Faculty Contact Information:
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The best way to contact me is via email. I check my email on a regular basis, will reply as quickly as possible.
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Consultation:
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I am normally free immediately before and after class. Please feel free to schedule an appointment with me if the aforementioned time slots are problematic.
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Required Texts and Readings:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed). Washington, DC.
Santrock, J.W. (2006). Life-Span Development (10th ed). Boston, MA: McGraw Hill.
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Supplementary Readings:
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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.
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Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
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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.
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Course Goals:
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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.
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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.
6. Have enhanced self-awareness of personal strengths, interests, and abilities.
7. Be familiar with ethical issues in developmental psychology.
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Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90 - 100%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F 69% and Below
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade "F" is used to designate academic failure. "FN" 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, available in your local Education Center or online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs.
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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:
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:
Attend class on a regular basis: Mandatory
Participate in classroom discussions: Mandatory
Write one graduate-level paper: 40% of final course grade
Complete three written examinations: 60% of final course grade
Detailed information regarding the written paper and examinations will be provided the first class session.
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Description of Course Requirements:
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Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the onsite classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an eight-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most fourteen-week graduate distance education courses require at least ten hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Students are required to conduct and write a literature review (APA format, 10 to 15 pages in length, 10 to 15 referenced articles selected from professional, refereed journals) for successful completion of EDUC 507. The specific topic of this paper must be relevant to the topic matter of the course (i.e., human growth and development), and must be cleared with the course instructor in advance. Further details regarding this paper will be discussed in class.
This paper should be of professional quality, including appropriately cited works of others and avoidance of plagiarism. Resubmission of coursework 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. APA style is mandatory for all graduate counseling course work. Anticipate spending approximately 150 hours over the duration of this course to produce this professional level work.
Complete one or more written examination(s): The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used in this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
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Course Schedule:
This schedule is tentative, and may be modified by the course instructor as circumstances deem necessary. Please complete all reading assignments before the appropriate class sessions.
Week #1 (10/29 – 11/4)
Topics: Introduction to the science of life-span development
Reading Assignment: Chapters 1 and 2
Week #2 (11/5 – 11/11)
Topics: Prenatal development and birth
Reading Assignment: Chapters 3 and 4
Week #3 (11/12 – 11/18)
Topic: Physical, cognitive and socioemotional development in infancy
Reading Assignment: Chapters 5, 6, and 7
Note: Exam #1 (Chapters 1 through 7) will be held the final class session of Week #3.
Week #4 (11/19 – 11/25)
Topics: Physical, cognitive and socioemotional development in early childhood
Reading Assignment: Chapters 8 and 9
Week #5 (11/26 – 12/2)
Topic: Physical, cognitive and socioemotional development in middle and late childhood
Reading Assignment: Chapters 10, 11, and 12
Week #6 (12/3 – 12/9)
Topic: Physical, cognitive and socioemotional development in adolescence and early adulthood
Reading Assignment: Chapters 13, 14, and 15
Note: Exam #2 (Chapters 8 through 15) will be held the
final class session of Week #6.
Week #7 (12/10 – 12/16)
Topics: Physical, cognitive and socioemotional development in middle adulthood
Readings: Chapters 16, 17, and 18
Week #8 (12/17 – 12/23)
Topic: Physical, cognitive and socioemotional development in late adult, death and grieving
Readings: Chapters 19, 20, and 21
Note: Exam #3 (Chapters 16 through 21) will be held the final class
session of Week #8.
Note: Written paper will be due the final class session of Week #8.
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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.
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Faculty Bio:
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By education and inclination, I am a cognitive scientist, with a doctoral degree in psychology taken from the University of California, Riverside (1994). From 1995 to 1997, I served as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the American University in Cairo (Egypt). From 1997 to 2000, I served as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the American University of Sharjah, located in the United Arab Emirates. From 2000 to 2003, I lived in the Eugene, Oregon area, and served as a Research Associate with the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology, a non-profit organization funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. During this latter period, I also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon, and Oregon State University. In August of 2003 I joined UMUC, and from 2003 to 2005 served in Tokyo, Japan as an Associate Professor of Psychology. In August of 2005, I transferred to the European division of UMUC and have since served as an Associate Professor of Psychology at various military bases located in Italy, Germany, and Kuwait.
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