Psyc 230 (Sec 01): Lifespan Developmental Psychology ... Santrock, J. W. (2007)
. A topical approach to life-span development (3rd Ed.). New York,.
Psyc 230 (Sec 01): Lifespan Developmental Psychology ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Semester: Spring 2006 Lecture Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10-10:50am Lecture Room: Young Hall Rm 411 Course Professor: Name: Jenessa Steele, PhD Office: Washington Hall B15 (Basement) Phone: 831-5256 Email:
[email protected] Website: www.radford.edu/~jcsteele Office Hours: TBA, or by appt. GENERAL COURSE POLICIES Course Description: Psyc230 Lifespan Developmental Psychology provides a survey of human development with emphasis on change in physical, cognitive, and social-emotional processes. This course emphasizes lifespan developmental psychology theory and concepts, developmental research methods, cultural differences, and application of empirical findings in human development to real world issues. Student Learning Objectives: With the successful completion of this course, students should have a sound understanding of the psychological, physical, and socio-emotional aspects of human development. Among the learning objectives for this course include the following: • Gain knowledge regarding lifespan developmental psychology theory and concepts, as well as developmental research methods commonly employed in empirical research. • Understand and demonstrate course concepts via, in-class verbal communication, inclass activities, written assignments and exams. • Research and critique current psychological, physical, and socio-emotional issues facing humans. Be able to coherently write and discuss potential changes in current issues facing human development and whether changes might be due to age, time, or cohort effects. • Understand the interacting roles of heredity and environment in human development. • Thoughtfully discuss moderating and mediating factors contributing to human development in addition to age group (e.g., family dynamics, gender, cultural, socioeconomic differences).
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS Course Textbooks & Readings Santrock, J. W. (2007). A topical approach to life-span development (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Students are required to complete any assigned readings before the class in which they will be discussed. There will also be outside readings to be completed for the course. You will be informed of the specific readings ahead of time. Class Attendance and Participation • • •
Students are required to complete assigned readings before the class in which they will be discussed. There will also be outside readings to be completed for the course. If applicable, you will need to print handouts and/or articles to bring to lecture, so please keep your printing account credited. Regular class participation will be worth approximately 14% of your course grade. Thus, you CANNOT get an ‘A’ in this class, unless you come to class!
Class attendance and participation is expected. Students will be encouraged to contribute regularly through class discussions and activities. Although the textbook will help students’ understanding of research methods, in-class lectures and discussions will provide additional and testable material. Thus, students are encouraged to attend and participate in every class. Individual Class Participation One of the main goals for this course is to stimulate student knowledge and discussion of developmental issues. The only way students will be able to intelligently speak of such issues is if they have completed the course readings prior to class day. In order to ensure student reading and stimulate student class participation, each student will earn an individual class participation grade. Each student in class will be randomly called upon by the instructor FIVE times throughout the semester. The question posed to the student will be related to readings that were to be completed for that day’s class. If the student answers the question correctly, he/she will receive 12 points for that day’s question. If the student attempts to answer the question, but does not fully or correctly answer the question, they will receive 9 points for that day’s question. If the student is present in class, but does not know the answer to the question, they will receive 4 points for that day’s question. If the student is not present in class the day she/he is called upon, they will receive ZERO points for that days question. I will drop one of the attendance days (i.e., you can miss one of your attendance days or drop a low attendance score). Thus, the maximum points to be received for in-class individual participation will be 4 days X 12 points = 48points. Please keep in mind you may participate without being called upon☺ I will keep track of your extra attendance throughout the semester and will consider these points somehow at the end of the semester. I will allow an additional 10 points of extra credit to be accumulated through extra in-class participation. Extra in-class participation involves answering questions that other students might not be able to answer, providing additional insight into a topic of discussion, or asking important questions. 2
Group Class Participation Another goal for this course is to allow you to learn from your fellow classmates. Thus, this class will hold two in-class activities worth 10 points each. In these activities, each group member will be expected to equally contribute to the activity. The activity will be related to class concepts and will likely demonstrate ‘real world’ scenarios and encourage critical thinking skills. Thus, the maximum points to be received for in-class group participation will be 4 days x 8 points = 32 points. These activity days will be unannounced. Class Assignments Students will be required to complete 1 take-home, written assignments of approximately 5-7 pages. This assignment is worth 80 points. This written assignment will ask you to consider multiple sides of a current life-span topic related to developmental psychology. Dr. Steele will randomly assign each student their topic and subsequent due dates. Papers will be turned in periodically throughout the semester as we discuss the life-span issues. Students writing papers on the relevant topic will be asked to report what they have found and help lead class discussion on the topic. Details regarding the assignments will be provided at a later date. However, it is expected that students read assigned readings related to the instructor-assigned topic and write a review of the literature on the topic using APA writing and referencing style. The assignment will likely require you to consider issues in lifespan development (e.g., cohort effects, stability/change, plasticity, etc.), as well as compare two or more age groups on the topic. Students will receive required readings and questions to answer on the life-span issue one month prior to the paper’s due date. The day your paper is due, we will discuss the topic as a class. Dr. Steele will call upon students who wrote on the particular topic to report on what was found. Late assignments will be deducted 5 % of the total points each day the assignment is late. EACH ASSIGNMENT IS TO BE GIVEN TO THE INSTRUCTOR AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CLASS DAY IT IS DUE. Life-Span Topics To Be Assigned: Physical Development: Eating Disorders Cognitive Development: Alzheimer’s Disease Emotional/Personality Development: Shyness Social Development: Caregiving Exams Students will be given 5 in-class exams throughout the semester. You will be allowed to drop your lowest exam grade, for a total of 4 exam grades toward your grade. Each exam will be worth 80 points, totaling 320 points for the semester. Exams will consist of 40 mulitple-choice questions worth 2pts each. The final exam for this class will be cumulative and mandatory. The final exam will be worth 100 points. The final exam will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions and one, 20-point essay asking students to summarize certain aspects of the material learned in this course. Extra Credit Students may earn a MAXIMUM of 10 points of out-of-class extra credit for the course. You will have the opportunity to earn extra credit toward your grade in exchange for participating in research projects conducted by psychology students and faculty. Participation is voluntary. Every ½ hour of research participation will earn you 1 point of extra credit. You will be able to sign-up for approved studies using an on-line scheduling system (Experimetrix). Details about Experimetrix and research participation will be presented in 3
class. If you do not wish to participate in research, but would like to earn extra credit for the course, attend and provide a written/typed critique of a RU scholarly event approved by Dr. Steele. See Dr. Steele for event critique guidelines. An attendance and written critique will be worth 10 points. All extra credit MUST be completed and turned in to Dr. Steele (if applicable) by 5pm on the last day of class, GRADING (Approx) Percent of Grade
Requirement
Points
Individual and Group Participation
80
14.0%
Written Hot Topic Paper
80
14.0%
Exams (4 X 80) (Drop lowest grade)
320
55.0%
Final Exam 100 17.0% ____________________________________________________________________ TOTAL 580 100%
Grading Scale Grade A (90 - 100%) B (80 - 89%) C (70 - 79%) D (60 - 69%) F (< 59%)
Point Scale 522-580 464-521 406-463 348-405 < 347
** ALL GRADES WILL BE POSTED ON WEB CT** Policies: My Policy on the Use of Electronics & Mutual Respect for a Positive Class Environment
Use of any electronic devices in my classroom is ABSOLUTELY prohibited. If you feel you must use electronic devices (computer, voice recorder) in my class as an aid to your learning, you must get prior approval from me. I understand the occasional need to have a cell phone on in case of an important call. If this is the case, put the phone on vibrate and tell me in advance of your situation. I find the use of electronics in the classroom distracting to your own ability to attend to class information, your fellow students’ ability to attend to and learn course information, and my own ability to effectively convey information. All I request is that you respect your instructor and your fellow students by providing a positive classroom environment. A positive classroom environment is one that is free from unnecessary distractions and one that encourages students’ informed opinions. All opinions expressed by students should consider issues of mutual respect. I have a zero tolerance for any kind of uninformed, comments from students 4
that are prejudice or discriminatory against a particular person or group of persons (i.e., ageist, sexist, racist, etc.). Makeup Policy Class Attendance and In-Class Assignments. If a student is unable to attend a class for a legitimate and documented reason (i.e., athletics, illness, etc.), please contact the instructor for any missed materials and to make up missed work. Otherwise, if class is missed, it is suggested the student confers with his or her classmates for missed information and/or refer to Dr. Steele’s webpage. Take-home Class Assignments. Students will not be able to make up the written assignment, as students will be given plenty of time to complete the written assignment in advance. If you cannot turn the assignment in on time, you will have to accept the 5% point daily deduction for any late assignment. Students are advised to start all assignments earlier rather than later. Please ask the instructor about any questions or concerns early on to avoid last minute confusion regarding a particular assignment. Students will only be accommodated if the student has a legitimate and documented reason for why an assignment was unable to be turned in on time. Exams. If a student has a legitimate and documented excuse for missing an in-class exam or quiz, the student must talk to the instructor, in person (not email or phone), as soon as the absence is known. The instructor may ask for documentation for the absence if applicable (i.e., athletics, illness, etc.). If one exam is missed, the student will be required to use that missed exam as they one they will drop from their final grade. If an exam is missed and no personal contact with Dr. Steele is made, a zero will be given for that exam. Students with Special Concerns Students with special needs are encouraged to see the instructor by the end of the first week of class to discuss the special materials and/or resources required for the successful completion of course requirements. Students with special concerns are encouraged to contact the Radford University Disability Resource Office (DRO) at 540.831.6350 or visit http://www.radford.edu/~dro/ Academic Honesty Dr. Steele will have zero tolerance for cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, or attempting to assist others throughout this class. As a RU student, you have already signed the RU Honor Code. This code included an agreement to refrain from any activities that jeopardize academic integrity. If you would like to review the RU Honor Code, refer to the RU Standards of Student Conduct document at: http://www.radford.edu/~dos-web/Standards Final 2006.pdf
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COURSE SCHEDULE *Class topics are listed in order, but are subject to a day or two of flexibility given that it may take longer to complete some topics than others. Assignment, readings, and exam dates will NOT change unless extraordinary circumstances are presented. Date
Topic
Chap. Readings and Important Dates
Mon Jan 8 Wed Jan 10 Fri Jan 12 Mon Jan 15 Wed Jan 17 Fri Jan 19 Mon Jan 22 Wed Jan 24 Fri Jan 26 Mon Jan 29 Wed Jan 31 Fri Feb 2 Mon Feb 5 Wed Feb 7 Fri Feb 9 Mon Feb 12 Wed Feb 14 Fri Feb 16 Mon Feb 19 6
Wed Feb 21 Fri Feb 23 Mon Feb 26 Wed Feb 28 Fri Mar 2 Mon Mar 5 Wed Mar 7 Fri Mar 9 Mon Mar 12 Wed Mar 14 Fri Mar 16 Mon Mar 19 Wed Mar 21 Fri Mar 23 Mon Mar 26 Wed Mar 28 Fri Mar 30 Mon Apr 2 Wed Apr 4 Fri Apr 6 Mon Apr 9 Wed Apr 11 Fri Apr 13 Mon 7
Apr 16 Wed Apr 18 Fri Apr 20 Mon Apr 23 Wed Apr 25 Fri Apr 27
LAST DAY OF CLASS
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Student Course Interest Survey Name: ____________________________________________ Year in School: _____________________________________ Major: ____________________________________________ Career Plans: ______________________________________ Of all age groups, check which one(s) are you most interested in? ___Infancy ___Childhood ___Adolescence ___Young adulthood ___Adulthood ___Late adulthood Have you had any experience in working/volunteering with the above age groups? Please explain in what context(s) you have worked with the above age groups (e.g., day care, hospital, etc.)
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