PSYC207:
Life-Span Developmental Psychology
Spring, 2004
Instructor:
Dr. Doris M. Van Auken Meetings: TR
1:15 – 2:30 (Green)
Office: 181 Vincent Office
Phone: 239-8386
Office Hours: M – F
FINAL EXAM: Mon. 5/3
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is an introduction to life-span developmental psychology and will cover a wide range of topics. We will be discussing the methods, data, and theoretical interpretations of research on human development. We will cover psychological development from conception to death. Both cognitive and social development will be discussed as well as physical development and its affect on psychological functioning. We will discuss the major theorists in the area such as Piaget and Erikson. Normal development will be the focus, but we will also spend some time on problems in development, such as prematurity and Alzheimer’s disease, and the social issue of abuse. The major focus of the course will be on the basic research and theories as well as applications to real life situations.
Course Objectives: Transferable Skills:
The student will be able
to: The
student will be better able to:
1.) Define
basic developmental psychological terms. 1.) Generate ideas and synthesize results.
2.)
Understand the role of development in everyday life. 2.) Recognize and use multiple ways
of thinking.
3.)
Understand the different dimensions of development. 3.) Ask relevant questions.
4.)
Understand research methods used in devel. psychology. 4.) Distinguish between fact, opinion, and judgment.
5.)
Understand how environmental experiences affect devel. 5.) Understand and apply the Scientific
Method.
6.)
Understand adol. social devel. & problems they encounter. 6.) Analyze, interpret, and
appreciate the work of others.
7.)
Recognize the changes occurring in adulthood.. 7.)
Evaluate and use available information sources.
8.) Think
more critically about aging and the death process. 8.) Seek help when and where needed.
TEXTS:
Required: Kail & Cavanaugh (2003). Human Development: A Lifespan View, Third Edition.
Optional: Study Guide to accompany the text. (A copy will be on file in the library)
ATTENDENCE POLICY:
Because this course covers many
topics in a short period of time, attendance is required. Therefore, students will sign-in at the
beginning of class. Late arrivals will
miss this opportunity. You will be
allowed three (3) unexcused absences (I suggest you use
them wisely!). For each additional
unexcused absence you will lose one-half letter grade (e.g., a B+ becomes a B,
a C becomes a C-). Excused absences
require written documentation, such as a doctor’s written excuse. Students are expected to arrive for class at
the appointed time having read the assigned material.
STUDENT MISCONDUCT:
The 2003/2004 Student Handbook states “As a Catholic community, faculty, staff, and students have a oral and ethical responsibility to uphold the principle of unquestioned honesty, and refrain from an activity or behavior that would suggest academic dishonesty and lack of personal integrity. Students shall be honest in their academic work and shall support the honesty of others. They shall, moreover, guard against any appearance of dishonesty. For further information on student misconduct please refer to the Student Handbook.
One issue of concern is plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary (1997) as “presenting the ideas or words of another as one’s own.” Notice this definition is NOT plagiarized. Presenting the work of another as your own is dishonest and constitutes cheating. There is never an acceptable reason for plagiarizing. The penalty for plagiarizing is an automatic zero on that assignment. Plagiarizing cheats you, the student, and insults me, the professor. It is in your best interest to refrain from this behavior.
Examples of plagiarizing include, but are not
limited to the following:
1.
Copying word for word from a source, without citing the source in the
text and on the reference page.
2.
Re-wording a passage from a source, without citing the source of the
idea in the text and on the reference page.
3.
Buying a paper on the Internet.
It can be traced.
4.
Copying the work of a friend or parent, etc.
PSYCHOLOGY
207 (Green) — Course Schedule – TR
Day Date Chapter Topic Assign/chaps.
T 1/13 Intro.,
PQ4R, Study Strategies
R 1/15 1 The
Study of Human Development
T 1/20 2 Biological
Foundations
R 1/22 2 Biological,
cont.
T 1/27 3 Tools
for Exploring the World.
R 1/29 3 Tools,
cont.
T 2/3 EXAM
1 (Portfolio due) CH. 1 - 3
R 2/5 4 The
Emergence of Thought & Language
T 2/10 4 Thought
& Language, cont
R 2/12 5 Entering
the Social World
T 2/16 5 Entering,
cont..
R 2/18 6 Off
to School
T 2/24 6 School,
cont.
R 2/26 EXAM
2 (Portfolio due) CH. 4 - 6
T 3/2 7 Expanding
Social Horizons
R 3/4 7 Expanding,
cont. Observ. 1 Due
TR 3/9 - 11 SPRING BREAK!
T 3/16 8 Rites
of Passage to Young Adulthood
R 3/18 8 Rites
of Passage, cont.
T 3/23 9 Moving
into the Adult Social World
R 3/25 EXAM
3 (Portfolio due) CH. 7 - 9
T 3/30 10 Becoming
an Adult
R 4/1 11 Being
with Others
T 4/6 12 Work
and Leisure
R 4/8 catch-up
Day
T 4/13
EXAM 4 (Portfolio due) CH. 10 - 12
R 4/15 13 Making
it in Midlife
T 4/20 14 Personal
context of Later Life Observ. 2 Due.
R 4/22 15 Social
Aspects of Later Life
T 4/27 15 Social
Aspects of Later Life, cont (Portfolio due)
R 4/29 16 The
Final Passage
M 5/3
**Instructor reserves the right to alter schedule, with proper
notification of students.**
ELECTRONIC
DEVISES:
Electronic devises such as cell phones, pagers, PDA’s, and
CD players must be turned off and stored while in the classroom. Use of such devises for any reason will
result in the student being dismissed from class and credited with on unexcused
absence for the day. If you have a valid
need for a cell phone or pager to be turned on (a small child, a sick child,
you’re a labor coach, etc.) you must inform the instructor of this necessity at
the beginning of class.
EVALUATION:
Exams: (4 @ 100
points each)
There will be 5 exams. Each exam will consist of multiple choice,
true/false, and fill-in-the-blank questions.
There will also be a section of short answer essay questions. The questions will cover the material in the
assigned text chapters as well as all of the lecture material. You will be provided with a list of questions
to use as a study guide. There will be
questions that are straight information; however, you should also expect to see
questions that require you to apply your knowledge. Exam dates are listed on the syllabus. The last regular exam will be given on the
day of the final exam. You may drop your
lowest exam score. NO MAKE-UP
EXAMS will be given. If you
miss an exam that is the score you will drop.
NO EXCEPTIONS! NO
EXCUSES!
You may bring one 5”
x 8” index card to each exam with handwritten notes on each side. There are three rules for your card: 1.)
It must be in your own handwriting,
2.) You must be able to read the
notes without a magnifying glass and
3.) You must not share your card
with any other student. This card is NOT
a substitute for studying! It will help
you to focus your studying and will help relieve test anxiety.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
If you
think a grade is inaccurate and you wish to dispute it, you may do so in
writing within 7 days. You
must explain why you think your grade should be changed
and show strong support for your argument.
I will respond to your argument in a timely fashion.
Observation Papers: (2 @ 50
points each)
In addition to the 5 exams, each
student will do two (2) observation papers.
Each student will make three structured field observations during the
semester. These observations will allow
you to interact with individuals at various life stages. More information concerning these
observations is provided on the attached pages.
You will be allowed to choose among several options for each observation
topic. Following the observation you
will write a four to seven (4 – 7) page paper on the topic chosen. Each observation paper will be worth 50
points, for a total of 100 points.
Observations are due no later than
Portfolio:
(100 points)
Each student will keep a portfolio containing tests, observations, and articles. The articles may be found in magazines, newspapers, Internet or professional journals. Br. Charles in the library will be happy to help you find articles or explain how to use Inspire so that you can get the appropriate articles on the computer. At least 2 of your articles MUST come from professional journals.
You are to locate an appropriate article for a chapter, read the article, and then write a 1-page summary of that article. (Note: ¾3/4 of a page does not equal one page) ¾ each summary should be typed, double-spaced, using default margins and 12-point type.
You portfolio should be kept in a small 1/2 inch
binder. Each article should be clearly
identified with the appropriate chapter number, and separated from the next
article by a divider. You should include
both your summary and a copy of the article in your portfolio, with the summary
preceding the article. You will need to
work on the portfolio in a timely fashion so that you do not get behind. In order to assist you with this I will have
you turn them in on the day of each exam.
I will score the summaries for the chapters to be covered on that exam only
and return the portfolio to you within a week. Once the due date has passed I will no longer accept
articles for those chapters.
I will also provide you with a score sheet to be the first page in your
portfolio so that we can keep track of your scores on the articles. NOTE:
I will accept portfolios the class period before exams.
The portfolio should have
these sections: The
portfolio should contain:
1. Exams (5 points) 1. Exams 1-4
2. Observation Papers (5 points) 2. Obs. Paper, all observation notes, and copies of research articles.
3. 10 Magazine/Newspaper Articles (90 points) 3. 1 article for 10
chapters from a magazine, newspaper, Internet
(9 points
per article) professional
journal, etc. NOTE: 2 articles must come from
professional
journals. Each article should have a
one typed
page
summary,
Note: You may also keep any extra credit summaries at the back of your portfolio. This would make it easy for you to make
sure you get all of your extra credit points.
Options for replacing one test score: I understand that some people are just not
good test takers. For this reason the
following options will be available. You
may chose one of the options and complete that option to
replace one exam score. All optional
work must be turned in before April, 15 in order for me to score
your work and return it to you. This
will allow you time to prepare for the final exam knowing exactly where you
stand in the class.
Option 1: Write a paper on any topic covered in the
chapters of the exam you wish to replace.
Your paper should:
·
Be
·
Have a minimum of five (5) references , which must be cited and referenced.
1 – textbook
3 - professional journal articles (EX:
Journal of Applied Psychology)
1 - other source (internet, popular magazines, etc.).
Option 2: Keep a journal of 10 of the chapters to be
covered in this course. Each entry is
worth a total of 10 points. Each
journal entry should:
·
Be 2 typed pages (double spaced please) and should
include the following:
1.) Summary – A
one-page summary of the chapter, including the major topics. (4 points)
2.)
2 Comments – Something you found
interesting, something you found hard to believe, or something
you want to know more about. (2 points)
3.)
2 Questions –
Several questions, which you may have concerning the reading. (2 points)
4.)
2 Real-life
Examples – Two examples from your own personal experience, related
to the readings in
that
chapter. (2 points)
Extra Credit: The only
opportunities for extra credit come in the form of in-class projects, movies, and
workshops.
Important
Note:
ABSOLUTELY NO PAPERS/JOURNALS/EXTRA CREDIT WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER
FINAL GRADE:
Your final grade will be based on
your final point total. There are 600
points possible in this class.
Cutoffs for grades are listed below.
No papers, assignments, or other work, (EXCEPT as noted above) may be
completed for extra credit. If your
grade is borderline, factors such as the quantity and quality of your class
participation will be a deciding factor.
POINTS REQUIRED FOR EACH GRADE;:
A+ =
582 A = 558 A- = 540
B+ =
522 B = 498 B- = 480
C+ =
462 C = 438 C- = 420
D+ = 402 D = 378 D- = 360 TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE =
600
Suggestions for how to do well in this course:
§
Read the assigned chapters before attending the
lectures.
§
Attend lectures and take accurate notes (tape
recorders are welcome in class).
§
Schedule regular time for study of text and notes (5
to 6 hours per week outside of class).
§
Use the text questions and study guide to prepare
for exams.
§
Make friends with classmates. Share notes.
Form study groups.
§
Come to see me when the material is not clear.
§
Let me know as soon as possible of any problems, which
might affect your performance in this class.
Class Performance Record (to be kept by
the student)
SCORE
EXAM 1: ____________ Portfolio #1: ____________ OBSERVATION
1: ____________
EXAM 2: ____________ Portfolio #2: ____________ OBSERVATION
2: ____________
EXAM 3: ____________ Portfolio #3: ____________ PORTFOLIO
(total): ____________
EXAM 4: ____________ Portfolio #4: ____________ EXTRA
CREDIT: ____________
EXAM 5: ____________ Portfolio #5: ____________ EXAM
TOTAL: ____________
TOTAL POINTS
____________/600
Please keep this record
up-to-date. You will always know exactly
where you stand in the class. Also, keep
in mind that I will not be calculating grades the weeks before the final. If you keep accurate records you can
determine for yourself what your grade will be.