This audit-only/no-certificate course could never be more timely than right now, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The comprehensibility of the material is improved substantially by a living, immersive example: the current global situation hitting all of us, in one way or another, in the face. At a certain point, we could no longer rely on reductionism – addressing a problem piece-by-piece and in a siloed manner – to satisfactorily address our collective woes, and this course allowed me to appreciate why this has been solidly the case perhaps even before I was born. The balance of efficiency and fragility, on one side, and redundancy and resilience/robustness, on the other, in terms of their pros and cons is long due for a reckoning. This offering should serve as a comprehensive introduction to systems thinking, complexity science, risk analysis, and the background-foreground forces and implications of globalization for those who have no advanced degrees or work experience in these disciplines. Furthermore, the end-of-module interviews each gave me at least one eye-opening thought, and I sometimes even wished that some discussions were longer. We must try our best to keep up, in theory and in practice, with the increasing intentional and inadvertent complexity of which modern life is dependent on.

Some of the material was fabulous and there were modules where the information was insightful and useful. The problem seems to be a lack of clarity. The course promotes a view that imagines central planning by smart people who know math and are 'experts' in modelling to be superior to a system where price discovery in a free market regulate decisions. The course creators ignore the fact that a good society has to be one where citizens are free and have natural rights that cannot be violated by well-meaning academics or busybodies.

Many of the statements that I heard are not supported by either logic or science and ignore the Augustinian view of human nature. Let me start with one. We know that we are now colder on average than we have been for much of the past 9,000 years. We know that when temperatures fell civilizations fell. That was what happened to Rome. It was what created the chaos during the time of the Black Death and what pushed the Vikings from Greenland. Do we really think that the cold of the Little Ice Age was preferable to temperatures today or can ignore the fact that longer growing seasons and the lower need for heating homes in the winter has made life much better for the poor? Why was Michael Oppenheimer permitted to claim that having political operative create a summary better than having scientists telling us what they know about the literature regarding the AGW claims? Why did the 'experts' ignore the fact that the IPCC's climate models ran hot or that the economists are quite clear that an increase in average temperatures of 3.5C or more is beneficial to humanity? Why is Princeton talking about sea level increases when Antarctic ice has increased in the past half century and the DMI is clear that the number of melt days has not changed in Greenland? Also not mentioned is the fact that an increasing 'average global temperature', whatever that means, would mean much higher increases at higher latitudes, mostly during the winter nights and that the lower difference in energy would make storms less damaging. If the AGW were actually true, we would have a kinder weather and a lower need for all that heating in the cold regions along with longer growing seasons and more food that offers the poor lower prices. I will end this in a moment but let me note the COVID problem. It was not the virus that shut down the economy. That was politicians. The virus was not and is not very dangerous. Fat old guys are more vulnerable but once the first wave went through the nursing homes, most of the victims that could die were no longer for us to help them. Add to this the disastrous loss of liberty that presents a systemic risk and the opportunity for objective discourse was lost.

I know that academics have a hard time taking a stand that risks their careers and reduces their incomes but I am not sure that the ethical price that has to be paid is worth the higher material gains. Independent thinkers do not follow banners and social fads. Those that have read their Bulgakov agree that cowardice is a common sin and a horrible sin. Or if you are into Dante, keep in mind where the uncommitted wound up. Heaven cast them out but Hell rejected them. That seems like a miserable way to go through life, boys and girls. Verify everything that you are told because things may not be what you are told they are.

I really enjoyed Prof Centeno's course "Paradoxes of War", and was looking forward for more. I liked the idea behind this course. It seems very relevant and how it could provide a cross functional framework for reiterating and reinforcing some important ideas. However, I found the content lacking, and I think it needs more work.

On the one hand, much of the time is spent around the introductory concepts, but on the other, most of them are given only superficial treatment, which can sometimes be somewhat misleading. To give some examples of the latter, I found the presentation of chaos theory, the trolley dilemma, and cascading failures hard to stomach, being quite familiar with the topics. The graphics on some of the slides seem curiously irrelevant which did not leave a good impression.

Most of the course content is in the interviews, which are of varying interest - I enjoyed some very much, but some of the others seemed superficial redundant.

Overall, I felt the course helped me reiterate some points, but did not provide much value. Being interested in this topic, I am familiar with the fundamentals, and that part of the course felt redundant and in many parts too sketchy. It definitely does not provide a solid foundation, but maybe it gives enough background to get people interested in further exploration. The second half of the course was interesting, but too short.

Some naivities, lots of commonplace, and irritatingly lots of speculative statements, indicated by 'in a sense': all in all, too little learnt.

Thank you, Miguel. This is an excellent course. I found it informative and well-taught. It was great to listen to so many experts in their fields talk about how globalization and systems affect our lives. It gave me a better understanding of what makes the world go around ( and sometimes not go around).

For those who want to deepen their knowledge of systems thinking, network theories, and risk analysis in the context of globalization, this is a valuable resource with a wide range of readings.

Very insightful course. As I designer a appreciate the reminder that not "everything is designed", sometimes there is no one in charge.

Clear presentation. Comprehensive content. Thank you, Professor Miguel Centeno

top notch introductory class

Parfait

excellent justice to the study of the concept of systemic risk...........

This is a great course. I learned much from all the course modules on Global Systemic Risk. I understand globalization well, but I have yet to consider it and its systemic risks. I have gotten much insight into complexity science, network theory, and other lenses to look at globalization and its multifaceted elements that present equally multi-level and scale complexity and challenges to humanity. Professor Miguel Centeno explains concepts and examples that inspire and commit one to deep diving. Currently, I am reading selective materials from each module, and I aim to write a paper that captures the lessons in each module. I thank you very much and look forward to learning from future publications of those interviews on the course and others concerning Global Systemic Risks. Best regards, Neamin Zeleke, Neamin20@gmail.com.

Brilliant course, especially for the interviews! The video tasks were useful to follow the material, the vocabulary was exhaustive and self-explanatory: I'd highlight black boxes, tipping points, choke points, normal accidents, links, efficiency vs fragility, transparency vs privacy, feedback loops, and compound risks. Really insightful and still (2024-2025) up-to-date course in my opinion. The slides are mostly readable, and although some graphs are outdated or represent data in an unfriendly way, there are many great sources and references here! I'd like to personally recommend Our World In Data and The Observatory of Economic Complexity. Thanks for the course Miguel <3

This course provides a fascinating overview of global systems, their interactions and how the failure of one system can ripple through other systems. Dr. Centeno does a great job of presenting the material in a way that both the "casual" learner or "hard-core" learner are left with powerful ideas to consider. The reference reading is top-notch. Some items are easier to gain access than others. If you have in interest in Networks, Epidemiology or Supply Chains then this class is a great way to expand your thinking. I would love to see a follow-on class with a deeper dive into the network modeling associated with this.

Professor Contero presents an extremely useful and thought provoking course. I have somewhat of a background, at this point, in International Relations topics. I was extremely impressed by Professor Contero's knowledge and presentation skills. I loved the learning. I would have wished that readings were provided, but that is not to be expected in courses of this sort. However, if you carefully listen to Professor Contaro reading is not mandatory as he presnents so well. The slides are exceptional. I guess you could say i enjoyed to course. Thank you!

This is a really excellent course for everybody who wants to deepen his/her knowledge on global systemic risk. Professor Miguel Centeno is a fantastic teacher, explaining even the most difficult notions and concepts in a straightforward way (I highly value it as English is not my mother tongue). The course also covers an interesting mix of interviews with experts in a wide range of disciplines, what proves that risk prevention, mitigation and management in our globalized societies is the topic truly embedded in interconnectedness.

I enjoyed the course, I learned a lot, among others that globalization is an important but also dangerous devellopment in nowadays world. We can not escape it, we can not turn back the system Globalization, but we can help to manage it. Thank you very much....and by the way a very good professor. (it is not the 1st course that I folow him)

Fue una gran experiencia tener a Miguel Centeno como profesor, así como las entrevistas que dieron mayor amplitud y profundidad al conocimiento adquirido. Me congratulo por haber participado en el curso y agradezco enormemente el esfuerzo que realiza la comunidad de Coursera para hacernos llegar estos cursos.

Great informative course that shows the complexity of the global system that we are all in. Explaining and showing things in a very understandable way. The interviews are also very good, you may learn different perspectives from the academics from different disciplines.

Professor Centeno is a born teacher. This timely, engaging, and thought-provoking course is accessible to all and supported by interviews with a variety of specialists - It will certainly lead me to continue to follow the work that Princeton is doing in this field.

superb, excellent. learnt a lot of new concepts. interviews were very enriching. hugely insightful. thank you Miguel for making me rich in knowledge ....5 starts arent enough....all the stars and galaxies to you and your team for effort and excellence

Very insightful overview of global risk. The conversations with specialists/experts are fascinating. The course covers a wide range of topics related to global catastrophic and systemic risk. highly recommended for beginners with an interest in risk.

Professor Miguel Centeno is very knowledgable in the field of global systemic risk. The course is well-strucutred and data driven. There are plenty of data/research/graphs to support the argument. Learnt a lot from this course. Thank you!

Great introduction to key concepts and frameworks of systems-thinking. Can be used to guide further efforts in understanding the nature of risk and how we can better understand it and mitigate it in an increasingly globalised world.

Very well designed course on globalisation and the systemic risks it has brought up. Also interviews with acclaimed experts contributes a lot to the course. Kudos to Dr. Centeno and to all who were involved.