CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Psychology 240
Fall, 2011
Dr. C. NowatkaClass Time: MWF 10:30-11:20
Office: 208E Milliken SciencePlace: 233E Milliken
Telephone: 597-4648
Email:
Course goals:
1)To gain scientific knowledge of the classic and current theories of and research on child development (via textbook and lectures, guest speaker, films).
2)To apply and integrate knowledge of specific aspects for a broader understanding of child development and of (via class discussion, reflection on service learning and journal writing, papers, and tests).
3)To develop critical thinking skills (via large and small group class discussion, integration of observations and knowledge in journals, and tests).
Text
Shaffer, D. A., & Kipp, K. (2010). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Date Chapter
9-5-11Introduction/Research Methods1
9-7-11Linda Lawson,
Program Manager, SRMC Child Development Program (CDP)
9-9-11(Research, cont.)
9-12-11Theories 2
9-14-11(cont.)
9-16-11Hereditary Influences 3
9-19-11(cont.)
9-21-11Prenatal Development 4
9-23-11Infancy/Perception 5
9-26-11Dr. Grant Warren
9-28-11(Perception, cont.)
9-30-11Exam 1
10-3-11Physical Development 6
10-5-11(cont.)
10-7-11Piaget & Vygotsky 7
10-10-11(cont.)
10-12-11Information-Processing — Journal Review 8
10-14-11(cont.)
10-17-11Intelligence 9
10-19-11(cont.)
10-21-11Fall Holiday
10-24-11Intelligence, cont.
10-26-11Language10
10-28-11(cont.)
10-31-11(cont.)
11-2-11Exam 2
11-4-11Emotional Development 11
11-7-11(cont.)
11-9-11Self & Social Cognition — Journal Review 12
11-11-11(cont.)
11-14-11Sex Differences 13
11-16-11(cont.)
11-18-11Context - Family & Peers 15
11-21-11(cont.)
11-23-09 to 11-25-09 Thanksgiving Break
11-28-11(Context, cont.)
11-30-11(cont.) - Paper due
12-2-11(cont.)
12-5-11(cont.)
12-7-11Moral Development — Journal Review 14
12-9-11(cont.)
12-13-112:00-5:00 - Exam 3
THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Grading:
Exam 118%100 points
Exam 218%100 points
Exam 335%200 points
Service learning and journal 9% 50 points
Quizzes13% 75 points
Paper 9% 50 points
Total possible575 points
A =518 - 575 points (90%)
A- =500 - 517 points (87%)
B+ =477 - 499 points (83%)
B =460 - 476 points (80%)
B- =443 - 459 points (77%)
C+ -420 - 442 points (73%)
C =402 - 419 points (70%)
C- =385 - 401 0points (67%)
D =345 - 384 points (60%)
F = 0 - 344 points ( 59%)
Being one point from the next grade level is a very sad situation, but please do not call me to discuss it. This grading scale is engraved in stone!
Quizzes and Examinations
I will give frequent short quizzes on the textbook and lecture material. Please read and study the book and the class notes in advance!
Each exam will be multiple choice, short answer and essay. They will involve applying what you have learned. The final will be cumulative.
You MUST take the exams when they are scheduled unless you have a note from Health Services or from the Dean of Students. You cannot reschedule a test after the test date without a note from the appropriate source.
Any student caught cheating on a test, or copying or plagiarizing any written work, will, at the very least, be failed from the course. Students also may be suspended or expelled from the college. Please refer to the Honor Code page on for detailed information on academic dishonesty.
Withdrawing from the Course
If you withdraw from the course, you will receive WP or WF depending upon your grade at the time when you withdraw, and the point in the semester.
Attendance Policy
Attendance is a required element of this course. For an absence to be excused, you must provide written notification (e.g., from the doctor). Without written documentation, an absence is considered unexcused. You are allowed three unexcused absences in this course. The third will result in an attendance warning (sent to the dean, your advisor, and your parents), and the fourth will result in being dropped from the course automatically. TARDIES COUNT AS ABSENCES.
Service Learning and Journal Requirement
An important component of the course will consist of weekly work with infants and children at the Spartanburg Regional Child Development Program. The telephone number is 560-4160.
To be eligible to go, you must do three things: get a state criminal records check, get a TB test, and complete the CDP’s volunteer forms. All three must be in my possession before you go to the CDP.
First, to get your criminal records check, go to Click on criminal records check. It will cost $25 online with a credit card. Your results will be almost instantaneous. Just print the letter that pops up and bring it to class. If you don’t print the letter, you’ll have to spend $25 and do it again.
Second, you will need to go to the college infirmary and get a tuberculosis test (a PPD). They will inject a substance into your arm and then you return to have it examined within a window of time. The cost of the test is $10.
You must complete a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer work. Second, you will keep a weekly journal of your experiences, your reactions to them, and how the lectures and readings relate to your experiences. Each hour of work plus that hour’s journal entry is worth 5 points. In order to receive all points, you must do the following:
1)Work your volunteer hours when scheduled (or, for an excused absence, call them in advance and reschedule within the week).
2)Engage actively with the children during your volunteer hours (sitting around and watching will not be adequate);
3)Type one full, thoughtful, single-spaced page per volunteer hour. The page must include integration of the lecture/reading material with your experiences and observations. For purposes of confidentiality, do not use the children’s names. Use initials or aliases. Journal entries not typed will be returned. Please submit a hard copy of each journal entry. EACH ENTRY MUST HAVE YOUR NAME, THE DATE WORKED, THE
CLASSROOM, AND THE WEEK NUMBER.
Example:Joe Schmoe
Toddler A
2/25/05
Week 1
4)Also email me your journal entries for submission to a database to prevent plagiarism.
Failure to perform any of these requirements will result in point reduction (e.g., working half-heartedly or writing a half-hearted page will cost you one-half of the available points). Lack of integration also will cost points. NOT COMPLETING THIS COURSE REQUIREMENT WILL RESULT IN A FAILING GRADE, REGARDLESS OF OTHER POINTS ACCUMULATED.
PLEASE NOTE that the CDP teachers will complete evaluations at the end of the semester, and these evaluations can affect your grade.
Late entries: Any journals not turned in by the end of the last class period will be considered late and each journal entry will be docked ½ point per day.
Paper
The paper (5-6 pages) will require you to evaluate a behavior you observe at the CDP in light of the current literature. This paper will involve reading three original journal articles from either Developmental Psychology or Child Development (the 2 primary journals in the field). This paper should have a citation page to list your three articles.
There should be an introductory paragraph, in which you describe the behavior and the observations you have made at the CDP. Following should be a good description of each study: what their purpose and hypothesis(ses) was(were), what their methods were (what they did to test their hypothesis), what the results were, and what they concluded. Each study should be followed with a brief paragraph connecting the results to your observations. Finally, there should be a concluding paragraph in which you synthesize what you have learned.
You will lose points for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. I strongly suggest visiting the Writing Lab.
Each student in the class must choose a different topic.
Suggestions to Improve Your Papers
1.Be certain that you have a research article that includes actual data collected and analyzed.
2.Be careful of plagiarism. If you use the authors’ words, use quotation marks and page numbers. Do not use rough paraphrases. Use your own words.
3.“Since” does not substitute for “because” and “while” does not substitute for “whereas.” Since and while are temporal (i.e., “while you were gone...” and “since that time”).
4.Watch agreement. For example, “the subject” is singular; use “his or her,” not “their,” which is plural.
5.In the body of your paper, do not include the author’s first name, affiliation (school), or the title of the paper or journal.
6.“This” requires a referent (e.g., “this study,” “these findings,” etc.)
7.“Data” is plural; “datum” is singular (e.g., “these data showed that...”).
8.Studies and data cannot prove anything, they can only suggest or indicate.
9.Phrases that end in prepositions (e.g., “take over,” “focus on,” “point out”) are colloquial.