HD 520

Adolescence

Course Overview:

This course provides an overview of current research and theory on adolescent development, paying special attention to the contexts within which adolescents live and grow (i.e., family, school, peer group and community). Students will gain an understanding of biological and social processes that influence development, challenges and risks facing adolescents today, and factors that promote positive youth development. An emphasis of the course is to apply gained research and theoretical knowledge about adolescence to prevention/intervention programs for youth. Students will examine and discuss the bi-directional influence of knowledge about adolescence with policies toward youth and best practices/environments for youth programming. Models for effective evaluation of youth programming will also be examined and discussed.

Course objectives:

Students will become knowledgeable about current theories and research in the areas of:

• Cognitive development
• Biological development
• Psychosocial development (identity and moral development)
• Sexuality and sexual socialization
• Substance use and other risk-taking behavior
• Resiliency
• Multiple contexts that influence and are influenced by the adolescent (e.g., family, school, community)
• Delinquency and violence

Through course readings, discussion, and assignments, students will be able to

• Identify assumptions that underlie basic and evaluation research
• Identify the implications of research and theory to adolescent development, programs and policy
• Apply their gained knowledge toward designing a prevention/intervention program for youth that is based on current models and best practices.
• Identify strengths and weaknesses of current evaluations of prevention/intervention programs for youth.

Students will learn to critique the writing and methodology in research articles they read.