Course Syllabus
Psychology 1643 - Child Growth and Development
Section 03387 - Fall 2000

The following is a copy of our syllabus. Please read over it carefully, and note exam dates and course policies. The syllabus is intended to be a guide, and the schedule may be changed during the course of the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and indicated on this page, so please keep checking!

Instructor:

Missi Patterson

Phone:223-3403

Voice Mail:223-1795 x23758

Office:RGC Annex, room 250.1

Office Hours:M 5pm - 6pm

Class Web Page:http://www2.austin.cc.tx.us/mpatters/psyc1643

Required Texts:

Berger, Kathleen S. (2000). The Developing Person Through Childhood and Adolescence. (5th ed.) Worth Publishers.

Packet of 3 Journal Articles (Available on Reserve at the RGC Library).

Course Structure:

This class will meet each week and will consist of both lectures and discussions. The lectures will occasionally duplicate material in your text, but very often there will be no overlap. Despite this, reading the assigned material before class will add to your understanding of the material covered in lecture, and is therefore recommended. There will be time during each class to discuss any questions you might have about the assigned chapters. You are responsible for any material discussed in class as well as all assigned readings.

In addition to reading from the text, on three days during the semester, we will review a journal article in class. It is important that you read the article fully before coming to class. You should also bring a copy of the assigned article to class as we will have an in-depth discussion on it.

Our general class schedule will be as follows:

Attendance:

As class participation is integral to the learning process, class attendance will be monitored. Students missing more than two out of our 14 classes will not be eligible for extra credit.

Exams:

Four exams will be given. The first three are non-cumulative and will cover only new information since the last exam. Each of the non-cumulative exams will consist of approximately 30 multiple-choice questions (worth 2 points each) and 5 short answer questions (worth 8 points each) for a total of 100 points. Exams will be given during the first part of our regularly scheduled class, and a lecture will follow each exam.

The final exam will be given on the last day of class (December 11). It will consist of a non-cumulative portion similar to the first two exams (30 multiple choice questions + 5 short answer questions). In addition, it will have a cumulative portion (25 multiple choice questions) covering material from the beginning of the course. The final exam will be worth 150 points. All of the exams will cover material from the journal articles we review.

Class Presentations:

The second to last day of the semester (Dec 4) will be devoted entirely to class presentations. These presentations will serve as our class review for the final, and will cover all of the material covered in the course during the semester. I will create 6 groups based on the six parts of the textbook. Each group will be responsible for presenting a summary of the material covered in class and the text for their own section. The groups will be as follows:

I will assign each student to a group based on their preference. On September 11 (our second class meeting) I will collect your group preferences, and I will make the group assignments at the beginning of the next class.

Each group may choose either to work together, or to divide the material evenly and work as individuals to prepare their presentations. Regardless of the decisions made, each group will have 20 minutes to make their presentation to the class. Presentations should be geared toward helping the class prepare for the final exam, and so may incorporate sample questions, discussions or demonstrations.

Presentations are worth 50 points, and grades will be determined by considering the effectiveness of the presentation (creativity and visual aids are a plus!), and the accuracy of the information presented. The goal is to use our time in a fun and informative way.

Extra Credit:

Extra credit is an opportunity that is afforded only to students with exemplary attendance. Therefore, no student missing more than two of our class meetings is eligible for extra credit.

There will be five chances for extra credit during the semester. First, you can earn two extra credit points simply by visiting me in my office any time before December 4. You may come at any time before this date, but I generally find that coming earlier is better. Second, there will be an additional option for extra credit announced on the first day of class. If you complete this option, you will get 3 extra credit points.

You can also earn extra credit points on each of the three journal article review days. At the beginning of the class period on each of these days, you will be given two simple questions covering the article of the day. You will receive 2.5 points for each question you answer correctly, for a total of 5 points per quiz. (5 points translates to 1 percentage point of your final grade). Quizzes then, allow you to raise your final grade by 3 percentage points over the semester, and with all the opportunities for extra credit you may raise your final grade by 4 percentage points.

You must be present for the entire class period on each of the journal article review days to receive extra credit. No credit will be given to students who turn in the answers late, or who leave before the end of class. These will be your only opportunities for extra credit in the course.

Make-Up Policy:

Make up exams for this class will be given at the RGC Testing Center (please see the attached Student Guide for Using ACC Testing Centers for information). All make ups must be completed before the class meeting following the original exam.

Students who have a documented, college approved excuse for missing an exam may take a make up without any grade penalty. Students who have no excuse for missing an exam may take a make up with a 10-point penalty.

If you miss an exam, please let me know immediately so that I can give a copy of the exam to the testing center in a timely manner.

Grades:

Your course grade will be based on the total number of points you have earned from all four exams plus any extra credit you have received (exam1 + exam2 + exam3 + presentation + final + extra credit). The scale will be based on a total of 500 possible points.

Course Outline:

DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT
Aug 28 Introduction, Intro to development, and Theories Chapter 1 - pp 1-35
Chapter 2 - pp 37-63
Sept 4 No Class - Labor Day No assignment
Sept 11 Heredity and Environment, and Prenatal Development and Birth Ch. 3 - pp 65-97
Sept 18 Prenatal Development and Birth (cont.) and Journal Article #1 - Preference for Infant-Directed Speech Ch. 4. - pp 99-133
Cooper and Aslin (1990)
Return blue and yellow cards, submit group preferences
Sept 25 ******Exam One******
and The First 2 Years: Biosocial Development		 Ch. 5 - pp 137-171
Oct 2 Journal Article #2 - The Nonreciprocating Robot and The First 2 Years: Cognitive Development Dunham, Dhunham, Tran, and Akhtar (1991)
Ch. 6 - pp 173-205
Oct 9 First 2 Years: Cognitive Development and First 2 Years: Psychosocial Development Ch. 6 - pp 173-205
Ch. 7 - pp 207-239
Oct 16 *******Exam Two********
and The Play Years: Biosocial Development		 Ch. 8 - pp 241-269
Oct 23 The Play Years: Cognitive Development and The Play Years: Psychosocial Development Ch. 9 - pp 271-301
Ch. 10 - pp 303-337
Oct 30 The School Years: Biosocial Development and The School Years: Cognitive Development Ch. 11 - pp 339-363
Ch. 12 - pp 365-397
Nov 6 The School Years: Psychosocial Development and Journal Article #3 - Conflict and Friendship Relations Ch. 13 - 399-435
Hartup, French, Laursen, Johnston, and Ogawa (1993)
Nov 13 ******Exam Three*******
and Adolescence: Biosocial Development		 Ch. 14 - pp 437-167
Nov 20 Adolescence: Cognitive Development Ch. 15 - pp 469-499
Nov 27 Adolescence: Psychosocial Development Ch. 16 - pp 501-533
Dec 4 Class Presentations
Dec 11 ***********FINAL EXAM************

If you are having problems in the course, please feel free to come by and discuss them with me. The earlier you come, the more you stand to gain from your visits.

This web interface was designed by Missi Patterson - you can email her at missi@head-gear.com.

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