Illinois School of Professional Psychology
at Argosy University, Chicago
COURSE SYLLABU
PP 8470
Adult Development and Aging
Spring 2012
Faculty Information
Faculty Name: Susan S. Zoline, Ph.D.
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information:
Office Location: 1368
Office phone number: (312) 777-7704
E-mail:
Office Hours: Monday: 1:00-2:00, Thursday 10:00-11:00 and 1:00-3:00, and by appointment
Short Faculty Bio:
Susan Zoline, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology and core faculty member in the Clinical Psychology Department at Argosy University, Chicago where she has been teaching since 1988. She currently teaches courses in the areas of Professional Issues, Portfolio Development, Adult Development and Clinical Supervision, as well as Pro Groups and Practicum seminars. Dr. Zoline also chairs and serves on CRP committees, serves as a new faculty mentor, co-chairs the Clinical Psychology Admissions Committee, and serves on the Clinical Psychology Student Professional Development Committee. She has worked clinically in a broad variety of settings and is active professionally as well.
Course Catalogue Description:
This course concentrates on the health development of the individual personality during the second half of the lifespan, from early adulthood through the process of aging. Theories and empirical literature relevant to the biological, cognitive/intellectual, emotional, social, cultural and transcultural dimensions of personality development are examined. The normative path of individuation is the subject of the course, with some consideration, through class presentations, given to the genesis and epigenesis of psychopathology.
Course Pre-requisites: PP7020 – Child and Adolescent Development
Required Readings:
Hoare, C. (Ed.). (2006). Handbook of adult development and learning. New York: Oxford University Press. (available electronically through the school library)
Mikulincer, M, & Shaver, P.R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. NY: Guildford Press. (avilable electronically through the school library)
Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.
Course length: 15 Weeks
Contact Hours: 45 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Courese Objectives
Course Objectives / Program Goals / Method of AssessmentDemonstrate understanding of the
various dimensions of adult development / Goal 4 (Scientific Foundations), Goal 5 (Scholarship) / Participation in classroom discussion and exercises, class discussion leader, weekly assignments, mid-term exam, final paper
Demonstrate understanding of the significance of adult developmental processes, life cycle changes and aging for the practice of clinical psychology / Goal 4 (Scientific Foundation), Goal 5 (Scholarship) / Participation in classroom discussion and exercises, class discussion leader, weekly assignments, mid-term exam, , final paper
Articulate the normative and pathological phenomenon in adult development and aging, especially in connection with the clinical implications of this information / Goal 2 (Intervention), Goal 4 (Scientific Foundations), Goal 5 (Scholarship) / Participation in classroom discussion and exercises, class discussion leader, weekly assignments, mid-term exam, final paper
Recognize how gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic issues and spirituality, as aspects of the biopsychosocial model of understanding human nature, impact the socio-cultural context of adult development and aging. / Goal 3 (Diversity), Goal 4 (Scientific Foundations), Goal 5 (Scholarship) / Participation in classroom discussion and exercises, class discussion leader, weekly assignments, mid-term exam, final paper
Instructional Contact Hours/Credit
Students can expect 15 hours of instructional engagement for every 1 semester credit hour of a course. Instructional engagement activities include lectures, presentations, discussions, group-work, and other activities that would normally occur during class time. Instructional engagement activities may occur in a face-to-face meeting, or in the eclassroom.
In addition to instructional engagement, students can expect to complete 30 hours of outside work for every 1 semester credit hour of a course. Outside work includes preparing for and completing readings and assignments. Such outside work includes, but is not limited to, all research associated with completing assignments, work with others to complete a group project, participation in tutorials, labs, simulations and other electronic activities that are not a part of the instructional engagement, as well as any activities related to preparation for instructional engagement.
At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph above shall be applied for other academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.
Purpose:
Course objectives are: (1) comprehension of the various dimensions of adult development (2) understanding the significance of adult developmental processes, life cycle changes and aging for the practice of clinical psychology (3) articulation of the normative and pathological phenomena in adult development and aging, especially in connection with the clinical implications of this information (4) development of how gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic issues and spirituality, as aspects of the biopsychospiritual model of understanding human nature, impact on the socio-cultural context of adult development and aging.
Course Requirements and Guidelines
1. Classes will meet on Mondays from 9:15 to 12 Noon, beginning on January 9th and concluding on April 17th. There will be no class on Monday January 16th, due to the school being closed in observance of MLK day.
2. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Please contact the instructor if you are unable to attend class. Absence from more than two class sessions may result in a failing grade (F) for the course. Tardiness of more than 30 minutes may be counted as a missed class. Attending class means attending the entire class session. Missing more than 30 minutes but less than 60 minutes of more than one class session will be considered an absence. Missing 60 or more minutes of any class session is considered an absence. If you experience a personal emergency that prevents you from attending class, please email me ahead of time or as soon as possible. If you miss a class, you are required to submit a 1-page, single-spaced content summary regarding that week’s readings along with that week’s reaction paper.
3. The class will include group discussion of course material as well as reactions to it. While frequency of participation is important, your demonstration of a thoughtful and critical understanding of the material and your ability to present your ideas and reflections are equally so. To facilitate free expression in class, I will work to create a safe and comfortable environment and ask students for their cooperation in this effort. If, at any time during the course, you feel unable to express yourself or participate fully, please make an appointment to talk with me privately.
4. All written work should reflect APA style using the APA Publication Manual, 6th Edition. Papers should be typed with a 12 point Times New Roman font and one inch margins and double spaced. Page limits should be followed. All references must be from scholarly publications.
5. Students who receive authorized ADA accommodations are required to privately identify themselves to the instructor at the start of the course so that suitable arrangements may be made to provide authorized accommodations. In the case of illness, disabilities or personal concerns which may arise during the course of the semester, students are encouraged to discuss their needs with the instructor as soon as they become aware of a situation which may interfere with successful completion of course requirements.
6. There is no assigned Teaching Assistant (TA) for this course. Please know that the instructor is fully available to answer any questions in class, during office hours, and by appointment. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have regarding course material or to schedule a personal or small group review session with me.
7. Students are respectfully requested to turn their cell phones and all other electronic devices off (other than for note taking purposes) during class so as not to interfere with the learning environment. If a special circumstance exists in which the student needs to have their cell phone on during class, a request should be made to the instructor prior to the start of class.
8. Students are encouraged to keep this syllabus as licensure departments frequently request copies of course syllabi to determine if a specific course meets their state licensure requirements.
Assignments:
1. Weekly Assignment:
To facilitate critical reading of the course assignments and to stimulate class discussion, students are expected to provide a written summary and critique of one assigned reading on a weekly basis, excluding week one, week two (no class due to holiday) and the weeks of the midterm exam and final paper submission (see class outline below for weeks in which an assignment is due). Note, there are a few weeks in which the class is requested to complete an alternative assignment in lieu of a reading critque. There are a total of ten written assignments over the course of the semester.
The summary should be one to two pages double-spaced. The following components should be included: a brief summary of the author’s main ideas or point of view and the student’s response, point of view, questions, critical comments, or critique of the article. Your comments can be general, theoretical, philosophical, specific, personal, etc., but must address the reading for that day’s class. They may be in the form of short paragraphs or elaborate questions. You are encouraged to include reflections on how the readings fit or did not fit with your understanding of adult development and aging based on personal experience or the experiences of adults you know. NOTE: the critique can integrate ideas from several of the readings but one article must be briefly summarized and responded to.
Papers will be due at the start of each class. It is important that papers be submitted in a timely manner, and therefore no late papers will be accepted unless due to exceptional circumstances. To avoid computer failures and the loss of an entire paper, please be sure to save and/or print out drafts of a paper as you write it since “computer failure” does not automatically receive an extension on the due date of a paper.
2. Class Presentation:
Each student will be required to facilitate a discussion of one of the readings based on the written critique one time during the semester. Assignments will be made on the first day of class.
3. Midterm Exam
An in-class closed book mid-term exam will be given on February 6th, covering concepts presented in the first half of the course. Make-up exams will be granted only at the instructor’s discretion. Requests for special arrangements regarding exams should be submitted with one week’s notice.
4. Final Project/Paper:
Each student will conduct a life span interview with a community based older adult (“older” is over 65). You will then complete a 12-15 page paper demonstrating your mastery of course material as you integrate this with the interview of the older adult. Specific guidelines for this paper will be provided on the first day of class. Final papers are due at the beginning of class 4/22. No late papers will be accepted except under the most extenuating circumstances and not without express permission from the instructor.
Assignment Table
Week / Topics / Readings / Assignments1
Jan 9 / Introduction
Theories & Conceptual Models of Adult Development and Aging / Crain, W. (2005). Erikson and the eight stages of life. Theories of Development: Concepts and Applications (pp. 277-302). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. (available in the school library)
Hoare (2006) Chapter One (Growing a Discipline at the Borders of Thought) and Chapter Two (Learning and Development: The Connection in Adulthood)
Mikulincer & Shaver (2007) Chapter One (The Attachment Behavioral System: Basic Concepts and Principles)
Hagestad, G. O., & Neugarten, B. L. (1976). Age and the life course. In R. H. Binstock, & E. Shanas (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences (pp. 46). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
(article is on reserve in the school library)
Whitbourne S. (1985). The psychological construction of the life span. In Birren, J., & Schaie, K. (Eds.), Handbook of the Psychology of Aging p. 594-618. (article is on reserve in the school library)
2
Jan 16 / Theories & Conceptual Models of Adult Development and Aging (Continued) / Bee, H. (1987). Theories of adult change and development (chapter 3).
The journey of adulthood. New York: Macmillan. (article is on reserve in the school library)
Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). The bioecological theory of human development. In U. Bronfenbrenner (Ed.), Making Human Beings Human: Bioecological Perspectives on Human Development (pp.3-15). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. (Reprinted from International encyclopedia of the social and behavioral sciences, 10, pp. 6963-6970, by N.J. Smelser & P.B. Baltes, Eds., 2001, NY: Elsevier).
Hoare (2006) Chapter Three (Research Design and Methodological Issues for Adult Development and Learning) and Chapter Eight (Self Efficacy and Adult Development)
Mikulincer & Shaver (2007)
Chapter Two (A Model of Attachment-System Functioning and Dynamics in Adulthood) and Three (Normative Attachment Processes) / No class due to MLK Day
Continue reading assigned articles
3
Jan 23 / The Transition to Adulthood / Arnett, J., & Brody, G. (2008). A fraught passage: The identity challenges of African American emerging adults. Human Development, 51(5), 291-293.
Bergman, S. (1995). Men’s psychological development: A relational perspective. In R. F. Levant & W. S. Pollack (Eds.), A new psychology of men (pp. 68-90). New York: Basic Books.
Hoare (2006) Chapter Four (Development of Reflective Judgment in Adulthood) and Chapter Nine (Autonomy and Self Directed Learning)
Levinson, D. (1978). Developmental periods: The evolution of the individual life structure (Chapter 3). The Seasons of a Man’s Life. New York: Ballantine Books.
Mikulincer & Shaver (2007)
Chapter Four (Measuresment of Attachment-Related Constructs in Adulthood) and Five (Individual Differences in Attachment-
System Functioning: Development, Stability, and Change ) / Reflection/Reaction paper
4
Jan 30 / Young Adulthood
Gender Issues in Development / Hoare (2006) Chapter Six (Emotional Development in Adulthood: A Developmental Functionalist Review and Critique) and Chapter Seven (Motivation and Interpersonal Regulation across Adulthood: Managing the Challenges and Constraints of Social Contexts