B.A. in Child Development: Curriculum

This seminar helps students grasp the breadth, depth, and foundations of early childhood education.

Early childhood staff of all levels (directors, teachers, assistants, aides, family child care, etc.) must demonstrate professionalism as strong communicators not only verbally, but as writers, as well. This course will lay the ground work of writing expectations in the program, and serve to remediate as needed.

This is a broad sketch of human growth and development from pre-natal stages to elementary age. Developmental processes are studied from a biological and developmental perspective. Personality development and the effects of temperament on learning are discussed.

This course studies the social, psychological and emotional growth of children from prenatal to elementary ages. Issues of attachment, perspective-taking and friendship are discussed. (Prerequisites: CHD 400, CHD 402, and CHD 410)

The purpose of this course is to expand our understanding of the influences of gender, culture, economic situation, learning styles, and language on the socialization of children, and then how to use this new understanding to form the way we program for and interact with children. (Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in CHD 400, CHD 402, and CHD 410)

In this course, students will study the emerging skills and developmental characteristics of infants and toddlers. Course topics include environments that foster development, appropriate practices, and promoting the development of autonomy. (Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in CHD 400, CHD 402, and CHD 410)

This is a historical, present, and future perspective of developmentally appropriate practices. Appropriate classroom practices and current topics are discussed. (Prerequisites: CHD 400 and CHD 410)

Theories of Piaget, Parton, Erickson, and Vygotsky are studied to determine how children learn to play and the effect that play has on the child’s development. Historical perspectives and effects of play on learning are reviewed. (Prerequisite: CHD 435)

The research and stages of language development from birth through age seven are extensively explored. Students will understand how to guide children through the language acquisition process. (Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHD 400, CHD 402, and CHD 410)

Using children’s books to develop literature-based curriculum is the emphasis of this course. There is a review of authors of children’s literature and an exploration of books for a variety of purposes. (Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in CHD 400, CHD 402, and CHD 410)

This course will address the needs of the early childhood classroom professional. The course will move beyond the basics of child development to help educators understand the natural progression of second-language acquisition in young children. (Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in CHD 445)

Classical and historical ethics are explored, as well as the student’s personal values system. Individuals face tough ethical decisions with increasing frequency in our society and a framework for addressing those questions is needed. Each student will develop a system for making ethical decisions in their personal and professional life. (Prerequisites: CHD 400, CHD 402, and CHD 410)

This course is designed to introduce the student to the information and techniques needed to develop curricula and instruction to meet the unique needs of individual children in early childhood settings. Special emphasis is given to the theories, research, and practical application from the fields of both early childhood education and special education. (Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in CHD 400, CHD 402, and CHD 410)

This senior level and final course is designed to help learners reflect on all they have done in the BA Child Development program. Through guest speakers, research study, and reflection on practice, students will synthesize all they have learned. Preparation of a professional portfolio will cap the learning experience. All other courses in the program must be successfully completed before taking this course. (Prerequisite: Senior standing and successful completion of all other courses in the program.)