EDPSY 531

Socialization of the School-Aged Child

Winter 2004

 

Instructor: Susan B. Nolen
Office: 322C Miller Hall
Phone: 206-616-6378
Email: sunolen@u.washington.edu

Class web page:
http://faculty.washington.edu/sunolen/531/531_syl_04.htm

 

Book: Elias, M. J., and others (1997) Promoting social and emotional learning: Guidelines for Educators. Order direct from ASCD.org.

FOR NEXT WEDNESDAY: Please fill out a student information sheet and either (1) paste an electronic photo into the box and email it to me, or (2) fill it out, print it, paste a real picture or copy into the square and bring it to class next week, or (3) draw a picture of yourself in the square and bring it to class.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The goal of this course is for students to develop an understanding of some of the major themes and approaches to studying socialization during childhood and adolescence. Socialization in a broad field, and chidlren are socialized to particular values and moral beliefs, attitudes toward life in and out of school, membership in cultural groups, relationship styles, and more. We'll focus particularly on how children develop socially in interaction with families, teachers and peers. Although the focus will be on research, it will be important to keep in mind our knowledge of practice and real-world contexts as we evaluate the research. At the end of the course we will consider various school programs aimed at social and emotional development.

PROCEDURES AND EXPECTATIONS

The primary mode of instruction in this course is discussion of readings in small and large groups. I will occasionally provide some additional information in the form of short presentations, but mostly to orient you to the readings by introducing theoretical frameworks. You are expected to have read the assigned readings carefully and to be prepared to increase your understanding of them as you analyze, critique and question the readings in class. There will be some required readings and some choices of additional readings; the "choice" readings will be discussed first among students who chose that piece, and second in mixed-reading groups or large group.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING POLICY

Written assignments serve two purposes: to help you learn by thinking about the connections among readings and their implications for understanding children, and to help me assess your understanding of the ideas under study. All assignments can be revised and resubmitted at no penalty (except for the final assignment), and I am always happy to look at rough drafts or discuss possible ideas and strategies.

Short Thematic Papers (50% of grade)

Short thematic papers (STPs) are a chance for you to synthesize important ideas from the readings with your own experiences as a researcher and/or practitioner. Your job is to develop a theme (position) while using ideas from the readings critically to support or challenge your own views. STPs will be graded check/not-yet-check, using a checklist of criteria. You may revise and resubmit if you are not satisfied. A check earns a 4.0 for that paper. Detailed instructions, criteria, scoring rubrics plus example papers can be found on the class website. If you decide to resubmit an SLP, you must attach the original draft and my comments to the revised version.

2 "checks" = 2.7, 3 "checks" = 4.0

 

Term Project (50% of grade)

Term projects are an opportunity for you to study one aspect of socialization in depth. Projects will vary depending on your interests and skills, but in general they must demonstrate that you have understood the theories and issues discussed in this course well enough to use some of them to explore your question. Possible formats include

  1. a proposal for research--especially good for students planning on doing research and who have had coursework or experience in research design,
  2. a case study of a student, group, or client with a socialization-related problem which analyzes and proposes a solutions for the problem from different theoretical perspectives--especially good for practitioners,
  3. a literature review exploring some focused question or problem, or
  4. an analysis of one or more social-emotional interventions using theories from the course and field data.
  5. A final option is for a group project, wherein a small group of students collaborates on study of one aspect of socialization (e.g., cultural influences, peer relationships, the role of teachers and schools), each member collects some field data relevant to the topic or question, data are pooled and discussed, but each student writes his or her own project paper.

For guidelines on preparing 1 through 3, click here. For options 4 and 5, please see me.

In a few weeks you will fill out a Project Prospectus form; a rough draft will be due about two weeks later (see schedule for dates). The rough draft must include at least a detailed outline, working bibliography, and one section of your paper completed (must be something beyond the introduction), all of which show how you will be using theories from this seminar.The prospectus and rough draft are required; you must turn them in for feedback before I will accept your final project. In addition to these formal collections of your work in progress, I will be happy to give you oral or written feedback on your projects at any time during the term.

Project papers are graded on a 0-4 scale.

All papers should be prepared following the APA style manual.

 

Please Note:

If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to your instructor or to Kent Jewell, Area Secretary in Educational Psychology, to discuss the accommodation you might need for class.

If you have concerns about this course, please see me as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with me, or not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact Dr. Bob Abbott, Chair of Educational Psychology, in 312 Miller Hall, at 616-6308 or abbottr@u.washington.edu. If you are still not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact Dr. Steve Kerr, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, in 206 Miller Hall, or by email at stkerr@u.washington.edu.