Development of Social Cognition (Writing Intensive)

3 units

This course explores current hot topicsin social cognitive development. We will study this in children by examining the development of social groups/categories and identity in children, with a focus on language, race, and ethnicity. We will also explore the emergence and development of bias and prejudice and approaches to reducing its development in children. We will explore these issues in the context of innate knowledge and the effects of the environment on children's development. Each week we will cover a topic by reading one book chapter and two journal articles. Class time will be devoted to active discussion of these readings, with lecture and class activities as needed, to complement the readings and set the stage for discussion. This is a writing intensive course, so a second goal is to improve student writing. There will be several writing assignments that will receive extensive feedback from the instructor, and then students will write an improved final version. Students will also give class presentations: one that directly addresses writing and another on a research topic of their choice that is relevant to social cognitive development. Prerequisites: Psych 100B and either Psych 315, Psych 321, or Psych 360.