ED 209.

01
Lifespan Development
Fall, 2023
V1

Instructor: Associate Prof. Dr. Z. Hande Sart

Office: EF 314
Phone: 0212- 359 6902
E-mail: hande.sart@boun.edu.tr
Office Hour: Mondays 16.30-17.30

Research Assistant: Merve Başat

Office: EF 209
Phone: 0212- 359 6474
E-mail: merve.basat@boun.edu.tr
Office Hours: Thursdays 15.00-15.50

Course Description
This course is a survey course in human development. It takes a life-span perspective, which
means we are trying to cover prenatal development, infancy, toddlerhood, early childhood,
middle childhood, adolescence, and various periods of adulthood. This course provides an
overview for the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. Topics include but
not limited to the importance of prenatal environment and its influence on development,
formation of peer relations, identity, romantic relations, emerging adulthood and stages
through retirement and dying.

Learning Objectives
This course investigates the numerous facets of growth which contribute to an integrated,
whole person as well as the developmental problems faced by individuals moving toward
maturity and adulthood. You will discover physical, cognitive, and societal factors that
interact to affect growth. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:
• Distinguish between major theoretical perspectives in developmental psychology.
• Contrast the various theoretical perspectives according to how they view major
controversies and issues in developmental psychology.
• Identify the influence of culture and diversity on development.
• Explain the respective contributions of “nature” and “nurture” to human
development, as well as their interactions.
• Apply developmental concepts and theories to everyday relationships and situations.

1
Required Book (NEW BOOK)
Boyd, D. and Bee, H. (2019). Lifespan Development, Global Edition. 8th Edition. Pearson
Education, Limited.

Course Requirements
You are responsible to fulfill all the requirements to pass the course
Exams: There will be three exams. Exam 1 and 2 will consist of 40-45 multiple-choice items
and one or two short-answer essay questions. Exams will be drawn from lectures, readings,
recommended web-sites and in-class discussions. Exams will not be cumulative. In case of
missing the exams due to medical emergency, you have to bring the medical report and take
the exam within three days depending to the nature of condition.

Exam 1: After covering up Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6- Theory and Research, Foundations of

Development, Infancy and Toddlerhood
Date: TBA (face to face)

Exam 2: After covering up Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10- Early Childhood and Middle Childhood
Date: TBA (face to face)

Exam 3: Chapters 15, 16, 17, 18- Middle and Late Adulthood
Date: Final Exam Date and Time (not announced yet).

Projects: There are two projects pertaining to various aspects of human development.
Students are supposed to follow the guidelines. The projects are due at various times
throughout the course (following chapters). Late submissions will not be accepted.

The Name of the Project I: “Observation of Adolescents in Their Natural Setting” from a
developmental perspective (including Chapters 11 through 12).
Date: After covering Chapters 11 and 12

The Name of the Project II: “Your Life Story” from a developmental perspective (including
Chapters 3 and 14).
Date: Final Exam Date

Method of Instruction
Presentations of material will be teacher-centered as well as learner-centered. Lectures,
discussion, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation will all be utilized. To ensure knowledge and
understanding for quality participation, it is essential that students prepare for each class
session by reading and review of material assigned well in advance of class.

Class Participation
You are expected to attend class regularly. You are also expected to come to class having read
the assigned readings and prepared to ask questions and participate in discussion. Most of the
lectures and discussions will go beyond the required readings and include materials not found
in the text. In some cases, I shall disagree with the author and be critical of the text. I let
students—with good reasons—to arrive late or depart early. If you need to either arrive late or
depart early, please do so unobtrusively with a minimum of disruption.

Students with Disabilities and COVID-19 Notice

Students with documented disabilities who may need accommodations, who have any
medical emergency information including COVID-19 related information the instructor
should know make an appointment with the instructor or send an email explaining your
situation as soon as possible, no later than the last week of the month October. COVID-19
related situation can be given any time during the semester.

2
Electronic Device Notice
As a matter of courtesy to your classmates and the instructor, please turn off your cell phones,
and any other electronic devices that make noise.

Camera Notice and Recording

In case of emergency situations, there is a possibility of online class hours. As a matter of
courtesy to your classmates and the instructor, please turn on your cameras during the online
class hours. And in case of recording, you will notice recording sign and recorded sessions
will shared with the classmates only.

Academic Dishonesty Policy:

Academic dishonesty is a basis for disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is
not limited to, activities such as cheating, using or purchasing papers, using/coping directly
from ChatGPT, and plagiarism (presenting as one’s own intellectual or creative
accomplishments of another without giving credit to the source[s]). Incidents of academic
dishonesty result in a FAILING GRADE for the course. And due to voice or video recording
in zoom as well as face to face classes, please respect the confidentiality of personal data.
Sharing the recorded sessions with third parties without the consents of students is against the
Personal Data Protection Law (a.k.a Kişisel Verilerin Korunması Kanunu).

Please read Department of Educational Sciences Academic Integrity Policy:

https://ed.boun.edu.tr/about-us

Grading
Exam 1………………………………………………………………………………25%
Exam 2………………………………………………………………………………25%
Exam 3………………………………………………………………………………15%
Project 1 Observation of Adolescents……………………………………………….15%
Project 2 Your Life Story………………..…….…………………………………….20%

3
 PROJECT I: Observation of Adolescents (Due Date: After Chapters 11, 12)

For this observation assignment you will observe a group of adolescents in a social
environment (e.g., classroom, school grounds, after school grounds, or activity center).

1. Try to write down as much as you can about what you're observing while remaining
as unobtrusive as possible. Describe only what you see and hear, free of evaluation
and intent.
2. Include in your summary/analysis the estimated age of the adolescents you observed,
a description of them, and a description of the setting.
3. When you have completed the observation, re-read what you wrote and consider the
following questions in writing a developmental analysis. Include reference to your
text book when describing and analyzing developmental concepts and theories.

Analysis guide and questions:

1. What did you notice about the physical development of the adolescents you
observed? What range of development did you see?
2. Describe the setting in which you observed. You can add photos without the faces.
3. Did it appear that any of the adolescents were "together" in terms of dating? What did
you notice about their interactions? (If applicable)
4. Were any of the adolescents smoking or using other chemicals?
5. Identify whether the group you were observing was a clique or a crowd (and explain
your reasons for your conclusion). What else did you notice about the peer group
structure?
6. Did any of the adolescents engage in any form of, or discussion of, antisocial
behaviors?
7. What else did you notice during your observation that is important to include in your
analysis?
8. Please reflect on the process itself. Subjective experiences are welcomed☺

Important Note: Be sure to proof read and spell check for each observation task. Include
your rough field notes when handing in your project.

Format and suggested length: Minimum of 5-6 pages of word-processed text, double-
spaced, font size 12. Please follow the guidelines and use headings stated above.

Reference: Boyd, D. & Bee, H. (2018). Lifespan development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Instructor’s Manual.

4
 PROJECT II: Life Story from Developmental Perspective
(Due Date: Final Exam Date and Time)

This project is your "Life Story" from a developmental perspective. In this version of your life
story, you must include the theories, concepts, and behaviors for each life stage that are
described in the textbook. Please follow the outline below, giving each of the seven sections a
heading. Within each section you may organize your paper as you wish, but make sure that
you address each area (taking into consideration that your parent(s)/primary
caregivers/extended family member may not be able to or willing to share information on all
questions or you are not willing to share) and that you follow a clear organizational structure.
Feel free to add to the following outline as you tell your story. Whatever you share would be
only read by the instructor within the principles of CONFIDENTIALITY. If you need certain

Format and suggested length: Minimum of 10-11 pages of word-processed text, double-
spaced, font size 12. If you have any photographs of yourself and other people and aspects of
your life that you would like to use to illustrate your story, you are welcome to use these (or
to create your own illustrations). Please follow the guidelines and use headings stated below.

Paper guidelines & outline:

Stage 1: Prenatal

1. How does/do your parent(s) describe your prenatal development? What was your
mother's pregnancy like?
2. Describe yourself at birth (weight, length, hair, anything else you can find out about
your appearance at birth). Also, medical interventions, any complications, where you
were born, who was there, how was your birth; normal or c-section?
3. Did you mother use drugs to relieve labor pain?
4. How were you described as a new-born baby? Sleep patterns? Family's adjustment to
you? Temperament? Eating habits?

Stage 2: 0 - 2 years

1. Were you breast or bottle-fed? What were your mother's reasons for choosing one
over the other?
2. Who took care of you? Did you stay at home? Did you attend childcare? (Describe
details)
3. Describe your motor and language development. What was your first word?
4. Referring to Chomsky's idea that innate ability and rich linguistic and social
environment combine to promote language development, describe your environment
and how it could have contributed to your language development.
5. Describe your temperament

Stage 3: 2-6 years

1. Describe your growth during this time. What was your general health like? Describe
your motor development.
2. Use Piaget's theory as a framework to describe your thinking and playing.
3. Use Vygotsky's social-cultural theory and describe your language and your schooling
during this stage. Please remember private speech.
4. Describe the formation of your gender identity. Do you remember when you realized
you were a boy/girl?
5. Who did you play with? What were you like to play with?
6. Did you suck your thumb or have a favorite "blankies" or toys? When did you give
these things up? Was it traumatic for you?

5
Stage 4: 6 - 11 years

1. Describe your health, motor development and play at this stage.

2. What kind of student were you? Was school a positive experience during this time?
3. Describe your friendships and your category of peer acceptance.
4. Describe family influences on your development [parent(s), siblings and/or other
relevant family members].
5. What do you remember most about this time?
6. What was your career goal?

Stage 5: Adolescence

1. Describe your experiences of puberty and the effects that it has on your life.
2. Describe how your experiences fit into Erikson's theory of identity formation vs.
Identity confusion.
3. Describe your adolescent identity status according to James Marcia's theory.
4. Refer to the imaginary audience during your adolescence. Describe an example of
how this manifested itself in your life.
5. Describe and comment on the influence of your peer group.
6. Did you experiment with drinking/smoking/other drugs? What types of intervention
occurred as a result (if any)?

Stage 6: Early Adulthood

1. In what ways have your body and mind changed since you were younger?
2. How do you expect them to change as you get older?
3. How does Boğaziçi University affect your life from your entrance to the university to
this year in general including current political situation? What differences do you
think it will make on you as a graduate in the future?
4. How did earthquake in Kahramanmaraş affect you in your personal life?

Stage 7: Conclusion

Please reflect on the process itself. How did you feel about writing your own personal life
story?

Reference: Boyd, D. & Bee, H. (2018). Lifespan development. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Instructor’s Manual.