HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE- WEST LOOP CAMPUS
FALL 2014
________________________________________________________________
Gracie A. Roberts, M.A.
Psychology 2314 Human Growth and Development Lifespan
CRN: 32688 16-WK TTH 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail address: gracie.roberts@hccs.edu
TEXTBOOKS
The textbook for this course is:
Berger, K. (2014). The Developing Person Through the Life Span, (9th Edition). New York: Worth
Publishers.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A developmental psychology course designed to provide an understanding of human behavior and
characteristics from conception through death. This course includes information on physical,
cognitive, and psychosocial changes throughout the lifespan. Theory, research, and applications
are covered.
GRADES
There are 4 regular tests scheduled and the final exam. You are able to drop your lowest test
grade from the first four tests but not the final exam. Because the lowest test grade is dropped,
there will be no make-up exams. Try your best to not miss any tests and to do your best!
Best 3 out of 4 Tests @ 20% each
Paper
Final Exam
TOTAL
60%
20%
20%
100%
Final grade will be converted into letter grades as follows:
90-100% =A; 80-89% =B; 70-79% =C; 60-69% =D; 0-59% =F
MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON TIME FOR ALL TESTS.
***Make-up exams: There are no make-up exams. You will be allowed to drop the lowest
test grade in place of a make-up exam.
OBSERVATION ACTIVITY
You will be given 1 observation activity over adolescence during the semester. For the activity, you
will be required to take notes to write a paper on your observation. In the paper, you must state the
age-appropriate concepts for adolescence that you observed, including a description of what you
observed. The example, what you observed, must match and pertain to the concept. You must
identify 7 different concepts within your paper, so you are not able to give 2 examples for the same
concept. The paper must be 1-2 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, and with 1inch margins. You will also need a title page with your name, date, and class day and time.
Because you are using your lecture notes, you are not required to make citations within the paper.
NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED!!!
ATTENDANCE AND DROP POLICY
It is very important that you attend and participate in class. If you have to miss a class, it is your
responsibility to get the material/notes that you missed. Please do not contact me for the notes. I
do not give out my notes to students. It is your responsibility to take good notes or obtain them
from another student in the class if you are absent. It is also important that you arrive to class on
time to avoid being marked absent or missing important information or announcements usually
given at the beginning of class. I do not drop students so it is your responsibility to drop the class
if you are unable to continue in the class.
PLAGIARISM and HOW TO CITE INFORMATION
Plagiarizing is taking someone’s ideas and/or writings as if they are your own. The penalty for
plagiarizing is an “F” for this course. You must give credit when using someone else’s work. It is
best to paraphrase the quote or place the quote in quotation marks if it is three words or longer.
To avoid any misunderstandings, the best way to cite information for this course will be using APA
format where you give the author’s last name, the year the work was published, and the page
number all in parentheses. When you paraphrase, you are taking the author’s idea or statement
and putting it in your own words. You are not allowed to simply use synonyms in place of the
author’s words. This is still considered plagiarism. It may be best to read the information, and
without looking at the information, put it in your own words. That way you are less likely to repeat
the author’s exact words or wording. Also, even though you paraphrase something, you must
include the citation at the end of the sentence.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week 1 -
August 26-28
Introduction
Theories of Development
Week 2 -
September 02-04
Theories of Development
Heredity
Week 3 -
September 09-11
Heredity
TEST 1 (THEORIES AND HEREDITY): THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Week 4 -
September 16-18
Prenatal Development and Birth
Week 5 -
September 23-25
Infancy and Toddlerhood
Week 6 -
September 30-October 02
TEST 2 (PRENATAL AND INFANCY AND TODDLERHOOD): TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 30
Early Childhood
Week 7 -
October 07-09
Early Childhood
Middle Childhood
Week 8 -
October 14-16
Middle Childhood
Week 9 -
October 21-23
TEST 3 (EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD): TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21
Adolescence
Week 10 -
October 28-30
Adolescence
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW- OCTOBER 31ST
Week 11 -
November 04-06
Early Adulthood
PAPERS DUE NOVEMBER 04 AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS!
Week 12 -
November 11-13
TEST 4 (ADOLESCENCE AND EARLY ADULTHOOD): TUESDAY, NOVEMBER
11
Middle Adulthood
Week 13 -
November 18-20
Middle Adulthood
Late Adulthood
Week 14 -
November 25-27
Late Adulthood
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY – NOVEMBER 27
Week 15 -
December 02-04
Late Adulthood
Death, Dying, and Bereavement
Week 16-
December 09
FINAL EXAM ON DECEMBER 09 AT 9 A.M.
***This schedule is tentative and may be changed during the course of the semester. You are
responsible for getting the changes if you miss a class.***