Growing Up in Panem: Developmental Psychology of the Hunger
Games
1
PSYC 118D
Fall 2015
Instructor
Teaching Assistant
Dr. Christy M. Byrd cmbyrd@ucsc.edu
Ruby Hernandez
Office: Social Sciences 2, Room 347
Office Hours: Tue 1:00-2:00pm and by
appointment: http://meetme.so/ChristyByrd
htthttp://meetme.so/ChristyByrdhttp://meetme.
so/ChristyByrd
Meeting Times and Location:
Lecture: T/Th 4:00-5:45pm
Sections: A – Wednesday 9:30am-10:40am; B – Wednesday 11:00am-12:10pm
Porter Acad 148
Course Description
In this course, we will use The Hunger Games trilogy to explore contextual factors in child
and adolescent development and critically examine the parallels between Panem and the
real world. Topics will include poverty and hunger, media and development, oppression
and privilege, social identity development, and war and exposure to violence, and
resilience and resistance. Each topic will be explored in the books and then connected to
existing psychology research and real world experiences. PSYC 10 and 100 are
prerequisites. This course is designed to be fun and give us the opportunity to discuss and
explore a series we enjoy—at the same time, hard work, deep reflection, and critical
thinking skills will be required!
Objectives
At the end of this course you will be able to:
 Understand theories and concepts of developmental and social psychology
 Apply theories and concepts in developmental and social psychology to the
experiences of characters in the series
 Demonstrate critical thinking skills
Class Structure
Each week will focus on a different theme. We will begin with readings for homework and
a lecture on Tuesday. In sections on Wednesday, you will work in small groups to reflect
on the lecture and develop your own responses and analyses. We will conclude with a
large group discussion on Thursday based on the work in section. Active participation and
engagement will be required throughout.
Required Texts
Readings on eCommons
Collins, S. (2009). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press.
2
Collins, S. (2010). Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Press. Collins, S. (2010).
Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic Press.
Recommended Text
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2010).
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Requirements
 Introductory essay (required)
 Homework and in-class participation (70%)
 Analysis paper (20%)
 Portfolio (10%)
Further instructions for each assignment are on eCommons.
Introductory essay: You will write a short paper introducing yourself to the class and
explaining your interest in the Hunger Games trilogy. You will also reflect on your
background in the course topics and topics you are interested in exploring. Failure to
complete this assignment will result in a No Pass for the class.
Homework and in-class participation: You are required to attend the first lecture
or you will be dropped from the course. You are expected to attend each lecture and
discussion section, arriving on time and having completed the assigned readings and
homework. Homework will generally consist of short reflections on the readings that
are turned in before Tuesday’s class on eCommons. In-class participation will be
graded through completion of activities individually and in groups.
Homework and in-class participation will be graded based on completion with 0-3
points. Late assignments will receive a 1 point penalty. Assignments graded 0 or 1
points may be rewritten within 2 weeks after the original deadline to receive up to 2
points.
Analysis paper: You will write an analysis of an event or character in the series using
theories from the class. The paper must have an original thesis and integrate material
from at least two course readings and at least two outside scholarly readings. This
paper should follow APA style. Late papers will receive a 5% point deduction every 24
hours.
Portfolio: The portfolio is intended to demonstrate your learning through the quarter
and will consist of 3-5 of your best homework/participation assignments from the
quarter and a reflection on key themes throughout the course and what you have
learned. Late assignments will receive a 5% point deduction every 24 hours.
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Course Policies
Contacting the Instructors
Please use the following link to schedule a meeting outside of office hours:
http://meetme.so/ChristyByrd. Otherwise, email is the best way to contact me. Please
include “PSYC 118D” in the subject line. I will respond to student emails only between
10am and 12pm each day. If you email me after 12pm, please do not expect a
response until the next morning.
Before emailing us, please:



review the syllabus
read my latest announcements
review the relevant resources on eCommons
To make sure your question isn’t answered in those places.
Absences: If you are going to miss class, you must email the TA for a make-up
assignment before class begins. The make-up assignment and any homework for that
day must be completed by the next lecture (Tuesday or Thursday) to receive full
credit; otherwise, the assignments will be subject to a late penalty. You do not need to
provide an excuse or documentation for absences.
Academic Honesty: You are responsible for the integrity of your work. Academic
dishonesty will not be tolerated. If you are found guilty of cheating or plagiarizing, you
will receive a zero on the assignment. You may also be given a failing grade for the
course and/or referred to your provost. Academic dishonesty includes submitting
someone else’s work under your own name, collaborating with someone else on an
individual project, or including another person’s written words or ideas into your work
without appropriate attribution. If you are unsure as to what constitutes academic
dishonesty, please meet with the instructors. Information is also available here:
http://library.ucsc.edu/help/howto/citations-and-style-guides.
Principles and procedures concerning academic integrity are available at this link:
http://www.ue.ucsc.edu/academic_integrity.
Accommodations for Disabilities: Any student who thinks they may need an
accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor
privately to submit their Accommodation Authorization and discuss specific needs,
preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. Please contact the Disability
Resource Center at 831-45-2089 in room 146
Hahn Student Services or by e-mail at drc@ucsc.edu to coordinate those
accommodations.
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Assignment Submission: All assignments should be submitted on eCommons in the
Assignments section. Hard copies and emailed copies will not be accepted.
Assignments are determined as late based on the timestamp on eCommons.
Extensions will not be granted for any reason, including technical difficulties – please
allow sufficient time to upload your assignment well in advance of the deadline.
Course Communication: The instructor and TA will use email and eCommons to
communicate about the course, including giving feedback on assignments and making
announcements about homework assignments and changes to the syllabus. It is
essential that you read all communications.
Distribution of Course Materials: Please note that students may be disciplined for
selling, preparing, or distributing course lecture notes for any commercial purpose,
whether or not the student himself or herself took the notes. The unauthorized sale of
lecture notes (and handouts, readers or other course materials) is a violation of
campus policies, state law and may also constitute copyright infringement subject to
legal action.
For more information about the policy, please see this email from UCSC’s Vice Provost
and Dean of Undergraduate Education (Dec 2010):
http://its.ucsc.edu/security/copyright-notes.html
Extensions: You may request an extension of up to 2 days on the introductory essay,
analysis paper, or portfolio. The extension must be requested at least 24 hours before
the paper deadline. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Email the TA and copy
me on the email to request an extension. Extensions on homework and in-class work
will not be granted except as described in the absences policy.
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Course Schedule
Week Topic
0
Introductions
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Poverty and hunger
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Clay, R.A. (July/August 2015). Fighting poverty. Monitor on Psychology, 7683.
Duncan, G. J., Magnuson, K., & Votruba‐Drzal, E. (2015). Children and
socioeconomic status. Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental
Science.
 People Like Us: Tammy’s Story (7:52)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37ZpauS5Doo
9/25
2
Homework: What does it mean to be poor? What are the effects of poverty on
Katniss, Peeta, and Gale? Which effects are similar to what was found in the
research reported in the readings?
Introductory Essay Due Friday at 11:55pm
Gender identity development
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The Hunger Games
Harro, B. (2013). The cycle of socialization. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld,
R. Castañeda, H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, and X. Zuñiga (Eds.). Readings
for Diversity and Social Justice, 3rd edition, (pp.45-52). New York:
Routledge.
Read only to page 19 (stop at Gender Comparisons…): Leaper, C. 2015.
Gender and social-cognitive development. Handbook of Child Psychology
and Developmental Science. 2:19:1–48. doi:10.1002/9781118963418
Homework: Choose Katniss or Peeta, or Gale and describe their gender identity at
the beginning of the first book and how it changes by the end. Use specific
examples to illustrate your points.
Oppression
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Pincus, F. L. (2000). Discrimination comes in many forms: Individual,
institutional, and structural. In Adams et al. (Eds.). Readings for Diversity
and Social Justice, 2nd ed (pp. 31-35). New York: Routledge.
Young, I. M. (2000). Five faces of oppression. In Adams et al. (Eds.).
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, 2nd ed (pp. 35-49). New York:
Routledge
Mays, K. (2013). The elements of the essay. In K. Mays. The Norton
Introduction to Literature, 11th edition (pp.2273-2278). New York: W.W.
Norton & Company.
Homework: In what ways are the citizens of Panem oppressed? Identify at least
one type of oppression as seen in the books and use specific examples to describe
how it affects the citizens.
4
War and exposure to violence
6
Guest Lecture by Dr. Tony Hoffman, Psychology


Catching Fire
Wessells, W. (2006). Child soldiering: Entry, reintegration, and breaking
cycles of violence. In M. Fitzduff & C. Stout (Eds). The Psychology of
Resolving Global Conflicts: From War to Peace, Volume 3: Interventions.
West Port, CT: Praeger Security International.
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Homework: Compare and contrast the responses of Katniss and Peeta to their
participation in the Hunger Games and the District 13 rebellion. What does the
research suggest about their responses?
Media
At the end of the document include the draft thesis statement for your analysis
paper.
 p.45-55 of Gentile, D. A. (2014). Why don’t media violence effects look the
same on everyone?: Developmental approaches to understanding media
effects. In D.A. Gentile (Ed.). Media Violence and Children: A Complete
Guide for Parents and Professionals. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
 Chapter 10 of Heit, J. (2015). The Politics of the Hunger Games. Jefferson:
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Homework: Outline one of Gentile’s (2014) myths and his counter-argument
against it. Do you find either side convincing? What would make each side more
convincing?
6
Resilience
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Mockingjay
Chapters 1 and 6 from Masten, A. S. (2014). Ordinary Magic: Resilience in
Development. New York: Guilford Publications.
Homework: Make an argument about which pattern of resilience on p.11 of
Masten (2014) Katniss displays. Address the counter-arguments by showing how
she does not match the other patterns. Which factors on the “short list” (Chapter
6) contributed to her resilience?
On a separate page in the same document, include the thesis statement and a
detailed outline for your analysis paper.
7
Catch-up/Paper workshops (note: attendance is required)
11/10 Paper Workshop
11/11 No Section – Veteran’s Day
11/12 Paper Workshop
11/15 Sunday 5pm Analysis Paper Due
8
Resistance
7
Guest Lecture by Dr. Jessica Taft, Latin American and Latino Studies
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
Chapter 2 of Taft, J. K. (2010). Rebel Girls: Youth Activism and Social
Change Across the Americas. NYU Press.
Kirshner, B. and Ginwright, S. (2012), Youth organizing as a developmental
context for African American and Latino adolescents. Child Development
Perspectives, 6, 288–294. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2012.00243.x
Homework: TBA
11/20 Class Trip: Mockingjay - Part 2 Premiere
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Movie discussion
11/24 Movie Discussion
11/25 Optional Section
11/26 No Lecture - Thanksgiving
10
Liberation
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Harro, B. (2000). The cycle of liberation. In M. Adams, W. J. Blumenfeld, R.
Castañeda, H. W. Hackman, M. L. Peters, and X. Zuñiga (Eds.). Readings
for Diversity and Social Justice, 2nd edition (pp. 52- 58). New York:
Routledge.
Freire, P. (1993). Chapter 1. Pedagogy of the oppressed, 30th anniversary
edition. (pp. 43-69). New York: Continuum.
Freire, P. (1993). Chapter 2. Pedagogy of the oppressed, 30th anniversary
edition. (pp. 79-98). New York: Continuum.
Homework: Overall, what are the most striking parallels between our world and
the world of Panem? How can developmental and social psychology help us
understand and solve those issues? What can you as an individual do?
Exam Portfolio due 12/10 5pm
Week