47.474 Seminar in Developmental Psychology:  Trauma in Child Development

Spring 2011

Syllabus

Instructor	Dr. Doreen Arcus	e-mail	doreen_arcus@uml.edu
Office	MA 211	Office hours	MW 11:00-12:00; F 2:00-3:00 Unless otherwise noted; Also by appt
Class Location	Mahoney 208	Web	http:faculty.uml.edu/darcus

Course website:  http://faculty.uml.edu/darcus/47.474

Course Description

“[All 400 level seminars] carry prerequisites and involve a high degree of independent work in field experience and/or research.  Emphasis is on current developments in specialized areas of psychology reflecting the experience of members of the faculty….  [In 47-474] Careful consideration of selected topics in the area of human development including the following:  psychology of the family, parent-child relations, infant development, adjustment during adulthood, death, dying, etc.”  (UML Undergraduate Catalogue).

Purpose

Sadly, trauma is a relatively common experience of childhood. Sixteen out of every 100 children in the US experienced some form of abuse or neglect yielding about 1 million substantiated cases in 2003 (DHHS, 2005).  Youth aged 12-17 are three times more likely to be victims of violent crimes—assault, rape, or robbery—compared with adults (NCVS, 1999).  Somewhere between 3.3 and 10 million children are witnesses to domestic violence each year (OJJDP, 1992).  As a result of armed conflict 6 million children worldwide were disabled or seriously injured over the past decade, more than 1 million were orphaned or separated from their families, and 20 million have been displaced (UNICEF, 2005).  How do these horrific experiences influence the subsequent growth and development of children?  This seminar examines the role of trauma in child development from an ecological perspective with a focus on neurophysiological, affective, and relational systems. 

NOTE:  This course involves intense and emotional content that may be difficult for students from time to time.  Students who anticipate exceptional difficulty limited to specific topics, films, or readings should talk to the instructor about possible alternative assignments.  Students who anticipate significant distress from the bulk of this material should please ensure that they are getting the types of supports they need.

The UMass Lowell Counseling Center provides free, confidential services to UML students.  They are in 363 McGauvran Hall, (978) 934-4331

Prerequisites

Prerequisites listed in the undergraduate catalogue for 47-474 include 47-269 (Research Basics) and 47-260 (Child & Adolescent Psychology).  All students must have completed those classes successfully prior to enrolling in this seminar.  A course in developmental psychopathology such as 47-361 Problems and Issues of Childhood and Adolescence, is highly recommended.  Finally, you are absolutely required to be familiar with the writing guidelines in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 5^th edition, since all writing will be held to those conventions and graded accordingly. 

Intended Participants

This course is designed for psychology majors who have an interest in the development of children and/or adolescents.  Students planning eventual careers in health, education, or public policy will find this course useful, as will students who plan to have a family, to associate with families, or simply to participate in a community that includes children and adolescents.  In other words, this course is intended for everyone. 

Goals

By the completion of this course, students will be able to discuss the following topics with respect to relevant empirical literature and child development theory:

· Historical, cultural, and social contexts of trauma and response

· Trauma effects on the developing brain

· PTSD vs. Developmental Trauma Disorder

· Potentiation, revictimization, and risk

· Memory:  Child sexual abuse and developmental transitions

· Trauma and attachment, relational systems, affect regulation

· School contexts: PTSD, learning, and attention

· Individual differences in trauma and consequences

· Family systems, foster care, and adoption

· Collateral considerations:  Secondary traumatic stress

· Family systems and trauma

· Communities, tragedies, and disaster

· Prevention; intergenerational transmission

· Resiliency and risk

Texts & Readings

There are no required texts for this course.  Readings available online or through the UML Library.  I urge you to take some time at the beginning of the semester and collect all of the readings.  Print them out and assemble them in a binder in the order in which we will cover them.  This will be your textbook. Use the schedule to make a table of contents and/or an index.

Requirements

• Come to class every week having read the assigned material for that day and being prepared to discuss it.  This is an important aspect of a seminar, and the class will not succeed without everyone’s contributions. 
• Complete periodic written assignments over the course of the semester that are required but not graded but are counted.
• Write a mini-research review on an approved topic using three empirical research articles from peer reviewed professional journals. 
• Present a final project linking the material we have covered in class to a biography or memoir from a list of approved books.
• Write the paper that accompanies the final project described above.

Grades

Grades for this course will reflect participation and completed assignments (30%), the research review (30%), and the written and presented final project (40%). 

Consult the course website weekly to keep up with assignments and expectations.  A complete schedule will be listed for your reference.