1.  There will be 3 multiple-choice exams.  The first two will each be worth 50 points.  The final exam will be semi-cumulative and worth 60 points.  Click here for more information.

2.  There will be two written asssignments and a jigsaw activity.  The first involves either interviewing someone or finding relevant research.  The second written project is a more indepth product revolving around teen issues.  The final piece is a brief jigsaw project that we will complete at the end of the semester.   In groups (and primarily in class) we will utilize a national data clearinghouse to enhance the chapters on school and achievement.  Students will read a summary of current research in a particular area and present it to class.

3.  Attendance and Participation in class will be worth an additional 30 points.
*Please note:  Attendance will not be taken every class period, but students will be held accountable and tested on information presented in class that may not be covered by the text book.  Furthermore, extra considerations will be made for classes where discussion, a guest speaker, or outside readings work will be the primary method of the day and points will be given for various small assignments.  The Jigsaw activity will contribute additional points toward your final score.

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Absences - Attendance in class is clearly expected.  A student will be considered present only if the sign-in sheet is appropriately signed.  More than 3 unexcused absences will result in the loss of two participation points per day.  Due to the liberal number of absences offered I rarely yeild on this issue. MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THE SHEET!!!

Examinations - Make-up exams will be given only for emergency situations.  If you cannot
be present for an exam prior approval and documentation is needed for rescheduling.  If
you fail to speak with me personally before the exam is given, you will not be allowed to
make up the examination and you will receive a grade of zero for the missed exam.  There are
practice quizes for each chapter to help you study.

Late Assignments - Assignments are due during class on the assigned date.  Late papers
will be penalized 10% of the total points possible for each day the paper is late.

Academic Dishonesty - All students are expected to read and abide by the academic
honesty guidelines as stipulated in the undergraduate catalog.  While I assume that most
students will be honorable, trustworthy, and honest in their academic course work,
cheating, plagiarism, and misrepresentation have been known to occur. If such violations of
the University Honor Code do occur, that student will receive a zero on the assignment and
the Director of Student Judicial Affairs will be contacted.
 

This course requires students to engage in at least 10 hours of contact time with an adolescent.  This is to be conducted over a period of at least 8 to 11 weeks.  Opportunities will be discussed in class but usually revolve around schools.  If you are looking into education as a profession it might be wise to find opportunities in a current area and age group of interest.  Students will be asked to keep a journal entry for each session.  This can be handwritten and need only be around a third to a half of a page in any format you choose.  Throughout the semester we will discuss issues and theories that we can use in our observations.  Specifically these issues will revolve around the following dimensions:
 

Autonomy:  The move from external controls and dependencies (often parents and teachers) to self-reliance.  This also includes issues dealing with the self and identity.  An example may be in the form of identity development or  Locus of Control issues where teens begin to see themselves as the cause of their behavior and not at the mercy of external factors.

Relatedness:  To experience oneself as worthy and capable of love and respect.  This dimension also includes feelings of connectedness with friends, peers, teachers, tutors, parents, institutions (such as schools or religious organizations), and/or society as a whole (ala Sullivan).  Fear of alienation is very real to this age group (especailly early and middle adolesence) and teens will do many 'quirky' things to avoid this.

Competence:  The natural disposition to engage in tasks and activities that contribute to learning and development.  This includes feelings of worth in areas that one values or areas they feel society values (like sports perhaps).  Many children, who value school and are good at it, will often thrive and feel competent while others may devalue school in order to retain some semblence of self-worth.  Another aspect of this dimension is to think of what the teen sees as being 'adult-like'.  For example some kids smoke, not to fit in, but to appear more adult-like (perhaps like their parents).

- What are your observations of the students in the school?  Be specific
     and support your opinions with examples of behaviors and attitudes.
     What, specifically, did you see the students and/or teachers do?

-What are your impressions of the school?  Again, be specific, as above.

 - What differences have you observed in behavior between the students in
     today’s schools and the behaviors you and your friends engaged in
     when you were this age?  Is this positive or negative?  What would
     Stienberg say?

- What differences did you observe in today’s students’ attitudes toward
    authority figures, drugs, sex, emotional outbursts, nerds, brainiacs, ect.?

- How do their attitudes compare with your own attitudes and experiences
    when you were in middle school or high school?  Once again, is this
    good or bad?  What do you think Stienberg would say?

- Have you observed ways students have expressed a need for autonomy, relatedness, or competence?  (for instance, some students may feel ackward seeking help from you...do you feel this is so they don't look 'stupid' [competence] or perhaps shy [relatedness] or wanting to do it on their own [autonomy] or even some unrelated purpose?)

The Report (30 points)
Along with your field notes, the final product will be an analysis of the students you observed.  We will frame this analysis using the above framework (one to two paragraphs for each dimension).  It is not expected to be a lengthy analysis (and much of it will or can be completed in class), but it is expected to be thoughtful.   Please highlight those parts of your journal that you are using to back-up your claims.

The Teacher Evaluation Form (10 points)
The final item  that will be needed is the evaluation form from your supervising  teacher.  This can be sent to me (the address is on the document) or brought to me in a sealed envelope.  This is due on the day of the final examination for class.  Failure to return the evaluation form will result in an "I" for the course.  I usually wait until about half-way through the semester to hand this out as it often gets lost (and usually by the evaluating person) if handed out too early.

***This project will be evaluated by: grammar, relevance to the teen in question (a common mistake is to give a 5 paragraph reflection of your own teen years and then 1 paragraph on the teen you worked with), connection with the journal (highlighted), and thoughtfulness (no incomplete ideas or the infamous 'since all teenagers are rebels...').
 
 

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Please Choose one of the following:

    1.)  Journal Article Review.  The spirit of this project is to become familiar with professional journal articles (not Teen Beat) by searching for desired information (WebLuis is usually a good starting point) and briefly reporting the results both to a group of peers and in written form.  It must be a peer-reviewed professional journal!!!  The final product will be a brief (approximately five paragraphs min.) summary stating why the researcher was addressing the topic, the methods they used, their findings or their conclusions, how you feel this work is useful (or useless), and your reaction.  Statistical sections do not need to be deciphered unless you feel comfortable with it.

    2.)  Interview Assignment.  The purpose of this assignment is to compare and contrast the adolescent period of either a senior citizen, a younger adolescent, or a student who spent at least a portion of their teenage years outside of the United States with your own experiences as an adolescent.  The assignment should center on any surprises (differences or similarities) you found.  Once again the final product will be a brief (approximately five paragraph min.) account of your findings.  This may be shared with a group of your peers!  A list of suggested questions are provided below however you should feel free to expand on them or invent your own.  YOU SHOULD NOT PRESENT THIS IN QUESTION AND ANSWER FORMAT!  Merely use the data to support your ideas.

   - Interview with a senior citizen or a student: from another country:

• Did you attend high school?  Did you want to?  What kinds of subjects did you study?  Did most teenagers in your neighborhood attend high school?  How are schools today (or in the U.S.) different?
• How many hours a week did your work at a job?  Did you contribute to the family income?  What did you spend your money on?
• At what age were you allowed to date?  Were there rules to be followed?  What did you typically do on a date?
• How did you and your friends spend your free time?  What were your most nagging problems as a teenager? Were there more/less/similar opportunities to find "trouble" than kids today (or in the U.S.)?
• What do you see as the main difference between teenagers of today (or in the U.S.) and yourself as a teenager?
• What do you think are some of the positive and negative attributes of today's teens in the United States?
• When do you feel adolescence begins and ends?  Is this different today (or in the U.S.) than when you were a teen?
  

• How do you feel about school?  How much time do you spend doing homework?  What do you plan to do when you graduate?  Do you think about this often?
• Do you have a job?  If so, how many hours a week do you work?  What are the things you like the most about your job?  What might be some of the worst things?
• What kind of clothes do you like to wear?  Do other teenagers dress in a similar fashion?  Are there others who dress differently?
• Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?  If so, how old were you when you began dating?
• When are you allowed to go on a date?  What do you like to do?
• How do you like to spend your free time?
• What do you see as the main difference between teens today and those of 30 or 40 years ago?
• What is the biggest concern or challenge you face right now?
• Have your relationships with your parents changed in the past few years and, if so, how?
• What qualities do your friends have in common with your parents?  Aside from age, what important differences do you see between your friends and your parents?
• How do you think today's teens differ from those of past genereations?  Why do you think this (in other words, what data are you basing your ideas)?

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Option #1:  Presentation and Summary Paper
     The product will be a brief (9 minute max. -- strictly enforced) presentation of what you found and a summarizing paper of approximately 3 pages (feel free to go over if you wish).  There should be a handout for the class included with the presentation.  The project needs to include information from at least three outside sources.  One of these sources needs to come from a peer-reviewed source (professional journals).  The other sources can come from books, other textbooks, pamphlets, or professional journals (be very wary of internet sites). The format of the presentation is at your discretion however the summarizing paper needs to resemble APA format (our book is in this fomat if you want an example or see http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html), double-spaced, have a list of references, and a cover sheet.  Remember that the summarizing paper isn't due until well after you have presented.

Option #2:  Formal Paper
     The product will be an 7 to 8  page minimum paper.  The project needs to include information from at least four outside sources.  One of these sources needs to come from a peer-reviewed resource (professional journals).  The other sources can come from books, other textbooks, pamphlets, or professional journals (be very wary of internet sites).  The paper needs to resemble APA format (our book is in this fomat if you want an example or see http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html), double-spaced, have a list of references, and a cover sheet.  I do allow for creativity but please see me first. This is often where folks have been caught committing a few academic violations!

Presentation Project Grades:.
 Individual Participation... 10 pts.(if applicable)
 Quality of Presentation... 20 pts. (The presentations take place earlier than the due date of the actual paper)
 Quality of Paper*. ...... .. 20 pts.
  Total........................... . 50 pts.

Formal Paper:
 Individual Participation... 10 pts. (if applicable)
 Quality of Paper*            40 pts.
   Total.............................50

Examples of Topics (definitely not inclusive):  See Suggested Resources for help
***you can also browse the index of the text or look through the table of contents for various journals.
Bullies and victims (this is a big topic right now)
Eating Disorders (obesity is also included--and also a big topic right now)
“The Forgotten Half” or Adolescents in College

Birth Order
Early or Late Maturation
Employment
Historical views on adolescence.
Teaching methods and issues (subject specific)
Adolescents around the world (often anthropological)
Intelligence
The “Selfs” (Self-esteem, self-efficacy, ect.)
Thinking Skills and Learning Strategies (If you are a teacher you may want to be subject specific)
Moral Development (This can also include religious issues)
Dating and Relationships
Private and Parochial schools
Adolescent Risk Taking
Teen prostitution
Sexuality
Ethnic or Cultural Issues (there are lots of new things out there for this)
Disabilities
Self-mutilation
Dealing with death
Coping after 9/11
The Media
Crime and Violence
Parenting
Giftedness/Talent Development
Identity Issues (sexual, vocational, general, political, ect...)
Divorce, Remarriage, step-parenting
Gifted Females
Single-Parent Families
Gender Differences
Siblings
Substance Abuse
Cliques and Crowds
Gangs or Cults (They are not the same thing!)
Bipolar Disorder
Schizophrenia (Most diagnoses take place during the teen years)
Autism
Depression
Schools (different types)
Pop culture (This is a difficult one to find info. but groups have had fun with it in the past.)
Current Issues (e.g. juvenile courts, traffic accidents, ADD or ADHD, legislation that involves teens, ect.)
        These often stem from recent news events.
Youth and Sports
Sex education
Economics (Affluenza, premature affluence, character and responsibility issues, marketing to adolescents, adolescent economy, ect.)
Media literacy or Media influences

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