Contemporary Research in Human Development

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Describe human development as it unfolds within diverse ecological contexts.
• Identify, describe, evaluate, and critique key research methodologies, analytic strategies, and research findings in the field of human development.
• Critically read, interpret, and synthesize research in order to become an informed consumer and producer of scientific knowledge.
• Further develop skill in academic writing
• Refine skills in critical thinking and communication through guided practice and feedback.
• Apply the understanding of development as the product of a dynamic system of influences, involving reciprocally-determined interactions between individuals and their environments within ecological and historical contexts to the student’s area of research and/or practice.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Weekly discussion questions	20%
Discussion Facilitation	15%
Reaction papers	15%
Focus Paper	15%
Research presentations	15%
Class Participation	10%
Group Presentation	10%

Grading Scale:

Percentage	Letter Grade
93-100	A
90-92	A-
87-89	B+
83-86	B
80-82	B-
77-79	C+
73-76	C
70-72	C-
67-69	D+
63-66	D
60-62	D-
Less than 60	F

Attendance/Participation:

Punctual, consistent attendance is required. Emergencies arise, and it is understood that there may be circumstances that prevent a student from attending a single class session. However, missing two or more classes is a serious problem as in such cases students will have missed a substantial amount of class content. Missing two or more class periods may result in course failure. Any student who is unable to attend class at any point during the semester must contact the professor in advance of the missed class and turn in any work assigned for the session. Students who miss two classes for University-sanctioned reasons will be required to submit a written make-up assignment, to be submitted via Canvas by the last day of class. Students with unexcused absences for two or more classes will not receive a grade higher than C for participation.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

No course materials are required.