Short course
Understanding Emotions
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates and time:
28/09/2026 - 30/11/202614:30 - 16:30
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£315.00
That emotions are crucial to our experience of the world around us has been appreciated for thousands of years. When Goleman popularised our understanding of just one dimension – emotional intelligence – in 1995, his book sold millions of copies.
Emotions shape our relationships, determine our values, are the basis of our own motivation and how we motivate others.
Over ten weeks, with a balance of theory, practical activities, and experiential opportunities, we attempt to understand the detail of emotions and what they are, how they impact us, and how they fashion society.
Explore the definition and components of emotions, and discover how they shape our thoughts, perceptions, and behaviours. Trace the evolution of emotional research, from ancient philosophies to modern cognitive science, gaining valuable insights into this ever-evolving field.
Delve into the neuroscience of emotions, the workings of our brain and how it processes emotional responses. Examine the ongoing debate of whether emotions are innate or social constructs, exploring the interplay between biology, culture, and socialisation.
Uncover the minimal set of emotions that form the foundation of our emotional repertoire and explore their universality across cultures. Discover how empathy serves as a mechanism for emotional communication among humans and other sentient animals.
Investigate the relationship between positive emotions and psychopathology, gaining practical strategies for fostering mental wellness. Explore the intersection of emotions and motivation, and how they influence our actions and decision-making. Examine behavioural economics and marketing, where emotions are skilfully provoked to shape popular behaviour.
Understand the connection between wisdom, values, and emotions, practical decision-making and finding meaning in our lives. Lastly, explore the relationship between religion and emotions, uncovering their role in spiritual practices and beliefs.
Previous participants have included coaches, nurses, artists, counsellors, social workers, and several members of the public interested in what makes their friends and family tick!
Whether for professional (CPD) or purely personal interest, this course should help you make just a little more sense of the complex world in which we live.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Course starts Monday 28 September 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Mondays, 2.30-4.30pm.
Week 1: What is an emotion?
Week 2: A brief history of emotional research
Week 3: Are emotions actually ‘made’?
Week 4: The minimal set of emotions
Week 5: On the expression of emotions
Week 6: Positive emotion and psychopathology
Week 7: Emotion and motivation
Week 8: Provoking emotions and consequent behaviour
Week 9: Wisdom, values and emotions
Week 10: Emotions and religion
Course aims
Whether you’re seeking professional development or personal enrichment, this course will help you navigate the complexity of our emotional world and make sense of the intricate tapestry of human experiences.
Course objectives
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of emotions and their profound impact on our lives. Explore the definition, components, and evolution of emotions, and uncover how they shape our thoughts, perceptions, and behaviours.
- Delve into the world of neuroscience and appreciate how our brain processes emotional responses. Examine the ongoing debate of whether emotions are innate or socially constructed, and explore the interplay between biology, culture, and socialisation.
- Discover the universal foundation of emotions and their role in shaping our relationships, values, motivation, and societal norms. Explore practical strategies for fostering mental well-being, understand the connection between emotions and decision-making, and gain insights into the influence of emotions in behavioural economics and marketing.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to have learnt how to:
- appreciate the nature and significance of emotions in contexts from the individual to society and beyond;
- reflect on the impact of emotions on their own life;
- assess the nature of emotional well-being and effective ways of enhancing it.
Level and demands
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, ie first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Teaching methods
Using a virtual learning environment (Canvas), background notes will be provided shortly before each session so that you can read up on the week’s theme in advance if you wish.
We try to make sessions interactive and dynamic – you won’t find the tutor hiding behind a lectern!
Classroom activities will vary, involve a range of discussions and creative tasks, in both the full and smaller groups.
Assessment methods
Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation, in advance of the course start date, can submit coursework/assignments for assessment.
Assessment
You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first is an in-class oral presentation. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.
Dr Graham Wilson
After a PhD in behavioural science, I worked in leadership, organisational development, consultancy, and coaching. Around the turn of the millennium, I qualified firstly as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and then as a spiritual counsellor, becoming a Registered Member of the BACP.
From 2013, I’ve taught psychology, counselling, coaching, and photography at Oxford and elsewhere. Through teaching, writing many textbooks, professional and public dialogue, I aim to make these subjects accessible and relevant to everyone.
A Research Fellow of the Ronin Institute (RIIS2.0), I also serve on the executive of the APHE, am active in the BACP Research Teaching Network, a Fellow of the RAI, and member of the IVSA.
Academic credit
Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS Points)
Please note, students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. If you wish to gain credit from completing this course you must register to do so before the course starts.
Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail.
Learn more about the Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee for assessment and accreditation.
Digital certificate of completion
Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee (with no assessment) | £315.00 |
| Assessment and Accreditation fee | £60.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Recommended reading
Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course.
Library facilities
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.
- More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website.
- This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.
Preparatory reading
- Emotion: An introductory picture / The Open University
Module code: O26P520PCW
How to enrol
Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page.
How to register for accreditation and assessment
To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for this course, if you wish to do so, you will need to register and pay an additional £60 fee. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.
If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education at the Department you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.