Adult Development
General data
Course ID: | 2500-EN-PS-EAc5-02 |
Erasmus code / ISCED: |
14.4
|
Course title: | Adult Development |
Name in Polish: | Adult Development |
Organizational unit: | Faculty of Psychology |
Course groups: |
(in Polish) Academic basket (in Polish) Elective courses Developmental and Educational Psychology basket electives for 3rd and 4th year |
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores): |
4.00
|
Language: | English |
Type of course: | elective courses |
Short description: |
This course provides students with an opportunity to advance their knowledge of human development beyond childhood and adolescence into adulthood. |
Full description: |
The course will assume a practical approach to studying adult development. During the sessions the students will work with case study examples, research data excerpts, and visual/video materials. The course will also introduce students to the narrative approach. Dan P. McAdams, whose methodology will be of special interest in the course, argued that “we are all tellers of tales. We each seek to provide our scattered and often confusing experiences with a sense of coherence by arranging the episodes of our lives into stories.” (McAdams, 1985, p. 11). The narrative approach in psychology is concerned with how humans make sense of reality; how they organise their lives and their selves; how they construct their worlds; and how they live through the stories they tell to themselves and to each other. Its dominant concern is with issues of identity and self-exploration. The approach is used in research and clinical settings and could prove useful to students interested in qualitative research methods as well as psychotherapy. As well as providing a description of and practice with the narrative approach, the course will enable the students to learn about development in adulthood. The students will have the opportunity to follow developmental processes and transitions from young adulthood through mid-life to old age. The course will also address critical issues and frameworks that shape how we understand and study adult development, such as the characteristics of developmental stages in adulthood, transitions, critical events, issues of health and aging, dying and spirituality. |
Bibliography: |
The mandatory textbook is: McAdams, D. (1993) The stories we live by. The Guilford Press New York and London The recommended textbooks for the course are: Cavanaugh, J.C., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2011). Adult Development and Aging (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Arnett, J. J. (2012). Human Development: A Cultural Approach. Pearson. Whitbourne, S. K., & Whitbourne, S. B. (2010). Adult Development and Aging: Biopsychosocial Perspectives (4th Ed.). Wiley-Blackwell Further reading will be provided at the beginning of the course. Should interesting and/or important texts emerge during the course, they will be incorporated into the reading resources. |
Learning outcomes: |
The students will become familiar with the main theories, concepts and issues relevant to development in adulthood. During the course the students will complete a small-scale qualitative project. They will design and conduct a life-story interview with an adult person or persons; conduct an analysis and write a report of their findings. This will allow the students to apply their theoretical knowledge and to witness theory in practice. It will also expose them to the research process as they will have to present their study. |
Assessment methods and assessment criteria: |
Continuous assessment. The final grade is based on student presentation of a given topic in class (25%), participation in class (25%), and final report (50%). The students are expected to attend all sessions. You are allowed 2 unexcused absences. If you are absent again, you will have to provide a very good reason or a doctor’s note. A third and fourth absence always means you will have to do extra work (such as write an essay on top of the required work) to pass the course. Five absences (and more) mean you will not pass the course. Students must respect the principles of academic integrity. Cheating and plagiarism (including copying work from other students, internet or other sources) are serious violations that are punishable and instructors are required to report all cases to the administration. |
Classes in period "Winter semester 2023/24" (past)
Time span: | 2023-10-01 - 2024-01-28 |
Navigate to timetable
MO SEM
TU W TH FR |
Type of class: |
Seminar, 30 hours
|
|
Coordinators: | (unknown) | |
Group instructors: | Zofia Borska-Mądrzycka | |
Students list: | (inaccessible to you) | |
Examination: |
Course -
Pass/fail or grading
Seminar - Grading |
Copyright by University of Warsaw.