Professor: Dr. P. Schulze

Email: Schulze@uakron.edu

Phone: 972-7725

Office: 215J Schrank Hall South

Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 10:45 – 12:00 and by appointment

This syllabus should be viewed as tentative and subject to change as necessary.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: The primary goal of this course is to acquaint students with the most influential theories of child development. Evaluation, comparison, and application of the theories will be emphasized.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: At the end of this course, students will be able to:

· define the term “theory” and its major functions

· define the term “development”

· understand each of the major theories discussed in class

· critically evaluate and compare theories

· apply each theory to issues of practical importance

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY: This is a theory course—a course about ideas. In order to appreciate these ideas, we all must be able to tolerate a certain amount of ambiguity. This includes being able to accept others’ viewpoints (as long as they are defensible and well articulated) even if they differ from one’s own point of view. I see this course as primarily student driven, with my role as a facilitator of student learning. Your desire to learn is essential to the success of this course, and your individual interests and goals will drive the content of discussions and assignments. Because of this student-oriented approach, we all must be flexible and prepared to accommodate the needs and goals of the group as a whole as we achieve each of our individual goals. You must also be aware that the success of failure of this course in meeting your goals ultimately depends on you, the student, and your own active involvement in the learning process.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:

Thomas, R. M. (2005). Comparing Theories of Child Development. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Dixon, W. E. (2003). Twenty Studies that Revolutionized Child Psychology. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

Fulwiler, T. & Hayakawa, A. R. (2005). Pocket Reference for Writers (2nd Ed.). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

-AND/OR-

American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological

Association (5^th Ed.). Washington, D.C.: Author.

COURSE WEBSITE: http://www3.uakron.edu/schulze/610 - ALLANNOUNCEMENTS, INSTRUCTIONS, AND GRADING RUBRICS ARE REQUIRED READING

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

Weekly Assignments - For each class period, answer the questions provided about the assigned readings, including any of your own thoughts/ideas/questions about the theory. The entire assignment should be 2-3 pages in length, typed, double spaced, 12 pt font, 1” margins. Pages should be numbered. Submit all assignments via email to the instructor. Only 12 of the 14 possible assignments are required—one additional assignment may be completed for 5 points extra credit. Students who are presenting will not turn in assignments on their presentation days

Assignments must be submitted by email. Email assignments will be accepted as long as the above requirements are met and they are received by 4 pm on the due date. The email assignment will only be considered submitted when you receive a reply from the instructor that states that it was received. Submitting by email is risky in that servers can be troublesome with such activity. It is the student’s responsibility to keep a hard copy and a saved copy in case transmission is faulty. There is no other alternative method for submitting assignments; assignments left in the instructor’s mailbox will not be graded.
Grading of written assignments: Assignments are reflection activities; it is anticipated that students will earn most or all of the points so long as assignments are turned in on time. The instructor reserves the right to deduct points based on adherence to instructions, quality of work (including grammar and spelling), presentation, and insight. The instructor also reserves the right to hand back work that ungrammatical, awkward, or reflects poor knowledge of the theory for a redo. If the student chooses not to rewrite the assignment by the following week, the student will receive a grade of 0 for that assignment.
Late assignments will be given half credit maximum and must be submitted by the Monday following the original due date.
Redone assignments will be given 75% credit maximum and are due the Monday following notification of need to redo. It is the student’s responsibility to turn in his/her assignments and to make sure that they have been received by the instructor.

Participation - Participation includes, but is not limited to, attendance, preparedness (through completing all assigned readings), and active participation in class discussions and, when necessary, with the instructor outside of class. Students are encouraged to contact the instructor outside of class with any comments, questions, or concerns they may have pertaining to the class.
In-Class Presentation - Each student is responsible for one in-class presentation lasting approximately 45 minutes. Presentation topics and dates will be assigned by the instructor.
Term Paper - Based on the needs and goals of each individual, you (in consultation with the professor) will choose topic of interest that relates to one or more of the theories that is discussed in this course. All paper topics must be approved by me; no paper will be accepted for a grade unless you have consulted with me on your topic and I have approved it. A proposal outlining your idea for a paper and at least three potential references to use in your paper must be submitted no later than Sep 13. A rough draft of at least 10 pages must be submitted no later than Oct 11. Your term paper must have a minimum of 15 pages of text (this does not include cover pages, figures, references, appendices, or anything else that is not the actual text of the paper; the paper must be double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman or Times font, with 1 inch margins). You will use APA style throughout your paper. Term papers are due no later than Dec 13th, the last day of classes. Please submit via email. You are expected to start work on your term papers early, therefore there is no valid excuse for late term papers.

Important: Term papers that are ungrammatical or that do not use APA format will not be accepted. It is therefore of the utmost importance that you proofread your papers carefully before handing them in to be graded.

Plagiarism and other forms of cheating will result in immediate disciplinary action. For more information on disciplinary proceedings and the student code of conduct, go to: http://www.uakron.edu/studentlife/sja/codecon.php.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS, POINTS, AND DUE DATES:

REQUIREMENT	POINTS	DUE DATE
Assignments	12* (15 pts each) = 180 pts	Each Monday by 4:00 p.m.
Participation	20 pts
Presentation	100 pts	See course schedule
Term Paper:	200 pts. Total
Proposal	25 pts.	Sep 13
Rough Draft	75 pts.	Oct 11
Final Paper	100 pts.	Dec 13
TOTAL POINTS	500 pts.

*Only 12 assignments are required.

GRADING SCALE:

Compute your percentage by dividing the total number of points earned by 500 (the total number of points possible).

≥ 92% A	88-89% B+	78-79% C+	68-69% D+
90-91% A -	82-87% B	72-77% C	62-67% D
	80-81% B -	70-71% C -	60-61% D -