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Foundations of Child and Adolescent Development

Syllabus
CADV 150, Fall 2011
Lectures: MW 8:00am9:15am
LA 181

Webpage: http://moodle.csun.edu

Instructor:
Dr. Virginia Huynh
email: virginia.huynh@csun.edu
Tel: 818-677-2510

Office Hours:
W 9:3011:30am
Room SQ 280F

Course Description
This course surveys typical and atypical child and adolescent development. The course begins
with the underlying principles and theories of human development and then follows
chronologically from prenatal development through adolescence. Readings and coursework will
provide an overview of major topics concerning cognitive, social and physical development as
they relate to multiple contexts of school, culture, and family. There will be an emphasis on
development across cultures.
Required Materials
Textbook: Cook, G., & Cook, J. (2009). The World of Children, Second Edition.
Publisher: Prentice Hall. ISBN: 0205685927.
NXT or IR Response Card (clicker by Turning Technologies). You must have this
registered on Moodle by the 3rd class (Weds, 9/7). Questions about registering can be
directed by phone to 1-866-746-3015 and email to support@turningtechnologies.com
Resources
The syllabus, assignments, announcements, and additional readings will be posted on the Moodle
website. Most lecture slides will be available 24 hours before class. It is your responsibility to be
up-to-date with the information on Moodle.
Enrollment
Please refer to Academic Advisement at (818) 677-2108 for questions about enrollment. The last
day to drop the class is Friday, 09/16/11.
Course Policies
Because important information is on this syllabus, you are expected to read the entire document
and refer to it before you ask any questions. Sign into Moodle and submit your name indicating
you read and understand the syllabus.
You are also expected to upload your picture on Moodle. If you need assistance, in the top
lefthand corner of your Moodle page, under CSUN, click on the Student Moodle Help link.
You can find help on how to upload your picture (#6).

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Course requirements
Participation
Participation is critical to how well you learn this material. Before you walk into each class you
should (1) have completed all the readings, (2) be ready to actively engage in the lectures,
activities, and discussions, and (3) be prepared to assist your classmates. In order for this to be a
successful experience for everyone, we need enthusiastic participation. Just showing up for class
is unacceptable.
To evaluate your participation, most lectures will have 2-5 clicker questions. If you respond to
over 80% of the questions, you will receive 30 points (full credit) for participation. If you
respond to 60-79% of the questions, you will receive 24 points. If you respond to 40-59% of the
questions, you will receive 18 points. Less than 40% participants will graded at the professors
discretion.
Written assignments
There are two independent written assignments. A description of the expectations for each paper
will be available on Moodle at least 1 week before it is due. Group work is not allowed.
1) Early childhood parent-child observation, 2 pages maximum: Students will observe a
parent-child interaction at a local supermarket interpret the interactions with
references to course lectures and readings.
2) Empirical research article summary, 2 page maximum: Students will choose one
article from the list posted on Moodle. Students will summarize the article in 1
paragraph and answer the corresponding response questions.
Each paper must be typed and double spaced, using Times New Roman 12-point font with 1
margins. If your assignment drastically exceeds the page/word limit, I will stop reading the
paper. Your grade on an assignment can suffer if you fail to follow these conventions.
Papers must be submitted online through Moodle (Moodle.csun.edu) by the beginning of class
(i.e., it must be submitted by 7:59am on the due date). No emailed, faxed, or dropped off copies
of papers will be accepted. Failure to submit the paper online by the due date will result in a 5%
reduction per day it is late. Weekends count as one day. Late papers will not be accepted after
one class meeting past the due date. For example, the first paper is due on Mon, 10/17 by
7:59am. The last day I will accept late papers will be on Wed 10/19 at 7:59am. Because it is 2
days late, I will take an additional 10% off the grade. So if the paper received a 85%, after the
late penalty, the grade will be a 75%. Any papers turned in later than one class past the due date
will receive a 0. I do not read drafts of papers.
Moodle will direct you to turnitin.com, where you submit a word document online. If you need
assistance, in the top lefthand corner of your Moodle page, under CSUN, click on the Student
Moodle Help link. You can find help on how to submit to turnitin (#8). I will adhere to the time
stamps recorded on these websites to reflect the dates & times you submit your work. If you
believe there is a problem with the accuracy of how Moodle and turnitin are recording your
online behaviors, you need to contact the tech support of that website before talking with me.

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Papers that follow APA style format in terms of page setup (e.g., title page, appropriate bolding),
references, and citations will receive up to 3 points of extended credit. Extended credit does
NOT mean extra credit. It means extending both the denominator and numerator. For example, if
you received 25/30 on the paper, it is 83%. However, if you got 3 points of extended credit, 3
points would be added to the numerator and the denominator, so that you would have 28/33,
which is 85% - a gain of 2%.
APA style resources:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
http://www.apastyle.org/
Exams
There will be 3 exams that consist of 55-65 multiple choice, true/false, and fill-in-the-blank
questions. The final will not be cumulative. You will need to study material from class notes and
course readings to do well. Students are required to bring a scantron (882E), #2 pencils, and
erasers for exams. If you arrive late to class and I have not started collecting the exam yet, you
may take the exam with the remaining time left. If I have started collecting exams, you will
receive a 0.
Make-up exams will only be given in the case of a family emergency or a medically-excused
absence with official documentation. Without official documentation, you will receive a 0 if you
miss your exam. Please contact me immediately if you need to miss an exam- you must notify
me before the examination.
Evaluations and Grading
TOTAL POINTS
Participation
Observation Paper
Article Review Paper
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3

30
45
45
60
60
60

% OF TOTAL
GRADE
10%
15%
15%
20%
20%
20%

Total

300

100%

Cutoffs for grades (percentages refer to the portion of correct answers). Grades are rounded.
For example, an 84.2% would get a B, and 84.5% would get a B+:
A = 93%+
C
= 72-74%
A- = 90-92%
C- = 69-71%
B+ = 85-89%
D+ = 65-68%
B = 82-84%
D = 62-64%
B- = 79-81%
D- = 59-61%
C+ = 75-78%
F
< 59%

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Attendance
If you make the decision to miss class, you are missing an integral part of the course. If you miss
class or arrive late, first contact your buddy (the person you exchanged contact information
with at the beginning of the semester) to discover all that you have missed. If after talking with
your classmate the information is unclear, then I will be happy to help you during my regularly
scheduled office hours. If you miss class, do not ask me, Did I miss anything important?
Students with Disabilities
Requests for accommodations in test taking or other special needs must be made to the instructor
by the second (2nd) class meeting. Students with disabilities must register with the Disability
Resources and Educational Services (DRES) or the National Center on Deafness (NCOD). Staff
within the Centers will verify the existence of a disability based on the documentation provided
and approve accommodations. Students who are approved for test taking accommodations must
provide a proctor form signed by a counselor in DRES prior to making testing arrangements. The
DRES is located in Bayramian Hall, room 110, and can be reached at (818) 677-2684. NCOD is
located on Bertrand St in Jeanne Chisholm Hall and can be reached at (818) 677-2611. Students
who are authorized the assistance of sign language interpretation or who are receiving real time
captioning are permitted preferential seating in class.
Email communication
All students are responsible for reading messages sent to their campus email account. If you do
not plan on accessing your CSUN account frequently for received messages, I strongly
encourage you to set up automatic forwarding instructions by visiting
http://www.csun.edu/it/faq/. This will enable messages sent to your campus account to be
automatically forwarded to your personal account.
A note on email etiquette- when you send me (or any other professor or supervisor for that
matter) an email, use a formal tone of communication. Make sure the subject includes the name
of the class (CADV 150). Address the name of the individual (Dear Dr. Huynh), use proper
spelling and grammar (proof read and spell check your email text), avoid using common shortcuts used for cell phone texting (e.g., u for you; C for see; 2nite for tonight, etc.), tell me
your name, and do not expect me to return your email in less than 48 hours (especially over the
weekend). I make a serious effort to return student emails promptly; however, when students
write get back to me asap, send multiple emails in 1-2 days writing this is my 2nd email, 3rd
email to you this communicates a demanding tone and impatience. Practice the same face-toface professionalism through technology.
Computer mishaps
Since many assignments involve use of the computer, you are advised to leave ample time for
inevitable disasters such as a system crash, lack of lab seating, or lost files or passwords, none of
which is an acceptable excuse for late work. You should always save early and often, make
multiple copies, and check for viruses. Be aware that the labs will get busier as the semester
progresses. Remember that you can do all the work in other labs, but that you should save your
work to a USB drive (early and often) in order to make it portable. I will not be sympathetic to
problems that occur because you waited until the last minute, and incompletes will be given only
in very exceptional circumstances (see below).

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Campus Computer Resources (call for accuracy and hours of operation):

Oviatt Library, Third floor, east wing, (818)677-6304; Sierra Hall, SH 392, (818)677-6304; USU
above Associate Students, (818) 677-5746; SSU next to the Information Counter, (818) 6777014; Redwood Hall, RE 276; Sequoia Hall, SQ 246; Monterey Hall, MH 335.
Discussing your grades
I am very interested in your success in this course so I am willing to work with you outside of
class. You are welcome to talk with me the week before a test and ask clarifying questions. If
you wish to dispute the grade assigned to a paper, a question on an exam or any other graded
assignment, you must do so in writing within 5 days after the exam or paper has been returned.
You must include a specific written rationale for why your answer is correct, or why the paper
deserves a higher grade. "I think I deserve a better grade" or I need this in order to keep my
scholarship, to graduate, or to stay at CSUN or I was having personal problems does not
constitute a valid rationale. After receiving your rationale I will be happy to meet with you to
review the dispute and consider its merits. Please note that more careful consideration of your
work may result in lowering or raising the disputed grade(s).
What is the appropriate classroom etiquette?
Respecting all individuals in this class is a requirement. No attacking language will be tolerated.
Use politically correct terms and phrases (avoid profanity) during class, as this is helpful practice
for your professional development in your career. Furthermore, you do not need to notify me if
you miss class.
Students who engage in the following behaviors will be asked to leave class:
Phone use. Please silent your phones when you come to class. Do not text.
Chattering while are students trying to listen to the lecture.
Inappropriate use of laptops. Laptops are wonderful tools, but there is both a time and
place for them in the classroom. The laptop should be used for one of two activities:
(1) looking at resources during class when the entire class is reviewing it, and (2) taking
notes. Hiding behind a laptop, answering email, playing games, surfing the web, etc., is
not only distracting to your classmates, but also will not be tolerated. Laptop users are
required to sit in the first 4 rows in the lecture hall.
Incompletes & Personal Emergencies
If you need to leave school for an emergency, please contact student services and provide the
appropriate written evidence so you can appropriately withdraw or receive an incomplete for the
course. An incomplete is only appropriate under university guidelines. In order to qualify for an
incomplete, you must be earning at least a 70% in the class at the time of request and only need
to complete one or two course assignments. If you suddenly stop attending class, do not
complete assignments, do not contact me, and/or fail to provide written evidence for your
absence, you will either receive a WU (withdrawal unauthorized) or a fail for the course.
If you experience a personal emergency, in order to waive late penalties and allow for make-ups,
I require authorized documentation from any of the following: police, hospital, or funeral
director (name, address, phone number, contact person to verify emergency). Please contact me

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either before a due date or shortly afterwards (1-2 days) to schedule extensions or make-ups.
Students who approach me weeks after a deadline, the last weeks of class, or after the class is
over and attribute poor performance to personal problems will not receive accommodations.
What is the policy on academic dishonesty?
If you use someone elses work or ideas or fail to cite them appropriately in your work, you are
plagiarizing. If you are found participating in academic dishonesty you will fail the assignment,
possibly the course, and/or may be referred to the Vice President of Student Affairs for further
reprimands. It is easy to determine if you are using peers work from prior courses. I would be
happy to talk with you if you are curious how to integrate others work with your unique ideas.
Come see me before the assignment is due. It is your responsibility to read and understand the
Universitys policy on academic dishonesty as described in the University catalog.

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Week Date
1

09/05/11
09/07/11
Hwk
09/12/11

09/28/11
10/03/11

Fall 2011

Assignment Due
in Moodle

08/29/11 Theories, genes & environment

Hwk Read Chap 1: pg 1-18, Chap 2: pg 58-70. Read and
sign syllabus & upload picture on Moodle
08/31/11 Prenatal development and birth
Hwk Read Chap 3

Hwk
09/14/11
Hwk
09/19/11
Hwk
09/21/11
Hwk
09/26/11

Topic

10/05/11
Hwk
10/10/11
Hwk
10/12/11
Hwk
10/17/11
Hwk
10/19/11
Hwk
10/24/11
Hwk
10/26/11
Hwk

NO CLASSLabor Day
Physical development
Read Chap 4
Cognitive development
Guest Lecturer, Dr. Amber Ankowski
Read Chap 5
Documentary: Babies
Read Chap 6
Attachment and temperament
Read Chap 1, pg 19-28, Chap 15, pgs 500-502.
Research methods; Contexts of development
Complete review sheet
Homeless families and resilience
Guest Lecturer, Dr. Kirby Chow
Review
Test 1: Conception-toddler years
Early Childhood (EC): Physical development
Read Chap 7
EC: Cognitive & language development
Read Chap 8
EC: Social development
Read Chap 9
Middle Childhood (MC) Physical development
Read Chap 10- pgs 291-308
Documentary: Waiting for Superman
Read Chap 10- pgs 309-317, Chap 12 pg 384-387
MC: Schooling & children with exceptional needs
Read Chap 11- pgs 321-338, 344-356;
MC: Cognition
Read Chap 12 pgs 360-365, 370-377
MC: The self, gender, and race
Read Chap 12 pgs 265-369, 377-383, 388-392

CADV 150

1. Upload picture
2. Confirm read
syllabus
1. Test paragraph
2. Register clicker

Paper 1: ParentChild Observation

Huynh

Week
10

11

12

13

14

15

Final

Fall 2011

Date
10/31/11
Hwk
11/02/11
11/07/11
11/09/11
Hwk
11/14/11
Hwk
11/16/11

Topic
MC: Morality, aggression, divorce, and play
Complete review sheet
Review
Test 2: Early - middle childhood
Adolescence: biological changes, sleep
Read Chap 13
Sexuality & health
Read Chap 14: pgs 434-442, 459-465
Reasoning & decision making
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Eva Telzer
Read Chap 15: 481-487
Parent-adolescent relationship
Read Chap 15: 469-480
Ethnic minority and immigrant adolescents

Hwk
11/21/11
Hwk
11/23/11
Hwk
11/28/11 NO CLASS
Hwk Read Chap 15: 487-494
11/30/11 Peer cultures and bullying
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Guadalupe Espinoza
Hwk Read Chap 15: pgs 495-498, 503-504
12/05/11 Middle schools and high schools
Hwk Complete review sheet
12/07/11 Review
12/12/11 Final: Adolescence
8-10am same room

CADV 150

Assignment Due

Paper 2: Article
Review

Huynh