Course Syllabus
PSYC 690-­003 (3 graduate credit hours) -­ Fall 2015
Special Topics in Psychology: Preschool Interventions Instructor: Joseph Prus Phone: 803-­323-­2630 Email: prusj@winthrop.edu Class Time: TBA Location: Kinard 110A Office Hours: TR 1:00-­2:30 T 3:30-­4:30 W 9:00-­11:00 Required Books:
Brassard, M., & Boehm, A. (2007). Preschool Assessment: Principles and Practices. New York: Guilford Press.
Assigned Readings:
• Chapter 7: Assessment of Early Academic Learning
• Chapter 8: Family Assessment
• Chapter 9: Assessment of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Preschoolers: Increasing Culturally Sensitive
Practices
• Chapter 10: Assessment of Language Development
• Chapter 11: Cognitive Assessment
• Chapter 12: Assessment of Mental Retardation
• Chapter 13: Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Chapter 14: Assessment of Emotional Development and Behavior Problems
Course Outcomes: This course will provide a specific emphasis on interventions for preschool populations.
Students will collaborate with other professionals in the field, such as Head Start personnel and Winthrop professors
(including the instructor), to gain knowledge in what is needed in this area. Students will use resources, such as
textbooks and existing articles, to guide their learning. By the end of the course, students will have increased
knowledge of interventions for preschool age children.
Course Goals and Objectives: Students will…
1. Be able to identify cognitive, educatiobnal, and social-emotional interventions specific to preschool age
children.
2. Be able to collaborate with other professionals on topics pertaining to preschool interventions.
3. Understand the role of families and cultural factors affecting children, and how those factors need to be
taken into account when designing and implementing interventions.
4. Create a customized manual pertaining to preschool interventions for use by early educators, including
Head Start personnel.
Class Format: Discussion, assigned readings, and research articles will be emphasized.
Course Requirements:
1. Class participation (including both meetings with the instructor and student meetings.
2. Comprehensive course project (due December 9th)
3. A brief (one-two page) self-reflection paper that includes a) description of what each of you did and time
spent;; and b) what you learned (due with paper on December 9th)
Grading:
A = 94% and above
A- = 90-93%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 84%-86%
B- = 80-83%
C+ = 77%-79%
C = 70%-76%
C- = 70-73%
D+ = 67%
D = 64%-66%
D - = 60-63%
F = 59% and below
Possible Changes in Syllabus: Unanticipated circumstances may require slight changes in the syllabus. The
instructor has the discretion to make changes or modifications to the syllabus if needed, however students will be
provided notice of these changes and deadlines may be adjusted accordingly.
Late Assignments: Late assignments will be penalized by losing 10% of the grade for every 2 days it is late.
Course Incompletes: An incomplete for this course will only be given only in very unusual circumstances with
appropriate documentation supporting that you are not able to complete the course at this time.
Students with disabilities: Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a
disability and require specific accommodations to complete this course, contact Gena Smith, Program Director,
Services for Students with Disabilities, at 323-3290. Once you have your official notice of accommodations from
Services for Students with Disabilities, please inform me as early as possible in the semester
Academic Misconduct: As noted on the Student Code of Conduct Statement, “Responsibility for good conduct
rests with students and adult individuals.” Cheating, plagiarism, or other dishonest or inappropriate behaviors result in
consequences. These behaviors will result in a grade of zero on the assignment or test that is affected and could
result in a grade of F in the course. The full policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the “Student
Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy” in the online Student Handbook
(http://www2.winthrop.edu/studentaffairs/handbook/StudentHandbook.pdf).
Assignment: Comprehensive course project
COMPREHENSIVE COURSE PROJECT
The comprehensive course project will consist of evaluating and selecting articles to create a customized EBook on
preschool interventions for cognitive, educational, and social-emotional issues to be used by Head Start and other
early educators. The Ebook will be organized by topic areas and will include simple, easy-to-read sections. Handouts
for parents (where available) will also be included for some topics.