Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Lifespan Development (Face-to-Face)

PSY 1100-03

Course: PSY 1100-03
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: PSY
CRN: 12296

Course Description

Lifespan Development is concerned with the biosocial, cognitive/emotional, and psychosocial development of individuals across the lifespan. The course begins examination of human life with conception and continues to examine interactive influences until death. This course focuses on theory, research, and application. Please note that this course is extremely similar to FLHD 1500. It is not recommended that students take both FLHD 1500 and PSY 1100. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Social and Behavioral Sciences

Required Texts

Lifespan Development  Open Educational Resource provided by Lumen Learning (links on Canvas)

Learning Outcomes

1.       Demonstrate understanding of relevant social and behavioral science methodologies and how they are used to understand or explain human relations or interactions.

2.       Identify general principles of behavioral and social functioning across the lifespan.

3.       Connect those questions and issues to the students’ own experiences.

4.       Demonstrate a critically reasoned understanding of social patterns and individual variation congruent with and divergent from those patterns.

Course Requirements

GRADING

 

A  = 100-94%                B+ = <90-87%             C+ = <80-77%             D+ = <70-67%             F < 61%

A- =   <94-90%             B   = <87-84%              C   = <77-74%              D   = <67-64% 

                                    B-  = <84-80%              C-  = <74-70%              D-  = <64-61% 

            

Exams                                                               50%

Critical Thinking Presentation                           15%

Developmental Projects                                    15%

Study Guides                                                     10%

Participation                                                      10%

Total                                                                100%

 

** Please note that grades in Canvas are ESTIMATES.  Based on what has/has not been entered, Canvas can significantly under or over estimate your grade.  To ensure accuracy, you need to communicate clearly with me.

 

ASSIGNMENTS & EXAMS

 

Exams:     You will take three section exams in this class.  Exam content will be gathered from a combination of in-class material, content from the textbook, and possibly some assigned extra readings (articles).  The section exams are not cumulative.  There will also be a cumulative Final Exam during finals week.  The lowest exam score will be dropped from your overall grade. We will not go over exams in class, but you may set up a meeting with me to review your exams during office hours or at other times by appointment.

 

Critical Thinking Article: In small groups (which will be determined in class), you will find some article or clip from a popular media source (CNN, Fox News, Yahoo, Parenting Magazine, etc.) that is presenting some kind of psychological findings concerning human development. You will identify the scholarly article on which the media clip or magazine/webzine article is based.  As a group, you will record a presentation to share with class, with emphasis on discussing the differences between the popular media source and the scientific source.  You will post the video clip and article to Canvas to share with the class.  You will all watch other groups’ clips and provide feedback.  This project will be done in stages, see Canvas for details.

 

Child Observation:  Part of learning to adopt a developmental mindset is learning how to observe the environment and humans around us.  You will be observing and interviewing individuals at various developmental stages and writing up your observations using concepts from the class.  Details on Canvas. 

 

Developmental Interview: You will conduct an interview with an older adult, someone who has retired or is very near to retirement.  The purpose of this interview is to allow an opportunity to learn from others in differing stages of life and reflect on how your own experience is different.  You must ask consent for the interview and explain that the content of the interview will be included in a paper that you are submitting for this course; however, you will not include their names in the paper!  You will interview these individuals to learn more about major developmental aspects of their current phase of life, what they wish they had known in a previous phase of life, and how their lives have changed over time and relate their experiences to your own.  

 

Module Study Guides: You will be given a copy of the study guide on Canvas.  Open up the document and fill it out with definitions and examples for each relevant chapter.  This is due just before class on the first day we discuss each chapter, as you will be expected to participate in class discussions using some of the terms and concepts from the chapters.  See Canvas for due dates and more details.

Course Outline

 |  |
 Tentative Schedule   | 
| Week of | Topic | Readings | Assignments/Exams Due | 
| Week 1 | Syllabus, Overview of Developmental Science | Module 1 |   | 
| Week 2 | Research Methods; Developmental Theories | Module 1, 2 |   | 
| Week 3 | Prenatal Development | Module 3 | CT Step 1- Media Article | 
| Week 4 | Infancy | Module 4 |   | 
 | Week 5 | Infancy; Exam 1 | Module 4 | Exam 1 (Mod 1-4) | 
| Week 6 | Early Childhood  | Module 5 | CT Step 2- Scientific Article | 
| Week 7 | Early Childhood; Middle Childhood | Module 5, 6 | 
| Week 8 | Middle Childhood | Module 6 | Child Obs Paper  | 
| Week 9 | Adolescence; Exam 2 | Module 7 | Exam 2 (Ch 5-9) | 
| Week 10 | Spring Break |   | Do something developmentally appropriate | 
| Week 11 | Early Adulthood | Module 8 |   | 
| Week 12 | Festival of Excellence Midlife | Module 8 | Mar 29- Critical Thinking Pres | 
| Week 13 | Late Adult- Cog & Socioemotional | Module 9 | Apr 5- CT Pres feedback | 
| Week 14 | Late Adulthood- Physical | Module 10 | Apr 12- Older Adult Interview | 
| Week 15 | Death & Dying; Exam 3 | Module 11 | Exam 3 (Mod 8-11) | 
| FINAL EXAM will follow the same format as previous exams See Canvas for details and exact times. |  

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignments:  You need to make every effort to turn in assignments on their respective due dates.  Late work will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.  In other words, I reserve the right to refuse any late work handed in. You must contact me via email or phone before class begins on the date the assignment is due to receive consideration.  I reserve the right to incur a late penalty of 15% reduction in total points possible per calendar day (not class days, calendar days).  Generally, I will not take off more than 50% of the total possible points if the assignment is turned in within a reasonable time.  Contacting me ahead of class is ALWAYS the best policy as I will be more lenient with those who do so than those who do not.

Attendance Policy

As most students learn best when given material in a variety of ways (textbook and lecture and discussion), attendance is extremely important to understanding concepts and ideas in this class.  I strongly encourage you to attend consistently during the scheduled class session. Attendance and participation will be tracked via in-person attendance and will count towards your final grade.  This course will include active participation from all members of the course.  Such participation in class discussions must be appropriate and respectful.  This includes recognizing each individual’s right to have and share his or her own opinion without fear of retribution, harmful criticism, or violation of individual confidentiality.  Disruptive or disrespectful behavior will result in being asked to leave. 

Should you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what information was missed, so find a classmate who exercises good note-taking skills to help fill in the gaps.  It is also your responsibility to get to class on time.  Showing up late can be very distracting to other students.  Should you show up late, it is possible your attendance will not be counted that day.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.