HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

EDU 102

COURSE SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Vanessa Mitchell

SEMESTER: Spring 2004

REQUIRED TEXT: Development Across The Life Span - Third Edition

by Robert S. Feldman

OPTIONAL TEXT: Writing Papers In Psychology – Sixth Edition.

Development Across The Life Span - Study Guide

SPECIAL NOTICE:

It is the intent of Volunteer State Community College to fully comply with Executive Order 11246, as amended, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended, all regulations implementing those laws and orders, for the promotion and ensuring of equal opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or status as a qualified disabled veteran or veterans of the Vietnam era. It is the intent of VSCC to be free of discrimination or harassment on the basis or sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, or physical appearance. It is the intent of VSCC to fully comply with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and the Pay Act of 1963, as amended, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1976, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the American With Disabilities Act of 1990, applicable state status and all regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.

EDUCATION 102

HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

SYLLABUS

DESCRIPTION: Human Growth and Development is an interdisciplinary scientific study of the way people change over time. It covers both quantitative changes from conception to death and stresses the process of life stage changes from physical, cognitive, and social-cultural aspects.

INSTRUCTOR: Ms. Vanessa Mitchell

TELEPHONE: (931)823-7065 email address: vanessa.mitchell@volstate.edu

1-800-563-8220

OFFICE HOURS: Office hours will be posted by the instructor on her office door.

REQUIRED TEXT: Development Across The Life Span - Third Edition

by Robert S. Feldman

OPTIONAL TEXT: Writing Papers In Psychology – Sixth Edition.

Development Across The Life Span – Study Guide

PRIMARY The primary goal of this course is to provide information

GOAL which enables prospective teachers to identify, analyze and

understand the social, mental, psychological, and physical aspects

of human culture and development.

A further goal of EDU 102 is to scientifically study the quantitative and qualitative changes in the person over the entire life span. It is an in-depth look at ways of describing, predicting, explaining and modifying a person’s behavior in the eight stages of growth from conception to death.

OTHER To expose students to the vast research available in human growth and development.

GOALS

To help students research assigned topics and topics of interest using theoretical concepts (behavioral, cognitive, etc.).

To help students develop critical skills by contrasting theories and weighing advantages of one particular theory over another.

To help students develop college level written and oral communication skills.

METHODS OF ASSESSMENT:

PRIMARY The degree to which outcomes of the primary goals have been achieved will be determined by the assessment of the specific

EDUCATIONAL course outcomes. The course also, will be assessed by the students through faculty evaluation.

GOALS

OTHER The degree of accomplishment pertaining to research and the critical skill goals will be determined through assessment of the

GOALS student’s achievement of specific course outcomes and evaluation of research projects.

OUTCOME Outcome statements will be assessed through class discussion and written examination.

STATEMENTS

POLICY AND PROCEDURES

A. GRADING:

There are a total of 690 points possible for this course. These are accumulated as follows:

TEST 1 Chapters 1-4 = 100 points (Feb. 9)

TEST 2 Chapters 5-9 = 100 points (March 8)

TEST 3 Chapters 10-14 = 100 points (March 31)

TEST 4 Chapters 15-19 = 100 points (April 28 at 10:30)

RESEARCH PROJECT = 100 points

(Project due on April 7)

QUIZZES = 40 points

4 unannounced chapter quizzes

will be given.

JOURNALS = 50 points

(Due April 19)

THREE GENERATIONS PROJECT= 100 points

TOTAL POINTS = 690 points

NOTE: It is important to remember that these are tentative test dates depending on the amount of time required to adequately cover the material. The last day to withdraw from the Spring semester is March 19.

Students who are absent on dates when a major test is given will ONLY be permitted to make-up the test if they provide documentation for an excused absence, i.e., doctor’s note, court appearance receipt, etc. The missed exam must be made up within the same week that it was originally scheduled. Students will not be permitted to make-up missed quizzes.

The final grade scale and chapter test grade scale are below:

FINAL GRADE SCALE CHAPTER TEST GRADE SCALE

690-616 = A 100-90 = A

615-552 = B 89-80 = B

551-478 = C 79-70 = C

477-384 = D 69-60 = D

Below 384= F Below 60 = F

JOURNALS

Students will be required to keep a journal for this course. In the journal students will be asked to write on a variety of subjects related to human growth and development. Students are encouraged to include photographs, drawings, or any other creative way to express his/her feelings and reflections about his/her life. Journal topics are included in this syllabus. Journals will be due on April 19, 2004

RESEARCH PROJECT

The objective of this assignment is to encourage students to become familiar with the mechanics of scientific research as it relates to human growth and development.

The student is required to write a 6-8 page experimental research paper on any topic of interest that relates to human growth and development. The paper must be typed, double-spaced, and must contain at least six (6) references cited in the body of the paper and a bibliography. Students are only allowed to use five (5) internet sources. If an internet source is used the student must attach a copy of the web page cited. A five point deduction will be made for each web cited not attached in the appendix section.

1. During the first two weeks of class - Select a topic and start the literature search. All topics must be approved by the instructor.

2. Obtain your TBR/UT Borrower’s Library Card contacting Brent Carter. After you receive your card, this will allow you to use the Tennessee Technological University Library in Cookeville to find materials related to your topic. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact your instructor.

3. You must footnote within the text of your paper with parentheses following all quoted material. All sources must be referenced regardless of whether it is a direct quote or not. For example, (Jones, p. 67). Your bibliography should be the last sheet of your report and should list all of your sources properly. All sources in your bibliography must be referenced within the text of the paper or points will be taken off.

4. Research paper is due on April 7, 2004.

Contents must include:

1. Title page

2. Abstract

3. Introduction

4. Methods

a. Subjects

b. Procedure

c. Results

d. Discussion

5. References/Bibliography

Research Topic Suggestion List:

Please note that these are only topic suggestions and you do not have to pick a topic from this list.

Drug abuse

Eating disorders

Adoption

Prenatal Testing

Infertility

Intelligence

Children’s play

Bilingual education

Mainstreaming/Inclusion

Birth order

Gender stereotyping

Teenage pregnancy

Dating

Teen fads and language

Suicide

Depression

How college has changed

How to decide on a career

How to choose a spouse

Dating

Marriage

Young motherhood versus old motherhood

Divorce

The effects of divorce on children

Working parents and day care

Changing roles for men and women

Successful retirement

How to live longer and better

Alzheimer’s disease

Nursing homes

The hospice movement

Funeral ritual

THREE GENERATIONS PROJECT

Overview:

Your project involves interviewing (and maybe spending some time) with a person from three (3) of the following age groups:

Early Childhood (ages 4-6)

Middle to Late Childhood (ages 7-12)

Adolescence (ages 13-19)

Early Adulthood (ages 20-39)

Middle Adulthood (ages 40-64)

Late Adulthood (ages 65 and up)

The project will consist of three parts

1. Interviews

2. Type written report. (at least 5 pages long – not including the title page)

3. Presentation to class

You will be assigned the date to give your report during the first class meeting.

Goals:

You should keep the following points in mind when you interview your subjects:

What stage or development are they experiencing.

Biologically?

Cognitively?

Socio-economically

Compare how the different ages are similar/different.

What is this person’s view on the past? The future?

How is this person being affected by

Age-normative processes?

Historical processes?

Non-normative processes”

Topic For Project:

The topic of your project can be anything from how dating norms have changed to how to appropriately raise children. The main theme (topic) of your project is entirely up to you. Choose a topic you have an interest in.

You may have some other more specific goals, too. Maybe you can view this as an opportunity to learn something more about somebody, for example, you may use this as a chance to get to know your grandparent better.

Format

Your paper should be about 5 pages, double-spaced, and typed. You must include a cover sheet with your name, date, instructor, EDU 102, and maybe a title if you like. The title page does not count as a page. You must relate each person to a theory in the textbook.

Class Presentation

Be prepared to spend about 10 minutes telling the class about your interview. Your presentation should include but is not limited to the following material:

1. Who did you interview (no real names are to be used)? Include their ages.

2. How did you interview them? Who first? Where did you conduct your interview?

3. What was your main goal/research question (what did you find out)?

4. How were the age groups similar/dissimilar pertaining to your goal/research question?

5. What difficulties did you have conducting your project? If you did this assignment over again would you do it differently?

6. Relate each person to a theory in the textbook.

7. What two or three important things did you learn?

You can use visual or audio aids in your presentation.

Don’t stress out about presenting in class! By the time your presentation is due, you will know everybody in the class better because of group discussions. Besides, I grade class presentations highly. You will only get a low grade if you do not complete the assignment, or you do not answer the questions above. It is usually a lot of fun to find out what everyone has learned from the project.

Journal Assignments For EDU 102

What do I expect to learn from this class?
Pick a time in your life and write a short biographical sketch, and then relate that period of you life to one of the theorist mentioned in Chapter 1. (Erikson, Freud, etc.)
Is research important? Why or why not?
Compare and contrast your personality to that of your parents.
What is your opinion on cloning? Support your answer.
What were you like as an infant? Where did you sleep? Describe your typical sleeping patterns during the first months. (How many naps did you take? When did you begin to sleep through the night?) When were you introduced to solid foods?
What were your favorite and not so favorite foods as a child?
What were your first words? What is your earliest memory? How old were you?
What was your first day of school like?
What was your favorite book or movie as a child and why?
What was your favorite toy as a child and why? Was there a game you particularly liked to play, such as hide-and-seek or patty cake.
How would you describe your own temperament? What have been the advantages and disadvantages of having your temperament?
Does watching violent television programs cause people to become violent? Explain your answer in detail.
Reflect on your early childhood years. What style of parenting did your parent(s) or caregiver(s) use? How has the way you were parented affected how you plan to discipline your children?
Describe your peer group in elementary school, middle school and high school. What, if any, are the differences between the groups?
What were you like as a teenager?
In high school what were your career goals? Have they changed?
Describe your teenage generation with today’s teenage generation. What are the differences and what are the similarities?
What do you wish to accomplish in the future, and how does that relate to Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development?
What are the biggest problems facing individuals in middle adulthood today?
What are the biggest problems facing individuals in late adulthood?
At your age, what words of wisdom can you offer younger generations? Did your parents or grandparents tell you something that has had an impact on your thoughts and theories on life?
What did you learn from this class? What would you change, and what would you keep the same?

Other possible grades given for the Course:

N = Audit No grade or credit. The student must have registered as an audit in order to receive this grade.

W = Withdrawal –

A grade of W is given by the Admissions Office after a student has processed a drop/add form through the Admissions Office. NOTE: The instructor does have the right to administratively withdraw a student from class resulting in a grade of W; but this is not automatic. Students wishing to withdraw must do so through Student Services Office and the Admissions Office.

I = Incomplete –

An incomplete is given at the discretion of the instructor and must meet the following conditions:

(a) Student attends regularly.

(b) Student has completed 80% of the course work and is passing.

NOTE: If the course work is not completed prior to the exam period of the following semester, the grade is automatically converted to an “F” by the Admissions Office.

A grade of “F” is given when any one of the following situations occur:

(a) Failure to accumulate sufficient points to pass as set forth in the syllabus.

(b) Absences which total over six (6) for classes that meet three times a week; four (4) for classes that meet two time a week; and two (2) for classes that meet once a week. Please note: you will receive a final grade of “F” if you have excessive absences.

A. ATTENDANCE:

Students do not receive a grade for attendance. Students are expected to have regular and prompt attendance because failure to exhibit regular attendance seriously impairs the student’s ability to succeed in this course. Any reason for absence should be indicated to the instructor, preferably in advance. The instructor has the prerogative to accept or reject any excuse for absence. Any absence by the excused by the Academic Dean of the College shall be accepted. Missing over six (6) times for classes that meet three times a week; four (4) for classes that meet two times a week; and two (2) times for classes that meet once a week, for excused or unexcused reasons will result in the grade of “F”.

B. ABSENCE FROM EXAMINATIONS OR QUIZZES:

IT IS NOT MY POLICY TO GIVE MAKE UP EXAMS.

Students who are absent on dates when a major test is given will only be permitted to make up the test if they provide documentation for an excused absence (doctors’ note, court appearance receipt, etc. If a student is permitted to make-up a test, he/she must make it up the week the test was originally scheduled. Students are only allowed to make-up one test during the semester and this cannot be the last test. Students will not be permitted to make-up missed quizzes.

EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS:

There will be no extra credit assignments in this course.

C. CHEATING:

Cheating is defined as plagiarism, talking to another student during a test or exam, looking at another student’s work during a test or exam, use of notes or books during a test or exam, or turning in a paper that is not the student’s own work. Any student caught engaging in these behaviors will be given an automatic failure for the course regardless of the grade at that point.

D. INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY:

If Vol State is officially open all classes will meet as scheduled, all assignments will be due, and any scheduled tests, quizzes, or exams will be given. Any missed work will be subject to the policies outlined in this syllabus.

E. CLASSROOM DEPORTMENT:

All policies and procedures for classroom misconduct are discussed in the Student Handbook, pages 17-24.

As a point of emphasis, this instructor will not tolerate any activity which is disruptive to the classroom setting, which adversely affects others, and which is considered by the instructor to the unethical, immoral, or illegal. Students will be dismissed from he class and the issue of misconduct brought before the Dean of Students.

The instructor will not allow smoking, drinking or eating in the classroom. All cellular telephones and beepers must be turned off - unless your occupation in one that requires you to be available at all times. Parents are asked not to bring their children to class.