ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT: THEORY & RESEARCH [E63.2272/002]
Fall 2009
(Class meets Mondays 6:45 P.M.-8:25 P.M. in Silver 515)
Carola Suárez-Orozco, Ph.D. — cso2@nyu.edu — 212-998-5282
NYU Steinhardt Department of Applied Psychology, 239 Greene St., Room 414
Office Hours Mondays from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. (sign up for appointments on the sign-up sheet on my
office door)
This course is designed for graduate students who are preparing to work with
adolescents in school contexts. In this course, we will emphasize the social and cultural
construction of the adolescent experience. We will be critically examining the myths and realities
of adolescence. We will be taking an interdisciplinary perspective as we examine the crucial role
of culture during this stage of human development. We will consider the adolescent in distinct
societies as well as cultural and social contexts. We will explore how gender, race, ethnicity,
socio-economic background, and sexual orientation influence the experience of adolescence.
Lastly, we will examine academic engagement and disengagement among adolescents.
The overarching questions that guide this course include:
 What are our assumptions about adolescence? What are the myths & what are the
realities?
 What (if any) are the universal characteristics of adolescence?
 How does the adolescent experience vary from one historical or cultural context to
another?
 What is the role of gender, socio-economic status, race, and ethnicity in structuring
experience and opportunity?
 What is the role of school and neighborhood contexts in structuring experience and
opportunity?
 How do these variations in experience mold different academic trajectories?
 How does/will/should what you are learning change the way you perceive and interact
with adolescents you encounter?
 What are the implications of your newly constructed knowledge for your practice with
youth?
REQUIRED BOOKS
 Nakkula, M. & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development
for Educators. (Harvard Education Press).
 Sadowski, M. (2008) Adolescents at Schools. (Harvard Education Press).
 Cushman, K. Fires in the Bathroom. (The New Press).
RECOMMENDED REFERENCES
 Adams, G.R.. & Berzonsky, M.D. (2003). Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence.
(Blackwell Press).
 Feldman, S. S. and G. R. Elliott, Eds. (1990). At the Threshold: The Developing
Adolescent. (Harvard University Press).
Note: All readings are required unless otherwise indicated—() signifies articles & chapters found on Blackboard
COURSE STRUCTURE
Week 1: September 14th — Prevailing Perceptions of Adolescence
1. Berzonsky, M.D. (2006). Theories of Adolescence. In G. Adams (Eds.), Adolescent
Development: Essential Readings, 11-27. Blackwell Publishers. [ —Recommended
reading; suggested/not required]
2. Offer & Schonert-Reichl. (1992). Debunking the Myths of Adolescence: Findings from Recent
Research. Journal of American Academy and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31 (6), 10011013. [ —Recommended reading; suggested/not required]
3. Nichols, S.L. & Good, T.L. (2004). America's Teenagers—Myths and Realities: Media Images,
Schooling, and the Social costs of Careless Indifference. London: Lawrence Baum Associates.
[ —Recommend reading; suggested/not required]
Week 2: September 21st— Mainstream Adolescence in the U.S. (Reflection)
1. Hersch, P. (1998). A Tribe Apart: A Journey Into The Heart Of American Adolescence. New
York: Ballantine Books. [Intro to Chapter 5, Chapter 12-15 ()]
2. Bring to class an 8 ½ X 11” page with a copy of your NYU ID (or another photo if you like)
and a one paragraph description of yourself—what program are you in, where are you from,
why are you taking the class, what are you hoping to learn; anything that will help get to
know you!—this is my own low-tech version of ‘Facebook’…
Week 3: September 28th — The Adolescent Experience in Global Perspective
(Reflection)
1. Brown, B.B., Larson, R.W., & Saraswathi, T.S. (2002).The World's Youth: Adolescence in Eight
Regions of the World. Cambridge, M.A.: Cambridge University Press. [Chapters 1 & 2]
Page 2
2. One entry (China, Mexico, or South Africa) from International Encyclopedia of Adolescence
() in preparation for group assignment
Global Perspective Group Assignment due today
Week 4: October 5th— Identity (Reflection)
1. Nakkula, M.J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard
Education Press. [Chapters 1-4]
2. Suarez-Orozco, C. (2004). Formulating an identity in a globalized world. In M.M. SuarezOrozco & D.B Qin-Hilliard (Eds.), Globalization: Culture and Education in the New
Millennium, (pp.172-202). Berkeley, C.A.: University of California Press .( —suggested)
OCTOBER 12th— NO CLASS — COLUMBUS DAY
Week 5: October 19th — Minority Adolescents’ Experiences in the US (Reflection)
1. Nakkula, M.J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard
Education Press. [Chapters 7-8]
2. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [Model Minorities & Perpetual Foreigners]
3. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [Joaquín’s Dilemma] ( - suggested)
4. Tatum, B.D. (2003). Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?: A
Psychologist Explains the Development of Racial Identity. Basic Books. ( - suggested)
5. Morales, E. (2002). Living in Spanglish : The Search for Latino Identity in America. L.A.: L.A.
Weekly Books. (-—suggested)
6. Wu, F.H. (2002). Yellow: Race in America Beyond White & Black. Basic Books. ( suggested)
First set of Reflections due October 19th
Week 6: October 26th — The Ecology of Adolescent Development
(Reflection)
1. Sadowski, M. (2003). Who wins & who loses?: Social Class & Student Identities. In M.
Sadowski Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education. Cambridge,
M.A.: Harvard Education Press.
2. Small, S. & Covalt, B. (2006). The role of the family in promoting adolescent health and
development: Critical questions and new understandings. In F.A. Villarruel & T. Luster (Eds.),
The crisis in youth mental health, Connecticut: Praeger Perspectives.
Page 3
3. Luthar, S.S. (1999). Poverty and Children’s Adjustment, Developmental Psychology and
Psychiatry. Sage Publications, Inc. (- suggested )
4. Garbarino, J. (2001). An Ecological Perspective on the Effects of Violence on Children,
Journal of Community Psychology, (29),3, 361-378. (- suggested )
5. Gurdais, E. (2008). Unequal Chances, Harvard Magazine. (- suggested )
Week 7: November 2nd— School Contexts
(Reflection)
1. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [Adolescent Development and the Potential
of Schools]
2. Nakkula, M.J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard
Education Press. [Chapters 12]
3. Suárez-Orozco,C.C., Suárez-Orozco,M.M, & Todorova,I. (2008). Learning a New Land.
Harvard University Press. [Less than Optimal Schools] (- suggested )
4. National Research Council. (2004). Engaging Schools: Fostering High School Students'
Motivation to Learn. Executive Summary. (-—suggested)
Media Watch Presentations-begin
Week 8: November 9th — Engagement & Disengagement
(Reflection)
1. Cushman, K. (2005). Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for teachers from High school students,
New Press. [Motivation & Boredom]
2. Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants, On the Horizon, 9, (5), 1-6.
3. Montgomery, K.C. (2007). Generation Digital. M.A.: The MIT Press. [Digital Natives] ()
4. Goslin, D.A. (2003). Engaging Minds: Motivation and Learning in America’s School. The
Scarecrow Press Inc. (- suggested )
5. Jordan, A.H. & Lovett, B.J. (2007). Stereotype threat & test performance: A primer for
school psychologists, Journal of School Psychology,45, 45-59. (-—suggested)
Media Watch Presentations-continued
Week 9: November 16th — Learning & Emotional Challenges
(Reflection)
1. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [The impact of disability on adolescent
identity]
Page 4
2. Keating, D.P. (1990). Adolescent Thinking. In S.S. Feldman & G.R. Elliott (Eds.), At the
Threshold: The Developing Adolescent, Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard University Press. ()
3. Goldston, D.B., Molock, S.D., Whitbeck, L.B., Murakami, J.L., Zayas, L.H., Hall, G.C.N. (1990).
Cultural considerations in adolescent suicide prevention and psychosocial treatment. ()
4. Shedler, J. & Block, J. (1990). Adolescent Drug Use & Psychological Health, American
Psychologist, 45 (5), 612-630. (- suggested )
5. Lerner, J. (1993). Learning Disabilities: Theories, Diagnosis and Teaching Strategies,
Houghton Mifflin Company. [Adolescents & Adults with Learning Disabilities ]()
6. Elksin, L.K. and Elksin, N. (2004). The Socio-Emotional Side of Learning Disabilities, Learning
Disability Quaterly, 27, 3-8. (-—suggested)
Media Watch Presentations-continued
Week 10: November 23rd — The Role of Friendships & Peers in Emotional Development
(Reflection)
1. Nakkula, M.J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard
Education Press. [Chapters 5]
2. Bouchey, H.A. & Furman, W. (2000). Dating and Romantic Relationships in Adolescence. In
G.R. Adams & Berzonsky, M. (Eds.), Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence, 313-329. Blackwell
Publishing.
3. Brown, B.B. & Klute,C. (2003). Friendships, Cliques, & Crowds. In G.R. Adams, & Berzonsky,
M.D. (Eds.), Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence, Blackwell Publishing. (- suggested )
4. Underwood, M.K., Galen, B.R. & Paquette, J.A. (2001). Top 10 challenges for understanding
gender & aggression in Children: Why can’t we just get along? Social Development, 10 (2),
248-266. (- suggested )
5. Owens, L., Shute, R., & Slee, P. (2000). Guess what I just heard? Indirect aggression among
teenage girls in Australia, Aggressive Behavior, 26, 67-83. (- suggested )
Media Watch Presentations-continued
Week 11: November 30th — Gender (Reflection)
1. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [Who am I as a learner?]
2. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [I am not insane; I am angry]
Page 5
3. Nakkula, M.J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard
Education Press. [Chapters 6]
4. Stevenson, H.C. Boys in Men’s Clothing. (- suggested )
5. Lopez, N. (2003). Hopeful boys, Troubled girls: Race and Gender disparity in urban education.
New York: Routledge. [Chapter 4 & 5] (-—suggested)
Week 12: December 7th — Special Populations (Reflection)
1. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [Growing up in the shadows/Still in the
shadows]
2. Nakkula, M.J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard
Education Press. [Chapters 9]
3. Sadowski, M. (2003). Adolescents at School: Perspectives on Youth, Identity & Education.
Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard Education Press. [Adolescents from immigrant families]
4. Rivera, J. (1994). Hearing Us Out. Little, Brown and Company. (- suggested )
5. Suarez-Orozco, C. & Suarez-Orozco, M. (2001). Children of Immigration. Harvard
University Press: Cambridge, M.A. [The Psychological Experience of Immigration]
(- suggested )
6. Cushman, K. (2005). Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for teachers from High school students,
New Press. [Teaching teenagers who are learning English ] (- suggested )
Second set of Reflections due December 7th
Week 13: December 14th — Putting it All Together—From Theory to Practice
1. Cushman, K. (2005). Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for teachers from High school students,
New Press. [Remaining Chapters of the book]
2. Nakkula, M.J., & Toshalis, E. (2006). Understanding Youth. Cambridge, M.A.: Harvard
Education Press. [Chapters 11]
3. Arnett, J.J. (1999). Adolescent Storm & Stress Reconsidered, American Psychologist, 54 (5),
317-326. (- suggested )
4. Arnett, J.J (2004). Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the late Teens though the
Twenties. Oxford University Press. [Chapter 1] (- suggested )
Learning from Adolescents due today
CLASS REQUIREMENTS & EVALUATION POLICY
Page 6
 Your grade for the course is based on your engagement with and mastery of the
concepts underlying adolescent development in cultural and contextual perspective. In order for
you to benefit from this class, you must take time to deeply reflect upon the material presented
during lectures, class discussions, and in the assigned reading.
 You are expected to attend all classes. As a courtesy to your classmates, please be
punctual. More than one absence or a pattern of arriving late or leaving early will lower your
grade.
 You are expected to complete reading assignments before class on the dates indicated
on the syllabus. In order to be well prepared for the discussion, each week you will be required
to prepare a reading entry for at least one of the readings.
 Weekly Reading Essay: [30 % of final grade] Beginning the second week of class,
you will be required to write a short essay on ONE of the readings for the week. Each week,
chose at least one reading and briefly summarize the take-home messages of the reading. You
may wish to include a salient quote or quotes that you may incorporate into a future paper or
regarding which you would like to react to in class discussion.
Guiding questions include: How do you see the reading reflected (or not reflected) in
your life experience? How do you see the reading reflected (or not reflected) in your class or
school experience? How do you see the reading reflected (or not reflected) in the media? Does
the writer provide a convincing argument and chain of evidence? Are you left with unanswered
questions? How does this reading inform your work as a counselor or educator?
Bring the essay to class each session in order to be prepared for classroom discussions.
These reflections MUST be posted on Blackboard BEFORE class or they will be considered late.
You may miss ONE of these weekly essays without it affecting your grade.
Midway through the semester, you will turn your first group of essays (as a portfolio)—
choose the 2 best examples of your work to be graded (due October 19th). The last set of
essays will be due on the last day of class—again you will choose your 2 favorite essays for a
grade (due December 7th).
 Class discussions: [10 % of final grade] Class discussions and short presentations on
the readings play a critical role in your success in the course. Effective class comments may
integrate material from this and other courses, draw on real-world experiences and
observations, address questions raised by others, or pose new questions to the class. High
quality participation involves knowing when to speak and when to listen or allow others to
speak. Take the time to think about how your comments will be received; comments that are
vague, repetitive, unrelated to the current topic, or without sufficient foundation are distracting
and do not move forward the discussion. Those that are insensitive to other students in the class
or are framed as personal attacks are unacceptable under any circumstances. Below are the
criteria for assessment:
Page 7
Strong Contributor: Contributions in class reflect thorough preparation. Ideas offered are
substantive and provide good insights as well as direction for the class. Challenges are well
substantiated and are persuasively presented in a respectful manner. If the strong contributor
person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished
considerably.
Adequate Contributor: Contributions in class reflect satisfactory preparation. Ideas
offered are sometimes substantive, provide generally useful insights but seldom offer a new
direction for the discussion. Challenges are sometimes presented, fairly well substantiated and
are sometimes persuasive. If the adequate contributor were not a member of the class, the
quality of discussion would be somewhat diminished.
Non-Participant: The non-participant says little or nothing in class. Hence, there is not an
adequate basis for evaluation. If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of
discussion would not be changed.
Unsatisfactory Contributor: Contributions in class reflect inadequate preparation. Ideas
offered are seldom substantive, provide few if any insights and are often tangential and off
track. Comments are insensitive to other students in the class. If this person were not a
member of the class, valuable time would be saved and the comfort level of the class would be
elevated.
 Adolescent Development in Global Perspective Group Assignment: [10 % of final
grade] The adolescent experience is very different in various regions of the world. Choose one
of three countries—China, Mexico, or South Africa and work with your group members to learn
about what it is like to be an adolescent in that country. Prepare a half hour presentation
addressing Family Relationships; Peers and Friends; Education; Future Prospects. Consider
the role of political context, poverty, and gender on the experience of youth.
All members the group should read the pertinent assigned entry from editor J. Arnett’s
International Encyclopedia of Adolescence (on Blackboard) and then divvy up the topics and do
more background research supplementing what you have read. Feel free to be creative while
covering the specified topics; you may chose to show a clip from a film; bring in music, etc. Be
sure to provide a list of your group members and the designated tasks for each group member.
 Media Watch Group Assignment: [10 % of final grade] During the next few weeks,
you will be required to select a representation of adolescence that you encounter in the media.
This could include a news report, a commercial, a film, a cartoon, a music video, or an Internet
site. You will present this to the class as a group and discuss the ways in which it does or does
not reflects prevailing attitudes about adolescence in our contemporary society and how it is (or
is it not) consistent with what we have been learning in course. Groups will consist of 4 to 6
students and should be no more than 15 minutes each. The Media Watch presentations will
Page 8
begin on November 2nd; we will have 2 presentations a week until the Media presentations are
complete.
 Learning from Adolescents [40% of final grade] Pick a topic of interest that you
want to learn more about by having a conversation with several adolescents. You may chose
one of the questions from Fires in the Bathroom, use protocols from the Longitudinal Immigrant
Student Adolescent interview, or (in consultation with the instructor) develop a series of
questions of your own. You will use this protocol as a basis for a conversation with 3
adolescents. Develop a 7 page paper in which you cover: What did you set out to understand?
Who did you interview? What did you expect (based on the readings, lectures, or class
discussion—bring in references!)? What did you learn from your informants? Is what you
learned consistent or inconsistent with what you expected? What did you learn from your
informants? Is what you learned consistent or inconsistent with what you expected? Attach the
interview protocol your paper and include references. Papers are graded according to a rubric
found on the course Blackboard site, which should guide you in the formulation of your paper.
Note: if you would like to receive my comments, you should attach a self-addressed envelope to
the final paper when you turn it in. (Due the last day of class—December 14th.)
Students with Disabilities
Any student attending NYU who needs an accommodation due to a chronic learning,
psychological, visual, hearing, and/or mobility disability or disorder should register with the
Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980; 240 Greene Street;
www.nyu.edu/csd.
If you are registered with the Moses Learning Center, please let me know, and I will work
with you according to your accommodation plan. Lecture notes are generally available before
class of time and you may tape lectures as well. Please make an appointment with me if
additional accommodations are needed.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is a very serious form of both intellectual theft and cheating. In some cases
there is clear intent and at others it is a result of academic sloppiness. In order to avoid
plagiarism cases, you must always give credit whenever you use:
~another person’s idea, opinion, or theory;
~any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings—any pieces of information—that are not common
knowledge;
~quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words; or
~paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words.
Page 9
Should you ever have doubts, consult the following web sites in order to clarify ambiguities that
could lead to accusations of plagiarism: http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/plagiar.html or
http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/plagiarism.html
Students are expected to honor NYU Steinhardt’s policies of academic integrity.
Plagiarism will result in failure of the assignment as well as potentially failure of the course and
referral to the Dean of Student Services.
Page 10