North Seattle Community College
Integrated Studies
Course/Program Application 2010
BASIC COURSE INFORMATION
1. Program/Linked Course Title: Stages on Pages: Lifespan Development through Literature
2. Proposed Quarter/Year: Fall 2010
3. Number of Credits: 10-12
4. Proposed meeting times and days of week: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 am- 2:20pm in CC3460,
please.
5. Name(s) of Faculty and Divisions:
Ann Voorhies, Psychology
JC Clapp, English/Humanities
6. Course Abbreviations & Numbers and Course Names:
Students would register for 10 credits of the following:
 ENGL& 102: Composition (5 credits)
 ENGL 231: Children’s literature (5 credits)
 PSYC 200: Lifespan Development (5 credits)
 Optional 2-credit courses students may choose to also register for:
ENGL& 299: Special Topics in English (2 credits)
PSYC 298: Special Problems in Psychology (2 credits)
Is there a prereq for any of your courses? If so, please note:
ENGL& 102 has a prerequisite of a passing grade in ENGL& 101 or equivalent
PSYC 200 has a prerequisite of a passing grade in PSYC 100 or a Bachelor’s degree
7. What degree requirements does your course meet?
Composition (ENGL& 102)
U.S. Cultures (ENGL 231)
Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (ENGL 231)
Individuals and Societies (PSYC 200)
Integrated studies
8. Possible audience and reason to offer this course?
This course would be in high demand for several reasons. There are at least five fully enrolled
sections of PSYC 200 taught each quarter. ENGL& 102 is in demand, as well, and the ENGL 231
course has a U.S. Cultures designation, which makes it an appealing literature course. PSYC 200,
ENGL& 102, and ENGL 231 all fill when offered as stand-alone courses, and we believe that this
particular combination would give many students the exact mix of courses they need.
CURRICULUM DESIGN
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1. What is the public issue or central question your course is addressing from a disciplinary
perspective?
The stories we tell ourselves and our children reflect our cultural values. We will be
looking closely at the scientific method as applied to the study of human development; research
and theories of human development; the role of heredity and environment in shaping biological,
cognitive and psychosocial development throughout the lifespan; as well as cultural issues and
traditions surrounding death and dying. As we progress through the stages of human
development, we will study the diverse literature that aligns with each of these developmental
stages.
2. What learning outcomes will you cover in your course (both general education and individual
course outcomes)? How will students’ learning be assessed?
Knowledge: Facts, theories, perspectives, and methodologies within the discipline
(specifically, Psychology)
The specific outcomes of our course that will address this ELO are:
1. To discuss the goals and issues involved in the study of human development across the
lifespan, citing issues appropriate to different developmental stages.
2. To describe the biological, cognitive and psychosocial aspect of development at
different life stages.
3. To describe the social factors affecting human development, including cultural,
historical, and socioeconomic contexts.
4. To describe the scientific research methods used to test hypotheses about age-related
changes in behavior, noting the advantages and limitations of each method.
5. To compare and contrast different theories of cognitive and psychosocial development.
6. To evaluate and apply research findings and different theories of human development
to effectively address problems that may occur at each stage of development, including
those that may occur in the student’s own life.
These outcomes will be assessed through the use of exams and written assignments.
Intellectual and Practical Skills: Communication and Self-expression
The specific outcomes of our course that will address this ELO are:
1. To read critically in order to analyze, discuss, evaluate and respond to texts.
2. To write in order to discover the meanings in texts of others.
3. To write in order to discover one’s own ideas in relation to the texts of others.
4. To develop the skills of writing to communicate ideas to a particular audience. In this
class, that will include other students as well as the teachers.
5. To paraphrase, quote, and cite sources according to conventional MLA form, and to
integrate source materials smoothly into their own words in order to add support and
emphasis to their own writing.
6. To produce writing that has been revised, edited, and proofread, and to submit the
work on time.
7. To continue developing one’s voice as a writer.
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8. To conduct limited, focused research and evaluate sources and information.
These outcomes will be assessed by assigning seminar papers, essays, and in-class writing.
Personal and Social Responsibility: Intercultural knowledge and competence
The specific outcomes of our course that will address this ELO are:
1. To gain new insights into the range, richness, elements, and techniques of children’s
and adolescent literature; and to gain an appreciation of this rapidly expanding body of
literature as part of our literary art, an essential human and cultural phenomenon.
2. To explore children’s literature and adolescent literature as a means of learning about
diverse cultures within the United States; to distinguish between children’s literature
which makes blatant appeals to the popular myths of a culture and that which achieves
more subtle examinations of moral and social issues.
3. To learn to evaluate the literature for young people by the same literary and artistic
considerations that can be brought to all serious literature.
4. To become aware of the psychological, social, and moral implications of children’s and
adolescent literature.
5. To gain skills in working as a class group and within groups toward the shared
understanding of ideas and issues; to appreciate diversity of perceptions as an
opportunity for learning.
6. To understand the critical and creative aspects of writing as process; toward this goal, to
learn to work effectively in writing groups.
7. Through our reading, to gain insight into the nature of the individual, most frequently in
this class the child or adolescent, and the relationship between that child and the
community.
These outcomes will be assessed through the use of in-class discussions, the reading of
literature, and reading response.
3. How will your students meet the interdisciplinary outcome for this course? What kind of
integrative assignment will you develop? How will be assessed?
We intend to have all of our assignments overlap and integrate as much as possible. An example of the
kind of assignment we are planning:
Students will critically analyze and evaluate an adolescent fictional character from a work of
children’s literature in terms of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Students will be
asked to specifically consider the following types of questions in this critical evaluation:
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In what ways does this character act like a typical, real-world adolescent of the same
age, according to your reading? In what ways does this character differ from a typical,
real-world adolescent?
In what ways does this character demonstrate typical adolescent cognitive patterns and
abilities? In what ways does the character differ from typical adolescent cognitive
patterns? Provide detailed examples from the piece of children’s literature you chose to
illustrate your assessment.
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Who is the target audience for the piece of literature you chose? Why is this character
appealing to the target audience? If the piece works on more than one target audience,
why and how?
What messages does this character send to adolescents? To adults?
How does the literary version of adolescence differ from the psychologically defined
version? Why might the author have presented the adolescent character in the way that
he/she did? What literary themes are arrived at through the version of adolescence that
the author creates?
What alterations would need to be made by the author to create a more accurate
literary adolescent character, based on what you know about adolescent development?
What would be lost by making those changes? What might be gained?
Students will be assessed according to a pre-established rubric that will be attached to the
assignment.
In addition to this kind of assignment, we will also have students read the various works of children’s
literature throughout the quarter with a developmental eye. For example, as they read picture books
they will be asked to consider what developmental stage the characters in the books are in, who the
target audience is (the age of child the book is geared for), and whether or not the book does appeal to
the target audience effectively.
4. List possible books and online resources for your course.
Charlotte Huck’s Children’s Literature, 10th edition, 2010, by Barbara Kiefer
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll (1865)
Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White (1952)
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle (1962)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling (1998)
Invitation to the Lifespan, 1st edition, 2010, by Kathleen Stassen Berger
A selection of early childhood books, as chosen by the student
MARKETING SUPPORT
1. Provide a description (maximum 60 words) for the quarterly class schedule which can also be used
in any marketing copy:
Why do both children and adults love Dr. Seuss? How is adolescence represented in Harry
Potter? This class will use scientific and literary lenses to examine human development throughout
the lifespan. Students will engage with the stages of the lifespan, from conception to death, by
examining the research and theories on the psychology of human development, reading the
literature written for, and about, each of the developmental stages, and writing about their own
developmental experiences.
Signatures of Faculty and Dean(s) from each division involved:
Signature of faculty
Date
Signature of Faculty
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Date
Signature of Dean
Date
Signature of Dean
Date
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Committee use only:
Approved __________________
Date______________
Not
Approved________
Comments:
Signature of IS Subcommittee Chair
______________________________________________________________________________
________________
Name of IS Subcommittee
Chair_________________________________________________________________________
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