How Are Your New Year’s Resolutions Coming Along?

• Author: Judith Gaskell
• Date: March 20, 2018

In the past I have vowed not to make resolutions that just get broken. At the end of last year I polled my Facebook friends to see what they suggested. The best idea came from my Canadian cousin Blaine. “Just have more fun in 2018.” Another suggestion I found online was to ask questions instead of making direct statements. My question was “how can I bring more joy into my life and the lives of others? “

So while I’m reaching out to my Facebook friends and family, I want to include you SLAW readers. One of the pleasant and educational pastimes that I have blogged about before is taking free online courses (MOOCs). These can be done at home while enjoying your favorite beverage. So far the one I enjoyed most is The Science of Happiness from the University of California at Berkeley. It is “The first MOOC to teach positive psychology. Learn science-based principles and practices for a happy, meaningful life.”

But if you want to explore more career oriented courses, they are out there. The edx platform includes a number of free law courses. Coursera also links to a number of law courses from around the world, but now charges a fee to access most of them. There is, however, a way to audit some of their courses. Additionally Class Central compiles lists of thousands of MOOCs from all over the world, including those in law . They also share a list of The top 50 Free Online Courses of all time.

Recently the courses I have taken for personal enrichment are through FutureLearn. They too have many courses in law, but I have taken Genealogy and Irish 101 to learn something totally different. Their courses are excellent. And, if you want to brush up on your language skills, Duolingo.com has a wide variety of online courses, including Irish and French. If I have overlooked any other rich sources of online learning, please let me know.

I hope this overview of the many free and low cost courses available online helps you have a joyful and productive 2018. Slán go fóill.