Lifespan Growth & Development Syllabus for 2017-2018
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Dr. Alan Kee

Professor of Psychology

Amarillo College

 

Lifespan Growth & Development Psychology (Online)

Course Schedule / Assignments

 

Fall, 2017 (16 Week Course)

08/21/2017 - 12/15/2017 WEB

 

Welcome to Lifespan Growth & Development Psychology (Online)!

I want you to use the more user friendly version of the Syllabus and the Schedule / Assignments document in this course by going to the Home Page for the course and then going to the Lessons tab.  Here you will find the two most important documents in the course: the Syllabus and the Course Schedule / Assignments document.

Please read and review carefully all of the policies in the Syllabus. Then, read and review carefully all the information in this Course Schedule / Assignments document.  These two documents are your roadmap to the entire course!  Also, do not hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions regarding the policies in this course. 

 

I also recommend that you thoroughly take notes (outline) on the lectures as well the assigned reading. These notes (outlines) are for your own study purposes – you do not turn them in to me. 

In addition, I strongly recommend that you write the due date for all of the assignments into your daily planner / calendar.  This way you can see the big picture of how much time you have to complete all of the assignments.

Critical Information on How To Use Email in This Course!

In order to receive email from the instructor you must use your AC Connect Google Email account.  If you do not activate and use your AC Connect Google Email account, you will be lost in this course because you will not be able to receive email from your instructor. 

There is one way to email your instructor.  You must use your AC Connect Google Email account, and you will have to construct your email from within the course you are taking.  Go to the top left hand corner of the home page of the course and click “Send Email” to construct your e-mail from within the course.  Next, you will click on “All Instructor Users,” and make sure your email is being sent to Jeffery Kee (your instructor for this course). 

Also, students are responsible for accessing e-mail messages sent to their AC Connect Google Email account; thus, students are responsible to check their AC Connect Google Email account on a daily basis.  The instructor will only respond to e-mails sent from the student’s AC Connect Google Email account.  These e-mails must identify the applicable class in the subject line; this information is automatically included in messages sent from within the course when you use your AC Connect Google Email account.  

If you do not follow these instructions, you email is at risk of getting lost.  I teach six courses per semester, and I have to create folders in my Outlook e-mail for each class.  If you follow these instructions, your email will automatically go into the proper folder for your course, and I will then be able to respond to you in a timely manner. 

You will need to learn how to use email in this course by viewing two tutorial videos on how to access email as a student in the portal and on how to send email from Blackboard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Bb857-WJX9w

http://screencast.com/t/0jlcsuLrdj

Introduce Yourself

If you are attending this class, your Introduction Assignment is to complete an introduction on yourself in order to be counted as attending.  This assignment also helps me to learn your names! 

You must make this post by Friday August 25. The reason for this assignment is that the college needs proof that you are participating in the class before your first written assignment and exam 1 is due.  It is a way I can count you as attending early in the semester; if you do not complete this assignment, you will appear to the registrar as not attending the class.  If you appear as not attending, your financial aid can be terminated. 

This Introduction Assignment also allows me and your classmates to get to know you.  Please briefly tell the class your name, major, and your career plan.  You will post your response by clicking on Discussions.  Post your brief introduction in the “First Assignment: Your Introduction” discussion. 

Mental Health and Social Services at AC

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student’s ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900.  The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/.  Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5450. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website iswww.actx.edu/arc

Summary / Overview of Course Assignments:

This summary provides an overview of all the assignments and due dates.  Please take the time to look at all of these assignments ahead of time and plan your time so that you can complete them on time.  This Course Schedule / Assignments document is detailed in an attempt to minimize confusion.  This document should answer most of the questions that would typically come up.  Do not be overwhelmed by the detail of the assignments; I provide a lot of detail in an attempt to answer most of the questions you may have.  The papers that you write are NOT as difficult as all of the instructions appear at first glance. 

I also want to alert you early in the semester that this Service Learning Project is due November 27.  You can go ahead and get started on this project now so you will not be stressed later in the semester.  I suggest you find your volunteer agency as quickly as possible so you will have plenty of time to complete the essay part of the assignment.  Go to Unit Three to see details for this assignment. 

Unit 1 (8/21/17 to 9/25/17)	Assignment	Due Date
	Assignment One The Study of Human Development Chapter 1 Chapter 2	9-22-17
	Assignment Two Birth and Infancy Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Lecture: The Birth of a Child with a Handicapping Condition Video: Infancy and Early Childhood (Birth-Age 5)	9-22-17
	Assignment Three Unit One Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment	Discussion: 9-15-17 Peer Response: 9-19-17
	Exam 1	9-22-17 Retake: 9-25-17

Unit 2 (9/26/17 to 10/31/17)	Assignment	Due Date
	Assignment Four Early Childhood Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Lecture on Asperger's Syndrome	10-31-17
	Assignment Five Middle Childhood Chapter 9 Chapter 10	10-31-17
	Assignment Six Adolescence Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Lecture on Costs and Benefits of Adolescent Employment Video: Childhood and Adolescence (Ages 6 - 20)	10-31-17
	Assignment Seven Unit Two Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment	Discussion: 10-19-17 Peer Response: 10-23-17
	Assignment Eight Legalization of Marijuana Research Paper	10-25-17
	Exam  2	10-27-17 Retake: 10-31-17

Unit 3 (11/1/17 to 12/8/17)	Assignment	Due Date
	Assignment Nine Early Adulthood Read and Outline: Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Lecture on Family Transitions Video: Early Adulthood (Ages 20 - 40)	12-6-17
	Assignment Ten Middle Adulthood Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Lecture on Loneliness in Adults Lecture on Divorce, Remarriage, and Middle Adulthood Video: Middle Adulthood (Ages 40 - 60)	12-6-17
	Assignment Eleven Late Adulthood Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Lecture on Sex in Old Age Lecture on Near-Death Experiences Video: Late Adulthood (Ages 60+)	12-6-17
	Assignment Twelve Service Learning Project	11-27-17
	Assignment Thirteen Unit Three Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment	Discussion: 11-30-17 Peer Response: 12-4-17
	Exam  3	12-6-17 Retake: 12-8-17
	Final Exam	12-13-17

Detailed Description of Assignments for Unit One, Unit Two, and Unit Three:

Unit One 

Unit One consists of Assignments 1 through 3 and Exam 1. These Assignments are to be completed between August 21 and September 25.  

Assignment One

The Study of Human Development

Read and study:

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 - Theories of Development

 

Assignment Two

Birth and Infancy

Read and study:

Chapter 4 - Birth and Physical Development: The First Two Years

Chapter 5 - Infancy: Cognitive and Language Development

            Chapter 6 - Infancy: The Development of Emotional and Social Bonds 

            Lecture: The Birth of a Child with a Handicapping Condition

            *(Lectures are found by going to Lessons tab and then click on Lectures)

*Note: there may be discussion questions at the end of the lectures in this course.  These discussion questions are for your reflection; you do not have to answer them and turn them in.

Video Program: Go to http://www.learner.org/resources/series54.html and locate the Seasons of Life video program. Then locate and view the video program entitled Infancy and Early Childhood (Birth-Age 5). Beginning with the first years of life, the early influences of the biological and social clocks, how the children develop and how they gain confidence and curiosity are explored. You are not tested over the video, but it does illustrate real-life examples from the text assignments.

Assignment Three

Unit One Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment

In this assignment, as a way to stimulate interest in the topic of human develop your goal is to identify and write about five past events that have had an impact on your life. In your paper, provide your age at which each event occurred and provide a brief description of what happened. Then, you are to hypothesize and write about five future events that you believe will significantly affect your development.  Be sure to apply one or more concepts from the textbook to your life experience in this paper.  It will be interesting for you to reflect on these events as you proceed through the course, learning more detail about human development across the lifespan. 

Your Unit One Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment is due September 15.  We will discuss this question at this time.  Remember that part of the assignment is for you to respond to at least one of your classmate’s posting.  Your peer response is due September 19.

To post your Unit One Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment, go to “Discussions / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignments” and then click on the specific unit for the discussion question you are working on. Remember, your discussion response to the question needs to be a minimum of 600 words in 12 point type size, and your peer response needs to be a minimum of 100 words.  I will not grade a paper that does not meet these minimal requirements.  Please divide your 600 word discussion paper into paragraphs! 

In terms of your 100 word peer response, I want to see that you gave their discussion some real thought.  For this assignment, your goal is to relate (connect) ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, book, etc.) to your peer’s response.  After you relate ideas from some source to your peer’s response, you then also add your personal experience (observations) and opinions to your peer’s response.  You must cite the source in the body of your peer response AND provide the reference (bibliography) after your peer response.  

Use APA style when citing sources in the body of your peer response and when listing your reference at the end of your peer response.  Basically the idea here is to be sure you cite your source with the authors name, date of publication and that title of the source, and publisher along with any pages you used, or, if your source is an online source include the title , any author, date, and the web address stating "Retrieved from".           

Example of using a book will have a citation that looks like this:

Myers, D. (2014) Exploring Psychology (9th Edition).  Worth, pages 35-39.  

Henslin, J. (2016).  Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach.  Core Concepts (6th Edition). Pearson, page 102.

Example of using online source (website) you will have a citation that looks like this:

How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects

Be sure you cite your sources in the body of your text:

Example: There are numerous physical effects of marijuana such as increasing heart rate, increase bleeding, lower blood pressure, blood sugar issues, and increased risk of lung cancer (How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects)

Example: Myers (2014, p. 375) tells us that people must have their basic needs met before they can accomplish higher order goals.  This idea is put forth in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1970), which shows that needs like hunger and thirst must be met before people will go after personal goals like building self-esteem and attaining an educational degree.

Please use this rubric (assessment tool) below to help you to formulate (develop) your answer to the question for this essay.

Rubric used to grade Unit One Assignment and Peer Response:

Criteria	Exceeds Expectation	Needs Improvement	Does not meet expectations
Knowledge	50 Points Contains a clear and thorough responses to the assignment.  Provides evidence that the student has diligently applied concepts from the assigned reading.	40 Points Does not contain a clear and thorough responses to the assignment.  It provides minimal evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is only minimal indication that the student applied concepts from the assigned reading.	20 Points Minimally addresses the items in the assignment.  It does not provide evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is no indication that the student applied concepts from the assigned reading.
Organization	10 Points Information is clearly organized.	7 Points Information is loosely organized.	5 Points Information is present, but very difficult to understand due to poor organization.
Mechanics	10 Points Proper grammar and spelling used throughout the paper.	7 Points Proper grammar and spelling used throughout the paper with major errors.	5 Points Very poor grammar and spelling used through the paper.
Peer Response	30 Points Peer response meets the minimum 100 word requirement.  Demonstrates that the student gave their peer’s discussion some real thought.  The student relates ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, magazine, book, etc.) to his or her peer’s response.  After the student relates ideas from some source to the peer response, he or she also adds their personal experience (observations) to their peer’s response.  Uses APA Style in the body of the paper (peer response) to reference the source(s).  The peer response paper also includes a bibliography.	16 Points Peer response meets the minimum 100 word requirement.  The peer response does not relate ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, magazine, book, etc.) to his or her peer’s response.  Instead, it only provides opinions about the peer’s response. Or, the peer response relate ideas from another source but fails to provide the reference after the peer response.	0 Points Does not meet the minimum 100 word requirement.

Exam One: The testing date is Friday September 22.  You can retake Exam 1 on Monday September 25.  The higher of the two grades will count.  There is no penalty for attempting Exam 1 twice.  Exam 1 covers Unit One, consisting of Assignments 1, and 2.  This exam is taken online. 

Unit Two 

Unit Two consists of Assignments 4 through 7 and Exam 2. These assignments are to be completed between September 26 and October 31.

Assignment Four

Early Childhood

Read and study:

Chapter 7 - Early Childhood: Physical and Cognitive Development

Chapter 8 - Early Childhood: Emotional and Social Development

         Lecture on Asperger's Syndrome

         *(Lectures are found by going to Lessons tab and then click on Lectures)

Assignment Five

Middle Childhood

Read and study:

Chapter 9 - Middle Childhood: Physical and Cognitive Development

Chapter 10 - Middle Childhood: Emotional and Social Development

Assignment Six

Adolescence

Read and study:

Chapter 11 - Adolescence: Physical and Cognitive Development

Chapter 12 - Adolescence: Emotional and Social Development

Lecture on Costs and Benefits of Adolescent Employment

*(Lectures are found by going to Lessons tab and then click on Lectures)

Video Program: Go to http://www.learner.org/resources/series54.html and locate the Seasons of Life video program. Then locate and view the video program entitled Childhood and Adolescence (Ages 6 - 20). This program examines the years before and during adolescence and the stressful task of molding an identity while the biological and social clocks are out of synch. You are not tested over the video, but it does illustrate real-life examples from the text assignments.

Assignment Seven

Unit Two Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment:

Your Unit Two Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment is to answer one of the 4 questions below.  Each of the Discussion Questions relate to the readings and lectures in Unit Two. 

Your Unit Two Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment is due October 19.  We will discuss this question at this time.  Remember that part of the assignment is for you to respond to at least one of your classmate’s posting.  Your peer response is due October 23. 

To post your Unit Two Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment, go to “Discussions / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignments” and then click on the specific unit for the discussion question you are working on. Remember, your discussion response to the question needs to be a minimum of 600 words in 12 point type size, and your peer response needs to be a minimum of 100 words.  I will not grade a paper that does not meet these minimal requirements.  Please divide your 600 word discussion paper into paragraphs! 

In terms of your 100 word peer response, I want to see that you gave their discussion some real thought.  For this assignment, your goal is to relate (connect) ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, book, etc.) to your peer’s response.  After you relate ideas from some source to your peer’s response, you then also add your personal experience (observations) and opinions to your peer’s response.  You must cite the source in the body of your peer response AND provide the reference (bibliography) after your peer response.  

Use APA style when citing sources in the body of your peer response and when listing your reference at the end of your peer response.  Basically the idea here is to be sure you cite your source with the authors name, date of publication and that title of the source, and publisher along with any pages you used, or, if your source is an online source include the title , any author, date, and the web address stating "Retrieved from".           

Example of using a book will have a citation that looks like this:

Myers, D. (2014) Exploring Psychology (9th Edition).  Worth, pages 35-39.  

Henslin, J. (2016).  Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach.  Core Concepts (6th Edition). Pearson, page 102.

Example of using online source (website) you will have a citation that looks like this:

How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects

Be sure you cite your sources in the body of your text:

Example: There are numerous physical effects of marijuana such as increasing heart rate, increase bleeding, lower blood pressure, blood sugar issues, and increased risk of lung cancer (How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects)

Example: Myers (2014, p. 375) tells us that people must have their basic needs met before they can accomplish higher order goals.  This idea is put forth in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1970), which shows that needs like hunger and thirst must be met before people will go after personal goals like building self-esteem and attaining an educational degree.

Please use this rubric (assessment tool) below to help you to formulate (develop) your answer to the question for this essay.

Rubric used to grade Unit Two Assignment and Peer Response:

Criteria	Exceeds Expectation	Needs Improvement	Does not meet expectations
Knowledge	50 Points Contains a clear and thorough responses to the assignment.  Provides evidence that the student has diligently applied concepts from the assigned reading.	40 Points Does not contain a clear and thorough responses to the assignment.  It provides minimal evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is only minimal indication that the student applied concepts from the assigned reading.	20 Points Minimally addresses the items in the assignment.  It does not provide evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is no indication that the student applied concepts from the assigned reading.
Organization	10 Points Information is clearly organized.	7 Points Information is loosely organized.	5 Points Information is present, but very difficult to understand due to poor organization.
Mechanics	10 Points Proper grammar and spelling used throughout written and oral work.	7 Points Proper grammar and spelling used throughout written and oral work with major errors.	5 Points Very poor grammar and spelling used through written and oral work.
Peer Response	30 Points Peer response meets the minimum 100 word requirement.  Demonstrates that the student gave their peer’s discussion some real thought.  The student relates ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, magazine, book, etc.) to his or her peer’s response.  After the student relates ideas from some source to the peer response, he or she also adds their personal experience (observations) to their peer’s response.  Uses APA Style in the body of the paper (peer response) to reference the source(s).  The peer response paper also includes a bibliography.	16 Points Peer response meets the minimum 100 word requirement.  The peer response does not relate ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, magazine, book, etc.) to his or her peer’s response.  Instead, it only provides opinions about the peer’s response. Or, the peer response relate ideas from another source but fails to provide the reference after the peer response.	0 Points Does not meet the minimum 100 word requirement.

In order to increase the variety of questions answered, I would like to distribute the questions across the people in this class:

• If your last name falls between A – F, then your assigned question is question 1. 
• If your last name falls between G – M, then your assigned question is question 2. 
• If your last name falls between N – T, then your assigned question is question 3. 
• If your last name falls between U – Z, then your assigned question is question 4. 

1. Parenting Styles

How would you explain the parenting style your parents used in raising you? Were they highly restrictive, permissive, or more democratic? In what ways has their approach affected your self-esteem / self-concept? If you are a parent, do you parent in the same way or differently?  Relate your experience of how you were parented to two or three concepts in the textbook. 

2. Adolescent Employment

What is your opinion about adolescent employment? Describe your employment experiences during high school.  (If you were not employed during high school, then reflect on your observations of the other students working during this time.) What were the positive and negative effects of employment for you during high school?  How did your experiences compare to the research findings discussed in Chapter 12? What changes could be made in adolescent employment situations that would emphasize the positive effects of employment and minimize the negative effects? What could be done to make adolescent work experience more useful in career decision making and more relevant to teenagers' later careers?

3. The Social Worlds of Adolescents Compared to Those of Young Children

Adolescence is a time of great change in socialization. Often teenagers are thrown into situations for which they feel unprepared. Similarly, the period of early childhood (ages 2 to 6) involves changes and challenges in socialization as the young child moves from home to nursery school, kindergarten, and first grade. Compare and contrast the social worlds of adolescence and early childhood. What similarities and differences exist?  Connect your observations to two or three concepts in the textbook. 

4. Media Effects

In this assignment, your goal is to observe systematically a medium to which teenagers are regularly exposed (e.g., television, popular movies, music videos, magazines, “Top 40” radio).  This observation can be an effective way of examining specific cultural influences on adolescents. Possible topics for observation might include vocational roles of men and women on television, portrayals of love and sex in popular songs, parent-teenager relations on television, or images of physical beauty in teenage fashion magazine advertisements.

Select a topic (vocational roles of men and women on television, portrayals of love and sex in popular songs, parent-teenager relations on television, or images of physical beauty in teenage fashion magazine advertisements) that you want to focus on and then select the media (television shows, movies, magazines, and/or songs ) you want to focus on.  You may choose to concentrate on one or several television shows, movies, magazines, and/or songs.  

After completing your observations, explain what effects the media characteristics you have observed might have on specific areas of adolescent development—how vocational roles on television might affect teenagers' own career aspirations, for example.  Relate and describe what you observe in the media to two or three specific concepts in your textbook on adolescent development.

Assignment Eight

Legalization of Marijuana Research Paper

Do not make this assignment more difficult than it has to be!  You are basically taking a position on the legalization (or not) of marijuana by summarizing three sources (website, article, book chapter).  Then you are responding to a peer. Please see an example paper under Lessons. This Research Paper is due October 25.

 

Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

In recent years, there has been a strong pressure on state legislatures across the US to legalize marijuana.  Yet, the media, proponents of “medical” marijuana, and political campaigns send confusing messages regarding the safety and/or harmfulness of marijuana.  For example, there are messages indicating that marijuana significantly diminishes efforts to keep our young people drug free and hampers the struggle of those recovering from addiction.  On the other hand, advocacy groups claim that smoking marijuana is a safe and effective treatment for many medical illnesses such as stress, anxiety, insomnia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and anorexia to name a few.  I would like for you to take a side on this issue.  In other words, I want you to take a position in favor of legalization of marijuana or against the legalization of marijuana.  Your position must be based in research.  To receive full credit for this assignment, you must use 3 sources (articles, book chapters, or websites) to support your position in your paper.

Questions that you may want to consider in taking a side on this issue could include:

Is marijuana addictive?

What are the effects of marijuana on the developing brain in adolescence?

Will legalization of marijuana create a health crisis? 

Is there a legitimate use for medical use?

Will decriminalizing marijuana increase addiction?

What are the effects of marijuana on the developing brain in adolescence?

What is the relationship between cannabis use and school outcomes (motivation / grades)?

You are not required to answer all of these questions in this assignment.   I provide this list of potential question only to help guide your thinking about the issue. This focus of this paper is your research on the topic.  Do not talk about your personal experience or other people’s experience on this issue. 

Go to the “Marijuana Research Paper” in the upper left hand corner of the Home Page.  Click on the “Marijuana Research Paper Drop Box.”  Then, click on “Write Submission” and you will see the Text Submission box.  Copy and paste your completed “Marijuana Research Paper” that you have already saved to your computer into this Text Submission box.  In order to paste your “Marijuana Research Paper” into the Text Submission box, you will first need to highlight your “Marijuana Research Paper.”  Then hold the Ctrl button and press C to copy.  Next, you will need to click your cursor inside of the Text Submission box and not the Comments box.  Then, hold the Ctrl button and press V to paste your Essay into the Text Submission box.  Then click Submit and it will upload into the course. I will then go in at a later time and grade your paper.

Your “Marijuana Research Paper” needs to be a minimum of 800 words in 12 point type size.  I will not grade a paper that does not meet this minimal requirement.  Please divide your paper into paragraphs!  I will not accept a paper that is not divided into separate paragraphs.  There is NO peer response for this assignment.

Your 800 word paper needs to demonstrate that you have clearly and thoroughly responded to the assignment.  Your paper needs to show that you diligently applied concepts from at least 3 quality sources. Also, your paper needs to show that you reference the sources (books, article, and websites) you used into the body of the paper and include a bibliography.

Guidelines for this assignment:

1. Set an appointment with a Librarian at Amarillo College to help you use the specialized databases in the field of psychology to locate high quality articles or book chapters for your position paper.  I prefer that you use articles that have references; these articles are considered more scholarly.  However, some of the articles in scholarly journals may be beyond your understanding.  Your librarian will help you to locate articles that are high quality and within your range of understanding. 

2. As a basic guide, consider that there are three types of information for your paper:  scholarly articles, magazines, and websites.  Scholarly articles are found in scholarly journals, for example the American Psychologist.  These authors of scholarly articles are experts in their fields.  Scholarly articles have references at the end of the article.  Magazines vary in quality.  Some magazines are credible sources of information, for example the Monitor on Psychology and Psychology Today. Other magazines are not credible, for example tabloids.  Websites will also vary in terms of credibility.  As indicated above, for example, do not use blogs and Wikipedia.  You may use quality website sources such as NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health). 

3. Use The Writer’s Corner (in Ordway Hall) at Amarillo College to help you with grammar and APA Style. 

4. Use APA style when citing sources in the body of your paper and when listing references at the end of your paper. There are many APA Style web sites online to give you guidance.  Most psychology text books are written in APA Style.  You can look at your text to see an example of APA Style.  I have included an APA Style Handout in the Lessons tab. 

Basically the idea here is to be sure you cite your source with the authors name, date of publication and that title of the source, and publisher along with any pages you used, or, if your source is an online source include the title , any author, date, and the web address stating "Retrieved from".

Example of using a book will have a citation that looks like this:

Myers, D. (2014) Exploring Psychology (9th Edition).  Worth, pages 35-39.  

Henslin, J. (2016).  Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach.  Core Concepts (6th Edition). Pearson, page 102.

Example of using online source (website) you will have a citation that looks like this:

How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects

Be sure you cite your sources in the body of your text:

Example: There are numerous physical effects of marijuana such as increasing heart rate, increase bleeding, lower blood pressure, blood sugar issues, and increased risk of lung cancer (How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects)

Example: Myers (2014, p. 375) tells us that people must have their basic needs met before they can accomplish higher order goals.  This idea is put forth in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1970), which shows that needs like hunger and thirst must be met before people will go after personal goals like building self-esteem and attaining an educational degree.

HINT: IF YOU LOOK IN YOUR REFERENCE SECTION OF YOUR TEXTBOOK, you will find the proper FORMAT for any REFERENCE that you are using for this essay!

5. Scholastic dishonesty, including plagiarism, will result in a grade of “F” for the course.  Do not plagiarize.  Plagiarism is defined as the following:  the use of someone else’s exact words that are neither quoted nor cited; paraphrasing someone else’s words without citing them; or using someone else’s research without citing it.

Rubric used to grade the Marijuana Research Paper

Criteria	Exceeds Expectation	Needs Improvement	Does not meet expectations
Knowledge	60 Points Contains a clear and thorough responses to the assignment.  Provides evidence that the student has diligently applied concepts from at least 3 quality sources.	40 Points Provides minimal evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is only minimal indication that the student applied concepts from 1-2 quality sources.	30 Points Minimally addresses the items in the assignment.  It does not provide evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is no indication that the student applied concepts from any quality sources.  Or the student used poor quality sources.
Organization / APA Style	30 Points Uses APA Style in the body of the paper to reference the sources.  The paper also includes a bibliography.	20 Points The student references the sources in the body of the paper but he or she does not us APA Style or the student fails to include a bibliography.	10 Points Information is present, but very difficult to understand due to poor organization.  Does not use APA Style. Does not utilize references.
Mechanics	10 Points Information is clearly organized.  Proper grammar and spelling is used throughout the paper.	5 Points Proper grammar and spelling used throughout the paper with major errors.	2 Points Information is poorly organized.  Very poor grammar and spelling used through written and oral work.

Exam Two: The testing date is Friday October 27.  You can retake Exam 2 on Tuesday October 31. The higher of the two grades will count.  There is no penalty for attempting Exam 2 twice.  Exam 2 covers Unit Two, consisting of Assignments 4, 5, and 6.  This exam is taken online. 

Unit Three 

Unit Three consists of Assignments 9 through 13 and Exam 3. These assignments are to be completed between November 1 and December 8.

Assignment Nine

Early Adulthood

Read and study:

Chapter 13 - Early Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development

Chapter 14 - Early Adulthood: Emotional and Social Development

Lecture on Family Transitions

*(Lectures are found by going to Lessons tab and then click on Lectures)

Video Program: Go to http://www.learner.org/resources/series54.html and locate the Seasons of Life video program. Then locate and view the video program entitled Early Adulthood (Ages 20 - 40). Young adults hear the first of many messages from the social clock: to separate from the family, get a job, find a mate, set goals and face reality in this period of intense social growth.  You are not tested over the video, but it does illustrate real-life examples from the text assignments.

Assignment Ten

Middle Adulthood

Read and study:

Chapter 15 - Middle Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development

Chapter 16 - Middle Adulthood: Emotional and Social Development

Lecture on Loneliness in Adults

Lecture on Divorce, Remarriage, and Middle Adulthood

*(Lectures are found by going to Lessons tab and then click on Lectures)

Video Program: Go to http://www.learner.org/resources/series54.html and locate the Seasons of Life video program. Then locate and view the video program entitled Middle Adulthood (Ages 40 - 60). Older adults are concerned with creating a legacy for the next generation, changes in life direction and personal goal achievement.  You are not tested over the video, but it does illustrate real-life examples from the text assignments.

Assignment Eleven

Late Adulthood

Read and study:

Chapter 17 - Late Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development

Chapter 18 - Late Adulthood: Emotional and Social Development

Chapter 19 - Dying and Death

Lecture on Sex in Old Age

Lecture on Near-Death Experiences

*(Lectures are found by going to Lessons tab and then click on Lectures)

Video Program: Go to http://www.learner.org/resources/series54.html and locate the Seasons of Life video program. Then locate and view the video program entitled Late Adulthood (Ages 60+). This program is an examination of the last stage of life; when people consider what they might still do to change or add to their lives.  You are not tested over the video, but it does illustrate real-life examples from the text assignments.

Assignment Twelve

Service Learning Project

This assignment is due November 27. You will be required to complete 4 hours of volunteer work in the community.  I suggest you find your volunteer agency as quickly as possible so you will have plenty of time to complete the essay part of the assignment.  All of the instructions look complicated, but in fact this assignment should not be difficult!  The goal of this assignment is to get you connected to a real-life situation and apply your learning to that situation.  You basically do 4 hours of volunteer work in the community and then answer a series of questions about your experience. 

There are several steps to complete for this Service Learning Project:

Step 1: Click on the Service Learning Project at the upper left hand corner of the Home Page for the course in order to access the required documents needed to complete the Service Learning Project.

Step 2: Open and read the document entitled “Service Learning Project Instructions.”  This document will explain how to do the project and it provide instructions on the essay questions that you will have answer as part of the project.

Step 3: Open and read the document entitled “Reading Graphs and Charts.”  This mini lecture will help you better understand how to interpret information on graphs and charts.

Step 4: Open and read the document entitled “Volunteer Opportunities for Service Project.”  This document will give you information on possible places for you to consider for your volunteer work.

Step 5: Open and read the document entitled “Service Learning Project Essay Template.”  This is the template you use to answer the questions after you complete your 4 hours of volunteer service in the community.  You MUST include the questions in your paper!  I will have a very difficult time grading your answers if I cannot see each of the questions that you are answering.

Remember to SAVE YOUR DOCUMENT as a WORD file or a RICH TEXT FORMAT file on your computer.  Do NOT submit your paper as a pdf. file.

Step 6: Once you click on the Service Learning Project Template, it will open in Word.  You will then have to click on the “Enable Editing” button at the top of your screen.  This will allow you to add your answers to the document.  Be sure to save this document with all of your answers to your computer as a Word or Rich Text Format file.

Step 7: Instructions for uploading your Service Learning Project into the course.

Go to the Service Learning Project in the upper left hand corner of the Home Page.  Click on the Service Learning Project Drop Box.  Then, click on “Write Submission” and you will see the Text Submission box.  Copy and paste your completed Service Learning Project Essay (Service Learning Project Essay Template) that you have already saved to your computer into this Text Submission box and not the Comments box.  In order to paste your Service Learning Project Essay into the Text Submission box, you will first need to highlight your Service Learning Project Essay.  Then hold the Ctrl button and press C to copy.  Next, you will need to click your cursor inside of the Text Submission box.  Then, hold the Ctrl button and press V to paste your Essay into the Text Submission box.  Then click Submit and it will upload into the course. I will then go in at a later time and grade your Essay.

Assignment Thirteen

Unit Three Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment:

Your Unit Three Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment is to answer one of the 5 questions below.  Each of the Discussion Questions relate to the readings and lectures in Unit Three. 

Your Unit Three Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment is due November 30.  We will discuss this question at this time.  Remember that part of the assignment is for you to respond to at least one of your classmate’s posting.  Your peer response is due December 4. 

To post your Unit Three Discussion / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignment, go to “Discussions / (PBL) Problem Based Learning Assignments” and then click on the specific unit for the discussion question you are working on. Remember, your discussion response to the question needs to be a minimum of 600 words in 12 point type size, and your peer response needs to be a minimum of 100 words.  I will not grade a paper that does not meet these minimal requirements.  Please divide your 600 word discussion paper into paragraphs! 

In terms of your 100 word peer response, I want to see that you gave their discussion some real thought.  For this assignment, your goal is to relate (connect) ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, book, etc.) to your peer’s response.  After you relate ideas from some source to your peer’s response, you then also add your personal experience (observations) and opinions to your peer’s response.  You must cite the source in the body of your peer response AND provide the reference (bibliography) after your peer response.  

Use APA style when citing sources in the body of your peer response and when listing your reference at the end of your peer response.  Basically the idea here is to be sure you cite your source with the authors name, date of publication and that title of the source, and publisher along with any pages you used, or, if your source is an online source include the title , any author, date, and the web address stating "Retrieved from".           

Example of using a book will have a citation that looks like this:

Myers, D. (2014) Exploring Psychology (9th Edition).  Worth, pages 35-39.  

Henslin, J. (2016).  Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach.  Core Concepts (6th Edition). Pearson, page 102.

Example of using online source (website) you will have a citation that looks like this:

How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects

Be sure you cite your sources in the body of your text:

Example: There are numerous physical effects of marijuana such as increasing heart rate, increase bleeding, lower blood pressure, blood sugar issues, and increased risk of lung cancer (How Does Marijuana Affect You? WebMD Retrieved May 21, 2016 from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/marijuana-use-and-its-effects)

Example: Myers (2014, p. 375) tells us that people must have their basic needs met before they can accomplish higher order goals.  This idea is put forth in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1970), which shows that needs like hunger and thirst must be met before people will go after personal goals like building self-esteem and attaining an educational degree.

Please use this rubric (assessment tool) below to help you to formulate (develop) your answer to the question for this essay.

Rubric used to grade Unit Three Assignment and Peer Response:

Criteria	Exceeds Expectation	Needs Improvement	Does not meet expectations
Knowledge	50 Points Contains a clear and thorough responses to the assignment.  Provides evidence that the student has diligently applied concepts from the assigned reading.	40 Points Does not contain a clear and thorough responses to the assignment.  It provides minimal evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is only minimal indication that the student applied concepts from the assigned reading.	20 Points Minimally addresses the items in the assignment.  It does not provide evidence of the student’s reflective thought.  There is no indication that the student applied concepts from the assigned reading.
Organization	10 Points Information is clearly organized.	7 Points Information is loosely organized.	5 Points Information is present, but very difficult to understand due to poor organization.
Mechanics	10 Points Proper grammar and spelling used throughout written and oral work.	7 Points Proper grammar and spelling used throughout written and oral work with major errors.	5 Points Very poor grammar and spelling used through written and oral work.
Peer Response	30 Points Peer response meets the minimum 100 word requirement.  Demonstrates that the student gave their peer’s discussion some real thought.  The student relates ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, magazine, book, etc.) to his or her peer’s response.  After the student relates ideas from some source to the peer response, he or she also adds their personal experience (observations) to their peer’s response.  Uses APA Style in the body of the paper (peer response) to reference the source(s).  The peer response paper also includes a bibliography.	16 Points Peer response meets the minimum 100 word requirement.  The peer response does not relate ideas from another source (such as the text, lecture, website, newspaper, article, magazine, book, etc.) to his or her peer’s response.  Instead, it only provides opinions about the peer’s response. Or, the peer response relate ideas from another source but fails to provide the reference after the peer response.	0 Points Does not meet the minimum 100 word requirement.

In order to increase the variety of questions answered, I would like to distribute the questions across the people in this class:

• If your last name falls between A – E, then your assigned question is question 1. 
• If your last name falls between F – J, then your assigned question is question 2. 
• If your last name falls between K – O, then your assigned question is question 3. 
• If your last name falls between P – T, then your assigned question is question 4. 
• If your last name falls between U – Z, then your assigned question is question 5. 

1. Love and Marriage

Talk to three people you would expect to have contrasting views on love and marriage (differences in age, gender, upbringing, experience, and religion might affect attitudes). Ask each the same questions and then compare their answers.  Relate the information that you gather from your interview to two or three specific themes in your text on adulthood.   

2. Vocational Identity

Vocational identity is fluid in early adulthood. Talk with several people over age 30 about their work history. Are they doing what they expected when they were younger? Are they settled in their vocation and job? Pay attention to their age when they decided on their jobs. Was age 25 a turning point?  Relate the information that you gather from your interview to two or three specific themes in your text on adulthood.   

3.      Adult Issues

Views on love, cohabitation, divorce, marriage, working women, extramarital affairs, and child-rearing practices can be different in early adulthood from views in middle and later adulthood. Interview one person from early adulthood, one from middle adulthood, and one from later adulthood, asking each to describe his or her thoughts on each of these topics.  Relate the information that you gather from your interview to two or three specific themes in your text on adulthood.   

4. Divorce

Interview two women and two men who have experienced divorced.  These people must currently be in middle adulthood.  Based on your interview, answer the following question: Are divorce and remarriage more difficult for women or for men? Explain.  Evaluate the "work" of divorce and remarriage in relation to Erikson's and Levinson's stages of middle adulthood.

5. Death and Dying

Interview a person who has had the experience losing a person (or people) close to them.  Relate the information that you gather from your interview to two or three specific themes in your text on late adulthood and/ or the end of life. In addition, reflect on these questions: If death is a natural part of life -- it's a natural progression of life, birth, growth, maturity, aging, and death -- then why do so many people regard death as bad?  Also, would you fill out a do-not-resuscitate order or living will for yourself? Why or why not?

Exam Three: The testing date is December 6.  You can retake Exam 3 on December 8. The higher of the two grades will count.  There is no penalty for attempting Exam 3 twice.  To get into an exam, click on Lessons and then click on Exams.  Exam 3 covers Unit Three, consisting of Assignments 8, 9, and 10.  This exam is taken online. 

Comprehensive Final Exam: This exam covers all of the textbook material assigned in the course. There is not a retake option for the Final Exam.  To get into an exam, click on Lessons and then click on Exams.  The testing date is December 13. This exam is online.  There is not a retake option for the Final Exam.