Course Description
Emotional, social, cognitive, and physical development in infancy. Supervised observation in Infant Center and in selected homes.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will complete additional readings from the
professional and academic literature and develop a paper or
project based on current research in the field. In addition,
students will present the information on their selected topic to
undergraduates in the class. Graduate students will also meet with
the instructor outside of class throughout the semester regarding
this paper and/or project.
Athena Title
Advanced Infant Development
Undergraduate Prerequisite
HDFS 3900 or HDFS 3900E
Graduate Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. Acquire the basic knowledge about the development and growth of infants through careful study of current research and theory. 2. Develop abilities in critical thinking through reading and group discussions in class. 3. Develop writing skills through research activities and projects. 4. Develop oral presentation skills through class participation and leading class discussion. 5. Acquire skills to become an educated consumer of scientific information through class activities.
Topical Outline
1. Introduction 2. Theory and Methodology 3. Conception Through Birth 4. Prenatal Development 5. Transition to Parenthood 6. Basic Characteristics 7. Temperament 8. Basic Mechanisms 9. Sensory Development 10. Perceptual Development 11. Physical & Motor Development 12. Cognitive Development: Attention, Memory 13. Cognitive Development: Piaget's Theory 14. Bonding & Attachment 15. Mother-Infant Interaction 16. Father, Siblings, Peers 17. Parenting Infants 18. Emotional Development 19. Communicative Development 20. Language Development 21. Sense of Self 22. Maternal Deprivation 23. Daycare 24. Atypical Infants