Discipline-Specific Knowledge
This course fulfills the Discipline-Specific Knowledge (DSK) requirement in Developmental Aspects of Behavior under APA Standards of Accreditation. Demonstration of competency in this area requires individual, graduate-level constructed responses; accordingly, the midterm examination, the “So You’re a Psychologist” responses, and the final examination in this course are all individually completed written assessments and serve as the documentation of DSK competency.
Engagement and Participation (24 points)
Given the structure of this class, you are expected to attend in person and to engage meaningfully in discussion and interaction during class. This is an expected skill for you to develop across your professional career and contexts, and it is the primary way the material becomes usable rather than merely familiar.
Engagement is worth 2 points per class meeting. You will receive full credit for a session unless I note a specific concern — and if I note one, I will raise it with you directly rather than letting it appear as a surprise in the gradebook. This is not a system for finely ranking how much you talk. It exists to recognize consistent, prepared, respectful presence, and to give me a way to address it when that is absent.
Concerns that would result in reduced or no credit for a session include arriving without having completed the assigned reading, engaging only when directly prompted, disrespectful participation, sustained inattention, and not attending in person.
Your best 12 of 13 meetings count, at 2 points each. One meeting is dropped automatically, no explanation required.
Reading Quizzes (24 points)
A short multiple-choice quiz accompanies each of the nine content sessions. Quizzes open in Canvas one week before the session and close at the start of class. They are auto-graded and are intended as a low-stakes check that you have completed and retained the assigned reading. You will have 10 minutes to complete the 6-item MC quiz.
Quiz 1 is the exception: because our first class meeting is also the first day of the semester, it opens when the course opens in Canvas and closes at the start of class on September 2. Every quiz after that follows the one-week schedule.
Your best 8 of 9 quizzes count, at 3 points each.
“So You’re a Psychologist” Responses (24 points)
At some point — probably sooner than you expect — someone will corner you at a family dinner, in a waiting room, or in a grocery store checkout line, lead with some version of “so you’re a psychologist,” and then hand you their phone with a headline on it. Your options are to have a thoughtful answer or to never tell anyone what you do.
An important part of your professional role will be recognizing misinformation and responding to charged questions from an evidence-based position, out loud, without a literature review in front of you. These assignments are practice for that. Four times this semester I will give you a prompt built around a claim you are likely to encounter in public conversation.
Write a brief response of two to three paragraphs, roughly 400 to 500 words, that answers the question directly and grounds your answer in evidence. Cite the assigned reading for that session plus at least one additional peer-reviewed source, in APA format with a short reference list. Each response is due by 11:59 PM on the Monday following the class session it belongs to — September 14, October 5, October 26, and November 2. (Response 3 skips a week because the Monday after its session falls during Fall Break.)
I am not looking for a summary of the reading, a neutral survey of “both sides,” or a literature review. I want your position, defended, with appropriate acknowledgment of what the evidence does not yet settle. Because each response is due after we have discussed the material in class, come to class with questions — the discussion is meant to sharpen your thinking before you write.
Each response is scored on three criteria:
- Writing and organization (2 pts) — Is it written well enough that I get to your argument?
- Directly answers the question (3 pts) — Would the person in the scenario walk away with an actual answer?
- Quality and integration of research (3 pts) — Are the sources current, relevant, and used rather than decorative?
The full rubric appears on each assignment sheet and in Canvas.
Your best 3 of 4 responses count, at 8 points each.
Midterm Examination (24 points)
A short-answer examination administered in class on October 7 during the first 40 minutes of the session, covering material from Sessions 1 through 5. Four items, 6 points each, scored in bands — Proficient (6), Partial (3), or Inadequate (0) — against a rubric posted in advance. The midterm is closed-book.
Group Presentation (24 points)
You will be placed in a topic group and prepare and deliver a 35- to 40-minute presentation on a preselected topic in human development. The presentation should encompass a review of the literature, a critical analysis of the subject matter, and practical applications relevant to clinical psychology. You will have the opportunity to select your preferred topic and will be grouped with others who share the same interest. Topics are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis; you must sign up for your chosen topic and group on Canvas by September 15 at 11:59 PM.
Presentations take place on November 11, November 18, and December 2. Presenting groups submit their slides via Canvas 24 hours before their scheduled session. One rubric score is assigned per group, across four criteria worth 6 points each: review of the literature, critical analysis, clinical application, and delivery and organization.
Topics:
- The impact of early childhood trauma on lifespan development
- The influence of cultural and socioeconomic factors on development
- Adolescent brain development and its implications for risk-taking behaviors
- The role of attachment styles in adult relationships and mental health
- Cognitive decline in aging: prevention and intervention strategies
- Developmental challenges in individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders
Final Examination (60 points)
The written final examination is comprehensive and open-book, administered in person on Wednesday, December 16, from 1:00 to 2:50 PM in GC 304. The exam consists of three essay questions drawn from a pool of ten potential items, which will be released via Canvas on December 2 — two weeks before the exam. Each essay is worth 20 points and is scored against a three-level rubric.
The exam is time-limited. Because you will not know which three of the ten items appear, preparing well means understanding the course content thoroughly rather than pre-writing answers.
Each essay is scored in one of three bands: Met competencies (20), Major problems or concerns (10), or Did not meet competencies (0). The full rubric is posted in Canvas.
Minimum score requirement. Because the final examination serves as the documentation of Discipline-Specific Knowledge competency for this course, a minimum score of 40 of 60 points on the final examination is required to pass the course, regardless of total points earned. A student whose total points would otherwise place them in a passing band but who scores below 40 on the final will receive a grade of F.
| Assignment | Description | Points |
| Final Examination | Three essay responses drawn from a 10-item pool released two weeks in advance. 20 points each. | 60 |
| Engagement and Participation | Prepared, respectful in-person engagement in class. Full credit by default; reduced only where a specific concern is noted. Best 12 of 13 meetings at 2 points each. | 24 |
| Midterm Examination | In-class short-answer examination covering Sessions 1–5. | 24 |
| Group Presentation | A 35- to 40-minute group presentation on a selected topic. One rubric score per group. | 24 |
| “So You're a Psychologist” Responses | Four brief evidence-based responses to prompts drawn from public debate. Best 3 of 4 at 8 points each. | 24 |
| Reading Quizzes | Multiple-choice quizzes on the assigned readings, completed in Canvas before class. Best 8 of 9 at 3 points each. | 24 |
| Total | | 180 |
This grading scale is set program-wide and applies to all courses in the doctoral program. The course totals 180 points. Letter grades are assigned on the percentage of total points earned; the point ranges above are provided for convenience and are rounded to the nearest whole point. Note that a minimum score of 40 of 60 on the final examination is required to pass the course regardless of total points earned; see the Final Examination section above.
| Grade | Percentage | Points |
| A | 93–100% | 168–180 |
| A− | 90–92.9% | 162–167 |
| B+ | 87–89.9% | 157–161 |
| B | 83–86.9% | 150–156 |
| B− | 80–82.9% | 144–149 |
| F | Below 80% | Below 144 |