In The Unappreciated Power of Naps, sleep researcher and clinical psychologist Dr. Jade Wu will uncover the truth about napping and its amazing benefits for both mind and body. Across six revealing lectures, you’ll examine what science tells us about the benefits—and, yes, the potential downsides—of napping.

In the six lectures of How to Talk to Your Kids About Death, professor and practicing psychologist Dr. Jessica Borelli will help you navigate the complexities of discussing death with children in a way that offers them the support and attention they need at such a confusing time.

It’s considered a given, once your child hits puberty, that she or he will become uncommunicative, rude, and withdrawn, but there are neurobiological, social, and developmental reasons for these often-frustrating behaviors, and understanding those factors can really help us parent well. Focusing on adolescents (covering preteens, teenagers, and young adults), Christine Carter - the parent of four teenagers, a parenting coach, and author - guides you through some of the most important factors when it comes to raising kids in the modern world.

The brain is a marvelous and complex organ that takes decades to fully mature, and no stage in that long process is more critical than the one we call the “toddler” years. During this period—from about one year old to three years old—a child transforms from a helpless infant into a running, chatting, insatiably curious little person with distinctive traits and interests. So, what is happening in the brain during this metamorphosis? How do humans acquire the motor, linguistic, and social skills that define this vital childhood period? Lise Eliot offers answers to these intriguing questions.

World War II is the defining conflict of the 20th century, one that created a line in the sands of history dividing the pre-war and post-war eras. In this epoch-defining conflict lies another definitive moment: the invasion of a 50-mile stretch of coast in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. This battle, also known as D-Day, was the pivot point of the war in Europe. Its success led to a nearly yearlong, bloody campaign that saw the liberation of France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands, followed by the final defeat of Hitler’s Third Reich.

In 10 lectures for self-development, professional communications coach and speaker Carol Ann Lloyd teaches the best ways to communicate and listen, including how to focus on understanding, how to overcome barriers and distractions, and how to clarify intentions. When listeners step back to hear what makes conversations successful, they will learn that each component of a conversation is a piece of a larger puzzle, which only fits together when thoughtfully considered and executed.

We all want to be liked and appreciated by the people around us, but some of us may let this desire dictate our choices and behaviors in a way that can become unhealthy. In How to Stop People-Pleasing, psychology professor Dr. Wind Goodfriend examines what drives many of us to sacrifice our well-being to please others and offers guidance on how you can set healthy boundaries and start prioritizing yourself.

Discussing drugs and alcohol with your kids can be difficult for any number of reasons and applying too much negative pressure can have the opposite effect that you may be hoping for. In the eight lessons of How to Talk to Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol, Dr. Sharon Levy brings her years of expertise as a pediatrician specializing in childhood development and behavior to show you the best way to present this crucial information to the young people in your life.

For most of us, caregiving for aging parents is brand-new territory we don’t get much time to prepare for. But while the experience is scary and exhausting, it can also be a rewarding time filled with moments that bring deep joy and fulfillment, and a stronger relationship with the people who cared for you when you needed it most.

Monster stories aren’t just meant to entertain. They’re meant to inform, even educate. Above all, they ask us to question our own humanity. Nowhere is this truer than in stories of serial killers. What are the origins of this monstrous archetype? Why are we so fascinated with such gruesome terror? What do they reveal about our fears and anxieties? Explore these and other questions in Serial Killers: Real and Imagined, where public scholar Emily Zarka looks at the serial-killer trope across history, from murky 17th-century legends to 21st-century true-crime obsessions.

While the popular image of the Victorian world is one of stiff formality and old-fashioned values, it was an incredibly transformative time for many people who sought better protections, fairer wages, and greater freedom. And this included an increasingly popular and successful fight for animal welfare. Prior to the 19th century, the mistreatment of animals was rarely questioned, and sports like bullbaiting and dogfighting were common. So, what brought the plight of exploited and suffering animals to the attention of activists, politicians, and the public at large?

In the six lessons of Why Memoir Matters: Learning from the Lives of Others, associate professor and author Tahneer Oksman guides you through enduring categories and themes within the genre of memoir, exploring how these deeply personal stories work and why they are so impactful. The course also addresses the ethical responsibilities of the memoir writer, in terms of writing about personal life details and what it means to tell the truth as a writer while sharing personal memories, shocking events, and even family secrets.

Holding boundaries and asserting yourself are crucial skills for maintaining healthy relationships and a sense of self-respect. In Push Back: Assert Yourself in Relationships, professional clinical psychologist Dr. Monica Johnson teaches you how to clearly define your limits, communicate those limits to others, and foster mutual respect and understanding in your everyday interactions.

James Krasner, an expert in Victorian literature, takes you on a fascinating journey into the enduring power of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You’ll learn how these three literary masters structured their novels to offer not only scares but also complex insights into cultural debates that still matter to us today.

There is a common misconception that sex, love, and marriage in medieval and early modern Europe followed very specific, inflexible rules and expectations that remained unchanged for centuries. Throughout the 10 lectures of Sex, Love, and Marriage from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, you will find that looking closer at marriage and sexuality in this period reveals a vibrant history of flexibility, of questioning and adaptation, and of evolutionary - and sometimes even revolutionary - change.