Course Syllabus

PSY 1100 Human Development

Course Description

In this course, students learn about the fundamental principles of growth and development from conception through childhood to old age. The course includes the study of the biological process of development, as well as the emotional, social, behavioral, psychological, and cognitive development of the individual within a ethnic/cultural and historical context. This course is cross-listed with HFST 1500.

Justification

This course is designed to give students a basic introduction to the study of human growth and development. The course serves as a prerequisite for a number of classes offered within the Department of Education and Family Studies, as well as majors offered at the college and university levels. Majors include Child Development, Family and Consumer Science Education, Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Family Studies, Nutrition and Nursing. The course currently fills the Social Science general education category at Snow College and other institutions in the Utah State system of Higher Education. Similar courses are taught at USHE institutions.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. The major theories in the field of Developmental Psychology will be discussed and students are required to apply these theories to societal issues and in analyzing an event from their own lives in class discussion and assignments. As part of this analysis, they will also include a discussion on how contexts such as societal norms, historical traditions, and other environmental factors impact their behavior and the behavior of others. Assessment of this knowledge and content will be conducted by the instructor through writing assignments, quizzes, class and digital discussions, and/or through classroom activities.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. The ability retrieve, read, evaluate and interpret current research is an essential part of the social & behavioral sciences. For assignments, students are required to locate and read several articles from professional research journals, read the articles, and then write a summary (abstract) for each article. They will also be asked to identify information that was new to them and describe how they can apply it to their own lives. Students work as groups and collaborate their findings. Assessment of this knowledge is conducted by the instructor though evaluation of students' written and presented findings.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students learn about the facets of human development: multidisciplinary, multicultural, multicontextual, etc. Students apply perspectives from the human development domains (biological domain, psychosocial domain, cognitive domain) to discussion topics, case studies, and in written assignments. Assessment of this knowledge is conducted by the instructor of the writing assignment, class/digital discussion, and/or in-class activity.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. In-class assignments, often completed as a group, give students an opportunity to analyze case studies, design programs and interventions, and critically evaluate their own development and influences. Students think critically through hypothetical and realistic problems and pose solutions and limitations. Assessment of this knowledge and content will be conducted by the instructor through writing assignments, quizzes, class and digital discussions, and/or through evaluation of classroom activities.
5. A student who completes the GE curriculum can communicate effectively through writing and speaking. Students are assigned various writing assignments including a self-reflection essay, a scholarly journal article evaluation, and many other small exercises where clear communication through writing is demonstrated. Assessment of this knowledge is conducted by the instructor.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, students will examine the role history & culture play in determining our thoughts and behaviors. This will be demonstrated through a written assignment and discussions to be evaluated by the instructor. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, students will examine the role history & culture play in determining our thoughts and behaviors. This will be demonstrated through a written assignment and discussions to be evaluated by the instructor.
2. Develop and communicate hypothetical explanations for individual human behavior within the large-scale historical or social context. Students will be able to apply the major theories, historical and contemporary, in the field of Human Development. Using these theories to evaluate a significant event or stage of development from their own lives, students are assigned a written assignment that will be evaluated by the instructor.
3. Draw on the social and behavioral sciences to evaluate contemporary problems using social science research methodology. Students will be able to identify the different methods used in conducting scientific research in the social sciences by designing a research project. This project includes research questions, determining which method would be best suited to answer the question, the cautions and concerns associated with the method selected and the anticipated results. The instructor will evaluate this written and presented project.
4. Describe and analytically compare social, political, economic, cultural, geographical, and historical settings and processes other than one’s own. Topics of poverty, politics and public policy, social conditions, culture/ethnicity, and historical comparison are discussed in class, informally, and in on-line discussions, formally, as moderators in the human condition. Assessment of this knowledge and content will be conducted by the instructor through writing assignments, quizzes, class and digital discussions, and/or through classroom activities.
5. Explain and use the social-scientific method to test research questions and draw conclusions. Students will be able to identify the different methods used in conducting scientific research in the social sciences by designing a research project. This project includes a research question, determining which method would be best suited to answer the question, the cautions and concerns associated with the method selected and the anticipated results. The instructor will evaluate this project.
6. Write effectively within the social science discipline, using correct disciplinary guidelines, to analyze, interpret, and communicate about social science phenomena. Students examine and report on current research of societal/developmental issues in the field of Human Development. Students are required to find articles from professional research journals and summarize the the research and findings. The abstracts are individually created and then combined together as a group to analyze and draw conclusions. Student group presentations and written assignments are assessed by the instructor.

Course Content

Foundational concepts of Human Development include, but are not limited to scientific method, social science research, genetic influences, the first two years, early and middle childhood, adolescence, adulthood, retirement & aging, death & bereavement, and culture, ethnicity, and race. These topics include various perspectives, issues, and backgrounds. The human development course explores the different domains of development across various backgrounds, ages and cultures and is designed to educate students accordingly.