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PSYC 3331A Child Psychology Spring, 2005 Jan Kennedy, Ph.D. 2262 Carroll Building 12:00 – 12:50 MWF |
PSYC 1101 is a prerequisite for enrollment in this course.
OFFICE
HOURS: 3:00 - 4:00 MW, 9-10 T
or by appointment
OFFICE: 1060A Carroll Building
PHONE NO. 681-5504
E-MAIL
ADDRESS: jkennedy@GeorgiaSouthern.edu
Website: www.GeorgiaSouthern.edu/~jkennedy
TEXT: Hetherington, E. M., & Parke, R. D.
Child psychology: A contemporary viewpoint (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill:
New York.
GOALS: This course is concerned with normal human development,
especially during the first few years of life, emphasizing the interplay among
biological, cognitive, and social factors in the development of the child. We
will discuss psychological theories, research, and application of psychology as
it relates to the development of the child. We will explore how psychologists
think about early development and how they go about finding answers to various
questions concerned with early growth.
TESTS: Four tests will be given (see attached schedule for
dates)during the semester, as well as a comprehensive final exam (5 tests in
all). Tests will consist primarily of multiple-choice, short-answer and
essay-type questions. All exams may cover any assigned material in the course
up to that point. Tests may include assigned materials not explicitly covered
in the class, as well as lecture material not covered in the text. No makeup
exams will be given. If you miss a test, you will receive a "0" on
that test. However, you may drop your lowest test grade (including the final).
Your four retained test grades will account for 85% of your overall course
grade. No one will be admitted to a test session after the first student to
complete the test has left the room. I will keep a running account of your
grade in the course, if you like, on my door, by a code name, so you will
always know where you stand in the course.
"WEEKLY" PROJECTS: On most Wednesdays you will be given
an opportunity to complete a project involving observations of children,
interviews with parents or child care professionals, or other appropriate
observations. If you decide to complete a particular project, the following requirements must be met (absolutely no exceptions):
(1) you must turn in your 2-3 page summary of
your activity the following Monday at the beginning
of class;
(2) you must be present to share your data, observations, conclusions, etc. with
the class;
(3) the paper must be typed.
Unstapled papers will be accepted, but will incur a 20% reduction in your assigned grade for that project. You are
required to complete three of these projects, which together account for 15% of
your grade. I will provide a list of the projects during the first week of
class so that you can plan accordingly.
GRADES: In summary, each
assignment is weighted in the following way:
Assignment Percentage
of Final Grade
Tests (4 highest
test grades) 85
3 Projects 15
Final Grades will be assigned as follows
Grade Average
A
90-100
B
80-89
C
70-79
F Below
60
CLASS ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION: You are expected to be present and on time for each class
meeting. Of course, you are responsible for material covered and announcements
made during your absence from class. Your thoughtful participation in class
discussions will make the course more meaningful to you and make it a more interesting
course for you and your peers. Reading newspapers or materials for other
classes, sleeping, copying missed notes, and other behaviors that are not “on
task” during class sessions are distracting to me and to those around you and
will not be allowed. Please turn off your cell phone before you come to
class. When you are present in class, I expect you to have read the
assignment and be ready to participate in class activities. Just as you expect
me to be prepared for class, I expect you to do your part in preparing for the
learning session.
Class time will be spent primarily with lectures, but practical
exercises, demonstrations and discussions will be included. I welcome your
questions and relevant contributions to class discussions.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Cases of academic dishonesty are dealt with
according to policies outlined in the student handbook. You should note that
the minimum penalty requires a grade of “0” for the assigned task and academic
probation for one term for a first offense. Academic dishonesty involves
representing any work turned in (whether tests, papers, etc.) completed in any
part by others as your own.
ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATIONS: Students seeking academic accommodations
for a disability must follow University policy by furnishing an accommodation
letter from the Student Disability Resource Center (871-1566).
ADMINISTRIVIA: I am very
interested in your getting a lot out of this course and hope that you enjoy it
as well. I will be happy to discuss questions related to the course during my
office hours. If you are not free
during my office hours, we can schedule a meeting at a mutually convenient
time. Generally, when my office door is open, I am happy to see you. However,
when my door is closed, it is a signal that I prefer not to be disturbed or am
not in. I would especially appreciate not being interrupted during the
half-hour before a class when I am reviewing my notes and getting ready for
class. Feel free to e-mail me if you like.
COURSE OUTLINE AND READING
ASSIGNMENTS
Date Topic
Reading Assignment
January
10 Introduction to Course
14 (con’t)
17 MLK Day
19 Research Methods in Child Psychology
21 (con’t) Ch.
2
24 Heredity and the Environment Ch. 3
26 (con’t)
28 (con’t)
31 Prenatal Development Ch.
4
2
(con’t)
4
(con’t)
7
Test 1
11 (con’t)
14 Emotional
Development Ch.
7
18 (con’t)
21 Language and
Communication Ch. 8
23 (con’t)
25 Test 2
Tips on how to make an "A" in this course:
1. Be on time for class. Important announcements are generally made
at the beginning of class. Moreover, it is often difficult too know what is
going on if you miss the first few minutes of a lecture or activity.
2. Read each chapter (at least skim it) before relevant lectures.
This will make the lectures more meaningful and will allow you to know whether
the topic is addressed in the text. I
assume when I lecture that you have read the assigned readings.
3. The same day as the lecture, go over your notes. Either rewrite
them, type them, or simply read them again. This will allow you to make sure
that they are legible and make sense
while the information
is still fresh.
4. Before a scheduled exam, start reading the chapters in detail at
least several days before the test. The tests are very specific. You will cover
a lot of information, and I obviously cannot ask you to tell me everything you
have learned. So I will ask you very specific questions about certain sections
that you have studied. You must read the chapters more
than once to do well
on the tests.
5. The tests generally are made up of about 50% information from
lectures and 50% from your text. Therefore it is imperative that you study
both.
6. Since tests depend heavily upon notes, you must come to class
every day if you expect to do well on tests.
7. Get actively involved in class discussions. Developmental
psychologists certainly don't have all the answers to questions about children,
so input from parents and others who deal with children (as well as former
children) help to make the class more interesting
—especially if you have read relevant sections of the text—and will
make the learning more valuable to you.
8. Plan ahead which projects you intend to do and how you are going
to do them. If you don't have ready access to children, plan on doing projects
that don't require direct interaction
with children. Remember, too, that children get sick, are uncooperative, and go
out of town, so don't depend on doing all of your projects near the end of the
term in case your interviewee is unable or unwilling to participate.
9. After you have written each project summary, read over it again.
Many "A" papers become "B" papers because of misspelled
words, awkward sentence construction, or careless mistakes. Correct these
simple problems to make it an "outstanding" paper.