MIDDLESEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

Child/Adolescent Development

Fall, 2007

Department:  Social Science

Course Number: Psychology 204

Course Title:  Child and Adolescent Development/ CRN# 3260

Credit Hours/Lecture Hours: 3

Meeting Time/Place: on-line

Faculty:  Judith Felton, Professor of Human Services

Office/ Phone#/e-mail: Room 508/ 860-343-5816/ webct mail; or, if webct is down, use jfelton@mxcc.commnet.edu

Office Hours: Tues/Thurs:  11:00-12:30p.m.; daily on-line; or by appointment.

Scope of Course:

This course will examine childhood from conception through adolescence, with emphasis on the areas of emotional, social, cognitive, language, and physical development.

Textbook: A Child’s World: Infancy through Adolescence.  Authors:  Papalia, Olds, Feldman.  (tenth edition)

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student will have a greater understanding and appreciation of:

1. the key theoretical perspectives pertaining to child and adolescent development;
2. the methodology and function of scientific research in the area of childhood and adolescent development;
3. the psychosocial, cognitive, and physical developmental milestones in childhood and adolescent development;
4. the developing child within the context of his/her sociocultural environment;
5. the genetic and environmental factors which have an impact on the developing child;
6. abnormalities in development;
7. clinical interventions and services for children, adolescents, and families;
8. the applicability of what we learn to our personal and professional lives.

Methods of Evaluation:

1. Four Exams:  The exams will be a combination of fill in the blanks, short answer and essay.  Exam Dates:  First exam assigned Sept. 17^th. Due Sept. 24^th.

Second exam assigned Oct. 15^th. Due Oct. 22^nd

Third exam assigned Nov. 12^th. Due Nov. 19^th.

Fourth exam assigned Dec. 10^th. Due Dec. 16^th.

            Each exam is due by 11:59p.m. on the dates indicated.

2. Research Paper with observation/interview component:

Each student is going to pick a topic in the field of childhood/adolescent development that is of personal interest.  This will be fun…a combination of research and field work/experience.

Step I:  Pick a topic.  For example, cognitive development during infancy.

Step 2: Research your topic.  Great journal articles can be found via the college library web-site and over the internet.  You must have at least four resources. 

Step 3:  Depending on your topic, you will then either observe a child, (or children,) or you will interview an adolescent.  Your observation or interview serves as documentation to support the research you are doing.  For example, if you are researching cognitive development during infancy, you would observe an infant and compare the infant’s cognitive milestones with the findings of your research.   Please note:  you may use your own children for this assignment.

Step 4:  Write your paper.  Your paper needs to be 7-10 pages, typed.  Given that this is a college level paper, you must appropriately cite your resources. ( Please use the APA standard of citation and references.)

Due Date:  Email me your paper via webct by noon on Dec. 7^th.

3. Weekly Discussion Questions: Each week you will be assigned discussion questions that require your response.  You are required to post a response to each discussion question and respond to at least two other class participants, (this could be two classmates or one classmate and your professor.)  Your discussion responses will reference your reading from your text and Prof. Felton’s overviews.  Each post to a class participant must identify who is being responded to and who is posting.  All discussion assignments are due at 11:59p.m. on the dates indicated in this syllabus.  The weekly discussion assignments are worth 10 points each.

All assignments are equally weighted toward your final grade.

ADA accommodations statement: “ Students with physical or learning disabilities who may require accommodations are encouraged to contact the Counseling Office.  After disclosing the nature of the disability, students are urged to discuss their needs with individual instructors.  This should be done at the beginning of each semester.  Instructors, in conjunction with appropriate college officials, will provide assistance and/or accommodations only to those students who have completed this process.”

Information regarding academic ethics and classroom behavior:  “At Middlesex Community College we expect the highest standards of academic honesty.  Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance with the Board of Trustees’ Proscribed Conduct Policy in Section 5.2.1 of the Board of Trustees’ Policy Manual.  This policy prohibits cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, unauthorized access to examinations or course materials, plagiarism, and other proscribed activities.  Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s ideas or phrases and representing those ideas as your own, either intentionally or unintentionally.”

Topic Outline/ Reading Assignments

Week of:                          Topic                                                    Assignment*

*All assignments include the text readings and Prof. Felton’s weekly overviews.

August 28^th                   Introduction; Overview of the                            Chapter 1

                                    study of Child/Adol. Development;                    Discussions

                                    Influences on Development                               Due: 9/2

Sept. 3^rd                       Theoretical issues and perspectives                   Chapter 2: pgs.23-38

                                    in studying Child/Adol. Development;                Table 2-3

                                    research methods                                              Discussions: due 9/9

Sept. 10^th                     Conception, Pregnancy, Prenatal Dev.              Chapter 3: pgs.57-67

                                                                                                            79-81; Chapter 4

                                                                                                            Discussions: due 9/16

Sept. 17^th                     Birth and the Amazing Newborn                       Chapter 5

Exam:  assigned 9/17; due 9/24                      Discussions: due 9/23

                                    (exam covers Chapters 1-4)

Sept. 24^th                     Physical Development during first 3 years          Chapter 6

                                                                                                             Discussions:due 9/30

Oct. 1st Cognitive&Psychosocial Dev., first 3 yrs.          Chapter 7: pgs 161-                                                                                                                    177; pgs. 187-191

                                                                                                             Chapter 8:

                                                                                                             Discussions:due 10/7

Oct. 8^th                        Physical, Cognitive development                       Chapters 9:pgs. 239-

                        Early Childhood

                                                                                                248; 253-259;

                                                                                                Chapt. 10

                                                                                                Discussions: due: 10/14

Oct. 15th                      Psychosocial Dev.: Early Child.                         Chapt. 11: pgs. 298-

                                                                                                            301; 305-317

Exam: assigned 10/15; due 10/22                 Discussions:due 10/21

(Exam covering chapters 5-10)

Oct. 22^nd                      Physical/Cognitive dev: Middle Child.                Chap.12. Chap. 13:

                                                                                                         Pgs. 345-356; 360-364;

                                                                                                          367-373

                                                                                                         Discussions: 10/28

Oct. 29^th                      Psychosocial Dev., Middle Child.                      Chapt. 14: pgs 378-389

                                                                                                          392-400

                                                                                                           Discussions: due 11/4

Nov. 5th                       Physical Dev.Adolescence                                Chapter 15

                                                                                                            Discussions: due 11/11

Nov. 12^th                     Cognitive Dev.: Adolescence                            Chap. 16: pgs. 435-450

Exam: assigned 11/12; due 11/19                    Discussions: due: 11/18

(Exam covering chapters 11-14)

Nov. 19^th                     Psychosocial Dev.:Adolescence                        Chap. 17: pgs. 459-468

                                                                                                            Discussions: due: 11/28

Nov. 26^th                     Psychosocial Dev.: Adolescence                       Chap. 17: pgs. 468-485

                                                                                                            Discussions: due 12/5

Dec. 3^rd                         Research/Observation Paper due

                                      on Dec. 7^th. 

Dec. 10^th Exam: assigned 12/10; due 5/16

                                    (Exam covering chapters 15-17.)