Prerequisite: Psyc 1101 or consent of instructor - An introductory, non-laboratory based examination of human development across the lifespan with an emphasis on normal patterns of physical, cognitive, and social development.

II.  Student Learning Outcomes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      A student who successfully completes Human Growth and Development (PSYC 2103) will be able to ……..
I.  … understand normative and atypical development from conception through late adulthood and death in the physical, cognitive, social, and personality areas
II. … understand how heredity and environment influence developmental changes
III.  …understand the role of culture in shaping attitudes, values, and behaviors
IV.  …understand the major developmental theories (Freud’s psychosexual theory, Piaget's theory of intellectual development, Erickson's psychosocial theory of personality,  Kohlberg's theory of moral development, behavioral and social learning theories) by …
A. … identifying key figures
B. ….identifying key concepts
C. …identifying applications of major perspectives to everyday living
V.  … understand appropriate behavioral expectations and developmental tasks associated with each major stage of development

The student is expected to attend all regularly scheduled classes. The College's attendance policy indicates that a student who misses 20% of scheduled classes may be dropped from the course with a grade of WF.  Roll will be taken each class period.  In order to receive credit for attendance, you must arrive at class on time and you must remain until class ends.

IV.  Grades and Grading

Letter grades will be assigned on the basis of the following numerical values:

A = 90 - 100                D = 60 - 69
B = 80 -  89                 F = less than 60
C = 70 -  79

Borderline grades will be determined by class participation and classroom etiquette.

V. Exams

 Four hourly exams and a comprehensive final will be given.  Exams will consist
of multiple choice, matching, short answer, and/or essay.  SEE ATTACHED READING AND EXAM SCHEDULE. The instructor has the option of giving periodic short exams which may or may not be announced ahead of time.  These will be averaged in with the hourly exams.

VI.  Group Project Presentation

A group project presentation will be developed around a topic selected from the text.  Grading will be according to the effectiveness of the presentation in terms of adequate coverage of the selected topic, use of visual and teaching aids, use of demonstrations and examples of selected topic, originality, organization, equal participation of each member, and length of the presentation.  (See attached).

Each presentation should be accompanied by one portfolio.  The portfolio should consist of 1) a title page giving the title of the presentation and listing the members of the group, 2) a presentation layout telling which group member is responsible for what part of the presentation and who did what, 3) a project log giving the dates and times of meetings of the group, who was present, and what was done, 4) a research report giving a brief review of the topic selected (between three and five double-spaced pages), 4) hand outs used during the presentation and/or a paper copy of your PowerPoint presentation, 3) an annotated bibliography of all resources that your group consulted in the preparation of the project.

A brief description of the project presentation, listing all group members’ names, should be submitted to the instructor and approved before the presentation is done.

VII. Class Participation

Learning about behavior and its consequences is an important concept in this course.  Looking at classroom participation will give you an opportunity to assess your behavior in this area and learn about the consequences of your behavior. Class participation includes participation and behavior in the classroom.  Please also see classroom etiquette.   This portion of the grade will also be determined by attendance, excessive absences (see class attendance policy), and arriving late for classes.  Participation in the classroom, including classroom etiquette and attendance, will count 10% of your final grade. See attached rubric.

VIII. Student Responsibility

Anytime a student is absent, the student is still responsible for the material covered in class and any class assignment given that day.

IX.  Make- Up Work

Make-up work for assignments will be conducted on an individual basis, however, there will generally be no make-up considered for unexcused absences.  If the student is sick on the day assignments are due, or cannot make it to class due to circumstances beyond their control, the student is required to call or contact the instructor by email for permission to turn in assignments late. Students who have permission to turn in assignments late must turn in the assignments the very next day they are in class.

There will be NO make-up tests.  Your lowest hourly test grade will be dropped.  If you miss a test, the missed test will be the grade that will be dropped.  You cannot miss more than two tests.  The second test missed will count as a zero. Even if you chose to miss a test and not come to class, your assignments are still due on the day of the test.  No assignment grades will be dropped.

Any time a student is absent, the student is still responsible for the material covered in class and any class assignment given that day.

X.  Coursework Deadlines

Deadlines will be met and work will be of a standard reasonably expected from WC Students.

XI.  Final Average

The contribution of the exams, the final, the group project and class participation  are shown by the grading percentage below:

Hourly Exams………. . . . . . . . ... .. 60%
Comprehensive Final Exam. . . . . .. .10%
Group project . . . . . . . . . .. . … .. . 20%
Class Participation . . . . .. . . . . . .. . 10%

   Grades and current averages may be viewed on WebCT

XII. Incompletes

The grade of incomplete is given to students who for reason of illness or accident are unable to complete a segment of the course. At least 75% of the course requirements must be met with a passing grade BEFORE an incomplete will be considered. In no case will the grade of Incomplete be given as a means to avoid a failing grade.

XIII.  Classroom Etiquette

An atmosphere of mutual respect will be maintained in the classroom.  Please do not hold conversations with classmates whenever the instructor or another student is speaking. Also refrain from writing and passing notes or participating in other distractive behavior. Your undivided attention in class is a must. The student is expected to come to class with his/her textbook and writing materials and be prepared to take notes.  The student should not be doing work from other courses while in psychology class.  The instructor reserves the right to request students who engage in disrespectful conduct and/or disruptive behavior to leave the class and if the behavior persists in future classes the instructor will drop the students from the class. Please turn off cell phones during class, especially during tests.  Do not leave the classroom in order to talk on cell phones outside of class. Flagrant use of a cell phone or text messaging during class could result in the instructor asking the student to leave the classroom.  Classroom etiquette will also be figured into the class participation portion of the final grade.  You are an adult college student - please act accordingly.

XIV. Plagiarism                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

PLAGIARISM, WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR UNINTENTIONAL, IS PROHIBITED; IT WILL RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE ASSIGNMENT PLAGIARIZED AND COULD RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE. Webster’s Dictionary defines plagiarism as the stealing and passing off of the ideas or words of another as one's own.  PLAGIARISM IS ACADEMIC DISHONESTY. IF PLAGIARISM IS EVIDENT, THE STUDENT WILL RECEIVE A GRADE OF 0 ON THE ASSIGNMENT PLAGIARIZED AND COULD EARN A FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE. When an instructor discovers an incident of plagiarism, the instructor will discuss the situation with the student, complete a Plagiarism Form to record the incident, sign the form and obtain the student’s signature, provide the student a copy of the form, and file a copy of the form with the Dean’s office. If two incidents of plagiarism are reported, the student will be required to meet with the Dean to discuss academic integrity. REPEATED CHARGES OF PLAGIARISM COULD RESULT IN PERMANENT EXPULSION FROM THE COLLEGE.

XV.  EASE Statement                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

The Educational Assistance and Student Engagement (EASE) Center offers supplemental instruction and campus life resources to all students enrolled at the college. Educational assistance opportunities will allow students to develop strengths and to eliminate deficiencies. The EASE Center provides tutoring and supplementary materials in reading, writing, and mathematics; provides alternate learning strategies through audio-visual, individualized, computerized, self-paced, and one-on-one tutorial work; offers assistance in developing effective study skills; and helps students prepare for the Regents’ test.    Various testing services are offered by appointment in the EASE testing center. Student Engagement resources available to students in The EASE Center consist of guidance services, orientation services, disability services, career planning, minority advising program, and student activities.

XVI.  Dropping A Course Without Penalty

In order to officially drop a course without penalty, a student must obtain and fill out a Drop/Add form from the Registrar's office, acquire appropriate signatures, and return the completed form to the Registrar's office before the designated date published in the Academic Calendar in the Waycross College Catalog

XVII.  ADA Statement

The College is committed to providing accessibility to all students in accordance to ADA/504 guidelines. Students should contact the Director of Student Life regarding accessibility.

XVIII.  Instruction Goals and Learning Objectives By Chapter

In conjunction with the chapter objectives given in the text at the beginning of each chapter, students should be prepared for the additional chapter objectives.

• what it means to say that human development is integrated, interactive, and dynamic.
• what role brain maturation plays in major developmental events that characterize early childhood.
• how physical development and cognitive development influence each other as children move through early childhood.
• how language development and cognitive development interact.
• what it means to say that play both mirrors and encourages cognitive development. 
  

At the end of Chapter Seven Early Childhood: Personality and Sociocultural Development, students  should know:     

• why learning to control emotions is such an important developmental event in early childhood.
• if TV shows, movies, and other media have a negative or positive impact on the development of today’s generation of young children.
• about the primary developmental task that preschool children must undertake.
• if having an imaginary companion bodes well or ill for normal development in early childhood.
• how children come to understand the concept of gender.
• the kinds of parenting styles that lead to the healthiest adjustment for children.
  

• about the overarching principles that guide development through the period of middle childhood.
• why asthma and obesity are becoming more prevalent among grade school children in the US.
• how the thought processes of a grade school child differs from those of a preschool child.
• the best way to define intelligence.
• the most important adjustments children face when they begin school.
• the best way to meet the educational challenges faced by children with special needs.      

At the end of Chapter Nine on Middle Childhood: Personality and Sociocultural Development, students should know:

• the events in middle childhood that enhance or detract from the child’s developing self concept.
• how a child’s social world is influenced through interactions with others.
• how children of different ages think about questions of right versus wrong.
• what influences peers have on development during grade school years.
• how a child comes to develop a sense of ethnic identity.
• what developmental issues are posed for children when family structure changes.
  

At the end of Chapter Ten on Adolescence: Physical and Cognitive Development, students should know:

• if adolescents in cultures around the world experience the period of adolescence in the same way.
• why adolescents focus on issues of body image and ways these concerns are expressed.
• if it is better to sexually mature before or after most of one’s peers.
• if the brain’s development during adolescence influences the thinking and behavior of teenagers.
• what adolescent egocentrism is and how it is linked to the changes in cognitive development that teenagers typically experience.
  

At the end of Chapter Eleven on Adolescence: Personality and Sociocultural Development, students     should know:

• why forming an identity is often considered the most important task of adolescence.
• the most important roles that parents play during the teenage years.
• why adolescents place so much importance on how their peers regard them.
• if risky behavior is a normal part of adolescence for most teenagers.
• how adolescents typically cope with the pressure they feel during the teenage years.
  

• if adults who are born in the same year are always the same age.
• if recently young adults in the United States have become more, or less, physically fit.
• how sexual orientation affects how a person experiences young adulthood.
• how the thought processes used by young adults differ from those that guide adolescent cognition.
• the primary developmental tasks most young adults confront.
  

At the end of Chapter Thirteen on Young Adulthood: Personality and Sociocultural Development, students should know:

• how the self is generally defined by young adults.
• what love is, and why it is especially important to young adults.
• the main features of the transition that occurs when a person becomes a parent.
• how people decide which career or job will be the best choice for them.
• how family members’ roles have changed as women have entered the work force in increasing numbers.
  

At the end of Chapter Fourteen: Middle Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development, students should know:

• how people in middle age generally approach this period of development – as the best part of their life or the beginning of decline.
• if there is such a thing as the midlife crisis.
• how habits established earlier in life begin to assert their effects in middle adulthood.
• how middle aged adults adjust to the cognitive decline associated with aging.
  

At the end of Chapter Fifteen on Middle Adulthood: Personality and Sociocultural Development, students should know:

• what theorists imply when they note that generativity is the primary developmental task of middle adulthood.
• the differences that exist in how men and women react to middle age.
• how parents typically respond when their last child leaves home.
• how adults cope with divorce when it occurs at midlife.
• about stresses that result from occupational challenges in middle adulthood.
• if personality development in middle adulthood is marked more by stability or by change.
  

At the end of Chapter Sixteen on Older Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development, students should know:

• if older adults typically conform to the stereotypes that people hold of the elderly.
• what ways the young-old are different from the old-old.
• the typical health problems people face as they age.
• the theories that are used to explain why people grow old and die.
• differences between normal aging and senility.
  

At the end of Chapter Seventeen: Older Adulthood: Personality and Sociocultural Development, students should know:

• what Erik Erikson meant when he identified the critical conflict of older adulthood as one of integrity versus despair.
• the changes – good and bad – that retirement typically brings.
• how older adults typically cope with loss.
• the pros and cons associated with the two major government supported social programs for older adults – Social Security and Medicare.
• options available when older adults need assistance in living and how families should choose among them.
  

At the end of Chapter Eighteen on Death and Dying, students should know:

• how most individuals manage the anxiety associated with the death of a loved one.
• how a terminally ill person can best cope with the knowledge that death is imminent.
• what characterizes a humane death, and how we can make death more humane.
• what factors influence how people deal with grief.
• what special circumstances are associated with the death of a child.
• how death can be considered part of the lifespan. 
  

PSY 2103‑ SUMMER 2012

TENTATIVE READING AND EXAM SCHEDULE

Week               Week of                     Chapter Assignment and Test Schedule

2                         June 11                    Chapter 3

                         June 11                       Last day to register or change a class

3                         June 18                    Test Chap’s 1-3 - Chapters 4 & 5

4                         June 25                    Chapters 6 & 7             

                July 2       Mid-Semester -  Last day to drop a class or withdraw without penalty

                        July 4                          Holiday – Independence Day

6                        July 9                       Chapters 10 & 11                

                            July 9-20                    Early Registration for Fall 2010 Semester

7                         July 16                    Chapters 12-18 – Test Chap‘s 8-11

8                         July 23                    Test Chap’s 12-18 - Presentations

9                           July 30                       Last day of class and last day for any makeup work to be done       

CLASS PARTICIPATION

Name________________________________________________  Grade ____________

Class ____________________________________  Semester _____________________

The rubric presented here contains some common items, both positive and negative, that professors regard as contributing to (or distracting from) class participation.  I will use this sheet to determine how well I see your fulfillment of these expectations.  You will honestly fill out this sheet.  Add up the numbers you circled and multiply by 2 to calculate your grade.  Then you will turn this sheet into me.  If I agree with your assessment, then that will be your participation grade.  However, if there's a significant difference between your and my calculation of your participation grade, we will have a conversation on the items where we differ significantly in the grading. 

POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES

NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES

Additional Comments: 

 

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