Summer 2022 - PSYC 250 OL01

Introduction to Developmental Psychology (3)

Class Number: 4804

Delivery Method: Remote

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Online

  • 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 the due date and time TBD 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 – 9am on June 22nd until 9am on June 23rd.  Students will have access to the final exam during this 24 hour period to write the online and timed (90 minutes) exam.  You will receive your grade within 2 weeks via Canvas.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Siegler, Saffran, Graham, Gershoff, & Eisenberg, How Children Develop, (Canadian 6th edition). MacMillan Learning.
ISBN: 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 SUMMER 2022

Teaching at SFU in summer 2022 will involve primarily in-person instruction.  Some courses may be offered through alternative methods (remote, online, blended), and if so, this will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes. 

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote, online, or blended courses 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.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the summer 2022 term.