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PSYED 2261: Adolescent Development I

Fall 2016

Tanner Wallace

5946 WWPH

COURSE OVERVIEW

You will be teaching adolescents, or youth ages 11 – 18 years old. How your students think, feel, and experience the world around them will be unique to their own life histories and perspectives, but developmental psychology can provide some helpful insights into typical and normal thoughts, feelings and experiences during adolescence. This online course focuses on the cognitive, social, and biological changes from middle childhood, youth ages 6 – 10 years old through adolescence within the contexts of family, peers, community, school, and culture.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course sequence, students should:

  1. Understand the importance of supportive adult relationships during adolescence.
  2. Know and understand characteristics of adolescent development across developmental domains (e.g. cognitive, physical, identity, social, psychological, etc.)
  3. Understand of how individual characteristics such as gender, socioeconomic status, and racial or ethnic background, as well as social contexts such as the family, peer group, school, neighborhood, and work environment interact to influence adolescent development.
  4. Discuss the role of identity development in relationship to the task of constructing or authoring one’s life story.

COURSE FORMAT

The entire class will occur online. Course content is organized into weekly modules and the course schedule is organized in a weekly format. Articles will be provided on the class Blackboard site.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

Module Application Activity(4activities @ 25 points each =100)

COURSE EVALUATION

Final Grades:

Based on the 100 possible points, grades will be assigned as follows*:

A+: / 97-100 points / C: / 73-76 points
A: / 93-96 points / C-: / 70-72 points
A-: / 90-92 points / D+: / 67-69 points
B+: / 87-89 points / D: / 63-66 points
B: / 83-86 points / D-: / 60-62 points
B-: / 80-82 points / F: / <60 points
C+: / 77-79 points

*Note: Total points are rounded to nearest whole. So, 0.000 to 0.500 is rounded down & 0.501 to 0.999 is rounded up. Instructor reserves the right to round in your favor.

A NOTE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890, , (412) 228-5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for the course.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students have the responsibility to be honest and to conduct themselves in an ethical manner while pursuing academic studies. Students have the right to be treated by faculty in a fair and conscientious manner in accordance with the ethical standards generally recognized within the academic community (as well as those recognized within the profession). Should a student be accused of a breach of academic integrity or have questions regarding faculty responsibilities, procedural safeguards including provisions of due process have been designed to protect student rights. These may be found in Guidelines on Academic Integrity: Student and Faculty Obligations and Hearing Procedures at

GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

The purpose of grievance procedures is to ensure the rights and responsibilities of faculty and students in their relationships with each other. When a PSYED student or a student in a PSYED class believes that a faculty member has not met his or her obligations (as an instructor or in another capacity) as described in the Academic Integrity Guidelines, the student should follow the procedure described in the Guidelines by (1) first trying to resolve the matter with the faculty member directly; (2) then, if needed, attempting to resolve the matter through conversations with the program chair; (3) then, if needed, resolving the matter through conversations with the department chair; (4) if needed, next talking to the associate dean of the school; and (5) if needed, filing a written statement of charges with the school-level academic integrity officer. Dr. Michael Gunzenhauser is the Associate Dean and Integrity Officer.

ADDITIONAL STUDENT RESOURCES

  • Technology/Computer Help Desk: 412-624-HELP [4357]
  • Student Health Services: 412-383-1800 (
  • Counseling Center: 412-648-7930 (
  • The Writing Center: 412-624-6556 (
  • Disability Resources and Services: 412-648-7890 (
  • Office of International Services:412-624-7120 (
  • Information Technology (Computing Services & Systems Development):
  • Office of the Registrar (academic calendar, transcripts, course registration/enrollment):
  • Software Download Service (students can get many software programs, including Microsoft Office, at low or NO cost, either online or by picking up CDs at campus computer labs):

Schedule (PSYED 2261)

Fall 2016

Date
(week) / Session / Topic(s) / Read for this Session
9/5 / Module 1
Week 1 / Key Aspects of Adolescent Development: Biosocial Development / Berger, Chapter 14
411-438
9/12 / Module 1
Week 2 / Key Aspects of Adolescent Development: Cognitive Development / Berger, Chapter 15
439-469
9/19 / Module 1
Week 3 / Key Aspects of Adolescent Development: Psychosocial Development / Berger, Chapter 16
471-501
9/26 / Module 1
Week 4 / Key Aspects of Adolescent Development / Application Activity 1
Due October 3rd at 11:59 pm
**Online quiz to be posted 9/26**
25 questions; each set of 5 questions answered correctly = 1 point extra credit
10/3 / Module 2
Week 1 / The Importance of Adolescent Perceptions / Understanding Youth Chp 1: The Construction of Adolescence (pp. 1-16)
10/10 / Module 2
Week 2 / The Importance of Adolescent Perceptions / Wallace & Chhuon (2014)
Proximal Processes in Urban Classrooms
10/17 / Module 2
Week 3 / The Importance of Adolescent Perceptions / Application Activity 2
Due October 24th at 11:59 pm
10/24 / Module 3
Week 1 / School Culture / Make Me, Chp 5: “Why Should I Try?” The Motivations that Drive Opposition
10/31 / Module 3
Week 2 / School Culture / Understanding Youth Chp 12: The Educational Ecology of Adolescence
11/7 / Module 3
Week 3 / School Culture / Application Activity 3
Due November 14th at 11:59 pm
11/14 / Module 4
Week 1 / Strategies for Attuning to Adolescents’ Psychological States / UY Chp 7: Racial Identity Development
Enjoy Thanksgiving Break.
11/28 / Module 4
Week 2 / Strategies for Attuning to Adolescents’ Psychological States / Make Me Chapter 10: Race and Authenticity
12/5 / Module 4
Week 3 / Strategies for Attuning to Adolescents’ Psychological States / Application Activity 4
Due December 12th at 11:59 pm