Faculty Contact Information:
Thomas J. Sommerfield, Ph.D.
Phone: 07251-69998
email: tsommerfield@faculty.ed.umuc.edu
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Consultation:
| For "class issues," wait for class discussion. For personal questions or concerns, please e-mail me (or call - if critically important). If you email me, you can expect a response at class or within a short period. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
| Santrock, J.W. (2004). Life-Span Development. Boston, MA: McGraw Hill. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students’ research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
| This course places emphasis on the study of the characteristics of human growth at each stage of development. Special emphasis will be placed on counseling in various settings, including schools. Instruction and practice in the writing of a case study report is also given. Students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: EDUC 507 or EDCP 605. Prerequisites: All undergraduate foundation courses. | |
Course Goals:
| This course is designed to enable students to become familiar with the dynamic aspects of human growth and development over the life span. It will assist students in preparing for the comprehensive exam and will prepare them for professional practice with people of all ages. | |
Course Objectives:
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At the conclusion of the course, the student will be able to:
1. Identify the main concepts and theories of human development postulated by prominent developmental psychologists.
2. Identify the determinants of physical, cognitive, and social/ psychological human growth and development.
3. Be knowledgeable about the nature and need of the individual at every level of development.
4. Be familiar with current research in the field of human growth and development.
5. Have an understanding of how to work with children, adolescents and adults in any setting. | |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90 -100 Points
B 80 – 89 pts
C 70 – 79 pts
F Below 70 points
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Classroom Discussions, Participation, & Taskings....50 points
Developmental Autobiography.........................30 points
Presentation of autobiography.......................20 points
Total............................................. 100 points | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Participate in classroom discussions: (50 points) You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner. Usually this requires two to three hours of additional for every hour of a face-to-face class and approximately ten hours of preparation per week for a DE class. This course will encourage you to apply the theories presented to your own life experiences and allow for your own questioning, analysis, and growth. Sharing those experiences adds the "richness" to learning the theories of human development and growing personally and academically in this course.
Write graduate level papers or case studies: (30 Points) You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. Plan on committing approximately 150 hours over the duration of this course to producing professional level deliverables. The autobiography will be written throughout the course duration, compiled, presented, and turned in for a grade. You will clearly integrate (and reference) the theories presented in the Santrock text while sharing your own life experiences in your autobiography.
Orally/visually present prepared material: (20 points) You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In a face-to-face course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. You will share your autobiography (to some degree) with the class while discussing the specific theories presented.
CONFIDENTIALITY - Because self-analysis is so important to promote the understanding of ourselves, and therefore important to counseling, each of you will be introspecting and analyzing yourselves. This is a course that will involve some self-examination and some degree of sharing personal information with the class. Therefore, students must be sensitive to the right to privacy of other students. It is important to be discrete and appropriate in your personal sharing in our "classroom;" therefore, be VERY mindful of what personal information you discuss outside of class. It is important to self-disclose about yourself; BUT ALSO, to be very mindful of what you share in "class" (during your presentation) and NOT to share those personal things that you might regret sharing, at some later point. Further, you must be sensitive to the privacy of your fellow students, and that all information shared REMAINS CONFIDENTIAL! During the first week of class, you MUST review UMUC’s topic, titled "Self-Disclosure and Confidentiality" and AGREE TO the terms of self-disclosure and confidentiality in this course. | |
Course Schedule:
This schedule presents four weekends with the second weekend only one day. Due to meeting only seven total days as opposed to eight, our classes wil begin at 0900 and end at 1700 (as opposed to 1600) each day.
Weekend 1: 11 & 12 June 2005
Introductions
Review of syllabus
Clarification of goals, objectives and requirements
Life Span Developmental Perspective - Chapters 1 & 2
Beginnings - Biology, Prenatal Development & Birth - Chapters 3 & 4 Infancy - Physical & Cognitive Development - Chapters 5 & 6
Weekend 2: 26 June 2005
Infancy - Socioemotional Development - Chapter 7
Early Childhood - Physical, Cognitive, & Socioemotional Devlopment - Chapters 8 & 9
Middle & Late Childhood - Physical, Cognitive, and Socioemotional Development- Chapters 10 & 11
Weekend 3: 16 & 17 July 2005
Adolescence - Physical, Cognitive & Socioemotional Development - Chapters 12 & 13
Early Adulthood - Physical, Cognitive & Socioemotional Development -Chapters 14 & 15
Middle Adulthood - Physical, Cognitive & Socioemotional Devlopment -Chapters 16 & 17
Weekend 4: 30 & 31 July 2005
Late Adulthood - Physical, Cognitive & Development -Chapters 18 & 19 Late Adulthood - Socioemotional Development -Chapter 20
Endings - Death & Grieving - Chapter 21
Special Topics & Conclusion
Student Presentations
Course Evaluation | |
Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
Dr. Tom Sommerfield earned his A.A. in General Studies, a B.S. in Psychology, and a M.Ed. in Counseling & Personnel Services all through University of Maryland programs. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Family Psychology with Capella University. His primary interests are with children, parenting styles, divorce issues, and children’s exposure to media and/or domestic violence.
Dr. Sommerfield has lived in the Heidelberg, Germany area for about 18 years since leaving high school and joining the U.S. Army. After four successful years as a soldier working in a psychiatric department, he has been working as a "civilian" in the Heidelberg military community since 1990. He is married and has a beautiful little family. His son Jerome Thomas is five and his daughter Sydney Joy is three.
When not working, he has "another side of life" while drumming in a very successful music project in the Heidelberg/Karlsruhe area. If interested in surprising him at a show, please visit their site to check the "termine" or schedule at: www.sammy-goes-nuts.de
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