GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

This course introduces basic topics/theories of developmental psychology, specifically focusing on how “typical” individuals develop from infancy to adolescence as well as sharing characteristics of individuals following “atypical” development. Students will also develop skills for analyzing social phenomena and reflecting their own personal experiences from the perspective of developmental psychology.

Through this course, students are expected to:
- understand how “typical” individuals develop from infancy to adolescence, in different aspects (cognitive and social/emotional)
- learn some fundamental theories proposed by developmental psychologists, such as Piaget and Bowlby
- acquire some knowledge about developmental disorders and childhood mental disorders, including autistic spectrum disorders, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disorders, Down’s syndrome, etc.
- develop skills of analyzing social and personal experiences from perspectives of developmental psychology
- build abilities to apply what one learned in classrooms to understand real-world psychological phenomena
- increase skills for expressing ideas about human behavior in English, through oral discussions and reflection papers

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

Each week, students will learn concepts/theories of developmental psychology through a lecture and an oral discussion. When sharing ideas during oral discussions, students are expected to integrate knowledge acquired through the lecture as well as their own insight from daily life experiences. At the end of each class, students are asked to write a brief reflection paper, which is graded and returned by the beginning of the next class, with a comment from the lecturer. In the reflection paper, students are also encouraged to ask questions, which are shared anonymously and answered in the next class. Exams are held in the middle and at the end of the semester.

あり / Yes

なし / No

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[オンライン/online]：Introduction and Overview

Course overview

2[対面/face to face]：Human's early development

Development in infancy and early childhood

3[対面/face to face]：Cognitive development (1)

Piaget’s theory

4[対面/face to face]：Cognitive development (2)

Vygotsky’s theory

5[対面/face to face]：Cognitive development (3)

Development of information processing

6[対面/face to face]：Social emotional Development (1)

Development of social interaction

7[対面/face to face]：Mid-term exam & Review

Assessing the degree to which students understand the subject

8[対面/face to face]：Social emotional Development (2)

Development of emotional recognition and expression

9[対面/face to face]：Social emotional Development (3)

Theory of attachment

10[対面/face to face]：Atypical development (1)

Intellectual disability/Learning disorder

11[対面/face to face]：Atypical development (2)

Autistic spectrum disorders

12[対面/face to face]：Atypical development (3)

Attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD)

13[対面/face to face]：Atypical development (4)

Other childhood disorders and review

14[対面/face to face]：Final exam & Wrap-up

Assessing the degree to which students understand the subject

Students are expected to read the course slides uploaded on the course website prior to attending the classes. Time to spend for preparatory study, review, and homework completion for this class is 2 hours each week.

No textbook is used. Reading assignments, including journal articles and book chapters, along with links to websites, will be uploaded on the course website.

Kipp & Shaffer (2013) Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence, 9th edition. Wardsworth publishing.

Mid-term exam 35%; Final exam 35%;
Reflection paper 20%; Participation and discussion 10%

For some students, it seems difficult to learn a lot of new concepts. Therefore, to understand the contents fully, students are encouraged to ask questions when they are unsure about what they listened to/read.
This class seems to facilitate one's learning a lot, especially for students who like to learn from discussion and reflection.

None.