Parent-Child Relations HMNS 2150  Fall 2009

 

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE SYLLABUS.  YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE

FOR ALL THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS ON THE SYLLABUS.

 

  

A Note to Students

I have been teaching at CCRI for 39 years. During this time I have seen how CCRI offers students a chance to grow personally, educationally, and professionally. CCRI is a place where students , especially those who are considered "non traditional", have an opportunity to earn a college degree which prepares them to continue their education and/or to find a meaningful and well paying job. Most importantly, I have found that CCRI students are diverse and interesting people who have taught me as much as I have taught them.

My experience with CCRI students has also taught me that many students enter CCRI unprepared to successfully complete college level courses. It is not a question of having the intellectual ability to pass courses but rather many students have not developed the kinds of study skills required to succeed in college. These skills include being able to find time to read and take notes, time to write homework assignments, time to meet with your instructor before or after class, and time to prepare for the exams.

As you think about enrolling in this course, take some time and reflect on who you are: where you have come from, where you are now and where you would like to be in the next two to five years. Many students who attend CCRI question their ability to successfully complete college courses and earn a college degree. The reasons for this are as diverse as are the students. Students come from very diverse backgrounds. We have students who have been away from school for some time, students who have had difficulty in high school, students who are learning English, students who come from difficult backgrounds (e.g., single parent raising children and working a job, students who have little money, students who come from war torn countries, students who are in juvenile or adult correctional facilities, students who have received little or no family support to attend college, etc.).

Working with such students has taught me that CCRI often get caught up in either their "look what's happen to me" stories and/or how "I survived tough times" stories. When this happens it makes it difficult to move beyond these stories. After all, it has been said that we are our stories. What is needed, I find, is for students to develop an understanding of their "look what's happen to me" stories and how "I survived tough times" stories in order to work on their respective "creation" story or the "what I'm going to do to move on with my life".

Education is a wonderful way to create new and exciting opportunities to move on in the world. It takes hard work but students report that the rewards are well worth the efforts. Each course you complete is one more step towards this goal. You will find that what may appear insurmountable now, "I have so many courses to take before I get my degree", will soon turn into "I need just three more courses for my degree".

I welcome you to this course and hope that it helps you move from where you are to where you want to be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HMNS 2150-371 Parent-Child Relations  Fall 2009

Richard Archambault, Ed.D.Office: 1132J  Providence Campus

Phone: 455-6128  e-mail rarchambault@ccri.edu

Texts: Parent-Child relations by Bigner  8th edition

 8thThe goal of the course is to have everyone successful complete the course and earn three college credits. The most important question that every student needs to answer is: Do I want to enroll in this class? To answer this question, take some time and review the following.

Why should I take this class if I don't have any kids or I don't want to be a parent?

This class can be helpful to parents and non parents in a variety of ways. For parents it will help you explore various ways parents shape the lives of their children. It will also help you better understand how children influence the lives of their parents. Parents raise children as much as children raise parents.

If you are not a parent and don't want to be a parent the course can help you develop academic skills (reading and writing, concentration skills and a variety of behaviors (e.g., listening to others, practicing sharing your views in a group, learning how to get along better in a structured class, etc.) that will help you prepare for future employment and /or educational opportunities. For Human Services majors this course will provide you with an understanding of the diverse ways that families function and the impact that parents have on their children.

Why should I take this course when I've enrolled in other courses and failed.

If you have earned your GED you can pass this course. What you may need is to think about why you didn't perform well in other courses. There are a number of reasons why students do not do well when they first take a college course. Most the reasons have to do with organizing your time to read the material, scheduling time to complete assignments, taking the class seriously which means listening, taking notes, and coming to class with the attitude that you want to learn.

If after reading the above you feel you may want to enroll in this class continue on to part two: Requirements for successfully completing the course.

Course Objectives

To gain a working knowledge of how parents and children mutually influence one another's biopsychosocial development and to become more knowledgeable of educational/clinical strategies for working with parents and children in human service settings. 

THIS COURSE IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE COUNSELING/THERAPY FOR STUDENTS EXPERIENCING PARENT-CHILD PROBLEMS

 

Course Requirements

What do I need to do to successfully complete this course?

The following is the point schedule that will be used to determine your grade.

1. Completing Three Exams Four exams will be given. These exams are based on your

weekly assignments. The first  exam is worth 50 points, the second and third exams are each worth 100 points. The final exam is worth 150 points

MAKE UP EXAMS ARE ONLY GIVEN TO STUDENTS WHO CONTACT HE INSTRUCTOR PRIOR TO THE

EXAM AND PRESENT A VALID EXCUSE.  I  IF MAKE UP IS GRANTED DUE TO A MEDICAL REASON, AN OFFICIAL NOTE FROM

THE MEDICAL DOCTOR IS REQUIRED.

 

 Make-up exams if granted will be on the following Monday immediately following class.

 

Cell Phone/Portable Communication Device Policy:  All Cell Phones, Pagers, Blackberries etc. are to be turned off or put

on vibrate mode and are to be kept either under your desk or in a place that does not provide a distraction to you and your classmates.  Such devices are to be used only for emergencies.  Students who do not respect this policy may be asked to

leave the classroom.

 

 Reminder: Only students officially enrolled in the class are permitted to attend class.  Children are not allowed to attend

class. 

 

Summary of Points To Be Earned 400

 

The following is the breakdown of points needed to earn respective grades:

A 360 and above   B 320-359 C 280-319  D 240-279 F  239 and below

How Does This Course Work?

1. You complete three in class exams (more information on next page). At these exams, students will have the opportunity to ask questions concerning the course.

2. You view two films (To Kill A Mockingbird and Ordinary People).  You can either rent these films and watch them at home or view them at any of the four

CCRI campuses (Films are on reserved at the respective LRC).

3.  For Telecourse students you will view a third film Listening To Children that can only be viewed at one of the four CCRI LRCs.  This film is approximately 90 minutes. For students taking the course on campus the film will be viewed in class.

Only written medical excuses signed by a physician or a valid excuse with prior instructor approval will be accepted for a make up exam.

Please do not bring children to the exams.

 

Class Attendance (for non Telecourse students)

For each class missed after three missed classes (regardless of the reasons for the absences)  50 points will be deducted from your total earned

points.  Fro example, if you miss four classes and have earned 380 points, 50 points will be deducted resulting in 330 earned points.  Thus, your final

course grade would be a B rather than an A.

What Text and Study Guide Do I Purchase?

1.  Parent-Child Relations by Bigner 8th edition

Contacting the Instructor. Calling the instructor and leaving a message (455-6128) or by e-mail (rarchambault@ccri.edu). If you leave a message, please speak clearly and slowly and leave a phone number and a time that is best to reach you. Messages will be returned during my Office Hours.  Office hours will be

posted.

Instructor Contacting The Class

At times the entire class may be contacted to communicate information (e.g., change in the syllabus, change in 

an exam time, etc.)  This information will be sent via CCRI Pipeline e-mail.  Students are responsible 

for checking their Pipeline e-mail.  

What Happens If I Cannot Complete the Course?

Students who are not able to complete the course have two options: Withdrawal or  an Incomplete Grades

Withdrawal  Please contact the Office of Admissions and Records for more information regarding the specific refund and/or withdrawal dates for courses offered this semester.  Students who fail to formally withdraw from the course via the Office of Admissions and Records and fail to complete the responsibilities of the course are eligible to receive a withdrawal grade (WP if passing at time of withdrawal or WF if failing at time of withdrawal).  If for some reason a student

cannot complete the course and has not completed the first two exam with a passing grade and therefore is not eligible for an Incomplete,  it is their responsibility to contact Enrollment Services and Officially Withdraw. 

Incomplete Grade To be eligible for an incomplete grade (I) you must have completed the first two exams on time and have achieved a passing grade. In addition, you must have a valid reason for missing the third exam.  The specific amount of time you have to complete your work can vary from a few days to a full semester depending on what the instructor feels is fair given your personal circumstances, the instructor's schedule, and requirements of the course. However, you should contact the instructor as soon as possible to work out a plan to complete your responsibilities. 

 

Weekly Readings & Assignments

 

 Weekly Schedule

                       

  Week 1  9/14/09

  Reading: Bigner 1 Ecology of Parent-Child Relations

 

  Week 2  9/21/09

  Reading: Bigner 2 & 3  Cultural Perspectives  and Theoretical Perspectives

 

  Week 3  9/28/09

  Review the McMaster Handout and Developmental Task Handouts (on my web page)

  Reading:  Bigner 1-3  Start reading Chapter 4  Parenting Strategies

 

  Week 4  10/5/09

  Exam One  The exam will cover all of the material from Weeks 1-3  and Chapter 1-3

  Review Ecological Model Handout (on my web page)

  Reading:  Chapter 4

 

  Week 5  10/12/09

  Holiday No Class

 Students are required to view the film To Kill A Mockingbird.  You may rent the film and watch the film at

 home or you may go to the LRC and watch the film. 

 

  Week 6  10/19/09

  Reading:  Bigner 7  Parenting Infants and Toddlers

  Review the Developmental Tasks Handout (on web page)

 

  Week 7  10/26/09

  Reading: Bigner 8  Parenting Preschoolers

  Answer study questions for To Kill A Mockingbird

 

  Week 8  11/2/09

  Exam 2  The exam will cover Weeks 4-7  and Chapters 4,7 and 8

  Reading: Bigner 9  Parenting School Aged Children

 

 Students are required to view the film Ordinary People.   You may rent the film and watch the film

 at home or you may go to the LRC. 

 

  Week 9 11/9/09

  Reading: Bigner 10  Parenting Adolescents and Young Adults

  Answer Study Questions for Ordinary People

 

  Week 10 11/16/09

  Exam 3  The exam will cover Weeks 8 and 9  and Chapter 9 and 10

  Reading: Bigner 14  Adolescent Parents

 

 Week 11 11/23/09

 Reading: Bigner 10 

 Review McMaster Handout and Developmental Tasks Handout

 In Class viewing of Listening To Children (Part One)

 

 Week 12  11/30/09

 Reading:  Bigner 11 & 15  Parenting in Single Family Systems &

 Parent-Child Relations in High-Risk Families

 In Class viewing of Listening To Children (Part Two)

 

 Week 13  12/7/09

 Reading: Bigner 12 & 15

 

 Week 14 12/14/09

 Exam 4  This exam will cover the entire class