Undergraduate Catalog 2010-2011 - SNHU Academic Archive ...

Course Descriptions
isters the experience and the program coordinator/department
chair provides the academic evaluation. Prerequisites:
Permission of the program coordinator/department chair and
the Career Development Center.
COM 492 Digital Media Internships
(3-12 credits)
The primary objective of this Communication Internship
experience is to provide the Digital Media undergraduate student
with employment experience. The School of Liberal
Arts expects that the co-op education experience will consist
of the application of skills learned in the classroom, but
it acknowledges the educational value of “on-the-job” work
experience. Indeed, the co-op education experience should
substantially broaden students’ academic training by exposing
them to the realities of the working world. A related
objective is to provide Digital Media majors an opportunity
to complete assignments for a company that may prove a
potential full-time employer or a referral resource. The
Career Development Center administers the experience and
the program coordinator/department chair provides the academic
evaluation. Prerequisite: Permission of the program
coordinator/department chair and the Career Development
Center.
Child Development
(All DEV and EDU courses may require students to complete
off-campus field experience.)
DEV 102 Child Development (3 credits)
This course surveys the human growth and development
from ages 3 to 12 of both typical and atypical children from
diverse backgrounds. Theories pertinent to individual stages
are provided and the sociological, cultural and psychological
aspects of human growth and development are included.
Students conduct observations and assessments of young
children.
DEV 103 Infant and Toddler (3 credits)
This course focuses on human growth from conception to
age 3. It includes methods of observation, planning and
teaching infants and toddlers, both typical and atypical and
from diverse backgrounds. Twenty hours of field experience
is included.
DEV 120 Observation and Assessment (3 credits)
Students are introduced to methods of observation of young
children in the context of development. Students are introduced
to commonly used qualitative and quantitative forms
of developmental assessment used with children in the first
twelve years of life within early childhood and public school
settings. Assessment will be discussed in relationship to
developmental outcomes, interpretation and planning for
intervention and curriculum. Prerequisite: DEV 102.
DEV 150 History and Philosophy of the Child Study
Movement (3 credits)
The student is exposed to the historical, cultural and philosophical
foundations of child development theory and practice.
The work of Rousseau, Freud, Froebel, Montessori,
Pestalozzi, Dewey, and others are examined. The history of
early childhood programming as a distinct field outside of
formal educational institutions as well as the role of programming
within formal education is covered. Tensions in
educational philosophy and approach between the early
childhood community and the larger educational community
are examined in depth. Students begin to develop the necessary
skills for a scientific and dynamic understanding of
child development. Such skills will assist students in the
formation of informed independent opinions and a well integrated
perspective. Students have the opportunity to examine
the nature of early childhood through field-based
experiences. This course may require off-campus field experiences.
DEV 200 Developmental Research Methods (3 credits)
Students in this course will focus on developmental research
methods. The primary focus will be on qualitative research,
but students will also gain an understanding of a variety of
experimental techniques and interpretations. They will
become aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each
method and understand when each method is best used.
DEV 205 Role of Families (3 credits)
Students learn about parenting as a developmental process.
They also learn about varying family structures, sibling relationships,
and familial and community relations, including
communication and interaction with families from a variety
of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds and families
with special-needs children.
DEV 210 Psychosocial Development During Early
Childhood (3 credits)
This course focuses on young children’s emotional and
social development from birth through age eight, stressing
the interaction of biological, psychological, and social forces.
Major themes include how young children experience themselves
and others; the role of parents, families, caregivers,
peers, and teachers in children’s psychosocial development;
and the socialization of young children to respond adaptively
to the contexts and cultures they live in. Students are
expected to acquire a working knowledge of the emotional
and social domains of development through the integration
of natural observation of infants, preschoolers, and school
aged children with relevant theory and research. This course
may require off-campus field experiences.
DEV 241 Cognitive Development of Infants and Young
Children (3 credits)
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an
understanding and a working knowledge of both the content
and processes of cognitive development in children from
birth through eight years of age. The primary foci of the
course are understanding (1) different theoretical frameworks
for examining sequences and variations in the processes of
cognitive change; (2) the interactive relationship between the
child and the social context in the course of development; (3)
the interrelationship of cognitive development with other
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