How would you describe your early experiences (childhood, adolescence, etc.) How have the theories and practices in this course help you to better understand your own development? Where are you are now in your life? How does your family and cultural history relate to these issues?
Integrate the course content overall and your own process of self-investigating and acceptance during this course. Review the rubric form for further elaboration on scoring criteria. The typed, double-spaced 3-5 page paper should consist of the following sections:
Final Project: My Personal Development
Developmental History
Prenatal Development
Early Childhood (Prenatal-Birth-Infancy-Toddler and Preschool Years)
Middle Childhood & Adolescence
Young adulthood to present
Discussion: How these factors/events influenced my life?
Contexts, culture, and environment
Time line of important life events
Family history and descriiption (Characteristics and important events; Descriiption of family interactions and communication patterns)
Ethnic and cultural background
Gender and sexual identity
Discussion: How these factors/events influenced my life?
Great debates: Discuss how your own development influences your view and understanding of:
Nature vs. Nurture
Discontinuity vs. Continuity
Neuroplasticity and Critical/Sensitive Periods
Universality vs. Cultural Relativism
