J.
Learner since 2020
"I directly applied the concepts and skills I learned from my courses to an exciting new project at work."
Larry W.
Learner since 2021
"When I need courses on topics that my university doesn't offer, Coursera is one of the best places to go."
Chaitanya A.
"Learning isn't just about being better at your job: it's so much more than that. Coursera allows me to learn without limits."

Learner reviews

4.5

150 reviews

  • 5 stars

    67.33%

  • 4 stars

    21.33%

  • 3 stars

    7.33%

  • 2 stars

    0.66%

  • 1 star

    3.33%

Showing 3 of 150

BM
4

Reviewed on Aug 10, 2020

JW
5

Reviewed on Nov 7, 2018

KK
5

Reviewed on Jul 11, 2020

New to Leadership and Management? Start here.

Placeholder

Open new doors with Coursera Plus

Unlimited access to 10,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs - all included in your subscription

Advance your career with an online degree

Earn a degree from world-class universities - 100% online

Join over 3,400 global companies that choose Coursera for Business

Upskill your employees to excel in the digital economy

Frequently asked questions