PSYC 230-01, Principles of Development: Adolescence and Young Adulthood, Spring 2006

Abstract

A. Content/Knowledge Objectives Students will be expected to acquire a familiarity with current theories of adolescence and early adult development, and to evaluate the evidence relevant to them. This will involve • Learning concepts, terminology, and methods used by researchers in this area • Learning to evaluate theories and evidence critically, and to participate in discussions about the important questions in the field. • Learning to apply the theory and research we cover to matters of social and educational policy that affect the welfare of adolescents. B. Student Skills to be Developed The assignments and the use of class time in this course focus on exercising skills and dispositions required of professionals in adolescent psychology. These include: • Learning to formulate your own questions and hypotheses in professionally sophisticated formats, and learning to find relevant information for addressing those questions. Students will be encouraged to give special attention to course material that stimulates their own interests and questions. • The ability to contribute to a productive discussion both by expressing your own ideas and by facilitating the development and expression of others' ideas. Students should be mindful of preparing themselves to join an important national discourse concerning the well-being and the education of our youth. • The ability to find and evaluate a body of scientific research relevant to a well-defined question, and to write a review of those findings in standard professional style.