Teacher(s)
Language
English
Main themes
- Theories (and methods) of lifespan development and aging
- Long-term effects of early childhood
- Midlife
- Health disparities across the lifespan
- Biological aging, menopause and hormone replacement therapy
- Cognitive aging - preclinical dementia/mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease
- Stress and cognition in older adults
- Applied cognitive aging research
- Socioemotional aging (emotion and cognition in older adults)
- Psychopathology in old age
- Successful aging & resilience
- Myths and misunderstandings about health and agi
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 |
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: - Understand how psychological, social, and biological processes interact to influence health and human development (A1, A2) - Recognize the diversity of developmental pathways in adulthood (appreciation for cultural, socioeconomic, and other differences among older adults) ' A1 - Consider the applied implications of research findings for improving health throughout the adulthood (E2) and developing effective programs and policies for older adults in the future (B1) - Demonstrate knowledge of the key findings from the research literature on (cognitive) aging and provide informed and critical responses to questions (C1, C2) such as: - What changes with age? - Who changes, how much, and when? - Why are there declines? - What are the consequences? - Can we prevent or remediate declines? |
Content
The objective of this course is to take an in-depth, interdisciplinary look at the health changes that occur as individuals transition from adolescence into adulthood, midlife, and old age. Age-related physical, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional changes will be examined from psychosocial and biological perspectives with an emphasis on what it means to age successfully. Within this course, theoretical models, methods, and research findings will be used to understand how development throughout the adult lifespan is influenced by an individual's environment and by the specific life choices that he or she makes.
Evaluation methods
The evaluation is based on a written exam (open questions; 60% of the final grade) and two individual projects that count for 15% and 25%, respectively. All three parts of the evaluation (exam + individual projects) are required to validate the course. The evaluation methods are the same for all sessions of the same academic year.
Online resources
Collection of scientific articles and book chapters (Moodle)
Faculty or entity
