Overview
Psychology 5100 is a variable topics upper division seminar for psychology majors. The purpose of this course is to allow psychology majors to explore a special topic in an in-depth, discussion-oriented seminar. This particular seminar will focus on the interface between culture, child development research, and public policy. We will explore current issues related to child development (such as day care, school violence, childhood sexual abuse, and TV viewing) and examine what developmental psychology research has to say about them. We will also examine our own cultural assumptions about what is "best" for children - how does America differ from other cultures in the way we raise children? How do we feel about mothers working outside of the home? What is the source of racial differences in IQ test scores? How do we feel about gays and lesbians being given custody of children? Is television responsible for the outbreak of school violence? What does developmental psychology research have to say about those questions, and what should we do about it? My goal for this course is for psychology majors with an interest in child development to learn to think in a critical and socially-conscious manner about their own views on child development and culture, and the political implications of those views.
Students do not have to hold any particular political, social, or religious
beliefs to be successful in this course. It is hoped that students will
share a variety of viewpoints with courtesy and with an open mind toward
the views of others. All that is required is an interest in child development
and a willingness to examine psychological research on potentially controversial
topics.
Required Books
Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children, by Betty Hart and Todd Risley. Paul H. Brookes Publishing, 1995.
Lives across cultures: Cross-cultural human development, by Harry W. Gardiner, Jay D. Mutter, & Corinne Kosmitzki. Allyn & Bacon Publishing, 1998.
We will also read a selection of journal articles.
Prerequisites
This course is designed for upper-division psychology majors. It will be a challenging, discussion-oriented course where students are expected to share their opinions. It will not be passive, so if you are looking for a class where you can doze off and just take notes, this is probably not for you. Students need to have completed PSYC 2980, and preferably 2990. You will be expected to be able to read primary research articles and interpret the statistics, so if you have not taken 2980 yet, you need to drop. Students who have already taken PSYC 4220 (Developmental) will be at somewhat of an advantage, but extensive prior knowledge of developmental psychology will not be assumed. However, if you haven't had Developmental, you might want to review that chapter in your Intro Psych book, or read the sections in the "Cultures" book a little more carefully.
Exams
There will be three exams in the course. These exams will include multiple
choice, short answer and essay questions. They will each be worth 100 points.
The second and third exam will be cumulative (although emphasizing recent
material).
Term Paper and Class Presentation
You will write a 9-12 page term paper on a topic of interest to you
that is related to this course. The paper must include references (books
and journal articles). Topics for papers must be approved; a short proposal
is due October 1. A list of five references is due October 22. The paper
is due in class on November 22. You must turn in a copy of the first page
of your five primary sources, and whatever you consider your best source
for your paper, you must turn in a complete copy of that entire article
or chapter along with your paper. In addition, you will make a short (10
minute) informal presentation to the class on the topic of your paper.
These presentations will take place during the month of November. The paper
is worth 100 points and the presentation is worth 50 points. Information
from the presentations will be included on the final exam.
Small assignments
There will be a few small assignments and papers spaced throughout
the semester that will be designed to reinforce learning of certain concepts.
You will evaluate a local day-care center and write a paper on it; you
will interview two people on their views on child development, and you
will visit a web site and answer a few questions. In addition, we may have
some short quizzes to reinforce material. These quizzes will be announced
ahead of time (unless the class is not completing reading assignments,
in which case I will give pop quizzes). These small projects will total
to 50 points.
Grading
Grades in the course will be determined based on your final percentage
of the 500 possible points (e.g., 90% of 500 possible points is 450 points
for an A, etc).
Extra Credit
You may receive up to 10 points total extra credit for bringing in
newspaper, magazine, or internet news stories about topics related to class.
The article you bring in needs to be related to that day's topic. To receive
the extra credit, you will need to turn in the article, plus a 1-page,
typed, description of it including the full reference and a brief written
summary. In addition, you will need to speak briefly to the class about
it, and give your opinion on the implications of it. You will receive 2
points per article brought in. You may bring in a maximum of one article
per day.
A Grade of "Incomplete" is
not an option except in extremely rare circumstances, and must be approved
by the instructor. It is not an option if you are failing the course.
Borderline Grades will not
automatically be "bumped up." Decisions about curving will be made only
at the end of the semester, after examining the final distribution of grades,
and on a case-by-case basis. The factors I will take into consideration
in assigning a grade in borderline cases include attendance, quality of
class participation, and whether assignments have been turned in on time.
Students with disabilities
should see me as soon as possible, and provide a letter from the UGA Disability
Services Office describing what special accommodations you might require.
I will make every effort to meet those needs.
Attendance and preparation for class
are required because class participation is a critical component of success
in this course. You are responsible for all class content and announcements
(e.g., reading assignments, instructions, explanations, schedule changes)
whether you are present or not. It is important that you complete reading
assignments before coming to class because lectures, discussions, and activities
assume you are already familiar with the material. Attendance will be taken
on a random basis throughout the semester. The UGA Academic Affairs policy
reads, "Students are expected to attend classes regularly. A student who
incurs an excessive number of absences may be withdrawn from a class at
the discretion of the professor." (available
online). Poor attendance will also
reduce your likelihood of a borderline grade being "bumped" up.
Professional behavior is
required. It is expected that each student will contribute to the learning
environment of the class. Behaviors such as late arrivals, off-task conversations,
studying for other classes, and reading the newspaper disrupt other students'
abilities to concentrate, and will not be tolerated in this classroom.
Professional behavior also includes adhering to the UGA rules for academic
honesty (available
on-line). Penalties for academic dishonesty, including cheating and
plagiarism, can include a grade of "F" for the course and expulsion from
the university. Your minimum penalty for cheating or plagiarizing
in this class will be a grade of "0" on the affected assignments. We will
discuss plagiarism in detail later in the semester, but it usually involves
either copying phrases or ideas word for word from an article into a paper
you are writing, or overusing quotes in a paper you are writing. In either
case, you are substituting someone else's ideas and thoughts for your own.
Assignments completed outside
of class must be typed or computer printed, double-spaced, printed in black
ink, with a basic 12-point font, 1 inch margins, and stapled - no paper
clips, folders, or binders please. Titles and pertinent information (name,
date, course and instructor) may be placed either on a cover page or at
the top of the first page. Please put your full name and a page number
on every page of every paper you turn in; these may be included either
in a header, or handwritten neatly if your computer or printer doesn't
do headers easily. Every assignment that is completed outside of class
time will be strictly graded for grammar and spelling, in addition to content.
(Spelling errors will not be penalized on exams, as long as it is clear
what word you intended to spell). Remember to keep a copy (photocopy or
disk copy) of every assignment you turn in.
Late Assignments. Assignments
are due at the beginning of the class period on the due date. Late assignments
will be penalized ½ a grade on the due date and one letter grade
each business day after that. Late assignments should be placed in a manilla
envelope and placed either under my office door or brought by my lab (Psychology
room 101). The psychology department main office will NOT put them in my
mailbox. Please note that excuses such as "my computer or printer broke
down" cannot be accepted. All pieces of modern electronic equipment
have special sensors that are programmed to break down whenever the user
is in a hurry or stressed out. Don't wait until the last minute to print
out an assignment.
Missed Examinations. Out of fairness to the other students in class, it is not my policy to schedule makeup exams except in cases of involvement in University-sponsored activities, or emergencies (which will require documentation from the Student Affairs office). Such situations will be resolved at the instructor's discretion on a case-by-case basis. Missed exams will result in a grade of "0".
Specific feedback on drafts of papers
will generally not be given. I will be happy to look over a draft
and see if it conforms to the basic format required for an assignment,
and to answer any questions you have about the assignment. But I won't
read (or correct) your papers before they are due.
Getting Help. Please see
me if you are having trouble or have any questions. I am available after
class, over the phone, or through email, and I will be happy to schedule
appointments with you at any time. I don't schedule extensive office hours
for two reasons: (1) students very rarely show up for scheduled office
hours, and (2) due to the nature of my research, I need to spend free blocks
of time in my lab. However, I am on campus nearly every day and will schedule
appointments whenever needed. In the event that something drastic (such
as a severe illnesses or family emergency) affects your performance in
all of your classes, contact the office of the Vice
President for Student Affairs at 542-3564, or stop by 201 Academic
Building.
Sep. 13 - Two generations interview paper due (15 points)
Sep. 22 - Exam 1
Oct. 1 - Term paper proposal due
Oct. 6 - NAEYC web site assignment due (10 points)
Oct. 13 - Day Care evaluation paper due (25 points)
Oct. 22 - list of 5 references (books and journal articles only) for
term paper due
Oct. 27 - Exam 2
Nov. 22 - term paper due
Dec. 15 - final exam
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| Week |
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|
| 1 | M 8-23 | syllabus | |
| W 8-25 | Intro to Developmental Psych | Cultures 1; Reading 1 | |
| F 8-27 | Cultures 3 | ||
| 2 | M 8-30 | Cross-cultural views of development | Cultures 2 and 5 |
| W 9-1 | Cultures 6 and 7 | ||
| F 9-3 | Cultures 8 - Plan for interview project | ||
| 3 | M 9-6 | no class; Labor Day | |
| W 9-8 | guest speaker, Bonnie Dow
historical views of children |
Readings 2 and 3 | |
| F 9-10 | start Meaningful Differences (MD) | MD 1 and 2 | |
| 4 | M 9-13 | MD; discuss papers | interview paper due
MD 3 and 4 |
| W 9-15 | MD | MD 5, 6, and 7 | |
| F 9-17 | finish MD | MD 8 and 9 | |
| 5 | M 9-20 | review | |
| W 9-22 | exam 1 | ||
| F 9-24 | no class; Lilly Fellows Retreat | ||
| 6 | M 9-27 | Children's poverty & Head Start programs | Readings 4 and 5
plan day care evaluation paper project hand out NAEYC web site assignment |
| W 9-29 | Reading 6 | ||
| F 10-1 | Readings 7 and 8
term paper prospectus due |
||
| 7 | M 10-4 | Prenatal teratogens | Readings 9 and 10 |
| W 10-6 | Reading 11
NAEYC web site assignment due |
||
| F 10-8 | no class; conference | ||
| 8 | M 10-11 | Day care | Reading 12 |
| W 10-13 | Reading 13 | ||
| F 10-15 | discuss day care project | day care evaluation paper due | |
| 9 | M 10-18 | Sexual orientation | Readings 14, 15, and 16 |
| W 10-20 | Reading 17 | ||
| F 10-22 | list of 5 references due | ||
|
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| Week |
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|
|
| 10 | M 10-25 | review | |
| W 10-27 | exam 2 | ||
| F 10-29 | no class; go Dogs! | ||
| 11 | M 11-1 | presentations begin | |
| W 11-3 | |||
| F 11-5 | |||
| 12 | M 11-8 | ||
| W 11-10 | |||
| F 11-12 | |||
| 13 | M 11-15 | ||
| W 11-17 | |||
| F 11-19 | |||
| 14 | M 11-22 | presentations end | term paper due |
| W 11-24 | no class; Thanksgiving | ||
| F 11-26 | no class; Thanksgiving | ||
| 15 | M 11-29 | False memory and children's testimony | Readings 18 and 19 |
| W 12-1 | Reading 20 | ||
| F 12-3 | children's tv | Reading 21 | |
| 16 | M 12-6 | violence | Readings 22, 23, and 24 |
| W 12-8 | review | ||
| F 12-10 | no class; Reading Day | ||
| FINAL | W 12-15 | final exam, 12-3 pm | |
1. Two generations interview paper (due Sep. 13)
The purpose of this paper is to determine generational changes in American's
thinking about children and child development. We will develop a list of
questions as a class, and your assignment is to find two individuals to
interview who come from different generations. You could choose a parent,
a grandparent, a friend, an aunt or uncle. It's fine to do the interview
over the phone. Whoever you interview should be at least 18 years of age,
OR, be a parent (if you happen to know a teenage parent). Also, your two
interviewees should be at least 20 years apart in age. Your assignment
is to ask them both the same set of questions, then write a short (3-4
page) paper summarizing their answers and their different (or similar)
philosophies. You don't have to include their responses word for word,
but rather you should summarize and evaluate them (although it's fine to
use a direct quote if it's particularly representative). Your paper should
include your evaluation of what, if any, differences in generational views
of children their responses indicate. We will discuss the papers in class.
2. Term paper proposal (due Oct. 1)
I'd like you to email me your ideas about your term paper sometime before
the middle of September, and I can give you feedback on them. On October
1, I'd like you to turn in a one-paragraph typed description of the idea
you are planning on for your term paper and presentation. Describe what
your main points of your paper and presentation will be. Since the paper
is limited to 9-12 pages, you cannot cover a topic in a great amount of
detail, so you'll need to narrow your focus somewhat.
It is important to note that the topic of your paper must address either
cultural considerations in child development, current public policy issues
or controversies in the field of child development, and/or political /
public policy implications of child development research. For example,
a research paper on "attention deficit disorder" would not be an acceptable
topic, but a paper on the ethical and medical considerations associated
with the increased use of Ritalin would be. In this example paper, you
would have to cover some basic issues of attention deficit disorder, but
the focus of your paper would be describing recent trends in the prescription
of Ritalin and addressing the ethical and medical costs and benefits of
this practice.
3. NAEYC web site assignment (due Oct. 6)
You will visit the web site of the National
Association for the Education of Young Children and will answer a list
of questions on a handout that will be distributed in class. This organization
is responsible for providing guidelines for child care centers, to promote
safe environments and optimal child development. The information you find
at this web site will be helpful for you in the Day Care evaluation project
(described below).
4. Day Care center evaluation paper (due Oct. 13)
Your assignment is to visit a local day-care or child care center and
evaluate it according to the standards set forth by the NAEYC. This may
be a center located in a building, or a home-based child care setting.
In addition to observing the environment there, you should attempt to interview
the director or a teacher there and obtain as much information (brochures,
pamphlets) from the business as possible. We will discuss which centers
each of you are thinking about contacting so that we don't have 30 people
going by the same center. You should call the center first to find out
what are good times for you to come observe; you probably don't want to
go during nap time. Be sure to make a note of any center that doesn't allow
you to come observe!
We will develop a list of criteria by which to evaluate the centers
in class. Your job is to evaluate the center both in terms of how they
are doing in regards to the NAEYC criteria, and also your "subjective"
feeling about the environment. If you had a child, would you send them
there? Why or why not? Your paper should provide facts about the center
and its environment (types of toys, cleanliness, child-teacher ratio, racial
mix of children and teachers), and also your subjective evaluation of the
environment, the climate for children, the atmosphere. We will discuss
the project in class.
5. Term paper list of 5 references (due Oct. 22)
The (minimum) five references I want you to turn in for this assignment
need to consist of only journal articles and book chapters. Journal
articles must be "primary" sources - that is, they must report research
conducted by the authors of the articles. Book chapters are considered
"secondary" sources - the writer of a book chapter summarizes research
conducted by many other people. Journal articles have an introduction,
a method section (describing the people who participated in the research
and the procedures used), a results section describing the actual findings
and statistics used to analyze the data, and a discussion section.
For this list of 5 references, you need to have at least two journal articles (more is fine). In addition, because I want you to be reading current research for this paper, at least three of your references need to be dated 1990 or later (unless I specifically approve otherwise). Although you may change the specific references you use later, your primary sources for your final term paper will need to consist primarily of recent journal articles and book chapters. I will give you feedback and suggestions. You will probably want to use the "PsycINFO" database to search for articles, which can be found through Galileo at the library
On this list that you turn in for this assignment, and in your final
term paper, you will need to use APA format for the citation. Your textbook
provides examples of how to document references in this way, the library
has information, and I will go over it in class later in the semester.
Good online sources for APA format are http://owl.english.purdue.edu/Files/34.html
or http://www.library.pima.edu/apa.htm
While the internet is a very valuable source of information, it is also
a "catch-all" - there is no guarantee that information obtained on the
internet is current or accurate. Journal articles go through a process
called "peer review" in which other scientists evaluate the work before
it is published, and book chapters are typically summarizing research from
peer-reviewed journals. For this reason, you may only use one internet
source as a source of facts or information in your final term paper, and
you need to email me the web site address so I can check it out and approve
it. For example, for a paper on anorexia, a position paper published at
the American Psychological Association's web site would be an acceptable
source; a list of symptoms listed on "Bobbi Jo's anorexia support group
home page" would not be. An exception to this, however, is for news
stories - it is fine to include internet citations from reputable news
sources such as the CNN web site or the New York Times to show current
issues or current news related to a topic. But these should be "accents"
in your paper, and not the primary sources of information. You will need
a solid base of journal articles and book chapters as the backbone of your
research paper.
6. Term paper (due Nov. 22)
I've set a range of 9-12 pages for your term paper. This is a rough
guideline - your paper needs to be long enough to cover the points you
want to make, and to do it well. I think this will take at least 9 pages,
but a well-written 8 page paper will receive a higher grade than a poorly
written 12 page paper. I really don't want to read over 12 pages; if your
paper is longer than that, then I think you're trying to do too much in
it.
I want the paper to include not only a summary and synthesis of the
research you've found, but also your assessment of it. Your job is to pull
a bunch of research together to tell a story, but your opinion should come
through as well. Because of this, it is fine with me for you to write some
of the paper in first person (use the word "I"). What might work well for
this would be to include a section towards the end of the paper that evaluates
the research conducted so far, and suggests future areas of research that
should be explored.
When you turn in your paper, you must also turn in a copy of the first
page of your five primary sources, and whatever you consider your best
source for your paper, you must turn in a complete copy of that entire
article or chapter along with your paper. So, you need to decide what are
your five most useful sources for your paper (and they must be book chapters
or journal articles, at least 2 journal articles, and at least 3 dated
1990 or later, unless I've given approval otherwise). For four of these
articles, turn in the title page (including abstract if applicable), and
for whichever one you consider the "best" and which you used the most in
the paper, turn in a copy of the entire article, including references.
These should not be stapled to the paper, but attached to it with
a large paper clip. Put your name on the title page of all articles.
Two notes about plagiarism. Plagiarism results from passing off the
words and ideas of another as your own. The first way that students do
this is by lifting passages from articles they've read basically phrase
for phrase, but simply changing a few words here and there. This is unacceptable.
You need to rewrite and rephrase ideas to make them your own, but still
give the citation for where the information comes from. Some students,
then, who are worried about plagiarism go to the opposite extreme and use
direct quotes excessively. You should use direct quotes sparingly.
A direct quote should only be used as an "accent", to highlight a particularly
well-worded phrase or idea - something that you could not have said better
yourself. But your paper should have a very small number of direct quotes,
if any. Good writing is like baking a cake - you have to compile the ingredients,
put them together, let them "cook" for a while, and then the final product
is a combination of all the ingredients, but doesn't look like any of the
individual parts. You'll get an F on any plagiarized paper.
Some other professors have developed web sites that outline what plagiarism is, and how to avoid it. You should check them out if you have ANY questions whatsoever about what plagiarism is.
http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/bpg/plagiarism.htm
http://webware.princeton.edu/Writing/wc4g.htm
http://sja.ucdavis.edu/sja/plagiarism.html
7. Oral presentation (date to be assigned sometime in the month of November)
We'll have a random drawing to assign dates for the oral presentations,
and then you are free to trade among yourselves. The purpose of the oral
presentation is for you to share what you've learned with the rest of the
class. You are the "teacher" that day. This should involve a presentation
of the research you've read, and also your evaluation of it. Your purpose
in the presentation is to educate the rest of the class on the topic, and
to give them the important "take-home messages" from this line of research.
Depending on the number of students in the class, we may have 3 or 4 presentations
a day, so you should plan to talk about 8-10 minutes, and leave a little
time for questions. It takes practice to get a talk into an allotted amount
of time, and if we are pressed for time, I will have to cut people off
at their time limit.
You need to prepare a one-page handout and make copies for everyone in the class (including me). This handout should contain the main points of your talk and some references (and possibly web sites) where they could go for further information if they want to learn more. I would suggest that you prepare at least one or two overheads for your talk; graphs or figures are especially helpful to have on overheads.
1. Segall, M. H., Lonner, W. J., &
Berry, J. W. (1998). Cross-cultural psychology as a scholarly discipline:
On the flowering of culture in behavioral research. American Psychologist,
53, 1101-1110.
2. Hernandez, D. J. (1994). Children's
changing access to resources: A historical perspective. Social Policy
Report: Society for Research in Child Development, 8 (1).
3. Ambuel, B. (1995). Adolescents, unintended
pregnancy, and abortion: The struggle for a compassionate social policy.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 4, 1-5.
4. Huston, A. C., McLoyd, V. C., &
Garcia Coll, C. (1994). Children and poverty: Issues in contemporary research.
Child Development, 65, 272-282.
5. Pollitt, E. (1994). Poverty and child
development: Relevance of research in developing countries to the United
States. Child Development, 65, 283-295.
6. McLoyd, V. C. (1998). Socioeconomic
disadvantage and child development. American Psychologist, 53, 185-204.
7. Ripple, C. H., Gilliam, W. S., Chanana,
N., & Ziglar, E. (1999). Will fifty cooks spoil the broth? The debate
over entrusting Head Start to the states. American Psychologist, 54,
327-343.
8. Ramey, S. L. (1999). Head Start and
preschool education: Toward continued improvement. American Psychologist,
54, 344-346.
9. Streissguth, A. P., Barr, H. M., Bookstein,
F. L., Sampson, P. D., & Olson, H. C. (1999). The long-term neurocognitive
consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure: A 14-year study. Psychological
Science, 10, 186-190.
10. Alessandri, S. M., Bendersky, M., &
Lewis, M. (1998). Cognitive functioning in 8- to 18-month-old drug-exposed
infants. Developmental Psychology, 34, 565-573.
11. Tesman, J. R., & Hills, A. (1994).
Developmental effects of lead exposure in children. Social Policy Report:
Society for Research in Child Development, 8 (3).
12. Scarr, S., Phillips, D., & McCartney,
K. (1990). Facts, fantasies, and the future of child care in the United
States. Psychological Science, 1, 26-35.
13. Scarr, S. (1998). American child care
today. American Psychologist, 53, 95-108.
14. Patterson, C. J. (1995). Sexual orientation
and human development: An overview. Developmental Psychology, 31,
3-11.
15. Baumrind, D. (1995). Commentary on
sexual orientation: Research and social policy implications. Developmental
Psychology, 31, 130-136.
16. Strickland, B. R. (1995). Research on sexual orientation and human development: A commentary. Developmental Psychology, 31, 137-140.
17. Patterson, C. J. (1992). Children of
lesbian and gay parents. Child Development, 63, 1025-1042.
18. Bruck, M., & Ceci, S. J. (1997).
The suggestibility of young children. Current Directions in Psychological
Science, 6, 75-79.
19. Leichtman, M. D., & Ceci, S. J.
(1995). The effects of stereotypes and suggestions on preschoolers' reports.
Developmental Psychology, 31, 568-578.
20. Bruck, M., Ceci, S. J., & Hembrook,
H. (1998). Reliability and credibility of young children's reports: From
research to policy and practice. American Psychologist, 53, 136-151.
21. Huston, A. C., Watkins, B. A., &
Kunkel, D. (1989). Public policy and children's television. American
Psychologist, 44, 424-433.
22. O'Donnell, C. R. (1995). Firearm deaths
among children and youth. American Psychologist, 50, 771-776.
23. Tate, D. C., Reppucci, N. D., &
Mulvey, E. P. (1995). Violent juvenile delinquents: Treatment effectiveness
and implications for future action. American Psychologist, 50, 777-781.
24. Osofsky, J. D. (1995). The effects
of exposure to violence on young children. American Psychologist, 50,
782-788.
childhood sexual abuse - what are the long-term
effects?
the recovered or "false" memory debate
cultural differences in child care policies
the 2000 presidential campaign and the
candidates' stances on child-related issues
how the state of Georgia compares to other
states on child-related issues
pesticide use and children's health
resiliency - why do some children in bad
environments turn out OK?
race and IQ (The Bell Curve)
parental consent to abortion for minors
are the first 3 years of life really that
important in how children develop?
the "Mozart Effect" (are there benefits
of children listening to classical music?)
media violence and its effect on children
the recent outbreak of school shootings
- how could they be prevented?
legal issues related to trying children
as adults in the legal system
Page last modified August 12, 1999
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