Main Navigation
Apply Now Request Info


Loading...

HDFS 312 - Adult Development - Middle Age and Aging

  • 3 credits
View available sections

Developmental issues and processes pertaining to middle and later adulthood. Contexts in which adult development and aging occur are emphasized.

Using the lifespan perspective, this course introduces students to developmental issues and processes that occur across middle and older adulthood. The course investigates developmental changes across multiple systems, including biological and physiological, cognitive, psychological, and social processes, and evaluates how adult development and aging impacts various contexts of life (e.g., work, family). Basic concepts and methods for studying aging are discussed.

Course Learning Objectives

  • Examine the principal processes and core developmental theories related to both typical and atypical middle and later adult development and aging.
  • Identify, examine, and understand contextual frameworks and ecology that influence middle and later adult development and aging.
  • Demonstrate and apply theory and empirical research relevant to middle and later adult development and aging.
  • Access, critically evaluate, and apply multiple forms of information (e.g., websites, Internet sources, parenting information, and other media sources) related to middle and later adult development and aging.
  • Acknowledge, differentiate, and analyze multiple points of view, including diverse and multicultural influences and perspectives relevant to middle and later adult development and aging.
  • Demonstrate effective written and/or oral communication skills appropriate to theoretical, practical, and/or ethical situations related to middle and later adult development and aging.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of professional skills, including ethical and culturally sensitive standards of conduct, as relevant to middle and later adult development and aging.

Prerequisite

HDFS 101 (Individual and Family Development) or PSY 100 (General Psychology); completion of 30 credits

Important Information

All prerequisites must be completed or consent from the instructor given prior to enrollment.

If you register for this course after the start of the term, please contact the instructor at the time of registration. By contacting the instructor, you ensure you are added to the CANVAS section as soon as possible and have access to the course and details about the class requirements.

Textbooks and Materials

Section 801

Required

  • Adult Development and Aging: Growth, Longevity, and Challenges (2021)
    Patrick, J.H., Hayslip Jr., B., & Hollis-Sawyer, L.
    ISBN: 9781544361666

Textbooks and materials can be purchased at the CSU Bookstore unless otherwise indicated.

Suggested Textbook:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Ed. (2020)
American Psychological Association
ISBN-13: 978-1-4338-3215-4

Instructors

Katie Gerst
Katie Gerst

katherine.gerst@colostate.edu

Dr. Katie Gerst is an Assistant Professor in the Human Development and Family Studies Department at CSU. She is also a Certified Family Life Educator through the National Council on Family Relations. Dr. Gerst has extensive teaching experience both on-campus and from a distance, having taught her first resident instruction class in 2008. She has been at CSU since 2018, but previously taught at Baker College in Michigan, Texas Tech University, and Northern Illinois University. Dr. Gerst’s scholarly interests include gender and power dynamics in romantic relationships, maternal mental health, and the scholarship of teaching and learning in family science.