Wright, Psyc 311-001

Developmental Psychology

Psychology 311 ~ CRN 11771 ~ Fall 2010

Instructor: Dr. Jen Wright Email:

Office: 65 Coming, Room 104 Phone: 843.953.8196

Office Hours: MWF 8-9am & 10-11am (and by appointment)

Course website:

Senior Mentor TAs:

Nina Deese:

Daniel Weissglass:

Course Meetings: MWF 11:00-11:50am EducationCenter, Room 116

Required Reading:

  • Text:Laura Berk, Development through the Lifespan, 5th ed. Pearson Publishers
  • And/or MyDevelopmentalLab (eBook) online eBook.
  • You’ll need to log into MyDevelopmentLab and enter the following class code: cm950434 by NO LATER than 8/30/10.
  • Other reading: primary source readings for research topic debates(to be assigned)

Required Technology:i>clicker remote response pad (for attendance, in-class questions, & debates)

Prerequisite: Psyc103 ~ Introduction to Psychological Science

Course Overview: This course will give you a general understanding of the following:

  • Theories (current and historical) that underlie the study of human development
  • Research methodologies applied to the study of human development

More specifically, students will gain knowledge in the following areas:

  • Fundamental changes in development: biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development
  • Biological development: body and brain changes, abnormal development, aging
  • Cognitive development: language, thought, higher cognition
  • Social/Emotional development: emotions, gender, identity, morality, and sexuality
  • Importance of relationships: families, friends, and romantic partners
  • Different contexts of development: time period, culture, school, work, and leisure
  • Psychosocial problems that confront children, adolescents, and adults

Educational Goals:

  • To master basic concepts, ideas, theories, and methodologies employed in developmental psychology.
  • To gain an appreciation for the benefits (and limits) of taking a scientific approach to the study of human development.
  • To engage in critical thinking and open discussion about contemporary developmental issues.
  • To improve existing skills for evaluating and critiquing developmental methodologies and findings.
  • To become an effective consumer and communicator of developmental research.

And last, but not least,

  • To figure out how to apply what you’ve learned to real-life situations – and to explore, understand, and enjoy your own developmental process!

Expectations:

You (the student) can expect me (the instructor) to:

1)have high (but fair) expectations.

2)provide thought-provoking lectures, facilitate class discussion, and otherwise provide a challenging and interesting class environment.

3)provide ample opportunities for learning assessment.

4)be available both inside and outside of class for all who are genuinely interested in learning.

5)be respectful and open minded, and willing to answer any question (no matter how silly).

I (the instructor) expect you (the student) to:

1)TURN OFF ALL FORMS OF COMMUNICATION W/ OUTSIDE WORLD (e.g. cell phones).

** Laptops may be used for taking notes in class ONLY **

2)leave egos, attitudes, and prejudices at home.

3)attend class regularly and participate in class discussion vigorously!

4)read all assigned materials before they are to be covered in class.

5)complete assignments earnestly, thoughtfully, and on time.

6)dazzle me with your mastery of the material during written assignments and exams.

7)check your e-mail account and the class website regularly for class announcements/changes.

8)be respectful and open minded, and willing to ask any question (no matter how silly).

Course Requirements:

Attendance and Participation (25 points)

Class attendance is mandatory –we’ll be using the i<clickers to track attendance and class participation.

Please plan on being in class for the entire class – tardy arrivals and early departures are not okay! Lectures will typically include materials that are not in your text – and you will be responsible for this material (as well as for materials posted on the class website or distributed by email).

In-Class Research Topic Debates (175 points)

We will have four in-class debates (50 points each). You will be assigned to groups and each group will be responsible for preparing both forandagainstarguments for one debate topic (100 points). This preparation will involve reading through and critically evaluating primary source articles. On the assigned debate day, each group will then be assigned to only one side and they will be required to present that side to the class and then the debate will be opened up to the rest of the class. Those students not presenting on a given debate day will receive points for their participation (25 points x 3). You must be present to receive points for the debate.

More details about this assignment will be provided. Due dates are posted on the course schedule.

Chapter Questions (150 points)

Each chapter has several “Ask Yourself” question sections embedded into each chapter. You will be responsible for answering at minimumthree sets of these questions per chapter. You will submit your answers online through MyDevelopmentLab. There are six sections (25 points/section).

Observation Journals (150 points):

You will complete two 2-3 page observation journal assignments (75 points each).You will do observations involving 2 of the following developmental periods

  • Obs 1: Infancy/Early Childhood (mandatory!)
  • Obs 2: Adolescence) or Late Adulthood

These observations will involve:

  • Summaries of two separate 1-hour observations of an individual/group from within the development period and a critical comparison between the two observations.All observations must include a discussion of how observed behaviors relate to developmental issues discussed in reading/lectures.

More details about this assignment will be provided. Due dates are posted on the course schedule.

Exams (300 points):

There will be three exams over the course of the semester – two regular exams (worth 100 points each) and one comprehensive final (worth 100 points).

  • Details on exam format will be provided prior to the first exam.
  • You will be responsible for information presented both in the readings AND in class.
  • All exam dates are indicated on the course calendar, and all exams will be given in the classroom. Students are responsible for knowing exam dates and being in the classroom ON TIME. No one will be allowed to enter the classroom and take the exam once the first person has completed the exam and left the classroom. If you arrive after the first person has left, you will receive a 0 for that exam.

Make-up Exams: Students will have the opportunity to make up one missed exam. If the absence was a non-emergency, then permission from me must be obtained PRIOR to the scheduled exam AND written documentation from the appropriate authority (e.g., doctor, coach, etc.) must be provided.

  • If the absence was an emergency (e.g., sudden severe illness, death in family) then an approved absence must be obtained from the Absence Memo Office (67 George Street, 953-3390).

!!Please note that make-up exams can take any format – including an oral exam with me!!

Extra Credit:

Option 1: Volunteer in Community Project (50 points).You may turn one of your observation exercises into a volunteer service project and receive up to 50 points of extra credit. You will be expected to volunteer for an organization working with the relevant developmental period for 10 – 15 hours during the semester and to finalize the volunteer experience by writing up a5-7 page essay that applies developmental concepts/theories learned in class to your volunteer experience.

Option 2: Parent a Virtual Child (25 points). You can raise your own virtual child over the course of the semester (available in MyDevelopmentLab) – which allows you to document the developmental consequences of your parenting choices.

In addition, you can earn “Impress Me Points” (between 1-5 extra credit points) by exhibiting outstanding behavior either inside or outside the classroom. Examples of things people receive “Impress Me Points” for: always being early for class, asking excellent questions, taking the lead in group projects, turning in high quality work, going the extra mile!

Grading:

# / pts/ each / total pts / % of grade / max pts / min pts
Class Participation / 1 / 25 / 3% / A (100-93%) / 800 / 744
In-Class Debates -- Preparation / 1 / 100 / 13% / A- (92.9-90%) / 744 / 720
In-Class Debates -- Participation / 3 / 25 / 75 / 9% / B+ (89.9-87%) / 720 / 696
Text Ch Q's -- per Section / 6 / 25 / 150 / 19% / B (86.9-83%) / 696 / 664
Observation Journals / 2 / 75 / 150 / 19% / B- (82.9-80%) / 664 / 640
Exams / C+ (79.9-77%) / 640 / 616
Regular / 2 / 100 / 200 / 25% / C (76.9-73%) / 616 / 584
Comprehensive Final / 1 / 100 / 13% / C- (72.9-70%) / 584 / 560
Total Points / 800 / 100% / D+ (69.9-67%) / 560 / 536
D (66.9-63%) / 536 / 504
D- (62.9-60%) / 504 / 480
F (59.9-0%) / 480 / 0

Other Information:

Additional Assistance Information: You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the writing lab and seminars offered by the College Skills Lab (Center for Student Learning, 953-5635). Also, if you believe you have a learning disability, attention deficit disorder, or other challenges please contact SNAP (Special Needs and Advising Plan) Services at 953-1431. SNAP services verifies students’ needs and recommends specific accommodations. If you have a documented disability and have been approved to receive accommodations through the Center for Disability Services/SNAP, please come and discuss this with me during my office hours as soon as possible.

Academic Integrity: Lying, cheating, attempted cheating, and plagiarism are violations of the Honor Code that, when identified, are investigated. Each incident will be examined to determine the degree of deception involved. Cases of suspected academic dishonesty will be reported directly by the instructor and/or others having knowledge of the incident to the Dean of Students. A student found responsible by the Honor Board for academic dishonesty will receive a XF in the course, indicating failure of the course due to academic dishonesty. This grade will appear on the student’s transcript for two years after which the student may petition for the X to be expunged. The student may also be placed on disciplinary probation, suspended (temporary removal) or expelled (permanent removal) from the College bythe Honor Board.

All of the following are considered plagiarism:

  • turning in someone else's work as your own
  • copying words or ideas from someone else without giving proper credit (citation)
  • failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
  • giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
  • changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving proper credit
  • copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not

Research conducted and/or papers written for other classes cannot be used in whole or in part for any assignment in this class without obtaining prior permission from theinstructor.

Students should be aware that unauthorized collaboration – working together without permission – is a form of cheating. Unless the instructor specifies that students can work together on an assignment, quiz and/or test, no collaboration during the completion of the assignment is permitted. Other forms of cheating include possessing or using an unauthorized study aid (which could include accessing information stored on a cell phone), copying from others’ exams, fabricating data, and giving unauthorized assistance.

Students can find the complete Honor Code and all related processes in the Student Handbook at

Course Schedule:

Week / Mon / Weds / Fri / Topic
23-Aug / Intro: What is Developmental Psychology? / Intro: Syllabus / Introduction to Devel Psychology
30-Aug / Ch 1 / Ch 1, Ch Q's / Ch 2-3 / Sect 1: Theory & Research/ Sect 2: Foundations
6-Sep / Ch 2-3 / Ch 2-3 / Ch 2-3 / Sect 2: Foundations
13-Sep / Ch 2-3 / Ch 2-3, Ch Q's / In-Class Debate / Sect 2: Foundations
20-Sep / Ch 4-6 / Ch 4-6 / Ch 4-6 / Sect 3: Infancy
27-Sep / Ch 4-6 / Ch 4-6 / Ch 4-6, Ch Q's / Sect 3: Infancy
4-Oct / Exam 1 / Ch 7-8 / Ch 7-8 / Sect 4: Early Childhood
11-Oct / Ch 7-8; Obs Journal #1 Due / Ch 7-8 / Sect 4: Early Childhood
18-Oct / Ch 7-8 / Ch 7-8, Ch Q's / In-Class Debate / Sect 4: Early Childhood
25-Oct / Ch 11-12 / Ch 11-12 / Ch 11-12 / Sect 6: Adolescence
1-Nov / Ch 11-12 / Ch 11-12 / AME - No Class / Sect 6: Adolescence
8-Nov / Ch 11-12, Ch Q's / In-Class Debate; Obs Journal #2 Due / Ch 17-18 / Sect 6: Adolescence
15-Nov / Ch 17-18 / Ch 17-18 / Ch 17-18 / Sect 9: Late Adulthood
22-Nov / Ch 17-18 / Sect 9: Late Adulthood
29-Nov / Ch 17-18, Ch Q's / Ch 19 / In-Class Debate; Obs Journal #3 Due / Sect 9: Late Adulthood/ Sect 10: End of Life
6-Dec / Exam 2 / Sect 9: Late Adulthood
13-Dec

Please note: This syllabus is a work in progress and will be changed/updated as the need arises.