PSY415 Syllabus

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PSY415 Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Michael Morales

Day & Time: Tuesday & Thursday: 1:30-2:45 p.m.

Classroom: Hawkins Hall 0153B

Office: 222 Beaumont Hall

Phone: (518) 564-3389

E-mail: michael.morales@plattsburgh.edu

Office Hours: Wednesday: 2:00-4:00 p.m. and by appointment

Course Description: This course will examine the period of development from adolescence to early adulthood. We will focus on theory and research that provide insight into normative physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes, as well as into individual variation during this period of development.

Course Prerequisites: PSY311

Required Text:: Steinberg, L. (2008). Adolescence (8^th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

New and used textbooks can be purchased at the College Store. However, if you are short of cash, the textbook is also on reserve in Feinberg Library (i.e., the campus library) at the reserve desk.

Course Objectives:

To provide a greater understanding of some of the basic concepts and theories of adolescent development.
To distinguish between commonly believed information about adolescent development (i.e., that may or may not be true) and information that has been gathered as a result of scientific research.
To provide insight into the developmental needs of adolescents and thus facilitate the identification and possible remediation of potential problems.
To provide a basis for further study and/or application of knowledge gained to the individual student’s personal life and vocation.

Course Requirements:

Exams: There will be 4 exams, each consisting of multiple choice and short answer questions. Each exam will cover material from assigned readings and class lecture for the time period between exams. Each exam must be taken on the day it is scheduled. No make-up exams will be given for missed exams. Instead, students may use the final exam to replace up to one missed exam (if you do not miss an exam, and if your final exam score is higher than a score on one of your 3 prior exams, the final score will replace that low score). Each exam will be worth 100 points. Study guides will be made available 1 week prior to each exam.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you have any special testing needs so that I can do my best to accommodate you.

Extra Credit. You can earn up to 2 percentage points of extra credit during the course of the semester. One percentage point of extra credit is earned by writing a one-page paper that discusses what you learned during a lecture. This is not meant to be a verbatim recall, but rather an opportunity for you to discuss what was relevant to you in that lecture. Each extra credit paper must be turned in no later than one week following the lecture discussed in the paper.

Grades:

Your final grades will be based on the total number of points you earn on the four exams (and any extra credit points you may have earned).

Points: (Exam 1 @ 100 pts.) + (Exam 2 @ 100 pts.) + (Exam 3 @ 100 pts.) + (Exam 4 @ 100 pts.) = 400 points total.

Grading Scale:

370-400

93% or above

A

306-317

77%-79%

C+

358-369

90%-92%

A-

290-305

73%-76%

C

346-357

87%-89%

B+

278-289

70%-72%

C-

330-345

83%-86%

B

266-277

67%-69%

D+

318-329

80%-82%

B-

250-265

63%-66%

D

0-249

0-62%

E

Attendance: Regular class attendance is strongly encouraged. Attendance will be taken regularly, but will not affect your final grade in a formal way. On the other hand, when deciding whether or not to attend class, please be aware that there are objective benefits for regular attendance (i.e., students who attend class regularly do in fact get better grades). Class lectures are designed to augment text material, and to help students gain a greater understanding of the field of Developmental Psychology. Lastly, you are responsible for knowing reading due dates, assignments made in class, and any changes to the course schedule (e.g., change in due date of an exam).

Academic Honesty Policy: The following is reprinted from the 2008-2009 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog, State University of New York, Plattsburgh.

"Academic Honesty Policy

Academic honesty is essential to the intellectual health of the university and the ideals of education. SUNY Plattsburgh expects students to be honest and to conduct themselves with integrity in all aspects of their relationship with the college (e.g., application, transfer evaluation, academic progress review, and credit and non-credit bearing experiences, including regular course work, independent studies, internships, practica, student teaching, and interactions with faculty, staff, and students). Academic dishonesty adversely affects the educational function of the college and undermines the integrity of its programs. Dishonest conduct includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, forgery, and alteration of records, along with any lying, deceit, bribery, coercion, or intimidation for the purpose of influencing a grade or for any other academic gain.

Action against a student determined to have violated the academic honesty policy can range from a reduction of the grade on an assignment, through failure of a course, to suspension or even dismissal from the academic program, the department, or the college. A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be afforded due process through the College Judicial System (See Procedures for Addressing Suspected Academic Dishonesty, available at deans’ offices and at www.plattsburgh.edu/offices/academic/provost/." (p. 34)

SUNY College at Plattsburgh Honor Code Statement for Syllabi: It is expected that all students enrolled in this class support the letter and the spirit of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the college catalog.

Course Reading and Assignment Schedule:

We will try to follow this schedule as closely as possible. Any changes will be announced in class. Otherwise, you will be expected to have read the assigned reading by the date on which it is first discussed.

Week:	Date:	Assignment:
1	Tuesday, Aug. 26	Overview; Course Goals, Objectives, and Requirements
	Thursday, Aug. 28	Introduction; The Study of Adolescent Development
2	Tuesday, Sept. 2	Chapter 1, Biological Transitions
3	Tuesday, Sept. 9	Chapter 2, Cognitive Transitions
4	Tuesday, Sept. 16	Chapter 3, Social Transitions
	Thursday, Sept. 18	Wrap-up & Review; Introduction, Chapters 1-3
5	Tuesday, Sept. 23	EXAM 1, Introduction, Chapters 1-3
	Thursday, Sept. 25	Chapter 4, Families
6	Tuesday, Sept. 30	Chapter 4, Families
7	Tuesday, Oct. 7	Chapter 5, Peer Groups
8	*Tuesday, Oct. 14*	Columbus Day Holiday (October 13-October 14)
	Thursday, Oct. 16	Chapter 6, Schools, Wrap-up & Review Chapters 4-6
9	Tuesday, Oct. 21	EXAM 2, Chapters 4-6
	Thursday, Oct. 23	Chapter 7, Work, Leisure, and Mass Media
10	Tuesday, Oct. 28	Chapter 7, Work, Leisure, and Mass Media
	*Friday, Oct. 31*	*Last day for unrestricted course withdrawal Fall 2008*
11	Tuesday, Nov. 4	Chapter 8, Identity
12	Tuesday, Nov. 11	Chapter 9, Autonomy
	Thursday, Nov. 13	Wrap-up & Review Chapters 7-9
13	Tuesday, Nov. 18	EXAM 3, Chapters 7-9
	Thursday, Nov. 20	Chapter 10, Intimacy
14	Tuesday, Nov. 25	Chapter 11, Sexuality
	Thursday, Nov. 27	Thanksgiving Holiday (November 26-29)
15	Tuesday, Dec. 2	Chapter 12, Achievement
	Thursday, Dec. 4	Wrap-up & Review Chapters 10-12
16	Wednesday, Dec. 10	EXAM 4, Chapters 10-12 held in normal class location from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

If you need a hard copy of the syllabus, print off the pdf version.

For additional important College-wide dates, please see the Official Academic Calendar