Spring 2021 - PSYC 250 D100

Introduction to Developmental Psychology (3)

Class Number: 2056

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: TBA, TBA
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 17, 2021
    Sat, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    PSYC 102.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Considers the psychological and physical aspects of human development from conception through middle childhood. Topics include social, emotional, language, cognitive, perceptual and physical development.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course will be taught Asynchronous.

This course will provide you with a general introduction to major theories, research and methods in developmental psychology. Although I emphasize general connections, you must also know the details of the empirical evidence in order to understand the scope of the findings and the theories they support. We will cover topics such as prenatal and infant development, communication and language, attachment and early relationships, the media, and concepts and relationship with nature. In my own research, I study how experience early in life (specifically culture) shapes cognitive and social development therefore we will take a cross-cultural approach to many questions throughout the course.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

At the end of this course, you will be able to, 1) think critically about theories, methods, and research in developmental psychology, 2) outline the theoretical perspectives and guiding themes in the field, 3) describe empirical evidence and how it fits with current debates, 4) identify key points in an empirical research article and summarize them concisely, and 5) evaluate evidence and situate it within a broad framework.

Grading

  • Midterm Exam: 30%
  • Paper: 30%
  • Final Exam: 40%

NOTES:

Midterm: Students are responsible for all lecture material, including slides and videos, as well as textbook readings up to the midterm examination. The midterm examination will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and one or two short essay questions and constitute 30% of your final grade. You will write your midterm ONLINE during the scheduled class time on TBD. You will have the entire class time to write your midterm exam. You will receive your grade within 2 weeks via Canvas.

Paper: “BUILD A BABY”: The final paper is worth 30% of your grade and is due on Friday, March 27th before 5pm on Canvas. The paper length is 8-pages double spaced content (excluding title page and references) and must be in APA format. On class 2, you will have a virtual baby! You will receive news of this baby via Canvas. Each week, you will receive news about your baby (up to the midterm exam) and you are required to keep track of this news and write a comprehensive summary describing your child’s developmental journey – incorporating information you have learned throughout the course. The focus of your paper should be to describe development (social, cognitive, motor). Additionally, you may write about the social context but this should NOT be the focus of your paper. You should describe your child in the third person. You may cite your textbook (and you should). You are also required to incorporate 3 additional sources. These must be peer-reviewed journal articles from developmental psychology. Be sure to summarize succinctly any articles you cite. Remember to keep your paper focused on the topic of the course and do not stray into other non-developmental topics. It is okay to focus primarily on one or two topics of interest, but be sure to include all of the developmental information you received about your baby in your paper. More information can be found on canvas by week 2.

Points will be deducted for lack of clarity or scientific writing style, APA errors, as well as spelling and grammatical errors.

Final Exam: Students are responsible for all lecture material, including slides and videos, as well as textbook readings beginning after the midterm exam, until the final exam. The final examination will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and one or two short essay questions and constitute 40% of your final grade. It is not cumulative. You will write your exam ONLINE during the scheduled exam time – TBD. You will receive your grade within 2 weeks via Canvas.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Siegler, Robert S., Saffran, Jenny, Eisenberg, Nancy, DeLoache, Judy S., Gershoff, Elizabeth.  How Children Develop  (Canadian Edition). Worth Publishers, Incorporated


ISBN: 13: 9781319173029

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021

Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).