Child and Adolescent Development: BS in Human Services

Imagine life without cell phones, television, or the Internet. Recent technological developments have significantly altered all aspects of human life: at work; in play; and in personal, family, and social interactions. In this course, students examine the advantages, disadvantages, and controversies of living and learning in an ever-changing technological environment. By exploring multiple perspectives, students discover how technology is changing media, culture, business, health, human behavior, and overall access to information. In a dynamic, reflective, and engaging classroom environment, students use a variety of audio, visual, literary, and artistic resources, to engage in open dialogue. Students are also introduced to the tools essential to success at Walden. Students complete the course with a personalized success plan that provides a customized roadmap and tools that they can use immediately on their journey toward the completion of their bachelor's degree. *Note: virtual, cyber, digital, and asynchronous are used to describe online environments in this course.

The social service and humanitarian services field provides rewarding and challenging situations as professionals support diverse populations in an effort to change the lives of individuals, families, and communities. Students in this course explore the profession and the role of a humanitarian professional in this increasingly diverse and complex world. As students explore the range of humanitarian efforts, they self-assess their own aspirations, abilities, skills, characteristics, ethics, and cultural identity in preparation for their future in the humanitarian profession. Students examine a range of roles, responsibilities, and social change efforts of humanitarian professionals. Students also explore ethical issues that can arise when working in diverse cultures around the globe. Applying foundational concepts, students also investigate current trends in the field of humanitarian service.

Complex events, such as divorce, child abuse and neglect, and illness and death of family members, are common occurrences in today's society. This course is a survey of the ways in which professionals and families work together in supporting child and family resiliency within the context of these complex issues. Education professionals explore formal and informal communication strategies; family participation in group settings; family education; advocacy for families; and the impact of family, culture, and community on children's development and learning within early childhood programs. Through this course, education professionals have the opportunity to gain the communication and conflict-management skills needed to prepare for future professional challenges in the field of education.  

In light of global urbanization, students in this course discuss the components that contribute to a meaningful life in the city and the ways in which urban communities strive to achieve it. Students collaborate to explore multiple perspectives derived from the social and natural sciences and the humanities. Upon completion, students will understand the factors that contribute to improving quality of life in an urban environment.   ENGL 1001 OR ENGL 1010.)

In this course, students examine situational procedures and techniques necessary in defusing situations identified as crises. Students work toward gaining skills to evaluate crisis experiences by combining active listening with an understanding of crisis patterns. Through class activities, such as case studies and comparative analyses, they learn how to work through difficult emotional, social, and health crises. Students also assess concepts and share perspectives through peer discussion on related topics, such as intervention models and strategies; system crisis intervention; collaboration; countertransference; secondary traumatic stress disorder and vicarious trauma; burnout prevention; and referral resources.   PSYC 1001, or PSYC 1002, or PSYC 1003.)

In a world encumbered with conflict, tension, and injustice, strategies for building peace are essential. In this course, students assess theories and principles of conflict management and resolution. They examine and employ theories and applications of intergroup dynamics; principles and underlying philosophies of non-violence; and social science principles to understand conflict and promote peace. Students gain practical experience applying principles of peace building to proposing solutions for contemporary, individual, and social issues.   PSYC 1001, PSYC 1002, or PSYC 1003.)

Planning and applying effective budgeting strategies are critical elements in managing corporate and government criminal justice organizations. In this course, students have the opportunity to gain fundamental skills for effective management while focusing on short- and long-term financial analysis as well as on policy and budget creation. They complete practical application assignments, focusing on issues of plan development, grant sources, and different tasks and challenges related to budgeting. Students also engage in discussions with peers on a variety of topics, such as the public and private budgets, strategies, financing, forecasting, and ethical issues related to public budgeting.

This course is designed to provide students with practical skills for organizing and brokering community resources for human service clients. This will include emphasis on needs assessment for different client communities, developing plans for comprehensive care services, and utilizing formal and informal networks to maximize client access to services. Emphasis will be placed on interagency coordination as well as human service community resource building to achieve success in service delivery.  

This course is designed to provide students with basic skills for directly interfacing with a diverse community of clients. This will include emphasis on active listening, paraphrasing and summarizing, and respecting clients' cultural backgrounds in all aspects of information gathering. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the roles of different types of interviews, and the differing functions of open or closed questions for addressing distinct problems in living and areas of need that clients present.

Human service professionals engage clients with a variety of needs. How can students be certain, though, that their services are effective in preventing recidivism in a population of drug-addicted persons, or that they have provided the necessary life skills training for a homeless person to transition into the workplace? This course is designed to provide skills for community needs assessment, program development, design, implementation, and evaluation across a variety of human services domains. Specific focus will be given to planning quality measures that demonstrate a program's effectiveness to all key stakeholders.

Humans experience many developmental changes throughout the lifespan, but those of greatest significance occur from conception to young adulthood. In this course, students examine key theories related to various aspects of development in infants, children, and adolescents. Students apply social, biological, and cognitive maturation processes and perspectives to better understand their own development and personal experiences. They also discuss related topics, such as cross-cultural issues, attachment and temperament, language and personality development, and puberty and sexual development.   PSYC 1001 [or PSYC 1002 and PSYC 1003] and PSYC 2000.)

Individuals are often influenced by others and by the social situations in which they find themselves. Students in this course examine the basic concepts and applications of social psychology, including attitudes, beliefs, and behavior; stereotyping; prejudice and discrimination; interpersonal relationships; group behavior; and the effect of environmental stress on behavior. They also learn how bias can sway objective conclusions as well as how ethical factors influence research in social psychology. Students apply principles and theories presented in the course to case studies and situations in daily life, including instances of stereotyping and discrimination. They also use these theories to understand strategies for helping others and reducing aggressive behavior.   PSYC 1001 [or PSYC 1002 and PSYC 1003] and PSYC 2000.)

How do people learn, and what strategies maximize learning? In this course, students have an introduction to the behavioral and cognitive bases of learning and memory. Students engage in contextual and application-based assignments, such as simulation lab work, focusing on classical and operant conditioning, cognitive theories of learning, and introductory concepts of memory. Students apply learning principles and concepts, such as social learning theory and locus of control, to real-world behavior and performance.   PSYC 1001 [or PSYC 1002 and PSYC 1003] and PSYC 2000.) 

Positive developmental progress in infants/toddlers depends on many factors, including the overall promotion of mental health, prevention of occurrence or escalation of mental health problems, and the effective treatment of mental health needs. Education professionals in this course explore current research in the field of infant/toddler mental health, through which they gain practical insight on protective and risk factors in family environments; social and emotional developmental challenges; developmentally appropriate infant/toddler screening and assessment; diagnostic classification systems for infant/toddler mental health; effective intervention strategies; and collaborative services approaches. Moreover, education professionals apply course concepts through practical assignments, such as the development of a fact sheet designed to educate child development professionals about the importance of the field of infant/toddler mental health.  

In this course, education professional experience an overview of the way culture impacts typical conceptions of infant/toddler development and interactions. Education professionals focus on the ability to form healthy working relationships and respectful partnerships with the families of infants and toddlers across a range of cultures. They investigate the meaning of various child-rearing behaviors and how they relate to family expectations and cultural traditions, with the goal of developing culturally appropriate practices. Education professionals also make connections and share perspectives through discussions on related topics, such as cultural differences in caregiving practices, attachment and separation, perspectives on play, and effective communication, among others.  

Education professionals in this course gain a fundamental understanding of how school-age children and adolescents develop and learn. They examine typical and atypical cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development as well as the relationship among these developmental domains. They also compare theories of development; develop a presentation that identifies and explains specific strategies, methods, or activities for the promotion of health and well-being in middle childhood; engage in a field study to gain real-world insight on the affective and social development of children between the ages of 6 and 12; and complete an integrative research paper on critical, topical issues related to school-age and adolescent development.  

Educators have a responsibility to guide and motivate as well as to foster self-esteem and resilience in school-age children and adolescents. Education professionals in this course address a continuum of effective strategies needed for working with school-age children and adolescents in group and classroom settings. Such strategies include effective communication, positive guidance, modeling/mentoring, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, fostering self-esteem, promoting resilience, and problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills. They learn to apply theory to practice as they critically analyze several theoretical constructs and consider their implications for working with school-age children and adolescents in group and/or classroom settings.  

Through this course, education professionals engage in an in-depth exploration of infant growth and development. They examine the role of the caregiver; components of high-quality caregiver-child relationships; and strategies for ensuring developmentally appropriate, individually appropriate, and culturally appropriate practice. They also explore methods to understand and work with families, observation skills, attachment, separation, continuity of care, brain development, and the creation of nurturing environments for very young children and their families. Demonstrating their understanding of course content, education professionals apply concepts through practical assignments, such as the development of a newsletter that provides information on the influence of infant settings on supporting young children and their families.  

Education professionals in this course engage in an in-depth exploration of toddler growth and development. They explore the role of the toddler caregiver/teacher; the components of high-quality adult-child relationships; and strategies for ensuring developmentally appropriate, individually appropriate, and culturally appropriate practice. Education professionals engage in readings and course assignments focused on observation skills, attachment, separation, working with families, and creating inspiring and supportive environments for young children and their families. They also share perspectives and make connections through discussions on related topics, such as cultural values and beliefs, separations and reunions, play and the environment, and identity formation and cultural responsiveness, among others.  

In today's multicultural society, educators must be cognizant of the ways in which they teach culturally diverse values and social attitudes to school-age children and adolescents. Education professionals in this course examine these values and attitudes as well as ways to transmit such concepts in the classroom. They explore topics of ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. They also examine how each of these areas of diversity affects school-age children and adolescents as well as how they relate to stereotyping and bias.  

By understanding the relationship between children's health, culture, and socioeconomic status, in addition to related trends and issues, professionals who work with school-age children are in a better position to address and respond to these issues and related challenges effectively. Education professionals in this course critically examine selected issues and trends related to school-age children, such as technology/media, bullying, gender, abuse prevention, drugs/alcohol, obesity/eating disorders, stress, peer relationships, and school success. They demonstrate their understanding of course concepts through various applications, including the creation of an informative brochure for the purpose of explaining topical issues on health and wellness to parents and other stakeholders.  

Physical changes and social pressures make adolescence a challenging time for many teens; therefore, it is important for professionals to be aware of current trends and critical issues that affect the mental and physical well-being of this age group. Education professionals in this course examine and discuss selected issues and trends related to adolescents, such as technology/media, cyber bullying, gender, sexual orientation, drugs/alcohol, obesity/eating disorders, depression, self-injury, suicide, teenage pregnancy, and school success. Applying course concepts, education professionals engage in practical exercises, such as research analyses through which they explore the connections between topical issues and the larger world as they affect adolescents and their transition into adulthood.  

In this course, students synthesize information and experiences gathered over the course of the Bachelor of Science in Human Services program. Students will identify a human service gap in their local area and develop a detailed proposal for addressing the needs of the client population who are affected. This will include a background literature review, description of the problem area and the history of the community's response, and a detailed plan for addressing the gap with attention given to multicultural considerations. In accordance with Walden University's mission, students will be expected to demonstrate clearly the social change implications of the plan that they develop.