Developmental Psychology
PSY 30200
Spring 2008
184 Nieuwland Hall
MW 3:00-4:15
Instructor:Dr. Dan LapsleyTA:Patrick Hill
Office:110 Haggar HallOffice:B23 Haggar Hall
Office Ph.631.8789Email:
Email:ffice Hours: by appointment or email
Office Hours:by appointment or email anytime
Required Textbook:
Santrock, J. Lifespan development: A Topical Approach (3rd or 4th Ed). McGraw-Hill
Course Description
This course is an intensive introduction to the theories, methods and findings of developmental science from infancy to senescence.
Course Goals
Although a course that ranges over the entire lifespan necessarily must favor breadth over depth, course activities will provide opportunities to explore selected topics in more depth, and provide you with an opportunity to practice skills critical for advanced study in developmental science. In this course you will
- learn about developmental methodologies
- become proficient at using academic search engines for reviewing scholarly literatures
- practice scholarly analysis-and-synthesis;
- develop practical applications for parenting and education
- practice discussion and presentation skills
Course Expectations
This course will be conducted in a lecture and discussion format. Robust student participation is welcome, encouraged and expected. Students are expected to have read assigned readings in preparation for robust class discussion. Class attendance is not optional (of course).
Honor Code
Students are expected to follow the honor code of Notre Dame. Although students are encouraged to work collaboratively and to cooperate in the mastery of course material, the various papers and course projects should reflect the individual accomplishment of students. Here is the complete text of the ND Honor Code
Special Needs
If you have special needs that require accommodation, please let me know within the first days of class.
Course Assessments
Exams. Learning will be assessed by three exams. Each exam will consist of 25 multiple-choice questions and three short-answer essay questions. The multiple-choice questions will assess your mastery of the factual content of the assigned textbook and lecture material; the essay questions will assess your ability to integrate and apply the material. The three exams will contribute 50% of the course grade.
Text Quizzes. You must take a 10-question quiz, administered through the course website, for each chapter that is assigned for reading and study. You can take the quiz at any time during a given exam period. You can re-take the quiz as often as you’d like until you attain mastery. Some quiz questions may also be used for the examinations. Quizzes will account for 10% of the course grade.
Daily Class Reflection Adiscussion boardwill be created for each class where you can post a reflection on the “take-home” messages, key findings or important themes that arose during the lecture and class discussion. You can also use this forum to post questions, request clarification, express disagreement, give examples; or to work out ideas for how the class material might be used by parents, educators or in other applied settings. Discussion is encouraged. This is a “class participation” requirement. Contributions to a daily reflection board will only be “counted” for the day of class. Daily reflections will count 10% of the course grade.
Literature Review. You must write a 1200 word summary of the scholarly literature on a selected topic. The topic must be researched in a least three periods of the lifespan. The rubric for evaluating the paper can be found on the Concourse website. Sample topics can be found in the Subject Index of your textbook. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for this assignment can be found in a folder on the Concourse website entitled FAQs
Final Exam Project. The “final exam” of the course will consist of a “poster session” where students present the results of an investigation into some aspect of developmental science. Pick a question that is of particular interest to you, with the proviso that it is not the same topic as your “Analysis-and-Reflection” paper. Sample topics can be found in the Subject Index of your textbook. Ideally the topic is one that allows you to discuss implications of the developmental findings for education, risk prevention, health promotion, remediation, or other applied topics. The rubric for evaluating the final exam poster project can be found on the Concourse website. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for this assignment can be found in a folder on the Concourse website entitled FAQs. The class poster session will be held on our final exam day.
Summary of Course AssignmentsCourse Activity / % of Course Grade
3 exams / 50
Text Quizzes / 10
Daily Class Reflection / 10
Literature Review / 10
Final Exam Project / 20
Grading Scale
A:93-100%C+78-79%
A-90-92%C73-77%
B+88-89%C-70-72%
B83-87%D+68-69%
B-80-82%D60-67%
Course Schedule and Reading AssignmentsDate / Assignment
Wed. Jan. 16 / Introduction to Class
Jan 21-Jan 23 / Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: (Research in Lifespan Development, pp. 33-38)
Chapter 2: (Heredity, Environment and Individual Differences) pp. 71-74)
Jan 28-30 / Chapter 6: Cognitive Developmental Approaches
Feb. 4 – Feb. 6 / Chapter 7: Information-Processing
Feb. 11 / Chapter 8 Intelligence
Feb. 13 / Exam 1
Feb. 18 / Chapter 9: Language Development
Feb. 20 / Chapter 10: Emotional Development
Feb. 25-27 / Chapter 11: The Self, Identity and Personality
March 1 to March 9 / Mid-Semester Break
March 10 / Chapter 12: Gender and Sexuality
March 12 - March 17 / Chapter 13: Moral Development, Values and Religion
March 19 / Exam 2
March 21 to March 24 / Easter Holiday
March 26 – March 31 / Chapter 14: Families, Lifestyles, Parenting
April 2 to April 7 / Chapter 15: Peers and the Sociocultural World
April 9 to April 14 / Chapter 16: Schools, Achievement, Work
April 16 to 21 / Reading TBA: Developmental Psychopathology I: Developmental Dysfunction
April 23 to 28 / Reading TBA; Developmental Psychopathology II: Resilience and Positive Adaptation
April 30 / Exam 3
Final Exam Date
TBA / Final Poster Project