PSY7104 Advanced Developmental Psychology

This course is designed to familiarize students with the environmental and biological aspects influencing physical, social, emotional, personality, and other aspects of human development occurring from conception to death. It examines the qualitative and quantitative variations humans go through from “the womb to the tomb.” The major theme of the course is “change” and describes how various experiences shape people’s development throughout the lifespan. Through a combination of theoretical and methodological approaches, the course integrates historical and contemporary issues affecting human growth and development.

Course objectives
The course is intended to 

• Explore educational implications of the principles of human development.
• Describe the major theories of human development.
• Examine and assess the major theories of human development
• Compare and contrast the major theories of human development
• Apply the theories of human development to real life situations
• Account for human development in terms of cognitive, psychosocial, and biosocial dimensions.
• Describe research on the relative contributions of heredity (nature) and environment (nurture) to various aspects of human development
• Examine case studies and stories reflecting true life experiences

Major Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to;

• Demonstrate an understanding of the theories of human development.
• Base on specific theories and methods to generate hypotheses regarding future developmental trends of learners
• Examine and assess the theories of human development
• Compare and contrast the theories of human development
• Apply the knowledge accruing of the theories of human development
• Account for human development in terms of cognitive, psychosocial, and biosocial dimensions
• Describe key research methods pertaining to heredity and environmental aspects of human development. 
• Examine case studies and stories reflecting life experiences