Fall / Winter 2013-2014 Calendar - St. Francis Xavier University

PSYC 355.66 / .67Lifespan DevelopmentalPsychology for the HealthSciences II:Adulthood and AgingCRN 50120CRN 50193P. HaufPSYC 372.66Cultural PsychologyCRN 50100T. CallaghanPSYC 374.66 / .67 HumanDevelopment AcrossCulturesCRN 50101 / 50230T. CallaghanJanuary 6 – March 28, 2014OnlineSeptember 9 - November 29,2013OnlineJanuary 6 – March 28, 2014OnlineLifespan development is an exploration of the biological,cognitive, and psychosocial changes that occur acrossdifferent periods of life. Whereas the course LifespanDevelopmental Psychology for the Health Sciences I focuseson developmental changes during childhood andadolescence, this course will provide a basic understanding ofhuman development from early adulthood till death. Agerelatedchanges in behaviour, thinking, emotions,personalities, and social relationships will be explored inrelation to maturational processes, individual differences,and cultural expectations. Three credits. Prerequisite:PSYC100, PSYC384 or PSYC260.The question of how culture influences human behavior andmind will be explored. For many years research and theory inpsychology have been based on studies conducted primarilyin Western technological societies. There is growing concernthat the basic principles of the discipline may not apply inother cultural contexts. The course will consider the historicalroots of studying culture in psychology and relateddisciplines, the socialization of infants and young childreninto the practices and routines of the culture, andevolutionary, developmental and cultural influences on thebuilding and maintaining of human relationships. Varieties ofexperiences and practices related to mental and physicalhealth that exist in the cultures of the world will also beconsidered. The course will provide a comprehensive reviewof contemporary research findings and theoretical viewpointsas the many facets of this fast-growing discipline ofpsychology are explored. Three credits. Prerequisite: 12credits of PSYC.The main focus in this course will be to consider how culturalcontext has an impact on the course of human development.Human organisms develop within cultural groups. Humandevelopment is best considered within the framework thatsees the developing child, their parents or other agents ofsocialization, and the culture as bundled together within asystem of mutual influence and co-construction. Thebiological predispositions for personality, cognition, andsocial development will provide a blueprint for the possiblepaths that the development of these processes could take,but only as these predispositions unfold within a particularcultural ecology will the developmental path be determined.Cultural studies of human development help us tounderstand how diversity in cultural environments impactsthe nature of parenting beliefs and practices, and throughthese agents of socialization, the course of children’sdevelopment. Three credits. Prerequisite: 12 credits of PSYC.15