PSYC185 The Psychology of Adulthood and Aging

Department of Social & Behavioral Science: Psychology

  1. Course Number and Title

    PSYC185 The Psychology of Adulthood and Aging

  2. Number of Credits

    3 credits

  3. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester

    2250 minutes

  4. Prerequisites

    PSYC110 (C or better)

    Corequisites

    None

  5. Other Pertinent Information

    None

  6. Catalog Course Description

    Examines developmental and psychological needs of the young, middle-aged, and older adults. The developmental tasks encountered during these stages, such as deciding on a career, choice of marital states, life management, and adjusting to a decline in physical ability, are studied in the light of current research and theory.

  7. Required Course Content and Direction

    1. Learning Goals:

      1. To understand the processes and theories of aging.
      2. To understand the specific changes that occur with age in physical, sensory, sexual, intellectual, personality, and social development.
      3. To understand our culture’s treatment of death and dying and to appreciate the way our attitudes affect the process of adjusting to bereavement.
      4. To better understand our own societal prejudice against getting older (ageism) and its effects on our behavior toward the middle-aged/older populations.

    2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:

      1. Theories of Adult Development
      2. Physical and Intellectual Development in Young, Middle, and Late Adulthood
      3. Marriage, Parenthood, and The Family
      4. Vocational Development and Retirement
      5. Personality and Social Development in Young, Middle, and Late Adulthood
      6. Dying and Death
      7. Bereavement and Grief
      Additional topics/chapters may be chosen according to the interests and specialization of the instructor.

    3. Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:

    4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Students:

      Textbook(s) and group experiences as specified in each instructor’s course format.

  8. Teaching Methods Employed

    Use of lecture, discussion, class/group projects, and/or field observations to be specified at the individual instructor’s discretion.

Review/Approval Date - 11/98