Family, School, and Society: Shaping the Developing Child
PSY 1612
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
How do family, school, and society shape children’s lives? This course examines major social issues affecting children and adolescents in the United States through a developmental systems lens. Grounded in theory and empirical research, and attentive to current events, the course helps develop students’ analytical reasoning, empirical literacy, and capacity for thoughtful self-reflection. Students examine how issues such as family and neighborhood poverty, maternal and infant health, fatherhood, educational inequality, sexual orientation and stigma, immigration, and juvenile justice affect developmental trajectories and turning points. Rather than treating these as isolated issues, the course explores the mechanisms through which context shapes development across multiple levels of the environment, from intimate family processes to broader structures of policy, culture, and law. Engaged scholarship is central to this work: Through visits to Cambridge’s public service departments, students analyze how research translates into programs and policy. Throughout the semester, students are encouraged to approach diverse perspectives with curiosity, humility, and respect, so that they not only deepen their understanding of the systems that influence child development but also recognize possibilities for transformation and contributions to the common good.
Recommended Prep
The Psychology Department requires completion of Science of Living Systems 20 or Psychology 1 or the equivalent of introductory psychology (e.g. Psych AP=5 or IB =7 or Psyc S-1) and at least one foundational course from MCB/NEURO 80, PSY 11, PSY 14, PSY 15, PSY 16, or PSY 18 before enrolling in this course; or permission of instructor.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
