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CLASS SYLLABUS
PSYC 4300 - Adolescent Development
Fall 2012
W 4-6:50 pm
Instructor: Maria Kuznetsova, Ph.D. mkuznet1@uwyo.edu
Office in Casper: LH 151A (268-2405)
Office hours: Mon. and Wed. at 2:30-3:30 pm, Tues. 5:00-6:00 pm (or by appointment)
Required Text: McMahan, I. (2009). Adolescence.
Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon w/ access to
My Virtual Teen. ISBN:9780205801503
Supplemental Readings : Given that this is a senior level class, I expect you to do some reading beyond your text. Additional articles will be available electronically. You will be writing article reviews based on these readings.
Course Goals: Psyc 4300 provides a topical survey of the major transitions and tasks of adolescence. This course will cover the biological, cognitive, psychological, and social changes that occur during adolescence and the contexts in which these changes occur.
Class Format: The course will be predominantly organized for a lecture format, but classroom discussion is encouraged. You have to read the assigned chapters and articles prior coming to class in order to be able to participate in discussions. I will be taking attendance and track your participation, thus, attendance is expected.
Course Requirements:
Four non-cumulative exams
Points
100 each
Classroom participation 45
Two article reviews 10 each
Service-learning 100
MyVirtualTeen (MVT) assignment 100
Final paper 50
Cumulative Final Exam (optional) 100
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Total: 715
Grading Scale:
643.5 - 715 points= A;
572 - 643 points = B;
500.5 - 571 points = C;
429 - 500 points = D
The four regularly scheduled exams will consist of multiple-choice questions. If you prefer an all-essay version, please, let me know ahead of time, so I can create an essay version of the exam. Only university excused absences (University Regulation 713) will be accepted for the opportunity to make-up work. University excused absences allow the student the opportunity to make up the time and material that was missed during their absence. It is the student’s responsibility to provide the appropriate documentation regarding university excused absences by coordinating with the Dean of Students Office at dos@uwyo.edu
or 307-766-3296.
If you miss an exam (without a valid excuse) or if you did poorly on one of your regular exams,

2 you can take the optional final and drop your lowest grade. Please note: the final exam is scheduled for the last day of finals, December 12 th .
Article Reviews: Each review should be 2-3 pages in length (APA format; double-spaced, New
Times Roman, 12 point font). Article choices are listed on the last page. You have to be able to integrate the reading with the information presented in our main text. The papers are due at the beginning of the class that this reading is assigned for. The first article review must be submitted before midterm. Late reviews will not be accepted.
Service-learning: You will have to pick a site where you would like to work with adolescents.
You have to provide 20 hours of service throughout the semester. I will be checking with your site about your hours and professionalism. The purpose of this assignment is to apply the concepts learned in class to real life.
Final Paper: The paper should be 5-7 pages in length (APA format; double-spaced, New Times
Roman, 12 point font). Your paper will be based on your service-learning experience and you will have to integrate it to course material. Detailed requirements for the paper will be discussed in class and summarized in a separate handout.
MyVirtualTeen assignment: You will be gradually completing this assignment online throughout the course of the semester. Deadlines for each age and essays associated with each age are listed in the Tentative Schedule below. You will have to follow the timetable as many discussion questions that we will have in class will be based on your experience with raising your Virtual Teen, plus it will help you to stay on track with all of the class requirements
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Special needs
If you have a physical, learning, or psychological disability that requires accommodations, please contact the University Disability Support Services Office as soon as possible. You will need to register with and provide documentation of your disability to University Disability Support
Services. Contact information: Chris Primus, University of Wyoming, Dept. 3808, 1000 E.
University Ave., Laramie, WY 82071; (307) 766-6189, TTY: (307) 766-3073, cfprimus@uwyo.edu; www.uwyo.edu/udss
Statement of Academic Honesty
All students are required to do independent original work. As outlined in University Regulation
802, Revision 2, plagiarism, cheating on exams or assignments, or other acts of dishonesty will be grounds for failure on a particular assignment, an F grade for the course, and/or expulsion from the University. There is a well-defined procedure to judge cases of academic dishonesty and serious penalties may be assessed. A link to the University regulation about academic dishonesty: http://www.uwyo.edu/generalcounselsupport/clean%20uw%20regulations/UW%20Reg%206-
802.pdf
Class conduct
For the benefit of you and your classmates, please pay attention and do not disrupt others by talking to your classmates. Behavior that disrupts the instructional environment is not acceptable.

Cell phones, including texting, Blackberries, pagers, iPods, MP3 players or any other electronic distracting device should not be used during class time unless allowed for use for instructional purposes. If you need to remain connected to a phone for on-call purposes, please move to a vibration mode. Students who choose to use these devices during class will be asked to leave class and may not receive participation credit for that class session.
Communication Policy
Students are required to use and check their University of Wyoming email regularly. Any communication from the instructor will be delivered using UW email account addresses only.
Instructor can be reached by office phone, UW email and/or in the office during office hours.
Studying
If the grade you receive on an exam or a paper is not what you expected based on the amount of effort you put into studying, please EMAIL ME! I would be more than happy to go over your study habits with you and possibly give you some ideas for how to study more efficiently.
However, I can’t give you help if you don’t tell me that you need it.
Important Dates:
August 29 th – Last day to drop courses
August 31 st – Last day to add courses
November 3 rd – Last day to withdraw with a mark of W.
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Date
August 22
What is due?
Get your book and access to
MyVirtualTeen !
Tentative Course Schedule
Topics (may be modified)
Introductions, Historical Overview,
Emerging Adulthood,
Global Issues and Adolescence,
Development in Context
Theory and Research Methods August 29
September 5
Read Chapters 1 and 2
Identify your service-learning site
Assigned readings;
Article review, if chosen;
Complete essay in MVT at age 2 years
Start your service-learning this week
September 12 Assigned readings;
Article review, if chosen
September 19 Exam 1: Chapters 1 – 4 & articles
September 26 Assigned readings;
Article review, if chosen;
Complete essay in MVT at age 4 years
October 3
October 10
October 17
October 24
October 31
Assigned readings
Article review, if chosen
Assigned readings
Article review, if chosen (last chance to submit it before midterm)
Exam 2: Chapters 5 – 8 & articles
Assigned readings;
Article review, if chosen;
Complete essay in MVT at age 10 years
Assigned readings
Article review, if chosen
Puberty and Physical Development Chapter 3 & Supplemental
Reading #1
Cognitive Changes
Families
Peers
School and Work
Culture, Leisure and Media
Gender
Identity
Intimacy and friendships, Romance,
Sexuality, Adolescent pregnancy
Abnormal Development, Juvenile
Delinquency, Depression/Suicide
Readings
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 4 & Supplemental
Reading #2
Chapter 5
Chapter 6 & Supplemental
Reading #3
Chapter 7 & Supplemental
Reading #4
Chapter 8 & Supplemental
Reading #5
Chapter 10
Chapter 11 & Supplemental
Reading #6
Chapter 12 & Supplemetal
Reading #7
Chapter 13 & Supplemental
Reading #8
November 7 Exam 3: Chapters 10 – 12 & articles
November 14 Assigned readings;
Article review, if chosen;
Complete essay in MVT at age 15 years
Should be done with your servicelearning hours this week
November 21 NO CLASS – Thanksgiving break
Start working on your final paper no later than this week
November 28 Assigned readings;
Last article review, if chosen;
Complete essay in MVT at age 16 years
Rough draft of your paper for peer reviews
December 5
December 12
Finish all 18-year-old essays
Exam 4: Chapters 13 - 14 & articles
Final paper due
FINAL EXAM (optional)
Positive Prospects Chapter 14 & Supplemental
Reading #9

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Supplemental Reading References
1.
Steinberg, L. (2008). A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking.
Developmental Review, 28, 78-106. (Should be able to find on your own through our UW library website)
2.
Taking Sides Issue: Do video games impede adolescent cognitive development?
3.
Monahan, K. C., Steinberg, L., & Cauffman, E. (2009). Affiliation with antisocial peers, susceptibility to peer influence, and antisocial behavior during the transition to adulthood.
Developmental Psychology , 45 , 1520-1530. doi:10.1037/a0017417 (Should be able to find on your own through our UW library website)
4.
Wang, M., & Dishion, T. J. (2012). The trajectories of adolescents’ perceptions of school climate, deviant peer affiliation, and behavioral problems during the middle school years.
Journal of Research on Adolescence , 22 , 40-53. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2011.00763.x
5.
Luthar, S.S. & Latendresse, S.J. (2005). Children of the affluent: Challenges to wellbeing. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 49-53. (Available through eReserve)
6.
Savin-Williams, R. (2006). Who’s Gay? Does it Matter? Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 15, 40-44. (Available through eReserve)
7.
Thomas, J. J. (2012). Adolescents' conceptions of the influence of romantic relationships on friendships. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Research and Theory on Human
Development , 173 , 198-207. doi:10.1080/00221325.2011.583698
8.
Scott, E.S. & Steinberg, L. (2008). The science of adolescent development and teenagers’ involvement in crime. In Rethinking Juvenile Justice, 28-60. (Available through eReserve)
9.
Schmid, K.L., Phelps, E., Lerner, R.M. (2011). Constructing positive futures: Modeling the relationship between adolescents’ hopeful future expectations and intentional self regulation in predicting positive youth development. Journal of Adolescence, 34, 1127-
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