Social Development of Children and Adolescents (E63.2097)
Tuesday 1:40- 3:20
Instructor: Professor Niobe Way
e-mail address: niobe.way@nyu.edu
Office: 246 Greene Street (floor 8 in the early part of the fall)
Office hours: Thursdays 2-4
Course description
Rigorous examination of the emotional & social development of children & adolescents
based on current theoretical positions & research
Course objective
Students will be asked to summarize, analyze, and critically reflect on core theories of
socio-emotional development (including theories of social identity) and to explore the
intersections of culture, context, and socio-emotional development. The objective of the
course is to gain a comprehensive understanding of core theories of socio-emotional
development and the ways in which culture and context shape such developmental
processes.
Class Participation
All students are expected to arrive on time, attend, and participate in every class meeting.
If you are going to miss a class, please inform me ahead of time (leave a message on my
office machine). If you miss a class or are late, it is your responsibility to find out what
you have missed. Missing more than 1 class or being late more than two times will affect
your final grade.
Assignments and Grading
1. Response papers (20% of grade).
Each Tuesday beginning September 15th, each student is expected to hand in a 1-2
page discussion of the class readings for that week. The goal of these weekly
response papers is not to summarize the readings but to reflect on the substance of the
articles.
2. Midterm paper (30% of grade)
Write a critical analysis of theory/theories discussed in class. Students should draw
from the research and theoretical literature to provide a innovative and thoughtful
analysis. The paper should be 8-10 pages and in APA styles (12 point font please).
Grades will be based on the quality of the critique and the writing. No Late Papers
accepted.
3. Final Paper (50% of grade)
All students will be expected to write a final paper that integrates theory and research
on some aspect of social or emotional development. For their final papers, students
have a choice of either analyzing additional material on topics that were covered in
class or reviewing the literature on a topic that was not addressed in class but is
directly relevant to the class material. Topics for final papers must be approved by the
instructor. The paper should be typed, double spaced, and 15-18 pages in length.
Grades on the final paper will be based on the quality of writing, the thoughtfulness
of the paper, and on how well developmental theory and research are integrated. No
late papers accepted.
Academic Integrity
It is important that students understand the academic code of conduct at New York
University and follow it closely. Any form of academic misconduct, including
plagiarism, will not be tolerated and will be subject to disciplinary procedures.
Required Books:
Bowlby, J. (1969). Attachment, (Vol.1) New York: Basic Books
Cassidy, J. & Shaver, P.R. (1999). Handbook of Attachment (paperback version).
Guilford Press
Harwood R.G., Miller, J.G., & Irizarry, N.L. (1995). Culture & Attachment New
York: Guilford Press.
Chen, X., French, D. & Schneider, B. (2006). Peer Relationships in Cultural Context.
Cambridge University Press.
Hrdy, S. (2009). Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary origins of mutual
understanding. Harvard University Press.
Rubin, K, Bukowski, W., & Laursen, B. (2008). Handbook of Peer Interactions,
Relationships, and Groups. Guilford Press.
REQUIRED BOOKS MAY BE PURCHASED AT THE NYU BOOK STORE (or
Amazon.com).
Course Schedule
September 8: Introduction—Contextualizing Socio-emotional Development
September 15: The Ecology of Socio-Emotional Development
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development.
American Psychologist. 32, 513-531.
Gilligan, C. (1996). The centrality of relationships in human development: A puzzle,
some evidence, and a theory. In Noam, Gil G.; Fischer, Kurt W. Development and
vulnerability in close relationships. The Jean Piaget symposium series. (pp. 237-261).
Hillsdale, NJ, England: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. xx, 352 pp.
PART 1: FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
September 22: Attachment Theory
Bowlby, J. (1969/1982) Vol. 1 Attachment, Chapters 14- 19
Ainsworth, M. & Bowlby, J. (1989). An Ethological Approach to Personality
Development. American Psychologist, 46, 333-341
September 29: Attachment Theory
Cassidy, J. (1999). Handbook of Attachment. Chapters 1, 5, 12, 15
October 6th: Cultural Perspectives on Attachment Theory
Harwood, R.L., Miller, J.G., & Irizarry, N. L., (1995). Culture and Attachment. All
chapters
October 13th: Evolutionary perspectives on Child Attachment
Hrdy, S. Mothers and Others (2009). Chapters 1-4, 9.
October 20: Theories of Temperament
Kagan, J. (1998). Galen’s Prophecy: Temperament in Human Nature, Chapters 2, 4.
Cassidy, J. (1999). Handbook of Attachment, Chapter 10
Part II PEERS AND FRIENDS
October 27th Theories and Research on Peers and Friends
Rubin, K, Bukowski, W., & Laursen, B. (2008). Handbook of Peer Interactions,
Relationships, and Groups. Guilford Press. Chapters 1,2, 7, 10, 12, 31
MIDTERM PAPER DUE*********
November 2nd: Gender, Peers, and Friends
Rubin, K, Bukowski, W., & Laursen, B. (2008). Handbook of Peer Interactions,
Relationships, and Groups. Guilford Press. Chapter 21
Brown, L. Way, & Duff, J. (1999). The Others in My I: Adolescent Girls’ friendships and
peer relations.In N. Johnson (Eds). Beyond Appearance: A New Look at Adolescent
Girls. APA press.
In N.Way & J. Chu (Eds). Adolescent Boys: Diverse cultures of Boyhood, New York
University Press. Chapters 2 and 9.
November 10th Race/Ethnicity/Nationality, Peers, and Friends
Rubin, K, Bukowski, W., & Laursen, B. (2008). Handbook of Peer Interactions,
Relationships, and Groups. Guilford Press. Chapter 22
Chen, X., French, D. & Schneider, B. (2006). Peer Relationships in Cultural Context.
Cambridge University Press. TBD
November 17: Proximal and Distal influences on Peers and Friends
Rubin, K, Bukowski, W., & Laursen, B. (2008). Handbook of Peer Interactions,
Relationships, and Groups. Guilford Press. Chapters 23, 26, 27, 28
Hamm, J., & Faircloth, B. (2005). The Role of Friendships in Adolescents’ Sense of
School Belonging. In N. Way & Hamm, J. (Ed). The Experience of Close Friendships in
adolescence.
PART III: SCHOOLS AND SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
November 24th: Schools: The link between schools and socio-emotional adjustment
Eccles, J. & Roeser, R. (2005) School and Community Influences on Human
Development. In M. Bornstein and M. Lamb Developmental science: An advanced
textbook (5th ed.). (pp. 513-555). Mahwah, NJ, US: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates
Publishers. vii, 657 pp.
Roeser, R., Eccles, J., & Sameroff, A. (2000). School as a context of early adolescents'
academic and social-emotional development: A summary of research findings.
Elementary School Journal. Vol 100(5), May 2000, pp. 443-471
Way, N., Reddy, R., & Rhodes, J. (In press). Students’ Perceptions of School Climate
during the Middle School Years: Associations with Trajectories of Psychological and
Behavioral Adjustment. Journal of School Psychology.
PART IV: THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL IDENTITIES
December 1: The Development of Social Identities
Spencer, M. & Markstrom-Adams (1990). Identity Processes among Racial and Ethnic
Minority Children in America. Child Development
Phinney, J. & Ong, A. (2007). Conceptualization and measurement of ethnic identity:
Current status and future directions. Journal of Counseling Psychology. Vol 54(3), Jul
2007, pp. 271-281
Maccoby, E. (1990). Gender and relationships: A developmental account. American
Psychologist
Ruble, D., Alvarez, J, Bachman, M. & Cameron, J. (2004). The Development of a sense
of “we”: The Emergence and implications of children’s collective identity.” In M.
Bennett and F. Sani (Eds). The development of the social self.
December 8th: Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Socialization of Identity Development
Hughes, D. (2007). Parents' Ethnic-Racial Socialization Practices: A Review of Research
and Directions for Future Study. Developmental Psychology. Vol 42(5), Sep 2006, pp.
747-770
Ruble, D., Martin, C., & Berenbaum, S. (2006) Gender Development. In Eisenberg,
Nancy; Damon, William; Lerner, Richard M. Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3,
Social, emotional, and personality development (6th ed.). (pp. 858-932). Hoboken, NJ,
US: John Wiley & Sons Inc. xxiv, 1128 pp.
December 15th The Social Development of Children and Adolescents: Summary of
Course
Final Paper is Due December 15th