Department of Human Development and Family Studies, 
College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University  
HDFS 3318 (Section 001) – Development in Young Adulthood – Fall 2008
MWF 12:00-12:50 PM, HS 173

Text (should be brought to class each day)

• Arnett, J.J. (2004). Emerging adulthood: The winding road from the late teens through the twenties. New York: Oxford University Press.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Throughout the university, renewed emphasis is being placed on documenting what, specifically, students are expected to learn in classes, and what they actually are learning.  Beyond grades and test scores, assessment of students' mastery of specific topics is desired.  Expected learning outcomes for HDFS 3318 and how they will be assessed are listed below. 

Requirements

Grades will be based on two mid-term exams (each 25% of the total grade), the final exam (35%), and a project involving the keeping of a journal (15%). 

The final exam will contain items mostly from the latter part of the class, but will contain a small number of items from earlier weeks; in this sense, the final will be cumulative.  Exams will be multiple-choice.  Grades will generally follow a pattern of 90% = A, 80% = B, 70% = C, etc., but I reserve the right to modify the scale in a way that is generous to students.  For example, if the highest anybody got were in the 80s, I would still give the highest person(s) an A.  Or, if someone got below 70% but attended regularly and completed all the required work on time, that person could still receive a grade in the C range.  Pluses and minuses (e.g., A-, B+) will be used, so if you fall just below a cut-off you will only be slightly below the next highest grade, as opposed to being a full level below (e.g., A vs. B).  The University will show plus and minus grades on your transcript, but does not factor them into your GPA (e.g., B+, B, and B- are all counted as 3.0).  It could still be useful for some purposes to have a plus or minus there, however (especially a plus).  Attendance will not be taken, but poor attendance will probably lead to poor exam and assignment scores, thus contributing to grades indirectly.

The journal assignment will work as follows.  You will have to conduct interviews with friends and family members, and write up a two-page paper for each, which you will e-mail in via attachment (addressed to both me and Janis).  To get the full credit, your write-up of a given interview should bring in concepts, theories, or research studies from class and discuss how the interviewee's experience does or does not fit with the course material.  The specific topics and due dates are shown below, with each installment counting 3% toward your course grade (15% in total):

• A college-aged person (18-22) who has made one or more major traditional adult transitions early (e.g., married while an undergrad) -- DUE Sept 19

• Someone in his/her mid-20s who has not yet made the major adult transitions (e.g., marriage, full-time job/career) -- DUE Oct 10

• Somebody 45 or older, who thus went through the transition to adulthood in an earlier era -- DUE Oct 31

• A media depiction of the transition to adulthood (no interview necessary) -- DUE Nov 14.  You can use any media depiction (movie, TV show, book; fiction or non-fiction) to trace the character development of someone in the transition to adulthood.  The Real World is one option (video links: Hollywood, Australia (Sydney), and Denver), but you can use something else, if you want.

• A concluding essay integrating what you learned from your first four papers -- DUE Nov 24.  Don't just summarize your previous papers.  Try to draw connections between things that were similar (or contradictory) in two or more of your papers.  The focus is on what you feel you've learned overall from the mini-paper projects and other parts of the class.

Administrative Matters

·     Missed Exams/Assignments.  Missed tests and late assignments must be made up, or course passage will be jeopardized.  If you have a compelling reason (e.g., medical emergency), documented by a note, for missing a test or not turning in an assignment on time, you can take a make-up test or get an extension on an assignment without penalty.  The instructor reserves the right to contact the writer of the note for verification purposes.  If you do not have a documented excuse, the work must still be made up, but will be penalized with point deductions (2 points off per working day for an exam; 1 point off per working day for a paper).  If you should fall behind on more than one thing (e.g., a missed exam and a paper not turned in), especially as it starts getting late in the semester, you  run the risk of receiving an F for the course and you might want to drop the class at that point (see below for drop deadlines).

·     Incompletes.  A grade of “I” will be awarded only by permission of the instructor prior to the end of the semester and only when a small amount of work remains to be completed for the course.  A grade of “I” is awarded only in case of emergency (see above procedures on notes and verification) and when class performance at the time of the request is satisfactory.  Poor planning or excessive absences are not valid reasons for requesting a grade of incomplete.

·     Withdrawals.  If illness or other problems keep you from attending class and/or lead to the missing of assignments and tests, then you should plan to drop the class by one of the deadline dates (September 10 and October 27), as shown on the university calendar of major deadlines on the web. Do not simply stop coming to classes as this may jeopardize your grade point average.  Do not plan on an “I” under these circumstances; it will not happen, nor will there be special assignments or extra credit for these circumstances. 

·     Disability Needs.  Any student who requires special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact the instructor to make necessary accommodations.  Students should present appropriate verification from Disabled Student Services, Dean of Students Office (this must be done before accommodations can be implemented).  Students requiring special arrangements (particularly taking exams at the PASS Center) should bring the necessary documentation to the instructor as soon as possible, ideally within the first few class sessions.  First requesting to take an exam at the PASS Center on the day of the exam will not be looked upon favorably.

·     Academic Integrity.  Students are expected to abide by all of the rules for academic integrity at TTU, as specified in the Undergraduate Catalog or in the web-based guidelines for academic integrity.  Any violations of these rules will be reported to the proper authorities for disciplinary review.  As stated concisely by the Center for Academic Integrity (originally from the University of Central Florida), "Plagiarism and cheating - presenting another's ideas, arguments, words or images as your own, using unauthorized material, or giving or accepting unauthorized help on assignments or tests - contradict the educational value of these exercises."

Fall 2008 Schedule of Topics, Readings, Tests, and Assignment Due Dates

Lecture Notes

Introduction to Course/Emerging Adulthood
Group Perspectives (Gender, Social Class, Race-Ethnicity, International)
Identity and Relations with Parents
Decision-Making/Risk Taking/Brain Development
Higher Education
Jobs and Careers (plus Cities and Relocation)
Marriage, Relationships, Dating...
Becoming a Parent
Mental Health and Substance Use/Abuse
Political Involvement
Religious Views
Volunteerism and Civic Engagement
Economics and Finances
Military Service
Public Policies to Facilitate Transition to Adulthood