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Undergraduate Courses in Human Developmental Sciences

Lower-Division Courses

HDS 1 - Introduction to Human Development (4 units)

This course introduces students to the central issues in the basic areas in human development. The course will explain relationships between biological, cognitive, social, and cultural aspects of development. Offered once per year in the fall.

HDS 60 - Introduction to Statistical Analysis (4 units)

This course provides an introduction to both descriptive and inferential statistics, core tools in the process of scientific discovery, and the interpretation of research. Emphasis on a conceptual understanding of statistics, numerical results of real data, and techniques of data analysis.

See HDS 60 Course Webpage

HDS 95 - Career Development Seminar (1-2 units)

This course is centered on conceptual understanding of career development as a lifespan process, with an emphasis on application to student’s individual academic development and career readiness competencies. Includes practical training with professional skills, networking, and career research. The course concludes with a career action plan to help students advance academic and career goals. Cannot be used toward HDS major credit.

See HDS 95 Course Webpage

HDS 98 - Directed Group Study (1-2 units)

HDS 98 Course Webpage

Directed group study, on a topic or in a field not included in the department curriculum, by arrangement with a faculty member. Topics will vary from quarter to quarter. Pass/No Pass grades only. Cannot be used towards HDS major credit. 

Prerequisites: lower-division standing, completion of thirty units of UCSD undergraduate study, a minimum UCSD GPA of 3.0, and a completed and approved Special Studies form: UCSD Application for Enrollment Special Studies Courses 97, 98, 99.

HDS 99 - Independent Study in Human Development (2-4 units)

Independent study and research under the direction of a Human Developmental Sciences, or affiliated, faculty member. Pass/No Pass only. Cannot be used towards HDS major credit. 

Prerequisites: lower-division standing, completion of thirty units of UCSD undergraduate study, a minimum UCSD GPA of 3.0, and a completed and approved Special Studies form: UCSD Application for Enrollment Special Studies Courses 97, 98, 99.

Upper-Division Courses

HDS 110 - Brain and Behavioral Development (4 units)

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with basic mechanisms of brain and behavioral development from embryology through aging. Multiple levels of analysis will be discussed, including the effects of hormones on behavior, developmental events at the level of cells, structures, and neural systems, and the neural basis of cognition, social, perceptual, and language development.

Prerequisite: HDS 1 or PSYC 101.

HDS 111 - Evolutionary Principles in Human Development (4 units)

The course will examine the human evolutionary past to inform our understanding of the biological, cognitive, and sociocultural aspects of growth and change across the lifespan. Lectures and readings will draw from diverse fields to situate our understanding of human development within its broader evolutionary context. Areas of focus will include but are not limited to human longevity, biology of growth, theory of mind, and social and biological development in cross-species comparison.

Prerequisites: HDS 1, ANTH 2, or BILD 3.

HDS 120 - Language Development (4 units)

Examination of children's acquisition of language from babbling to the formation of sentences. Topics covered include: pre-linguistic gestures, relationships between babbling and sound systems, speech perception, linking words with objects, rule overgeneralization, bilingualism, nature vs. nurture, individual differences, cultural differences.

Prerequisite: HDS 1.

HDS 122 - Development of Social Cognition (4 units)

This course covers topics in development of social cognition across the life span. Grounded in current research and theoretical models, content addresses general principles such as the mutual influences of caregivers and children upon each other and the interplay of person and context. Discussion areas include attachment, aggression, identity development, social cognition, social components of achievement motivation, and development of conscience. 

Prerequisite: HDS 1 or PSYC 1.

HDS 124 - Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan (4 units)

This course provides an overview of how thinking develops across the lifespan. Topics may include perception, concept formation, memory, problem solving, social cognition, and cognitive decline.

Prerequisite: HDS 1, COGS 1, or PSYC 1 .

HDS 133 - Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Developmental Science (4 units)

This course examines how human development varies cross-culturally across the life span. It explores human developmental science as a bio-social-cultural process, in which development is not simply a product of biology and genetics, but shaped by the particular cultural traditions and patterns of social interactions into which an individual is born. 

Prerequisite: HDS 1 or PSYC 1.

HDS 150 - Senior Seminar (4 units)

HDS 150 Course Webpage

Seminar for graduating HDS seniors. Readings and discussion of special topics in human development. Provides advanced-level study on subfields of human development. Topics vary quarterly.

Prerequisites: HDS 1, HDS 181, HDS 191, senior standing, and department approval. Offered fall, winter, spring quarters.

HDS 160 - Special Topics Seminar in Human Development (4 units)

HDS 160 Course Webpage

Special topics in human development are discussed. (May repeat when topics vary.)

Prerequisite: department approval.

HDS 171 - Diversity in Human Development: A Cultural Competency Approach (4 units)

This course provides an introduction to the scholarship and practice of cultural competency, with a goal of enhancing the ability of students to be effective researchers and community service partners. Through relevant readings, associated assignments, and community guest speakers, students will acquire the necessary skills for doing substantive and responsive research in diverse cultural contexts. 

Prerequisites: upper-division standing.

 

HDS 173. Race, Media, and Identity Development Across the Lifespan (4 units)

This course offers a critical analysis of the social, linguistic, and cultural dimensions of media, schooling, and racial identity development over the lifespan. It attends to how “power dynamics of representation” shape individual and community identity, examining how representation affects (in)equitable educational experiences, learning, achievement, and outcomes. Drawing on historical and contemporary theories, research, and tools, the curriculum fosters applied critical race media literacy. Prerequisites: upper-division standing.

HDS 175 - Power, Wealth, and Inequality in Human Development (4 units)

Inequality affects social mobility and opportunities for diverse communities in the United States, having long-term implications for lifespan development. A multidisciplinary approach examines the differential effects on development fostered by disparities in socio-economic, educational and cultural factors.

Prerequisites: upper-division standing.

HDS 177 - Educational Equity and Development Across the Lifespan (4 units)

This course investigates the impact of educational inequities on minoritized students' lifelong development. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, we will examine P-20 educational settings that contribute to student development while exploring opportunities for educational equity through research, policy, and practice.

HDS 181 - Experimental Projects in Human Development Research (6 units)

This laboratory course is designed around a variety of intensive experimental projects. With lectures providing background information on research methods and child development, each assignment will include data collection and/or analysis, and a written laboratory report

Prerequisites: HDS 1, Statistics, and must be a declared HDS major. Offered fall, winter, spring quarters

HDS 191 - Field Research in Human Development (6 units)

HDS 191 Course Webpage

This course combines lectures on research methodology (three hours/week) with an applied field research experience (four hours/week) conducted at a pre-approved study site. Required: Completion of a field notebook, review paper, oral presentation, and final paper. 

Prerequisites: HDS 1. Students must submit the pre-enrollment questionnaire one academic year prior to enrollment. See HDS 191 Course Webpage for details. Offered fall, winter, and spring quarters.

HDS 193 - Advanced Research in Human Development (4 units)

HDS 193 Course Webpage

Specialized research project under the direction of a Human Developmental Sciences affiliated faculty member. May be taken for one or two quarters of credit. 

Prerequisites: declared HDS major, overall GPA of 2.8, ninety units completed, three HDS core courses completed, and consent of instructor.

HDS 194A-B-C - Honors Thesis (each 4 units)

HDS Honors Webpage

Students will take part in a weekly research seminar. In addition, they will plan and carry out a three-quarter research project under the guidance of a faculty member. The project will form the basis for their senior honors thesis. 

Prerequisites: overall GPA of 3.2, and a 3.5 GPA for courses taken for the Human Developmental Sciences major; an advanced course in statistics or experimental design, and consent of instructor.

HDS 195 - Instructional Apprentice in Human Development (4 units)

Introduction to teaching within the discipline of human development. Students will attend lecture, be responsible for assisting the instructor with course preparation, and will lead a discussion section of one of the lower-division courses for Human Developmental Sciences. Limited to upper-division students majoring in Human Developmental Sciences with consent of instructor. Pass/no pass only. 

Prerequisites: Declared HDS major, overall GPA of 3.0, 90 units completed, and consent of instructor.

HDS 199 - Independent Study in Human Development (4 units)

HDS 199 Course Webpage

Independent study and research under the direction of a faculty member. Pass/No Pass only. 

Prerequisites: consent of the instructor, completion of at least ninety undergraduate units with a minimum of 2.5 GPA, and a completed and approved Special Studies Form.