EDPSY 303
Human Growth and Development
Course Description

Overview

Welcome to Psychological Foundations 303 - Human Growth and Development! This course offers a broad overview of perspectives, principles, theories, and research findings associated with the field of human life-span development. The aim of the course is to provide a foundation of knowledge that will help you become a more effective practitioner, critical decision-maker, and compassionate human being. Concretely, the purpose of this course is to provide experiences that will help you

• acquire a basic, working knowledge of contemporary theories and principles of human development through the lifespan,
• identify and define key concepts and terms employed by specialists in the field to describe the phenomena they study,
• examine some of the ways in which knowledge of human development is produced, evaluated, applied, and modified by scientists, scholars, and practitioners, the media and the public,
• interpret individual and group differences from multiple points of view, employing perspectives that consider psychological and biological principles as well as the broader social, cultural, political, and historical context, and
• articulate and critically evaluate implications of developmental theory and research for educational practice, parenting, social policy formation, and self-understanding.

Course readings and textbook

These vary each semester. FALL, 2004: Annual Editions: Human Development (Karen Freiberg, editor). Check with UNM Bookstore for specific edition ordered for this semester. In addition, you will be expected to have access to a recent human lifepan development textbook. This can be checked out from the library, borrowed from a friend, or obtained at low cost from a used book store or via the internet. It should have been published within the past 5 years. Several texts will be available on reserve at Zimmerman Library.

Course format and general requirements

Attendance is expected. We need your unique, constructive contributions to course discussions and activities! Grading will be criterion-referenced. (More on this in class.) The format of the class will include a range of activities: lectures, class discussions, small group exercises, application assignments, examinations and videotapes. Come to class prepared to discuss, analyze, question, explain, and/or critique the assigned reading materials and projects. Please do not register for more than the recommended number of credit hours this term. It will be difficult for you to do justice to the course subject matter if your schedule does not allow sufficient time for reading, independent inquiry, conversation with peers, and reflection. Assignments and assessments vary slightly from one semester to the next. Detailed information about this semester's class will be provided in class.

Accreditation Information for this course is available online.

Course handouts and background information are available in the Human Growth and Development Archive

For additional information contact: Jan Armstrong (505-277-6427, jka@unm.edu)

Jan's HOME PAGE	HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HOME PAGE	COE	UNM

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Created 8/28/97. Modified 7/4/04 / jka.