PSY 4230-PSYCHOLOGY OF ADOLESCENCE
COURSE SYLLABUS
SPRING, 2009
Instructor: Dr. Jon W. Smith
Office: Lovinger, 1112
Phone: (660) 543-4378
e-mail: jsmith@ucmo.edu
Textbook: Adolescence (Eighth Edition)
Author: Laurence Steinberg
Class time: 1:00-1:50 M-W-F
Office hours: 9:00-9:50 A.M. and 3:00-3:50 P.M., M-F
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: Belief Statement
The Central educator is a competent, caring, reflective practitioner committed to the premise that all can learn.
Mission
As a cornerstone of the institution for over 130 years, the University of Central Missouri's Teacher Education
Program develops teachers and other school professionals who are well grounded in theory, display competence in
content knowledge and instructional strategies, and possess the dispositions to ensure success for all learners. The
Teacher Education Program prepares individuals as professional educators for an ever-changing, culturally diverse
population. Faculty and candidates provide support and service to schools in meeting their present and future
challenges by developing communities that learn through research and scholarly activities. Educator preparation is a
campus-wide responsibility, a commitment that reflects the honor and worth of serving a vital profession.
Course Objectives:
A. Development of competencies required by the Missouri Coordinating Board of Higher Education
(MCBHE), the university, and the department, which will include reading and assessment of
information, as well as a written presentation of conclusions. Critical thinking skills will be addressed
and utilized. (MoSTEP 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3; DESE Health Comp. 1.8)
B. Acquisition of knowledge in the areas of social and behavioral sciences, including development and
communication of hypothetical explanations for individual human behavior within the large-scale
historical and social context. (MoSTEP 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3; DESE Health Comp. 1.8, 3.3)
C. Develop and demonstrate understanding of basic principles of human development from the beginning
of adolescence, through middle and late adolescence, to the beginning of early adulthood. This will
include understanding major theories, research methods, the sequence and processes of development,
the impact of context and culture, and the joint contributions of biological and environmental
influences. The course will also address all aspects of development—the biological, cognitive,
emotional, and social. Understanding will also be demonstrated through assessment of theory and
research. (MoSTEP 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3; DESE Health Comp. 1.8, 1.9, 2.1, 2.2, 3.7)
Please note! Since Psychology is all about human experience, there will, on occasion, be frank
discussions including topics of sexuality and biology. These discussions are within an appropriate context,
and while humor may arise from them, it is expected that all discussion will remain appropriate (not
hostile, sexist, or directly offensive). If you are offended by such discussion, please speak to me about
exactly what will be covered and how. Prior to the presentation and discussion dealing with biological
and sexual information, you will be allowed to leave the classroom withoutpenalty, and you may return to
the classroom after the presentation and discussion are concluded.
Course requirements and information:
Attendance: Attendance is required and is very important. If a class is missed for any reason, it is the
student’s responsibility to contact the instructor and to obtain any notes or assignments that have been
missed. Please make every effort to be present for all class meetings.
Early Alert: As part of the CAHSS commitment to building a positive, student-centered learning
community that supports the success of every student, the faculty member instructing this course
participates in the UCM Early Alert Program.
ADA: Students with documented disabilities who are seeking academic accommodations should contact
the Office of Accessibility Services, Union 222, (V) (TTY) 660-543-4421.
Tests: There will be three objective (multiple-choice) examinations and an objective (multiple-choice)
final examination. The final examination is the fourth (4th) test, and it is not comprehensive. Each test
will consist of 50 items worth one point each for a total of fifty (50) points for each test. If a test is missed
for a legitimate reason, the student is responsible for informing the instructor immediately upon return to
class, and she or he must request that a make-up examination be scheduled for her or him.
Internet Project: Each student may earn 5 extra credit points that she or he can apply to her or his total
points by completing an optional internet extra credit assignment. The assignment involves accessing
websites on the internet for information on a focused topic dealing with adolescence and adolescent
development. The student will print out the information and write a brief on or two page evaluative report
for five extra credit points.
Library Services: Get help @ your library. You may access your library account, the online catalog,
and electronic databases from James C. Kirkpatrick Library’s web site at http://library.ucmo.edu. For
research assistance, you may contact the Reference Desk:
Phone: (660) 543-4154
Email: reference@libser.ucmo.edu
AIM: JCKL Reference
RefChat: http://library.ucmo.edu/chat
Academic Honest: It is the responsibility of the student to be familiar with and follow University of
Central Missouri’s academic honesty policy. Central’s policy regarding cheating and plagiarism will be
strictly enforced. It is not dishonest for students to share notes and study together. It is dishonest for a
student to copy someone else’s work and turn it in as his/her own, even with the other person’s permission.
For more information, see the University of Central Missouri Calendar/Handbook regarding the Central
Academic Honesty Policy.
PSY 4230-PSYCHOLOGY OF ADOLESCENCE
COURSE OUTLINE
TOPICS
The Fundamental Changes in Adolescence
Chapter 1: Biological Transitions
Puberty: An Overview
Somatic Development
Assignment: Read Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Biological Transitions
The Timing and Tempo of Puberty
The Psychological and Social Impact of Puberty
Assignment: Read Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Cognitive Transitions
Changes in Cognition
Theoretic Perspectives on Adolescent Thinking
Assignment: Read Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Cognitive Transitions
The Adolescent Brain
Individual Differences in Intelligence in
Adolescence
Assignment: Read Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Social Transitions
Social Redefinition and Psychosocial
Development
Adolescence as a Social Invention
Changes in Status
Assignment: Read Chapter 3
Assignment: Read Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Schools
Secondary Education in America
School Reform: Past and Present
Assignment: Read Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Schools
The Social Organization of Schools
Beyond High School
Assignment: Read Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Work and Leisure
Work and Leisure in Contemporary Society
Adolescents and Work
Assignment: Read Chapter 7
Chapter 3: Social Transitions
Variations in Social Transitions
The Transition into Adulthood in
Contemporary Society
Assignment: Read Chapter 3
Chapter 7: Work and Leisure
The Adolescent Workplace Today
Adolescents and Leisure
Assignment: Read Chapter 7
Exam 1 (Chapters 1, 2, and 3)
Exam 2 (Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 7)
The Contexts of Adolescence
Chapter 4: Families
Family Relationships at Adolescence
Family Relationships and Adolescent
Development
Assignment: Read Chapter 4
Psychosocial Development during Adolescence
Chapter 8: Identity
Identity as an Adolescent Issue
Changes in Self-Concepts and Self-Esteem
The Adolescent Identity Crisis
Assignment: Read Chapter 8
Chapter 4: Families
Adolescent Development and the Changing
Family
The Importance of the Family in Adolescent
Development
Assignment: Read Chapter 5
Chapter 8: Identity
Research on Identity Development
The Development of Ethnic Identity
Gender-Role Development
Assignment: Read Chapter 9
Chapter 5: Peer Groups
The Origins of Adolescent Peer Groups in
Contemporary Society
The Adolescent Peer Group: A Problem or a
Necessity?
Assignment: Read Chapter 5
Chapter 5: Peer Groups
The Nature of Adolescent Peer Groups
Adolescents and their Crowds
Adolescents and their Cliques
Chapter 9: Autonomy
Autonomy as an Adolescent Issue
The Development of Emotional Autonomy
Assignment: Read Chapter 9
Chapter 9: Autonomy
The Development of Behavioral Autonomy
The Development of Value Autonomy
Assignment: Read Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Intimacy
Intimacy as an Adolescent Issue
Theoretical Perspectives on Adolescent
Intimacy
Assignment: Read Chapter 10
Psychosocial Problems: Their Nature and Covariation
Assignment: Read Chapter 13
Chapter 10: Intimacy
The Development of Intimacy in Adolescence
Dating and Romance
Intimacy and Adolescent Psychosocial
Development
Assignment: Read Chapter 10
Chapter 13: Psychosocial Problems in
Adolescence
Substance Use and Abuse in Adolescence
Antisocial Behavior, Violence, and Other
Externalizing Problems
Depression, Suicide, and Other Internalizing
Problems in Adolescence
Assignment: Read Chapter 13
Exam 3 (Chapter 8, 9, and 10)
Chapter 11: Sexuality
Sexuality as an Adolescent Issue
How Sexually Permissive is Contemporary
Society?
Sexual Attitudes among Adolescents
Assignment: Read Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Sexuality
Trends in Sexual Activity during Adolescence
The Sexually Active Adolescent
Teenage Pregnancy and Childbearing
Assignment: Read Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Achievement
Achievement as an Adolescent Issue
Achievement Motives and Beliefs
Environmental Influences on Achievement
Assignment: Read Chapter 13
Chapter 13: Psychosocial Problems in
Adolescence
Some General Principles about Problems in
Adolescence
Final Examination Review
Final Examination (Chapter 11, 12, and 13)
Grades: There will be three regular objective
(multiple-choice) examinations consisting of
50 items and an objective (multiple-choice)
final examination consisting of 50 items. Each
test is worth fifty (50) points and the final
examination is worth fifty (50) points for a total
of 200 points. There is a total of 200 points
possible for this course. Each student’s grade
will be determined by the total number of points
that the student has accumulated for the
semester, according to the following scale:
180 – 200 (90% - 100%)
160 – 179 (80% - 89%)
140 – 159 (70% - 79%)
120 – 139 (60% - 69%)
0 – 119 (00% - 59%)
A
B
C
D
F