This assignment has three purposes:
1) Apply knowledge of the biological, psychological, and social development of adolescents to the cases presented in the films. (Developmental Content)
2) Analyze the accuracy of the behaviors and physical development illustrated in the movie. (Content Accuracy)
3) Analyze the interactions between the main-character adolescent(s) in the film and the familial and social systems with which they come in contact. (Interactions with Ecological Systems)
These purposes will be accomplished in a 3-4 page paper. Each student will choose a film from the following list (NOTE: see list below):
Each paper must contain:
1) A plot and character synopsis that does not exceed one page in length.
2) Accurate descriptions of the biopsychosocial development of one main-character adolescent in the film. Describe how the behaviors and developmental status of the adolescent in your film were examples of developmental concepts and theory discussed in class and the textbook, or how their behaviors or developmental status could be explained by said developmental concepts and theory. You should have sections on biological, psychological, and social development. (HINT: Use headings in your paper to denote these sections.)
* For biological development, focus on such issues as height and weight compared to other adolescents in the film, the experience of puberty, secondary sex characteristics, quality of diet, and physical fitness.
* For psychological development, focus on cognitive developmental issues such as stage of cognitive development (Piaget), moral development (Kohlberg), and mental health (including any potential mental problems, diagnosed or undiagnosed in the film).
* For social development, utilize Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model to outline the microsystems, mesosystems, exosystems, and macrosystems with which the adolescent interacts, and describe how these interactions are important to the adolescent’s development. In addition, you could write about identity development (Marcia and others), the quality of peer interactions, family relationships, and school interactions.
3) Analyze the accuracy of the behaviors and physical developmental, relating the content of the movie to relevant theory and research. This section should focus on the following questions: In what ways did the movie accurately depict development? In what ways did the movie inaccurately depict development?
4) APA (7th edition) citations of the textbook and any external scholarly sources used. At least two empirical research articles on adolescent development must be included in the references. ne Key Note: DO NOT USE QUOTES IN YOUR PAPER. When you are discussing research in a scientific paper, it is not ok to use a quote. This is considered plagiarism. Everything must be in your own words. Rather than trying to paraphrase a single sentence, read the whole article and them summarize the important aspects.
