Psychology and Aging(Spring I, 2002)
Instructor:Dr. Linda M. Woolf
Office Hours:
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Texts:
- Belsky, J. (1999). The psychology of aging (3rd ed.). Pacific Groves, CA: Brooks/Cole.
- Selected Articles - see schedule for authors, titles, and dates
Course Description:
Since the turn of the last century, the life expectancy of people born in the United States has increased by approximately 25 years and the proportion of persons 65 years or older has increased from 4% to over 13%. By the year 2030, one in five individuals in the U.S. is expected to be 65 years or older and people age 85 and older make up the fastest growing segment of the population. As such it is imperative that we all learn more about the impact of this "age wave" for our own personal lives as well as on our professional commitments. The acquisition of knowledge regarding the impact of aging on individuals and cultures is fundamental for those with clients, consumers, or colleagues who are in later life.In this course, we will examine late-life development from a psychological perspective. Many individuals know very little about the diversity of experience of older adults both in the United States and around the globe. Therefore, we will explore the myths and stereotypes relative to aging and examine current and potentially new paradigms for healthy, productive, and effective aging. We will become more knowledgable concerning the various conceptualizations and strategies needed to prepare for an aging, and increasingly diverse majority of elders within the United States and around the world. Issues related to personality and cognitive development, family, retirement, and widowhood as well as psychopathology will be discussed.
Course Objectives and Outcomes :
- Objective: To develop an understanding of the life-span developmental perspective and the relevance of this perspective for studying change and continuity in psychological processes over time.
- Objective: To become familiar with the various metatheories and theories relevant to the study of late-life development and aging.
- Objective: To become familiar with the research methodology commonly used by developmental psychologists and the limitations associated with these methodologies when studying aging.
- Objective: To develop an understanding of the major types of development that an individual experiences in late-life (cognitive, intellectual, social-emotional, personality, interpersonal, and sexual.).
- Objective: To become aware of the various crises and problems sometimes associated with this period of the life-span, such as elder abuse and Alzheimer's Disease.
- Objective: To become aware of the diversity of the aging experience and the impact of inequality both within the United States and globally.
- Objectives: To become attuned to ageism within our culture and aware of the myths surrounding the aging process.
- Objective: To become familiar with the rapidly growing body of literature on adulthood and aging.
Class Meetings:
The class will meet on Mondays from 5:30 - 9:30. Attendance is expected as material will be presented that is not in the book and class participation will constitute a percentage of the final grade. Please make note of the attached Webster University Graduate School attendance policy.
Incoming Competency:
All students should be capable of graduate level work and have completed GERN 5000.
Course Requirements:
Three examinations, a term paper, class presentation, and class participation/discussion of assigned readings.
All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 10 with:
| 90 - 100 | A-,A | Excellent |
| 80 - 89 | B-,B,B+ | Above Average |
| 70 - 79 | C-,C,C+ | Average |
| Less than 70 | F | Failing |
Percent of Grade:
Examinations 75% Paper 20% Presentation 5%
Exams: Exams will include short answer and essay. They will cover material presented in lecture, readings, and discussion. Three examinations will be given. Each exam will constitute 25% of your final grade. Policy Statements: All exams must be taken on the date scheduled. In case of an emergency, the instructor must be notified. No make-up exams will be provided if you fail to notify and discuss your situation with the instructor. It is up to the instructor's discretion whether to offer or not offer a make-up exam. Please note that no extra credit work will be made available to make-up for a poor test grade.
Term Paper: The purpose of the term paper is to provide you with the opportunity to explore an area of aging from a psychological perspective in depth. The paper is to be a 10-15 page literature review of some topic pertinent to aging and will constitute 20% of your final grade. Policy: Topics must be approved in writing by the instructor. Directions for topic submission will be discussed during the first week of class. Topics that have not been approved will not be accepted. Topics must be approved by January 21, 2002. Deadline for acceptance of papers is February 25, 2002. Note: These deadlines are not suggestions; papers accepted following the deadline will experience a drop in grade(s) except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor.
All papers must reference a minimum of eight references from refereed journals (not Psychology Today or Newsweek, for example). Of course to do most topics justice, more than eight journal references are needed. Additionally, minimum performance on a paper equates to "average" performance in the grading scale provided above. Note: Do not rely heavily on popular literature, for example, a book you happen to see at Walden Books. Often, these books are not empirically based. Also, do not take the bulk of your paper from one source or from secondary sources. Use of information in your paper that is not empirically based will impact the grade negatively. I want an integration, analysis, and critique of the current research literature relevant to your paper topic. Remember, you should be regularly reading the journals to keep current regarding developments in gerontology.
Click here for some rules of thumb regarding literature reviews/papers
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, have 1 inch margins and in APA format. If you are in doubt as to what this means, see me for details.
- APA 5th Edition Publication Manual Changes
- A Guide for Writing Research Papers based on American Psychological Association (APA) Documentation
- http://webster.commnet.edu/apa/apa_index.htm
- APA Style Guide prepared by Mark Plonsky - http://www.uwsp.edu/acad/psych/apa4b.htm
- APA Publication format for electronic references
- Citing The World Wide Web In Style: American Psychological Association and Modern Language Association Formats
Policy Statements:
Attendence Policy: The following is the graduate school policy for attendance and absences. This policy will be used in this class. "If any student misses a class, the student is responsible for that night's work plus a make-up assignment. If the student misses two nights, you have the option to reduce the student's grade one letter or make a significant assignment to cover the material presented that week. If the student is absent for a third week, you should inform the student that his/her grade for the course is NC. It is the student's responsibility to withdraw from the course." Note: Coming in to class late or leaving early will count towards the number of classes missed. Remember that missing 2 hours of class is the equivalent of missing an entire week in a sixteen week class.Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable and will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment and will be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.
This site will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. - Establishing Authorship by Paul C. Smith, Alverno CollegeLate withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.
This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.
It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document. No grade of Incomplete will be issued for this course.
COURSE OUTLINE | |
Date | Topic and Readings |
| January 7 | Introduction to the class Introduction to the psychology of aging Research methodology
Readings: |
| TBA | The psychological-physical dimension
Readings: |
| January 21 | The psychological-social dimension Readings: |
| January 28 | Cognitive development and changes Readings: |
| February 4 | Personality
Readings: |
| February 11 | Mental Health and InterventionsReadings: |
| February 18 | The Older Family
Readings: |
| February 25 | Transitions in Late-LifeReadings: |
| March 4 | FINAL EXAM Presentations |