Aims of the course:

In this paper we will introduce some key theories and research relating to patterns of human growth and development from before birth until late adulthood. The context of Aotearoa New Zealand is emphasised, including the influence of family/whānau, education and other social settings, peers and mass media. We believe it is important to recognise how ideas about development change over time, and how different ideas can compete with each other, for example, about the rights and responsibilities of children and adults in contemporary society. Different ways of thinking about human development serve different social and political purposes, and some have more power and influence than others. We acknowledge the diversity of beliefs within many contemporary societies, and at the same time we are interested in thinking about what ways of living seem most likely to promote social justice, improve the quality of caring for others, and enhance the wellbeing of all members of society.

The perspective taken on this course:

In this paper we take a ‘critical approach’. The major academic discipline resourced in this course is Psychology. But Western developmental psychology is overwhelmingly North American in origin and provides a particular cultural story – rather than ‘the truth’ – about human development. We therefore discuss how and why particular stories about development change in a particular society over time, and also consider alternative stories of development, particularly insights from Māori culture, that coexist with the Western story in Aotearoa New Zealand.

This paper is taught over a 12-week trimester and is divided into a number of topics focusing on development across the lifespan. The online forum consists of lecture content; recommended or additional readings and online discussions which all students are expected to contribute to each week.

To successfully complete and pass this paper you will need to:

Participate in all online discussions;

Participate in group online activities, and the sharing of ideas and experiences;

Read in advance the relevant readings from the text, as indicated in the paper outline; and

Complete and submit all assessable tasks by the due date.

This paper is fully internally assessed. Please take the opportunity to ask questions about assessment tasks in your question and answer forum in Moodle. If you need additional help with assignments, please use the contact details provided in our Moodle space for Student Learning and all Support Staff.

What you are expected to do in your online discussions:

* Contribute to every discussion, at least three times

* Keep each contribution to around 150 words maxiumum

* Use discussion to clarify understandings and to engage critically and deeply with the theme, theory and issues presented in the paper

* Relate discussion to current (or furture) teaching practice

What you should avoid doing:

* Please do not avoid the discussions, or post once and then disappear. These breach the intent of a discussion, indicate a lack of regard for our class community and fall short of the minimum attendance and participation requirements for this paper

* Similarly, do not double post (2 consecutive posts, or posts very close together - these should be spread out during the course of the week such as Monday, Wednesday and Friday leaving your weekends free for work - life - balance. Posting your contributions over the weekend often limits the opportunity for reflection and response from others

* Do not post lenghty contributions or without firstly reading what others have written, or your own writing before posting

What to expect from your lecturers in our online discussions:

Lecturers aim to join in each discussion, meeting similar expectations to the students. In short, we aim to:

• Be there.
• Be brief.
• Respond.
• Share our own stories.
• Promote deep and critical thinking (at times, we will play 'Devil's Advocate' in order to probe differing viewpoints).
• Keep the fires burning.

Feedback on discussions will be given within the discussion so look out for lecturer comments on how the discussion is progressing.

This paper is an online paper and is supported by Moodle as a teaching space. All communication, lecture material, discussions, supported readings, assignment briefings, assignment feedback and all miscellaneous material will all be via the Moodle site. All written assignments must be submitted through Moodle too.

Each week the site will be updated with information about the week’s topics and any supplementary readings. You should check your Moodle site on a regular basis.

Online web address: http://elearn.waikato.ac.nz/ or you can click on the Moodle link on the university home page.

You can use the Moodle site for general questions, for giving feedback on how things are going and for contacting the teaching team. Any issues can be discussed with the paper convenor through the Private Conversation forum on Moodle.