BCS 172: SyllabusSpring 2013Time & LocationTuesdays & Thursdays, 3:25 - 4:40 PM, Lander Auditorium, Hutchison Room 140 PersonnelProfessor Richard Aslin (Instructor) Alyssa Ibarra (TA) Cory Bonn (TA) ReadingsReadings available via Blackboard Course GoalsThe goal of this course is to introduce you to the excitement of studying development, both human and non-human. It is also important to become a wise consumer of empirical data on development, whether those data appear in a scholarly journal or in the popular media. Some of you will go on to take more advanced courses in development, while others may simply wish to learn about the fundamentals. Regardless, you should acquire the analytical tools and a healthy dose of skepticism required to objectively evaluate findings on development. Course ContentThis course is an introduction to human development, focusing on the ability to perceive objects and sounds, to think and reason, to learn and remember language and other significant patterned stimulation. It includes discussion of the nature and mechanisms of development in human infants and children, as well as an overview of what is known about the development of behavior and brain in the young of other species. The general framework of the course will be the 'nature/nurture issue': how is the development of high-level mental processes shaped by innate factors, how is it shaped by environmental factors and learning, and how do these factors interact in the developmental process? In order to consider these factors and their interaction, the course will begin by studying the development of interesting species-typical behaviors in animals; for example, we will examine the acquisition of songs and calls by birds, the acquisition of nest building by various species, the 'imprinting' of ducks and birds on other members of their species, and the calibration of visual and spatial abilities in owls and cats. This overview of animal development will provide us with a background to the types of interactions between biology and learning that are understood to occur in non-humans. We will then overview the development of the brain in animals and humans. With these backgrounds we will then turn to considering the development of a variety of aspects of perception, cognition, and language in human infants and children. In each of these topical areas we will discuss the contributions of innate tendencies or knowledge, the contributions of learning from experience, the possible interactions of these sources of information, and whether there may be critical or sensitive periods of development, in which learning is limited to a specific maturational window. Throughout our coverage of these topics we will also discuss the methods by which scientists study human development, particularly the unusual methods which have been devised to study young infants in the laboratory, and we will encourage students in the class to begin to think about how they might study some of these questions themselves. ExpectationsBy taking this course, you can expect to learn about and be stimulated by the topics we read about and discuss in class. In turn, we expect that you will respect the learning environment by being courteous to your instructors and classmates by:
GradingTwo exams, two quizzes, a research project, and three in-class group powerpoint presentations Both exams and quizzes are in-class, closed-book, no-notes; there is NO cumulative final exam
Exam FormatApproximately 75% short answer, 25% short essay (note: no multiple choice questions) Make-up ExamsMake-up exams will be entirely essay. Only those students who suffer a medical emergency (documented in writing by a physician) will be granted the opportunity to take a make-up exam. Make-up Quizzes and Group ReportsThere will be no make-ups for missed quizzes or group reports. Academic HonestyAny student suspected of cheating on an exam will be referred to the Board on Academic Honesty for investigation and possible punishment. Students may work in pairs on the collection of data for their research projects. However, the write-up of the report must be completed independently. Any evidence of duplication, or any evidence of plagiarism (copying someone else's writing, or failing to cite the work, ideas, or writings of someone else, and presenting it as your own) will be referred to the Board on Academic Honesty. Learning AssistanceStudents who require assistance in how to take notes, to study for exams, or to write clearly should contact Learning Assistance Services in Lattimore 107 (5-9049). Research ProjectEach student will do a small research project, chosen from a set of three. The goal of the project is to give you the experience of collecting data from a young child and evaluating how these data fit with existing data and theories in the literature. The project will require you to observe a young child using a packet of instructions that will be handed out in early February. Both the raw data that you collect and a two-page summary and evaluation of your findings are due on April 11. The three projects are:
REMINDER: no more than two students may collect and report on the same data from a particular child. Although the data will be the same, the write-up must be completed independently. In-Class ReportsGroups of 8-12 students will be randomly assigned to work together on answering a specific research question. The research question will be introduced in class one week before the group report is due. Each group will designate one member to give a 2-3 minute summary of their answer to the question in front of the class, and will be allowed to show one powerpoint slide (submitted no later than 1 hour before class). Each group member will give all of the other group members a "grade" for their efforts, and each group report will be graded by Professor Aslin and the TAs for the quality of their answer. There will be THREE questions over the semester, and group membership will be shuffled for each question. QuizzesTwo very short quizzes will be conducted to assess how well you understood the content of two videos that will be posted on line for your viewing prior to the in-class quizzes. These quizzes will be conducted at the very beginning of class. Class BlogA class blog will be set up in Blackboard to enable students to post questions, opinions, and discussion issues during the course. The blog will be monitored by the TAs and by Professor Aslin. Borderline grades could benefit from regular and thoughtful blog posts. Exam ReviewThe TAs will host a review session 2-3 days prior to each of the two exams. These will be in a Q&A format, not a repeat of the lectures. Important Dates
Visit our Web site at: http://www.bcs.rochester.edu Lecture powerpoints are available as links from Schedule Tab |
||||||