This blog space is intended to be an electronic forum for my Developmental Psychology (PSYC2314) class, which meets from 8am to 10:30am in room 238 of the instructional and office building at the Hillsboro, Texas Campus of Hill College.
The purpose is to give students a space to get answers to questions and for the instructor to post class information. Please ask questions by posting comments and I will answer them as soon as humanly possible. Comments are moderated, so any comments are emailed directly to me. Flaming and other general nastiness will not be tolerated, so play nice.
Additionally, if you find articles, videos or websites of interest to the group that are relevant to the scope and content of the course, please feel free to send me the link and I will post it in the area marked "Of Interest," and give you one point of extra credit on your final grade.
It is my hope that you will find the course enjoyable.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Questions? Comments? Curiosities?
Post general questions here. Please remember that all comments are moderated for your privacy. Thanks!
Course Calendar
Wednesday, July 9 – First class day
General Introductions
Discussion: Homework Assignments in Blackboard & How to Use the Blog (http://psyc2314.blogspot.com)
Discussion: Term Project & Writing Guidelines
Chapter 1 – Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Chapter 2 – Theories of Development
Thursday, July 10
Chapters 1 & 2 Homework Due
Chapter 2 – Theories of Development
Chapter 3 – Heredity and the Environment
Monday, July 14
Chapters 2 & 3 Homework Due
Identify Teams & Topics for Class Project
Chapter 4 – Prenatal Development and Birth
Chapter 5 – The First Two Years: Biosocial Development
Tuesday, July 15
Chapters 4 & 5 Homework Due
Chapter 6 – The First Two Years: Cognitive Development
Chapter 7 - The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development
Review for Exam 1 (Chapters 1-7)
Wednesday, July 16
Exam 1
Chapters 6 & 7 Homework Due
Chapter 8 - The Play Years: Biosocial Development
Chapter 9 - The Play Years: Cognitive Development
Thursday, July 17
Chapters 8 & 9 Homework Due
Chapter 10 – The Play Years: Psychosocial Development
Chapter 11 – The School Years: Biosocial Development
Monday, July 21
Chapters 10 & 11 Homework Due
Brief Project Outline w/ Primary References due in Class
Chapter 12 – The School Years: Cognitive Development
Chapter 13 – The School Years: Psychosocial Development
Tuesday, July 22
Chapters 12 & 13 Homework Due
Chapter 14 – Adolescence: Biosocial Development
Chapter 15 - Adolescence: Cognitive Development
Wednesday, July 23
Chapters 14 & 15 Homework Due
Chapter 16 – Adolescence: Psychosocial Development
Chapter 17 – Emerging Adulthood: Biosocial Development
Thursday, July 24
Chapters 16 & 17 Homework Due
Chapter 18 – Emerging Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Chapter 19 - Emerging Adulthood: Psychosocial Development
Review for Exam 2 (Chapters 8-17)
Monday, July 28
Exam 2
Chapters 18 & 19 Homework Due
Project Mock-Ups due in class
Chapter 20 – Adulthood: Biosocial Development
Chapter 21 - Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Tuesday, July 29
Chapters 20 & 21 Homework Due
Chapter 22 – Adulthood: Psychosocial Development
Chapter 23 – Late Adulthood: Biosocial Development
Wednesday, July 30
Chapters 22 & 23 Homework Due
Chapter 24 – Late Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Chapter 25 – Late Adulthood: Psychosocial Development
Thursday, July 31
Chapters 24 & 25 Homework Due
Chapter 26 – Epilogue: Death, Dying and Grief
Review for Exam 3 (Chapters 18-26)
Monday, August 4
Exam 3
Semester Projects
Chapter 26 Homework Due
Review of Final Exam for students with less than “A” Test Average
Tuesday, August 5
Final Exam (Chapters 1-26) for those with less than an “A” Test Average
General Introductions
Discussion: Homework Assignments in Blackboard & How to Use the Blog (http://psyc2314.blogspot.com)
Discussion: Term Project & Writing Guidelines
Chapter 1 – Introduction to Developmental Psychology
Chapter 2 – Theories of Development
Thursday, July 10
Chapters 1 & 2 Homework Due
Chapter 2 – Theories of Development
Chapter 3 – Heredity and the Environment
Monday, July 14
Chapters 2 & 3 Homework Due
Identify Teams & Topics for Class Project
Chapter 4 – Prenatal Development and Birth
Chapter 5 – The First Two Years: Biosocial Development
Tuesday, July 15
Chapters 4 & 5 Homework Due
Chapter 6 – The First Two Years: Cognitive Development
Chapter 7 - The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development
Review for Exam 1 (Chapters 1-7)
Wednesday, July 16
Exam 1
Chapters 6 & 7 Homework Due
Chapter 8 - The Play Years: Biosocial Development
Chapter 9 - The Play Years: Cognitive Development
Thursday, July 17
Chapters 8 & 9 Homework Due
Chapter 10 – The Play Years: Psychosocial Development
Chapter 11 – The School Years: Biosocial Development
Monday, July 21
Chapters 10 & 11 Homework Due
Brief Project Outline w/ Primary References due in Class
Chapter 12 – The School Years: Cognitive Development
Chapter 13 – The School Years: Psychosocial Development
Tuesday, July 22
Chapters 12 & 13 Homework Due
Chapter 14 – Adolescence: Biosocial Development
Chapter 15 - Adolescence: Cognitive Development
Wednesday, July 23
Chapters 14 & 15 Homework Due
Chapter 16 – Adolescence: Psychosocial Development
Chapter 17 – Emerging Adulthood: Biosocial Development
Thursday, July 24
Chapters 16 & 17 Homework Due
Chapter 18 – Emerging Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Chapter 19 - Emerging Adulthood: Psychosocial Development
Review for Exam 2 (Chapters 8-17)
Monday, July 28
Exam 2
Chapters 18 & 19 Homework Due
Project Mock-Ups due in class
Chapter 20 – Adulthood: Biosocial Development
Chapter 21 - Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Tuesday, July 29
Chapters 20 & 21 Homework Due
Chapter 22 – Adulthood: Psychosocial Development
Chapter 23 – Late Adulthood: Biosocial Development
Wednesday, July 30
Chapters 22 & 23 Homework Due
Chapter 24 – Late Adulthood: Cognitive Development
Chapter 25 – Late Adulthood: Psychosocial Development
Thursday, July 31
Chapters 24 & 25 Homework Due
Chapter 26 – Epilogue: Death, Dying and Grief
Review for Exam 3 (Chapters 18-26)
Monday, August 4
Exam 3
Semester Projects
Chapter 26 Homework Due
Review of Final Exam for students with less than “A” Test Average
Tuesday, August 5
Final Exam (Chapters 1-26) for those with less than an “A” Test Average
Class Rules - Don't Make Me Put a Check By Your Name
First things first: This. Is. College. This is NOT 13th grade. It is my expectation that you behave accordingly. These are my personal class rules. They are not suggestions. Following them will help ensure that everyone in the class enjoys an optimal learning environment and may spare you from blatant public humiliation, at which I am highly skilled.
Be prompt. Class begins at 8am. If you are not seated and prepared to begin at 8am, you are late. Period. The door will be locked very soon after class begins and latecomers will not be admitted. Yes, you paid to be here, but so did everyone else. Your tardiness disrupts the workflow of the rest of the group and as such is deemed unacceptable. If you cannot arrive in a timely fashion, seriously consider rescheduling your classes for later in the day or secure an occupation in a field that allows one to come and go as one pleases - if you can find one.
With the exception of a laptop computer to be used for note-taking, turn off all electronics and communication devices before entering the classroom. This includes, but is not limited to cellular telephones, Blackberries, pagers, iPods, PDAs, et cetera. If you are experiencing some life-altering emergency that cannot wait one hour and twenty minutes without communication, please go away and tend to that, as you will be unable to concentrate in class. You will still be responsible for course content for that day.
If you choose to use a laptop computer to take notes (not surf the internet, play solitaire or similarly unrelated pursuits), please mute the speakers and type quietly so that you do not disrupt the learning processes of others around you. It is not necessary to bang the keyboard as if playing "Whack-A-Mole."
This is not a picnic area. Do not eat in class. The sound of your Chee-tos bag rattling is distracting to others, as is the crunching, which has the added benefit of making one appear rather like that person in the cereal commercial who has no idea that he is being fired, and continues ignorantly chewing anyway. Just don't.
Pick up after yourself.
Respect one another. The scope of this course tends to open up long-standing debates about the nature of many concepts. Agree to disagree and move on. Life does not begin when everyone agrees with you.
If I am talking, you should be listening - and taking notes. There will be plenty of time for class interaction, but this is not the time for idle chitchat with your neighbors about who's dating whom, he said/she said, his baby mama, the price of corn or anything else. It is distracting and exceedingly rude. Unless you are experiencing spontaneous combustion or a limb has fallen off your body and you are gushing great gouts of blood all over the floor, it can wait until class is over. Offenders will be publicly humiliated by being openly directed to leave the room.
The Real World does not accept late work. Neither do I. There are no acceptable "reasons" for late work, only excuses. The full course schedule is posted online in this forum and everyone will have copies from the first day of class so there should be no surprises about what is due and when. If you are on your deathbed/having car trouble/sick kid/dead grandma/dog ate homework/ or whatever and cannot possibly bring your work to class, send it with a friend, email or fax it to me directly. I also use Yahoo! or Google chat when asked nicely. If your computer has failed, call me and give the answers over the phone or text message me. Use smoke signals if necessary - whatever it takes. A properly motivated person gets their work turned in on time.
We are now firmly in the 21st century. All word processing software comes with spell and grammar check. Use it before submitting any written work to me. I will stop grading at 5 spelling and/or grammatical errors and your grade will be considered based upon that amount of work, even if all 5 errors occur within your opening sentence.
You are responsible for all content included in the textbook, whether I specifically address it in class or not. The scope of this course is quite broad and cannot be fully addressed in the three hours per week we are allotted, so it will behoove you to thoroughly read the chapters and review the chapter-end review materials, vocabulary words, et cetera. Any or all of it could show up on an exam, so prepare accordingly. You are responsible for the material whether you are in attendance or not. You are also responsible for additional resources that are addressed in class, whether you are in attendance or not. If you miss a class, obtain notes from a class colleague, but prepare to return the favor or pay it forward. If you do not have friends, consult the class blog for course content for that day. Do NOT telephone, email, text message or otherwise contact me to ask, "What did we do in psych class today?" My answer will probably not be to your liking.
Every college course you take will include a "major project." This one is no different. The topic and scope of the project will be announced in class, then posted here. Presentations will be toward the end of the semester, during the last few class meetings before we review for the final exam. You may choose to do the project in groups of 2 to 4 or you may elect to complete it alone. If you choose a group project and have a "slacker" on your team, the entire team will be graded accordingly. Choose wisely.
There are several opportunities to earn extra credit. There will be 1-3 bonus questions on each exam, worth up to 5 points each, depending upon the difficulty of the bonus item. You may also bring in a relevant article to briefly present and discuss with the class for one extra credit point. Up to 10 points extra credit may be earned by performing community service, at the rate of one point per hour served. To claim community service points, please have the supervisor print a note on agency letterhead with their name and contact information, so that I may verify your service hours. This document may be turned after all 10 hours are served and is due no later than the last class day. No exceptions.
Finally, if you have ever seen me for psychotherapy, psychological assessment, or neuropsychological assessment, please keep it to yourself. I am not going to out you, so don't out yourself. If the outcome of your previous assessment was not to your liking, it is too late to do anything about it now. Take it up with the agency that ordered the assessment. They were the ones who made the final decision about the outcome.
Be prompt. Class begins at 8am. If you are not seated and prepared to begin at 8am, you are late. Period. The door will be locked very soon after class begins and latecomers will not be admitted. Yes, you paid to be here, but so did everyone else. Your tardiness disrupts the workflow of the rest of the group and as such is deemed unacceptable. If you cannot arrive in a timely fashion, seriously consider rescheduling your classes for later in the day or secure an occupation in a field that allows one to come and go as one pleases - if you can find one.
With the exception of a laptop computer to be used for note-taking, turn off all electronics and communication devices before entering the classroom. This includes, but is not limited to cellular telephones, Blackberries, pagers, iPods, PDAs, et cetera. If you are experiencing some life-altering emergency that cannot wait one hour and twenty minutes without communication, please go away and tend to that, as you will be unable to concentrate in class. You will still be responsible for course content for that day.
If you choose to use a laptop computer to take notes (not surf the internet, play solitaire or similarly unrelated pursuits), please mute the speakers and type quietly so that you do not disrupt the learning processes of others around you. It is not necessary to bang the keyboard as if playing "Whack-A-Mole."
This is not a picnic area. Do not eat in class. The sound of your Chee-tos bag rattling is distracting to others, as is the crunching, which has the added benefit of making one appear rather like that person in the cereal commercial who has no idea that he is being fired, and continues ignorantly chewing anyway. Just don't.
Pick up after yourself.
Respect one another. The scope of this course tends to open up long-standing debates about the nature of many concepts. Agree to disagree and move on. Life does not begin when everyone agrees with you.
If I am talking, you should be listening - and taking notes. There will be plenty of time for class interaction, but this is not the time for idle chitchat with your neighbors about who's dating whom, he said/she said, his baby mama, the price of corn or anything else. It is distracting and exceedingly rude. Unless you are experiencing spontaneous combustion or a limb has fallen off your body and you are gushing great gouts of blood all over the floor, it can wait until class is over. Offenders will be publicly humiliated by being openly directed to leave the room.
The Real World does not accept late work. Neither do I. There are no acceptable "reasons" for late work, only excuses. The full course schedule is posted online in this forum and everyone will have copies from the first day of class so there should be no surprises about what is due and when. If you are on your deathbed/having car trouble/sick kid/dead grandma/dog ate homework/ or whatever and cannot possibly bring your work to class, send it with a friend, email or fax it to me directly. I also use Yahoo! or Google chat when asked nicely. If your computer has failed, call me and give the answers over the phone or text message me. Use smoke signals if necessary - whatever it takes. A properly motivated person gets their work turned in on time.
We are now firmly in the 21st century. All word processing software comes with spell and grammar check. Use it before submitting any written work to me. I will stop grading at 5 spelling and/or grammatical errors and your grade will be considered based upon that amount of work, even if all 5 errors occur within your opening sentence.
You are responsible for all content included in the textbook, whether I specifically address it in class or not. The scope of this course is quite broad and cannot be fully addressed in the three hours per week we are allotted, so it will behoove you to thoroughly read the chapters and review the chapter-end review materials, vocabulary words, et cetera. Any or all of it could show up on an exam, so prepare accordingly. You are responsible for the material whether you are in attendance or not. You are also responsible for additional resources that are addressed in class, whether you are in attendance or not. If you miss a class, obtain notes from a class colleague, but prepare to return the favor or pay it forward. If you do not have friends, consult the class blog for course content for that day. Do NOT telephone, email, text message or otherwise contact me to ask, "What did we do in psych class today?" My answer will probably not be to your liking.
Every college course you take will include a "major project." This one is no different. The topic and scope of the project will be announced in class, then posted here. Presentations will be toward the end of the semester, during the last few class meetings before we review for the final exam. You may choose to do the project in groups of 2 to 4 or you may elect to complete it alone. If you choose a group project and have a "slacker" on your team, the entire team will be graded accordingly. Choose wisely.
There are several opportunities to earn extra credit. There will be 1-3 bonus questions on each exam, worth up to 5 points each, depending upon the difficulty of the bonus item. You may also bring in a relevant article to briefly present and discuss with the class for one extra credit point. Up to 10 points extra credit may be earned by performing community service, at the rate of one point per hour served. To claim community service points, please have the supervisor print a note on agency letterhead with their name and contact information, so that I may verify your service hours. This document may be turned after all 10 hours are served and is due no later than the last class day. No exceptions.
Finally, if you have ever seen me for psychotherapy, psychological assessment, or neuropsychological assessment, please keep it to yourself. I am not going to out you, so don't out yourself. If the outcome of your previous assessment was not to your liking, it is too late to do anything about it now. Take it up with the agency that ordered the assessment. They were the ones who made the final decision about the outcome.
Project Guidelines
Project Purpose:
Basic page setup:
1" Margins
Times New Roman or similar font (no fancy/fun/weird fonts)
Same font throughout
Font size 12 throughout
Citations:
Journal Articles:
Author, J. B. & Another, T. C. (2007). Title of the journal article. Title of the Journal, (volume#)issue#, 134-145.
Books:
Author, J. B. & Another, T. C. (2007). Title of the Book. City: Publisher.
Websites:
Author, J. B. & Another, T. C. (2007). Webpage Title. Available: http://psyc2301.blogspot.com. Accessed January 17, 2007.
Common writing pitfalls!
Know the Difference!
There - They’re - Their
There - someplace away from the speaker, as in “over there”
They’re - a contraction meaning, “They are.”
Their - a possessive pronoun meaning, “Something belonging to them."
Its - It’s
It’s - a contraction meaning, “It is.”
Its - a possessive pronoun meaning, “something belonging to it.”
- Deepen students’ understanding about psychology topics that pique their individual interests
- Sharpen students’ investigative & critical thinking skills
- Introduce students to APA style
- give students an opportunity to exhibit competence outside of the written examination paradigm
- Pick a topic in developmental psychology that is of interest to you or your group.
- Prepare a 10-15 minute presentation in the manner of your choice to present to the class at the end of the semester.
- Include a complete bibliography formatted in APA style.
- Choose a presentation style that you think best captures the essence of your topic.
- Tell me what YOU think. Don’t just regurgitate what “they” said.
- Have fun and be creative!
- Creativity: 20 points max
- Content: 20 points max
- Clarity: 20 points max
- Bibliography: 20 points max
- Participation: 20 points max
- Identify teams & topics Monday, July 14, 2008
- Short statement/Bibliography Monday, July 21, 2008
- Outlines/Mockups Monday, July 28, 2008
- Presentations Monday August 4, 2008
- approximately 10-15 minute presentation by all team members
- approximately 5 minutes question/answer
- time boundaries will need to be strictly monitored so that everyone has time to present
- The Nature/Nurture Debate
- Daycare: Beneficial or harmful to child development?
- What is intelligence and how do we measure it?
- Is the nursing home environment detrimental to elders?
- Compare/Contrast famous theorists (Piaget/Erickson, et cetera)
- Poster presentation
- PowerPoint/Keynote presentation
- Make up a game/study aid & demonstrate
- Write a song
- Perform a skit
- Movie/Picture montage
- Use proper spelling and grammar
- Cite everything!
- Have fun & be creative - I can't emphasize this part enough.
Basic page setup:
1" Margins
Times New Roman or similar font (no fancy/fun/weird fonts)
Same font throughout
Font size 12 throughout
Citations:
Journal Articles:
Author, J. B. & Another, T. C. (2007). Title of the journal article. Title of the Journal, (volume#)issue#, 134-145.
Books:
Author, J. B. & Another, T. C. (2007). Title of the Book. City: Publisher.
Websites:
Author, J. B. & Another, T. C. (2007). Webpage Title. Available: http://psyc2301.blogspot.com. Accessed January 17, 2007.
Common writing pitfalls!
Know the Difference!
There - They’re - Their
There - someplace away from the speaker, as in “over there”
They’re - a contraction meaning, “They are.”
Their - a possessive pronoun meaning, “Something belonging to them."
Its - It’s
It’s - a contraction meaning, “It is.”
Its - a possessive pronoun meaning, “something belonging to it.”
What It Is - And Is Not
What this class is:
- A very broad view of developmental theories of psychology throughout the lifespan.
- 3 cubic sh*tloads of information crammed into a very short period of time.
- Your personal therapy
- Training for you to "do" therapy, so don't even try.
- A venue for you to analyze Crazy Aunt Hattie, your mother-in-law, spouse, kids, et cetera.
- Your personal social outlet.
- Your project to "convert"everyone over to your pet whatever (religion, multilevel marketing scheme, diet craze, ad nauseum). Life does not begin when everyone agrees with you.
- Your instructor.
- Direct.
- Assertive.
- Intolerant of BS.
- Your mother.
- Your friend.
- Your therapist.
- Responsible for you.
- Tolerant of BS.
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