1 Psych 350 Child Psychology Time and location Tu Th 1 00 2 15 PM 108 Mahar Course Instructor Dr Lisa S Scott Ph D University of Massachusetts Department of Psychology Email psych350 lscott courses umass edu Course webpage https spark oit umass edu webct entryPageIns dowebct Office Hours Please see graduate TA office hours below If you wish to schedule a meeting with me please schedule an appointment using the above email and specifically state that you would like to meet with me Graduate Teaching Assistants 1 Heather Lavigne Email psych350 lscott courses umass edu Office Hours and Location 2 4 pm Thursdays and by appointment 403 Tobin 2 TA Dana Roth Email psych350 lscott courses umass edu Office Hours and Location 12 1 pm Mondays and by appointment 640 Tobin Undergraduate Teaching Assistants Advanced undergraduate students serve as liaisons between the instructional staff and every student in the class They serve as consultants for presentations facilitators of the weekly Discussion and Review sessions and assistants for the general administration of the course SPARK Students are expected to use the SPARK software program To log onto the course website use the link above On this website you will find the course syllabus various study aids and a course calendar PDF s of class notes will be posted on SPARK at least 1 hour before class Occasional course related announcements will be posted so it is extremely important that you check this site and your SPARK email on a regular basis Required Text Patterson C J 2008 Child Development New York New York McGraw Hill Companies This textbook can be purchased at the University Bookstore 110 00 but you can also purchase an e book for 71 50 directly from McGraw Hill https ebooks primisonline com cgi showebook cgi isbn 0390878642 bookType unselected fulleBook true PRS clickers are also required and cost 52 00 at the University bookstore used for 39 00 Both the PRS clickers and the textbook can be sold back to the bookstore at the end of the semester Three copies of the textbook have been put on reserve at the library Course Content and Goals The primary goal of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to developmental psychology and to the scientific study of development It is intended that this 2 course may serve as a foundation for future courses in Child Psychology Thus a broad range of topics will be covered and no one topic will be covered in depth We will cover the major domains of development biological cognitive social and emotional development from the prenatal period chronologically covering each age of the child in turn This course is not designed to address how to rear children In fact no one way is likely to be optimal for all circumstances Instead the emphasis is on discovering the many different biological and experiential factors that influence behavior and its development Course Format Due to the large size of this class the format of the course will be lecture with in class PRS activities and discussions The course is organized into 5 topics 1 Beginnings Theory and Methodology Genetics Heredity Prenatal Development and Birth 2 Infancy Physical Cognitive and Social Development 3 Early Childhood Physical Cognitive and Social Development 4 Middle Childhood and 5 Adolescence There will be some overlap between the material covered in lecture and the material covered in the book A large part of the lectures however will be used to supplement and elaborate upon material covered in the book Therefore students must complete the assigned readings as well as attend class in order to master the material covered in this course Course Requirements There will be three examinations not cumulative administered during the semester There will also be 1 cumulative final exam We will have in class PRS activities during almost every class You will also have the opportunity to complete extra credit Exams and Final Each exam included the 3 non cumulative exams and the cumulative final will be worth the same amount of points see below and I will drop you re your lowest grade Thus your three highest exam scores of the 4 exams will contribute to the grade you receive in this course Examinations will include multiple choice true false and matching questions In the event that you must miss an exam for a dire emergency you may choose to drop that exam or you may take a make up exam which will be in essay format If a religious holiday conflicts with any of the examination dates you may request an alternative exam administration Such requests must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Teaching Assistants by February 10th In Class PRS Activities During class we will have weekly if not daily PRS activities worth a total of 100 points It is your responsibility to bring your PRS device with you every day to class You will be required to complete 80 of these in class activities in order to receive full credit If you complete between 70 80 of the in class activities you will receive 70 points if you complete 60 70 of the PRS activities you will receive 50 points Lower than 60 participation will receive 0 points If there are multiple activities within a single class I will randomly choose 1 activity to count for that day If you have a legitimate University excuse for missing more than 4 classes please provide a written explanation and appropriate documentation to the Graduate TAs within 1 week of missing your 5th class You should submit your written explanation and documentation to the Excuses folder which is located in the front of the lecture hall If your legitimate excuse results in your PRS score being lower than 80 missing more than approximately 6 classes you will be given the opportunity to make up the points by providing written essay responses for each of missed PRS activities 3 Course Evaluation Your grade for the course will be determined by a combination of exams and in class PRS activities and will be based on the following Exam Points Exam I 100 Exam II 100 Exam III 100 Final 100 PRS In class participation 100 Total Points Possible 400 with lowest exam grade dropped Possible Extra Credit 20 A AB B B 372 400 360 371 348 359 332 347 320 331 C C CD D F 308 319 292 307 280 291 268 279 240 267 239 lower Extra Credit You may earn a maximum of 20 extra credit points in either of three ways 1 participate in Psychology Department research studies maximum of 10 points 2 participate in Discussion and Review sessions associated