CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES

Spencer K. Thompson, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychology
Dr. Thompson came to UT Permian Basin from the doctoral program at UCLA and services coordinator of the psychology faculty. He teaches in the are of developmental psychology, socialization processes, family dynamics and research methods. His research is in general role development, adolescent to adulthood transitions and family socialization effects. He is very active in professional organizations and graduate training.

Administered by the Department of Behavioral Science within the College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the School of Education.

Besides being an excellent preparation for dealing with children and families in our own lives, the Child and Family Studies major is designed to provide a sound academic foundation for persons planning to work with and/or study children and their families in various contexts. Students will take coursework focusing on typical and atypical development of children, roles children play in our overall society, diverse relationships within families, multicultural perspectives of the family, and methods used to research issues related to children and their families. After graduating with this major, students may have careers in teaching, early childhood program management, social agencies, non-profit foundations, or any other service/organization related to children and families. In addition they may wish to continue their education in graduate programs or professional schools.

In the Child and Family Studies major, students must choose a focus of study from one of three tracks: Learning and Development; Social Agencies; or Applied Research. The Learning and Development track focuses on: the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of children; issues that involve relationships among families with children; and atypical development of children. The Social Agencies track takes a multicultural perspective on issues related to children and families in society. It includes courses dealing with social work, health, and other topics related to the child and the modern family. Designed to appeal to students interested in scientifically investigating issues in child and family development, the Applied Research track includes: the study of life-span development; examination of social, cognitive, health and atypical development; and applications of research to developmental issues.

This major is designed to facilitate a seamless transition to The University of Texas of the Permian Basin for the community college student who has completed Texas Early Childhood Articulated (TECA) courses or the education courses that are part of the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree. The four TECA courses that will be incorporated in the program’s coursework include: TECA 1303 Families, School and Community; TECA 1311 Educating Young Children; TECA 1318 Wellness of the Young Child; and TECA 1354 Child Growth and Development. The education courses are EDUC 1301, Introduction to the Teaching Profession, and EDUC 2301, Introduction to Special Populations.

Students must complete at least 120 credits in order to receive a B. A. in Child and Family Studies. This includes a minimum of 44 credit hours in the general education core curriculum, a minimum of 36 credits (a maximum of 45 credits) in Child and Family Studies, a minimum of 18 credits in a minor other than sociology or psychology, and 22 credits in elective courses. Certification in teaching may require educational courses outside of this major. Students should consult an academic advisor to plan their course of study in the major and an education advisor to plan any educational certification.

Degree Requirements

The minimum total credits required for a B. A. in Child and Family Studies is 120.
Sample Degree Plan

General Education       44 credit hours

Students must complete the requirements shown in the General Education Requirements section on pages 51-52 of this catalog. The second mathematics requirement must be CHLD 3301 or an equivalent introductory statistics course.

Computer Use

All majors must demonstrate a basic use of computing through the completion of CHLD 3301 or CHLD 3404.

Child and Family Studies Major Requirements        36 credit hours

Students majoring in Child and Family Studies must take a minimum of 36 credit hours in child and family studies (CHLD) or approved courses. The maximum number of credit hours in child and family studies courses is 45. The 36 credit hours are divided into three sections: 18 credit hours of “core” courses, 12 credit hours of “track” courses and 6 credit hours of “approved electives”.

The six “core” courses include:
            SOCI 1301 or PSYC 1301
            CHLD 3341 or TECA 1354**
            CHLD 4310 or CHLD 3352 or PSYC 4341
            CHLD 4314
            CHLD 3349 or CHLD 4320
            CHLD 4303 or CHLD 3404

Students must choose a “track” and take 4 courses from that track. The “track” courses include:

Learning and Development:
            CHLD 4311 (Required)
            CHLD 3342 or CHLD 3310 or TECA 1311**
            CHLD 4381 or CHLD 3390 or TECA 1303**
            CHLD 4310 or EDUC 2301**

Social Agencies:
            CHLD 4399 (Required)
            CHLD 4320 or CHLD 3349 or CHLD 3390 or CHLD 4389
            CHLD 3380 or CHLD 4321 or ACCT 2301 or COSC 1335
            CHLD 4370 or CHLD 4381 or CHLD 4307 or TECA 1318**

Applied Research:
            CHLD 4391 (Required)
            CHLD 3343 or CHLD 4381 or CHLD 4370
            CHLD 3311 or CHLD 4312 or CHLD 4307 or CHLD 3321 or TECA 1318**
            COSC 1335 or CHLD 4351 or CHLD 4389

** Texas Early Childhood Articulated (TECA) courses and education (EDUC) courses that are a part of the Associate of Arts in Teaching are, available only at community colleges.

The two “approved electives” include:
Courses in English, Fine Arts, Computer Science, Math, Multicultural Education, Education for Children with Special Needs, History, Bilingual Education, Communication, Science

Minor            18 credit hours

A minor is required for this major. Students may not minor in psychology or sociology

Electives            22 credit hours

Child and Family Studies Minor

A minor in Child And Family Studies requires that the students take 18 semester credit hours. Twelve (12) of these credits must be upper level (junior or senior level) courses from within the Child and Family Studies major. The lower level hours can be satisfied by TECA courses, by EDUC courses that are part of the Associate of Arts in Teaching degree, or SOCI1301 and/or PSYC1301.

Teacher Preparation and TExES/ExCET Requirements
Please consult with your teacher certification advisor for specific details.

To meet Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board requirements, students seeking certification to teach grades EC-4 or 4-8 must take at least 9 hours of math (may include statistics) at or above college-level algebra and at least 3 hours of science courses with a lab. They should plan accordingly when meeting general education and elective course requirements.

Course Listing

CHLD 3301 Introductory Statistics (3)
Measures of central tendency, variability, correlation and hypotheses testing, with emphasis on the application of statistical methods to research in the behavioral sciences and education. Prerequisite: must have fulfilled one general education mathematics requirement. FS

CHLD 3310 Motor Development (3)
An examination of the factors affecting physical growth, those influencing the acquisition of fundamental motor skills, and the effects of aging upon physical performance. F, Summer

CHLD 3311 Social Psychology (3)
Interrelationships between individuals and their social environment, considering social influences upon motivation, perception, behavior and development, and change of attitudes and opinion. Prerequisite: PSYC
1301. S

CHLD 3321 Abnormal Psychology (3)
Variables involved in the development, maintenance and treatment of a variety of behavior disorders. Prerequisite: PSYC 1301. FS

CHLD 3341 Child/Adolescent Psychology (3)
Developmental aspects of physical, mental, social and emotional growth from prenatal through adolescent periods. Recommended: PSYC 1301. FS

CHLD 3342 Development of Creativity (3)
This course focuses on understanding creativity and the development of skills to assist and encourage young children to express their creative natures. Planning and production of materials that enhance creativity in self-expressive thought and play are emphasized. Prerequisite: PSYC 3341 and Visual/Performing core credit. FS

CHLD 3343 Adult Development and Aging (3)
Personality, cognitive, social, emotional and biological processes involved in development from young adulthood through old age. Prerequisite: PSYC 1301. S

CHLD 3349 The Child in Society (3)
This course examines children and childhood in a cross-cultural perspective. Special attention is given to the position of children in the diverse US family structure and the educational system. Problems related to adoption, divorce, and the criminal justice system are examined. Prerequisite: SOCI 1301.

CHLD 3352 The Exceptional Child (3)
This course presents the preservice teacher with a general overview of exceptionalities of children and youth to include characteristics, etiology, and education programs and practices. Topics also include historical and legislative events affecting special education and an overview of the special education process including referral, screening, assessment and educational planning. ExCET/TexES pre-tests may be required. Co/prerequisite: PSYC 3341. FS

CHLD 3380 Social Work I-Introduction to Social Work (3)
History of social work and its knowledge base and values; professionalization of social work; social service clientele and issues confronting the profession. F

CHLD 3390 The Family (3)
A historical and comparative approach in the examination of changing structure and functions of the family institution. The course provides a broad-based but intensive understanding of the family. Issues include the
effect of economic, demographic and cultural changes on male-female relationships, sex roles, marriage and child care. Prerequisite: SOCI 1301

CHLD 3404 Experimental Psychology (4)
Introduction to the planning and execution of psychological research. Prerequisites: PSYC 1301, CHLD 3301. FS

CHLD 4303 Social Research Methods (3)
The course provides a comprehensive overview of social science research methods, with emphasis given to the concepts used in the conduct of research, measurement strategies, and research designs. Prerequisite: CHLD 3301. S

CHLD 4307 Health Psychology (3)
Examination of the role of behavioral science knowledge and techniques in understanding, assessing, testing and preventing medical-psychological and social problems. Prerequisite : PSYC 1301 or approval of Instructor. F

CHLD 4310 Early Intervention (3)
This course focuses on issues related to young children who exhibit atypical development including the roles families and professionals in the field play in facilitating development. F

CHLD 4311 Social Development and Learning (3)
This course focuses on social-emotional development in young children. Emphasis is on using knowledge of social-emotional development to establish a positive learning environment and to implement effective classroom management. TexES pretests may be required. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Certification Program or permission of instructor. FS

CHLD 4312 Cognitive Psychology (3)
Research and theories of cognitive processes, including concept learning, problem solving, memory, attention, and language development and maintenance. Prerequisite: PSYC 1301. F

CHLD 4314 Language Development in the Young Child (3)
This course studies the nature of language and the acquisition of language by the young child. Topics included are: (1) language structure, (2) sequence and process of the acquisition of language, (3) cognitive aspects of language acquisition and implementation, (4) social aspects of language in childhood, and (5) language variation. TexES pre-tests may be required. Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education Program or permission of the instructor. FS

CHLD 4320 Social Stratification (3)
Focuses on theories of social inequality as applied to the exercise of power and large-scale social control. Issues of class, race and gender and other inequalities are considered in the U.S. and globally. Prerequisite: SOCI 1301. F

CHLD 4321 Social Work Intervention: Marriage and Family (3)
Opportunity to learn theory and skills required to implement change in marriages and families. Emphasis is on interactional processes between the social worker and family members. S

CHLD 4329 First and Second Language Acquisition (3)
The course focuses on the processes of acquiring one's native language as well as a second language, including the theories, stages, and connection between oral language and literacy. TexES pre-tests may be required. Prerequisites: admission to Teacher Education Program or permission of Instructor. F, S

CHLD 4351 Tests and Measurement (3)
Major personality and intelligence tests, emphasis upon their construction, administration, scoring and interpretation. Prerequisites: PSYC 1301, CHLD 3301. S

CHLD 4370 Family Dysfunction and Substance Abuse (3)
The role of substance abuse in family violence, child rearing and marital discord. Various ways of intervening to moderate the effects of substance abuse in families will be discussed. Prerequisite: SOCI 1301. F05

CHLD 4381 Psychology of Women (3)
Survey of critical issues in social relations, mental health, and legal matters involving women. Includes analysis of innate and environmental determinants of sex differences. Prerequisite: PSYC 1301.

CHLD 4389 Selected Topics (3)
Undergraduate courses which will be offered only once or will be offered infrequently or which are being developed before a regular listing in the catalog. May be acceptable for graduate credit. FS

CHLD 4391 Independent Study in Child & Family Studies (3)
Study of research under supervision of a member of the faculty. Students wishing to enroll should prepare a short plan for this coursework. Prerequisites: Senior standing and CHLD 3404. FS

CHLD 4399 Senior Research Seminar (3)
A scientific research study under the supervision of a member of the Sociology or Psychology faculty. The integration of theory and research is emphasized through basic or applied social research. Prerequisites: senior standing and CHLD 3301 and CHLD 3404 or 4303. FS