About this course: The level of popularity you experienced in childhood and adolescence is still affecting you today in ways that you may not even realize. Learn about how psychologists study popularity and how these same concepts can be used in adulthood to be more successful at work, become better parents, and have a happier life.
Who is this class for: This class is for anyone who went to high school. By the time you finish this course, you will never think about popularity the same way again. You will think differently about how to help today's generation of popularity-obsessed teens, and you may just feel better about your own adolescence too!
Created by: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Taught by: Dr. Mitch Prinstein , John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Author of Popular: The Power of Likeability in a Status-Obsessed World
UNC Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 6 weeks of study, 1-2 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
How is Popularity Affecting Your Life as an Adult?
We will review how popularity is changing your social information processing and DNA expression.
5 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Syllabus
- Reading: Grading and Logistics
- Video: Introduction to Popularity
- Video: Is Popularity in Our DNA?
- Video: How Popularity Affects Us Thousands of Times a Day
- Video: Do You Have a Hostile Attribution Bias?
- Video: Do You Have a Rejection Sensitivity Bias?
Graded: Module 1 Quiz
WEEK 2
How Do We Study Popularity Scientifically?
We will discuss the ways that we have identified different subgroups of kids and adults who have
different popularity profiles.
5 videos
- Video: Who Can Accurately Tell You About a Child’s Popularity?
- Video: Asking Peers About Children’s Popularity
- Video: What are the 5 Categories of “Sociometric Popularity”?
- Video: Does Popularity Change When Moving to a New Context?
- Video: A New Form of Popularity in Adolescence?
Graded: Module 2 Quiz
WEEK 3
Why are Some People More Popular Than Others? (Part 1)
We will discuss what behaviors popular people engage in, and what types of specific behaviors make
people unpopular almost immediately. Implications for adult relationships will be discussed.
4 videos
- Video: What Social Behaviors Make People Popular so Quickly?
- Video: Other Social Behaviors That Make People Popular
- Video: What Forms of Aggression are Related to Popularity and Rejection?
- Video: What Functions of Aggression are Related to Popularity and Rejection?
Graded: Module 3 Quiz
WEEK 4
Why are Some People More Popular Than Others? (Part 2)
We will review why facial and body attractiveness plays a role in popularity and how parents can make
their children more popular.
4 videos
- Video: Why is Facial Attractiveness so Strongly Related to Popularity Among Youth?
- Video: Body Attractiveness and Popularity
- Video: Can Smart Kids be Popular?
- Video: How Did Your Parents Determine How Popular You Were?
Graded: Module 4 Quiz
WEEK 5
How Does Popularity Change Our Mood, Feelings, and Behaviors? (Part 1)
We will discuss recent findings regarding the links between popularity and psychopathology.
6 videos
- Video: How Do We Study the Effects of Popularity on Later Outcomes?
- Video: How Does Popularity Predict Delinquency?
- Video: Different Types of Rejected Children
- Video: Why Do Rejected-Aggressive Children Have so Many Difficulties?
- Video: How Does Popularity Predict Internalizing Symptoms?
- Video: How Does Depression Predict Peer Rejection?
Graded: Module 5 Quiz
WEEK 6
How Does Popularity Change Our Mood, Feelings, and Behaviors? (Part 2)
We will review why popular people really do have better skills and life outcomes compared to others.
5 videos
- Video: How is Popularity Related Health Risk Behaviors?
- Video: Let’s Talk About Sex (and Babies)!
- Video: Popular Teens are Not as Risky as we Thought?
- Video: How Does Popularity Predict Long-Term Adult Outcomes?
- Video: Closing Video
Graded: Module 6 Quiz
FAQs
How It Works
Coursework
Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.
Help from Your Peers
Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.
Certificates
Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.
Creators
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the nation’s first public university, is known around the world for innovative teaching and research. Regularly ranked as the nation’s best value for academic quality, UNC has produced the most Rhodes Scholars for the past 25 years among U.S. public research universities.
Pricing
| Audit | Purchase Course | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Not available | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Not available | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Not available | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
This was one of the best online courses I've taken. Very informative with real world implications!
This is a good course. Contains a lot of interesting information. However, I found it boring and long at times.
The topic itself is such a novel one to dissect. Popularity effects/ affects us in many ways and the studies undertaken in this course explains how society shapes you in a certain way. Good or Bad it's a great revelation for one and all as we understand ourselves a bit better after we take the course.
For me it was enlightening at multiple levels.
Certain aspects of the study isn't covered though. Children can belong to varied categories based on their peer group. In this course the study assumes that children will belong to one peer group at a time. Peer groups can vary in a child's life - for eg: the peer group of their school would be different from the one in their neighbourhood. This case isn't considered and this would open up a whole new set of possibilities in understanding a person's mental make up.
But it's a great first step. Kudos.
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GM
A little bit american-centric, sometimes a bit difficult to follow however a course on popularity is something worth taking.