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Psychology 302
COURSE SYLLABUSRequired Text: Steinberg, L. (2008). Adolescence (8th Edition). New York: McGraw Hill. Instructor: Patricia A. Jarvis, Ph.D. Course Objectives: The purpose of this course is to provide you with an understanding of adolescent development as it occurs within the contexts in which adolescents grow up. To understand how adolescents develop in contemporary society, we will examine the world in which adolescents live, how they process information about their world, and how that world affects their behavior and social relationships. After taking this course, you should be able to: 1) Understand the role of theories in explaining adolescent development including psychoanalytic, sociocultural, cognitive-behavioral, and contextual approaches. 2) Understand the concept of "adolescence", and ages that define the stages of this period of development. 3) Appreciate the diversity of disciplines—psychology, sociology, medicine, education, and ethology—that contribute to the field. 4) Appreciate the ethical issues adolescent researchers encounter when working with this population and sensitive topics (e.g., puberty, sexuality, peer social competence). 5) Describe different research methods (e.g., event sampling, observational methods) and developmental designs (e.g., cross-sectional/longitudinal) adolescent experts use. 6) Understand the difficulties in establishing strong conclusions about adolescent development and how study results are sometimes hard to generalize to the larger population. 7) Describe how applied professionals (e.g., educators, clinicians) use research in this area to guide interventions. 8) Understand how research findings and theory (e.g., information processing theory) apply to everyday life (e.g., processing information). 9) Apply theory/research to everyday life in student activities, for example, how part-time work serves as a context for adolescent development. 10) Appreciate the value of research in guiding theory development and practice. 11) Understand how adolescent behavior and development may be influenced by communities, ethnicity, and culture. 12) Appreciate how different contexts (e.g., family, peers, schools, work, media) influence development. 13) Know the major psychosocial outcomes of adolescent development. Your knowledge of the course objectives will be assessed via in and out of class written assignments and four examinations as described below. Grading There will be four required non-comprehensive exams that may consist of multiple-choice and short answer essay questions. Each exam is worth 100 points. Make-up exams will be allowed for excuses I deem valid but ten points will be deducted for taking an exam late. The grading scale for exams is: 90 - 100 = A, 80 - 89 = B, 70 - 79 = C, 60 - 69 = D, below 60 average = F. For final course grades, 90% or better of the points earned merits an A, 80% - 89.5% a B, 70 – 79.5% for a C, 60-69.5 for a D and below 60% will result in an F for the course. You are also required to conduct an approved field experience relevant to the course and write a 3-5 page report of your work. You must choose from my list of activities (below) but notice that you may design your own activity as well, although I must approve it for ethical concerns and to make sure it is a parallel effort to the other activity choices. You will be asked to indicate which activity you are committed to do on Wed, January 30. The grade will be on a 100-point scale and will be based on degree of integration of course material and clarity of written expression. Select one of the activities below , and provide a typed final report of the activity to me on Friday, April 18 at the beginning of class. Late and/or un-typed papers will not be accepted. The four exams count 20% each and the required written assignment is worth up to another 20% for 100% of the course grade. You may also earn extra credit through a variety of mechanisms announced in class (attending talks announced in class related to the course material and writing reaction papers to them, correctly answering attendance check quizzes, etc.). These points will be added to your exam four grade. Some will be based on work in class including group activities while others will be based on work you do outside of class and then we discuss in class. That is, you will need to be in class before, during, and after certain discussions we have to get credit for these extra assignments. Class attendance is essential for success on these assignments and they cannot be made up as they are for extra credit. To compute your course grade, simply add your exam grades and your written assignment grade and divide the total by five. Grade Dispute Procedures After reviewing an exam and your grade, you may write a rebuttal on any multiple choice item in which you believe your answer should be counted as correct. You must do this within two weeks of being informed of your grade for a particular exam. Your rebuttal must be typed. Please include your name and social security number and indicate: 1) The item number and the form of the test you took; 2) The letter of the key answer or the answer given in class for the question; 3) The letter of the answer you put; 4) A paragraph explaining why you believe your answer should be counted as correct (caution: do not just complain, rather explain!). Rebuttals that cite pages of the text or dates of the lectures prompting your answer will be given preference. Rebuttals are voluntary and compulsive students should avoid rebutting every question missed. If you recognize an answer as obviously wrong, do not write a rebuttal for it. If you wish to discuss grading of essays, you will need to see me during my office hours or by appointment. Email me for an appointment if you need one. Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: If you are a graduate student (meaning you have completed an undergraduate degree) you must complete an approved activity (see me). You must also obtain a 93% in the course for an A, 86% for a B, 79% for a C, and 71% for a D. Any grade below 71% will be an F. Cheating Policy: Instances of cheating (including but not limited to plagiarism and cheating on exams) will result in failure of the course and referral for disciplinary procedures that may result in dismissal from the University. Special Accommodation: Any student in need of a special accommodation should contact 438-5853 (voice) or 438-8620 (TDD). General Guidelines, Expectations and Suggestions: 1. Class attendance is required. Please attend every class. You cannot obtain missed notes from me. Also, you are responsible for announcements that are given in class (ex: regarding activities, etc.). I will try to plan interesting discussions and activities to make this class one you do not want to miss. I encourage you to actively participate as well, rather than to sit back passively absorbing material through osmosis and then reflect at the end of the course that this was a boring class. The class has the potential to be very good given the diversity of interests typically represented in this class as I have experienced it in the past years. I hope that you will feel comfortable asking questions and contributing as appropriate and that your contributions will be informed by the course material. Hopefully you will find the material provoking enough to comment on. While I would prefer that your comments were made to all of us, I welcome any discussion you wish to have with me in or out of class related to the material and I do not mind if you make an occasional comment in class to your neighbor (except during exams!). However, sustained talking that is disruptive will result in a warning to the individuals involved and may result in those individuals being asked to leave class if necessary. It is my expectation that we will all conduct ourselves in a professional manner (so please do not read the Vidette while class is in session or copy missed notes or study for another class and always turn off your cell phone while in class - no text messaging either) and be respectful of one another (so please do not put your feet on the back of the seat in front of you and do not leave your garbage in class). Failure to meet these expectations and behave in a professional manner may result in appropriate disciplinary procedures including failure of the class.That is, inappropriate behavior may negatively influence your grade at my discretion. You can expect that I will be prepared for class and will provide you with up-to-date interesting learning experiences about this topic that I love. You may use a lap top for note taking but much of our class is discussion so copious notes are not needed. You may not use any electronic devise during class time for any use not directly relevant to the class (you may not check email or text message or surf the net). Again, failure to meet these expectations will result in appropriate disciplinary action beginning but not limited to a meeting with me and the chair of the department and possible failure of the course. 2. The assigned reading handed out the first day of class should be done before coming to class. You may have some questions prompted by the reading, and you will be offered chances to ask them and discuss the material. Class lectures and activities will in no sense cover all the material in the book. Class activities may supplement, highlight, or bring in something entirely different from what is in the text. Exams will cover material from both the text and the lectures/activities (as well as movies, class activities, guest lectures, etc.). 3. All questions about grades must be handled before the last day of classes. There will not be any office hours during final exam week. There is no point in asking for any grade consideration as you earn your grade. I do not give grades. I merely record what you earn. It is inapproriate to ask for extra assignments that the rest of the class do not have a chance to do. Such requests will not be granted. 4. In spite of the grim warnings ... the course should be very enjoyable. This is my one of my favorite classes to teach and as a member of the review board for the Journal of Youth and Adolescence and for the Journal of Pediatric Psychology; I am very up-to-date on what is happening in this field and what the hot topics are. The text is excellent and very current, but demanding. I look forward to getting to know your interests in this field of study. 5. Please feel free to actively discuss any of the material covered either in the text or by me in class, during my office hours, or by appointment as you choose. 6. I wish you the best for a very successful semester! Psychology 302 Developmental Psychology: Adolescence Dr. Jarvis Adolescent Development Integrative Field Experience As stated above you are required to conduct an approved field experience relevant to the course and write a 3-5 page report of your work. You must choose from my list of activities (below) but notice that you may design your own activity as well, although I must approve it for ethical concerns and to make sure it is a parallel effort to the other activity choices. You will be asked to indicate which activity you are committed to do on Wed, January 30. The grade will be on a 100-point scale and will be based on degree of integration of course material and clarity of written expression. Select one of the activities below , and provide a typed final report of the activity to me on Friday, April 18 at the beginning of class. Late and/or un-typed papers will not be accepted. Your paper must have a solid introduction and an analytical conclusion (one small paragraph will not do here). Also, the quality of writing is of major importance as well (e.g., grammar, paragraph construction). Grading is primarily dependent on integration of course material with activity chosen, however if there are more than three grammatical errors, typos, etc. per page, the work will not be deemed acceptable and will not receive any credit. In addition, lengthy interview passages or quotes from the textbook simply take up space and must be avoided. If you use an interview, your interview questions must be appended. Double-space your 3-5-page report (use 1 inch margins and 12 point font). Please proofread your work. I have some sample reports you may view during my office hours or by appointment if you like. Given the size of the class, I do not require rough drafts and cannot accommodate reading one for every student but if you need extra help with your work you may request it and I will be happy to do what I can depending on how many such requests I have at the time of your request. I also encourage you to seek help with writing from the University Center for Learning Assistance. Note: For an interview, you must inform your participants of the purpose of the interview (for a class assignment), that their participation is voluntary, that they do not have to answer questions they feel uncomfortable answering, that they may discontinue the interview at any time, and that their answers will be completely anonymous. In addition, your interview questions must focus on the issues outlined in the assignment. 1. The Heinz Dilemma Using the Heinz dilemma (you can find this in many text books and in the library) developed by Kohlberg, interview two people who are politically aligned with the Republican party, two who are aligned with the Democratic party, and two who claim to be Independents. You may be able to locate volunteers through campus student organizations. After interviewing your volunteers as Kohlberg did, try to assess their stage of moral reasoning. For variations on this activity, you might try interviewing a male and a female in each group or a freshman and a senior in each group to see if your subjects reflect gender or developmental differences. Write a report summarizing your results. Indicate whether the responses of your subjects fit with findings on larger samples presented in the text. Finally, describe what you have learned from the experience of questioning people about their moral reasoning. Relate your findings to the course material and class discussion for credit. 2. Adolescents in the Workplace Develop a survey for adolescents asking them about their experiences in the world of work. Include questions on how many hours per week they work, how much adult supervision and/or interaction they experience, how much they feel their job is preparing them for an eventual career, and how much training was needed to obtain the job. Let me see your survey at this point and I will offer suggestions to help you. Then administer the survey to at least three adolescents. Begin by identifying an adolescent at a shopping mall who appears to be of working age (16) and introducing yourself. Explain that you would like to ask them some questions as part of a class assignment, but they must be currently employed. Assure your subjects that their responses will be confidential. Summarize your results in a report on the effects of work experiences on adolescent development. Use information in the chapter on Work to help you prepare your survey and interpret your data for credit. Include the survey responses with your final report. 3. Interviewing Adolescents about Peer Groups Interview several preadolescent and adolescent people about their perceptions of peer groups. To get an idea of the variety of peer groups existing at school from the late elementary through high school years, ask the following question: "Are there different groups of people at your school, different kinds of kids who hang around together?" To find out about typical characteristics, behaviors, and attitudes of each peer group, ask: "How can you tell that they're a group?" The question, "What are some of the ways that groups influence people?" will help you assess each youngster's understanding of peer group functions and processes. Finally, to gain insight into the emotional significance of peer acceptance, ask: "Why would someone feel it's important to be in a group?" How might they feel if they weren't accepted?" Record the responses of the youngsters. Refer to them as you write a report summarizing how characteristics and conceptions of peer groups change from late childhood into adolescence. Use course material in interpreting your findings for credit and do not survey relatives or people you already know. Include your “data” with your final report. 4.Developmental Changes Interview Design an interview and give it to an adolescent (between ages of 12-and 17) and someone who is over 70 (find people you do not already know - I can help you do this). Find out about his or her adolescent experience and how it is similar to or different from that of adolescents today. You may want to ask questions that tap into school activities, homework experiences, curriculum, part-time work experiences, dating relationships, etc. Ask both individuals what they see as the main difference between being a teenager today vs. 50 years ago and whether or not adolescence today is more or less challenging and why? Relate your findings to course material and include a copy of your interview with your report. 5.The “Real” World Design an interview and interview several young adults who have just started working in the “real world.” What are the things that they like or dislike about their new situation? What were their experiences going into this transition and how has reality changed these expectancies (you might want to ask them about financial security, ability to get along with co-workers, job satisfaction, etc.)? Do they believe their educational training prepared them very well for coping with the realities of a first job? Relate your findings to the course material and include a copy of your interview with your report. 6. Schools Go back to high school and interview one or two of your high school teachers (favorite or least favorite!). Ask them to indicate to you what problems and challenges face adolescents today vs. in previous years. Ask them to provide their opinions on teaching styles, classroom climates, and the value of teaching the basics vs. “real world” curriculum. Do they favor or not favor part-time work experiences for teens? If the teacher could start over again, would they go into teaching as a vocation? Relate your findings to the course material and include a copy of your interview with your report. 7.Come Unplugged We live in a high tech society. What was life like before MTV, The Young and the Restless, CD-ROM, America On-Line, the Internet, and the X Files? Your assignment (and this will only work if you do not have a roommate) is to unplug your television for as long as possible (if you cannot do this for more than a couple of days do not choose this assignment). In addition, no computers (stay off the internet and e-mail) or video games (except for word processing so you can write this paper!). Your VCR also has to go and no taped “talking books.” The use of any other form of entertainment is OK during this time period (e.g., radio, reading, cinema). The week before you unplug, keep a careful diary of your activities (e.g., studying time, use of other forms of media, exercise, etc.) and them record your activities during the deprivation period. This could be a really fun, and insightful assignment (if you dare take the challenge and stick with it). Relate your experience to relevant course material as applicable in your report. Submit your diary with your final report. 8. Psychosocial Problems If you were an adolescent in this community and you had a problem then where would you go? Choose a problem that is of interest to you (e.g., substance abuse; depression; abuse; eating disorders) and find out where an adolescent can get help in this area for the problem. Contact a professional working at one of these facilities and talk with them in general about the problem, its incidence, whether or not the problem appears to be getting better or worse; possible roots of the problem; etc. Does this information parallel what's discussed in the book? 9. Professional Placement Want to get some professional experience that's highly relevant for this class? How about volunteering your time for a local agency that has contact with adolescents (e.g., PATH; Rape Crisis Center; etc.) and do this for your student activity. Your write-up must entail how this experience promoted your own development, how the experience dovetails with class, etc. Confidentiality is important, thus, please avoid detailed accounts of your one-on-one experiences with adolescents. 10. Relevant Reading on the Adolescent Experience Select a book on the adolescent experience from a list of approved readings I will offer you at your request, read it and report on the book for the activity (again, integration of course material is a must). This experience is more than a book report. You must reflect your knowledge of the course material in your reflections on the book you read. You may suggest a book to me as well if you like and after I have a chance to assess it for this assignment I will let you know if you may use it for the field experience. It is expected that you will read a book for this experience that you have not previously read, that the book chosen speaks to the adolescent experience, and that your book choice is approved by me so that I can be sure I have read it before I read your paper. 11. Design Your Own Activity If you would like to create an activity for the class that is different from any of the above activities, please see me and I will inform you of the procedures for obtaining ethical approval for your activity. You will need to provide me with such approval prior to my agreeing for you to complete the activity. I encourage you to pursue this option if you have a special interest that is not covered in any of the activities I have provided (I may ask you for permission to include it in the future!). Ask me about the following portrayal of adolescents!
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