Southwestern MichiganCollege
Division of Academic Studies
Dowagiac, Michigan
Course Syllabus
Fall Semester 2004
Course Title:Human Development Course No: Educ 215
And LearningSection no: 2204
Credits/Contacts:Credit Hours: 3 Tuesdays and Thursdays
Lecture Hours/week:3 10:20 a.m. – 11:50 p.m.
Niles Area Campus
Instructor:Liz Penn-Grove, MPA Phone: 574-289-2612
Office Hours: By Appointment E-mail:
Prerequisite:Psychology 101
Course Description:A study of human development from birth to death. Special attention is devoted to the factors which affect an individual’s physical, moral and intellectual development. .
Core Curriculum:Not applicable
DistributionNot applicable
Textbook required:Santrock, John W. (2003) Life-Span Development, 9th Edition. -Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill
Notice:Information in this syllabus, was to the best knowledge of the instructor, considered correct and complete when distributed for use at the beginning of the semester. The instructor, however, reserves the right, acting within the policies and procedures of SMC, to make changes in course content or instructional techniques without notice or obligation.
Honesty Policy:Cheating or plagiarizing will absolutely not be tolerated at SMC. Any student found cheating or plagiarizing material in any manner WILL be assigned a failing grade in this course. A second such incident while at SMC could result in suspension or expulsion from the institution. A student found in violation of this section of the syllabus will not be allowed to drop this course.
Method of instruction:This course will include a combination of lecture and discussion, videos, and various written assignments.
Evaluation: Upon completion of EDUC 215, students will demonstrate achievement of the course objectives by obtaining a cumulative minimum grade of 73% as measured by unit tests, written assignments, individual and small group participation and the comprehensive final exam.
Evaluation method:Quizzes (2 @ 100) 20%200
Practical Research Projects (3 @ 100)30%300
Life Story (1 @150)15%150
Attendance/Participation (5.8 pts. each)16.8%168
Final exam (1 @ 182)18.2%182
Total100% 1000
Grading scale:The following grading scale will be used for this course:
960 - 1000 points = A730 – 764 points = C
915 – 959 points = A-715 - 729 points = C-
865 - 914 points = B+665 - 714 points = D+
830 – 864 points = B630 - 664 points = D
815 - 829 points = B-615 - 629 points = D-
765 - 814 points = C+ Less than 615 points = F
Attendance policy:Students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings. If a student attends only half of the class, only half credit will be given for attendance. If you must arrive late or leave early, please do so quietly so as not to disrupt the class.
Testing policy:All activities and exams must be completed on time. The final exam must be taken on the scheduled date and time as listed in this syllabus. If prior arrangements are made, an exam will be put in the Testing Center for you to take BEFORE the class takes the exam.
Written assignments:All written assignments (practicals, research project) must be typed and double spaced, with one inch margins and 12 pt font. Late papers receive half credit and no papers will be accepted more than one week after the due date.
Course objectives:Upon completion of this course, the student will have a thorough understanding of Life-Span development from conception through old-age, death and dying. The learner will develop an understanding and can explain human growth and development from a physical, cognitive and social perspective.
Mastery of objectives will be determined through class participation and discussions, assignments, examinations, research and self-evaluation.
At the end of the semester, you should be able to:
1.Define and contrast the major concepts and theories of human development at various life cycle stages.
2.Critically evaluate contemporary research and its application to human development.
3.Identify developmental characteristics in the social domain in each period of the life span.
4.Identify developmental characteristics in the emotional domain in each period of the life span.
5.Identify developmental characteristics in the physical domain in each period of the life span.
6.Identify developmental characteristics in the cognitive domain in each period of the life span.
7.Recognize risk factors and conditions that contribute to atypical development and specific disabilities.
8.Describe how socio-economic, racial, ethnic, and cultural variations and attitudes impact individuals and families throughout the life span.
9.Analyze gender identity issues, gender roles, and sexuality in human development.
10.Demonstrate an understanding of the process of death and grieving throughout the life span.
Course Assignments:
Practical Projects: Students will complete 3 (three) “practicals”: surveys, observations, interviews,
or testing with subjects in three different stages of life. A 1-2 page typed summary will be turned in
along with research materials. The summary should demonstrate the ability to analyze the research.
Practical Number One: must be done from the infancy, early childhood OR middle childhood stage;
Practical Number Two: must be done from the adolescent stage;
Practical Number Three: must be done from the early, middle or late adulthood stage.
Practical #1 – Infancy, Early Childhood OR Middle Childhood:
Infancy (Choose only one)
You will examine recasting, echoing and expanding using naturalistic observation.
Observe a caregiver with an infant age 18 to 24 months. Observe them for 15 minutes. Set up the observation with a caregiver and child you know.Record three (3) instances of speech by the caregiver to the infant, and classify each instance as recasting, echoing or expanding. Note the caregiver’s statement and then the infant’s response to each statement. Answer these questions: What types of techniques did the caregiver use with the infant? How did the infant respond to the statement made by the caregiver? From your observations, do you think recasting, echoing, and expanding are effective techniques in aiding infants to learn language? Why or why not? What variables might have affected the quality of the data you collected? Might your conclusions have been different if you had observed a different caregiver-infant pair? How? OBTAIN PARENTAL CONSENT BEFORE ANY OBSERVATION IS DONE.
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Parent Signature
OR
The objectives of this project are for you to become more familiar with attachment behaviors and to practice your naturalistic observational techniques.
Go to either the local shopping mall or a local park and observe a caregiver with an infant 12-18 months old. They should be people you do NOT know. Try not to let them know that you are observing them. The observation period should be 15 minutes. Describe the behaviors you see occurring (talking, laughing, tickling, clinging, crying, escaping, retrieving, mutual gaze, hitting, smiling, yelling) Then you should answer these questions: What kinds of behaviors did your caregiver-infant pairs engage in? Did the infant use the caregiver as the base for exploration? Was the infant allowed to explore? According to the categories secure and insecure, how did this pair seem? Were interactions generally positive or generally negative? Did the relationship seem warm and affectionate or hostile?
......
Early Childhood (Choose only one)
Illustration of Piagetian Concepts in Preschoolers.
This activity functions to expand your understanding of preschoolers’ cognitive abilities. You should ask two preschoolers (not related to you or each other) the following questions. You should record their answers and put the answer into one of these categories: primitive symbolism, intuitive thought, egocentrism, animism, irreversibility, and artificialism. Note the age of each child and their responses. Identify the characteristics of each statement using the above terms. In your report, compare the two children and summarize how they demonstrate preoperational thought. THE PARENT MUST SIGN CONSENT FOR THEIR CHILD TO PARTICIPATE.
Questions to ask the child:
How did you learn to talk? Where does the sun go at night? Why is the sky blue? Why do dogs bark? Why does it rain? Where do babies come from? Who are you going to be when you grow up? Why do you eat breakfast in the morning instead of at night? Why do you have toes? Why are you ticklish? How do birds fly? What is your favorite toy?
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Parent Signature of Preschooler #1Parent Signature of Preschooler #2
OR
This project is an observational study of children’s play
Go to a neighborhood playground, or other suitable area. Observe two children, one about 3 years old, the other about 5 years old, for 15 minutes each (separate observances). Enter the amount of time each child spent in each type of play for the 15 minute observation period. Then calculate the amount of time spent in each category for the time period. Determine for each child the amount of time spent in each of Parten’s categories of play (unoccupied play, solitary play, onlooker play, parallel play, associative play and cooperative play). Then compare the differences as a function of age. Write a brief report answering these questions: For the three year old child, in what category was the largest amount of time spent? What category was the least frequent? For the five year old child, in what category was the largest amount of time spent? What category was the least frequent? What were the differences between the children in the kinds of play in which they engaged? To what do you attribute any difference? Use information about cognitive, physical, and social development to answer this question. Are there variables besides age that could account for any differences you observed? How do your findings compare with those of Parten and Barnes? In your report, specify the age and sex of the child. GET PARENTAL CONSENT.
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Parent Signature of Child #1Parent Signature of Child #2
......
Middle Childhood (Choose only one)
Interview two male and two female children between the ages of 6 and 10 years old about their self-concept. The children should NOT be brothers and sisters. (Always do the interviews separately and privately.) OBTAIN PARENTAL CONSENT BEFORE INTERVIEWS. Ask them to describe themselves. This may be a difficult concept and you may need to elaborate by asking something like, “Suppose I know someone else your age and I want to tell them about you. What should I say?” Next ask them, “If you could change anything about yourself what would you change? Add one more question of your own ... Next, analyze your data.
First, consider each child individually. What was the main focus for each child? (i.e. Did a particular child emphasize physical characteristics? Material possessions? Personality traits? Relationship factors?) Were the descriptive terms mostly positive, negative or neutral? Based on your observation, would you say the child’s descriptions were fairly accurate or do you sense the child was imagining his/herself to be someone else while answering the questions?
Secondly, consider the children in groups. Did you notice any gender differences? Did you notice any age differences?
What did you learn about self concept through this investigation?
OR
The purpose of this exercise is for you to see an example of a preoperational and a concrete operational reasoner. Test two children, a 6-7 year old and an 9-10 year old, using several of Piaget’s tasks. Administer one conservation and one classification task to each child and then compare the children’s responses with each other and attempt to interpret those responses in view of Piaget’s theory. CONSENT MUST BE GIVEN BY A PARENT OF EACH CHILD BEFORE DOING THIS EXERCISE.
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Parent Signature of Child #1Parent Signature of Child #2
Conservation Task: Conservation of liquid task. Pour an identical amount of juice/pop/etc. into two IDENTICAL glasses. Ask the child if the two glasses have the same amount, and adjust the volume in each glass until the child agrees that both have the same. Now pour the liquid from one glass into a taller, thinner, glass. Ask the child if the amount of juice is the same in both glasses or if one has more. If the child thinks one has more, ask which one. Have the child justify the judgement of having the same or different amounts. Record all responses.
Classification Task: Present the child with 10 red and 10 blue or green M & M’s (plain not peanut!). Ask the child if there are more red candies or more blue/green. Have the child were to make a train with the red candies and another train with the blue/green candies, ask him/her which train, if either, is longer? Now ask the child if there are more red or blue/green candies.
For your report, answer these questions. Which tasks did the youngest child solve? How would you characterize the nature of the child’s responses to the questions. Which tasks did the oldest child solve? How would you characterize the nature of the child’s responses to the questions. How would you characterize the differences between the performance of the younger and older child on these tasks? What do these observations tell you about Piaget’s theory? How would the children be classified into Piaget’s stages based on their responses to your problems?
Practical #2 – Adolescence:
Adolescence
Adolescent interest in politics varies from generation to generation. In the 1960s, teenagers were more active in political rallies and demonstrations than previous or later generations. In the 1970s however, adolescents could look forward to voting at age 18 where previous generations had to wait until 21. The purpose of this research project is to examine the relationship between age and political attitudes.
You will need to interview early, middle and late adolescents on their political attitudes and behaviors. It is important to use the same question for all of the adolescents that you interview. Spend some time generating the standardized list of interview questions. Interview at least 3 teens and ask at least 9 questions. Possible interview questions include: How important is it to vote? Why?; What issues do you think politicians should put most of their efforts in (education, poverty, health, etc.)?; Would you ever want to be a politician?; Do you have political conversations with your friends? Family?; Do you watch television news or read the newspaper regularly?; What are the 3 most important global issues? National issues? State and local issues?; If you are old enough to vote, are you registered? If not, do you plan to register when you are 18?
After you have completed the three interviews examine the answers. Did you notice any age differences? Did cognitive characteristics such as imaginary audience, personal fable, and idealism influence the younger adolescents more than the other adolescents? Do adolescents think that politics can alleviate human problems? Do adolescents think that politics can alleviate human problems? Do they know information about the political system?
Practical #3 – Early, Middle OR Late Adulthood
Early Adulthood (Choose only one)
How actively are fathers participating in the births of their children these days? Find out by carrying out an interview project. Identify TWO first-time, expectant fathers and TWO fathers of children under the age of 2, and interview these men using the following set of questions. Write a brief report indicating what you were trying to find out, describe your sample and how you interviewed the fathers and soon-to-be fathers, and then summarize similarities and differences between the two pairs of men. Relate what you learn to material on fathers’ participation in childbirth from the text.
Expectant fathers:
•What are your feelings about becoming a father?
•How have you been involved in your partner’s pregnancy?
•What part will you play in your child’s birth? What part would you like to play?
•What do you think being a “good father” means?
•How will having a child change your life?
Fathers:
•What part did you play in the birth of your child? What were your feelings about this experience?
•What are he three biggest challenges you face as a father?
•What do you think a “good father” is?
•How has having a child changed your life?
•What advice would you give a new father?
OR
In Ch. 15, Santrock discusses marital expectations and myths. Your assignment is to have at least 6 early adult men and women (20-39) respond to Larson’s quiz (Questions on next page.) Try to get equal numbers of men and women, and representatives of different ages. Score respondents’ answers and then determine the mean scores, compute means for men and women. Next prepare a table that displays these means. With the table as a base, write a report addressing whether Larson’s claims apply to your subjects. In addition, answer these in your report.
•How did women compare to men?
•How did younger respondents compare to older respondents?