TuTh 9:30-10:45 AM
Room SCC 102
Winter 2000
Instructor: Marvin W. Berkowitz
Phone: 516-7521
Fax: 516-7356
Email: berkowitz@umsl.edu
Mailbox: Outside of room 469 Marillac
Office: G12 Marillac (in the basement)
Office hours: Tu 11:00-12:00
We 10:00-11:00
and by appointment
Required text: Berk, L.E. (1999). Infants, children, and adolescents (3rd edition). MA: Allyn and Bacon. (Optional: study guide for Berk text)
Course purpose:
This course is designed to introduce students to psychological concepts, methodologies, and theories that focus on the growth and development of children and adolescents. Students will combine informal reflections on observed patterns of growth and development with an analysis of scientific studies by child psychologists in order to understand children's development. Students will investigate the interaction of nature and nurture in shaping human behavior and explaining individual variations in development. This course will provide students with information that will make them more knowledgeable parents, educators, and citizens. The course materials should help prepare the student to take EP 312, The Psychology of Teaching and Learning.
Course Objectives:
Class time will predominantly be devoted to lecture and large group discussions. Additionally, small group discussions and individual and small group exercises will be utilized.
Evaluation Criteria: 3 tests (@ maximum 100 points) 55%
Observation analysis (maximum 75 pts.) 14%
Literature analysis (maximum 125 points) 23%
Participation (maximum 50 points) 9%
Total possible points = 550
A A- B+ B B- C+ C D+ D D-
95% 91 88 85 81 78 73 68 65 61
(Note: Less than 61% is a failing grade)
DATE TOPIC READINGS
1/11 Introduction to course; History 1(9-15)
1/13 Models, concepts, theories, methods 1(2-9,15-49)
1/18 Genetics; Prenatal development 2;3(94-109)
1/20 Teratology 3(109-129)
1/25 Childbirth 4(130-150)
1/27 The Neonate 4(150-165)
2/1 Infant and toddler physical development 5
2/3 CLASS CANCELLED
2/8 Infant and toddler cognitive development 6(210-237)
2/10 Infant and toddler social/emotional development 7
2/15 TEST ONE 1-7 (NOT 237-251)
2/17 Language development 6(237-251)
2/22 Early Childhood physical development 8
2/24 Early Childhood cognitive development 9
2/29 Early childhood social cognition 10(367-371)
3/2 Gender development; Play 10(374-6;388-396)
3/7 Early childhood social/personality development 10(364-74;376-88; 394-407)
3/9 CLASS CANCELLED
3/14 Middle childhood physical & cognitive development 11;12(436-466)
**Observation report due 3/16**
3/16 School skills 12(466-79)
3/21 Social cognition in middle childhood 13(483-96)
3/23 TEST TWO 8-12,13(only 483-96)
3/28 SPRING BREAK
3/30 SPRING BREAK
4/4 Middle childhood personality development 13(480-483)
4/6 Social world of middle childhood 13(496-523)
4/11 Children's rights Handouts only
4/13 Puberty 14
**Literature Analysis report due 4/18**
4/18 Adolescent Cognitive development 15
4/20 Adolescent Social cognitive development 16(603-617)
4/25 Identity development 16(600-603,617-8)
4/27 Adolescent family and peer relations 16(618-627)
12/16 TEST THREE (8:30-9:45 am) 13(480-483;496-523),14-16
**NOTE: TEST THREE STARTS AT 8:30, NOT 7:45 AS OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED**
Tests:
As noted in the class schedule above, there will be three scheduled tests. The dates for those tests will not change. You are responsible for being there during those test sessions. There will be no make-up exams. If you know in advance that you will be unable to attend on a test date, make arrangements with the instructor as soon as you know of the conflict. If an emergency arises at the last moment, have someone contact the instructor as soon as possible (do not wait until you return to class).
Each test covers approximately 33% of the course material. Each test is weighted the same and counts for approximately 18% of your final grade in this course. There will be no cumulative tests.
You are responsible for all material covered on the test. This includes all lectures, all handouts, and all assigned readings. The test format will be a mixture of multiple choice, definition, and short essay questions. The predominant focus will be on lecture material. There will also, however, be questions from the text that were not covered in lecture.
Observation:
This project requires attendance at and observation of a full day in elementary classroom day. You may make more than one visit to amass a full day's worth of observation. You must find and schedule the classroom to be observed. You may observe in pairs, but in no larger groups. Be sure to get advance permission from the classroom teacher.
In advance of the observation day, select one of the following topics to observe:
On the day of the observation, take good notes on what you are noticing in the classroom regarding your topic.
You will be graded on your written report (if you do this as a team and elect to submit a joint authored paper, then both members get the same grade. You may, however, observe together but write separate reports).
The report should use the following structure:
This project is intended
to give you experience applying theory and research to a case study analysis.
Your case will be from literature. You will be required to read a
novel, biography or autobiography in which at least one of the main characters
is an adolescent (for at least a significant portion of the text).
You will be supplied with a list of books from which to choose. (A separate
handout will explain t his assignment further.)
You will be required to
read the entire book and write a report analyzing the selected adolescent
character. You must use at least three different psychological concepts
in your analysis and you must clearly demonstrate how the text material
demonstrates the concept. In doing so, you must rely on scientific
evidence for the concept (see section on Observation above). This
evidence must come from your text, and (for each concept) a second source
published in a scientific research journal.
This project is to be done
individually.
Participation:
9% of your final grade will be based on participation. You are expected to actively contribute to this course through your attendance, participation in class discussions, and fulfillment of all required activities.
Academic honesty:
You are expected to engage in all assigned course activities honestly. It is especially important to understand plagiarism. Plagiarism is any time you represent someone else's work as your own. This can occur through copying another's writing and not putting it in quotation marks and indicating the source. This can occur by collaborating on individual assignments. This can occur by having someone else write a paper for you.
There will be no toleration of any form of academic dishonesty. Your submitted work will be taken as your pledge that it was done honestly.
Please sign this page and return it to the instructor
as a commitment to fulfill the requirements of this course honestly and
consistently with principles of academic integrity.
SIGNATURE: ____________________________________
DATE: ______________________
EP 211