Early Childhood Development

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course engages students in a critical examination of the interdisciplinary literature on early child development from the prenatal period up to school entry. The central debate about the role of early experience in development will provide a unifying theme for the course. The traditional domains of development (social, emotional, language, cognitive) will be addressed in the context of debates about nature-nurture, parenting and the role of the family, child care and early intervention, the influence of culture and the community, and the role of public policies. Research on children displaying both typical and atypical development, as well as those who experience environmental insults such as toxic exposures and child abuse, will be included.