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Child Development Courses

CHD 400 Introduction to Early Childhood Education (2 credits)
This seminar helps students grasp the breadth, depth, and foundations of early childhood education.

CHD 410 Growth and Development of Children (4 credits)
This is a broad sketch of human growth and development from pre-natal stages to elementary age. Developmental processes are studied from a biological and developmental perspective. Personality development and the effects of temperament on learning are discussed.

CHD 415 Social and Emotional Growth of Children (2 credits)
This course studies the social, psychological, and emotional growth of children from pre-natal to elementary ages. Issues of attachment, perspective-taking, and friendship are discussed.

CHD 422 Human Diversity and Relations (4 credits)
The purpose of this course is to expand our understanding of the influences of gender, culture, economic situation, learning styles, and language on the socialization of children, and then how to use this new understanding to form the way we program for and interact with children.

CHD 430 Infants and Toddlers (4 credits)
In this course, students will study the emerging skills and developmental characteristics of infants and toddlers. Course topics include environments that foster development, appropriate practices, and promoting the development of autonomy.

CHD 435 Developmentally Appropriate Practices in Early Childhood Education (4 credits)
This is a historical, present, and future perspective of developmentally appropriate practices. Appropriate classroom practices and current topics are discussed.

CHD 440 Children’s Play and Learning (4 credits)
Theories of Piaget, Parton, Erickson, and Vygotsky are studied to determine how children learn to play and the effect that play has on the child’s development. Historical perspectives and effects of play on learning are reviewed.

CHD 445 Language Development and Emergent Literacy (4 credits)
The research and stages of language development from birth through age seven are extensively explored. Students will understand how to guide children through the language acquisition process.

CHD 450 Children's Literature (2 credits)
Using children's books to develop literature-based curriculum is the emphasis of this course. There is a review of authors of children’s literature and an exploration of books for a variety of purposes.

CHD 460 Behavior Guidance in Early Childhood (4 credits)
In this course, students examine the concept of mistaken behavior, and the levels of mistaken behavior. How to promote an encouraging classroom is discussed. The short- and long-term effects of logical and natural consequences for prosocial development are reviewed.

CHD 470 Parent Education: Methods and Materials (4 credits)
This course explores the issues of educating parents. Parenting is a process, and has a variety of rights, responsibilities, and roles that change across the life span. Needs of parents, the resources available, and the helpful interactions between the parent and the educator are discussed. Variations in parenting practices based on heritage, culture, and ethnicity are also reviewed.

CHD 482 Young Child with Special Needs (4 credits)
This course is designed to introduce the student to the information and techniques needed to develop curricula and instruction to meet the unique needs of individual children in early childhood settings. Special emphasis is given to the theories, research, and practical application from the fields of both early childhood education and special education.

HSV 401 Returning Student Seminar (2 credits)
This seminar course covers five areas that are critical to learner success: goal-setting, library, writing, personal life balance, and computer literacy. Each of the five areas are covered briefly, and then learners choose an area to explore with an instructor. This course models the collaborative learning and the self-directedness of the program.

HSV 420 Family Systems (4 credits)
This course familiarizes the student with an understanding of the history, evolution, and demographics of the family. Kinship, family structures, functions, and roles are explored. Particular emphasis will be placed on the family’s relationship to other systems and institutions in society.

HSV 460 Ethics (2 credits)
Classical and historical ethics are explored, as well as the student’s personal values system. Individuals face tough ethical decisions with increasing frequency in our society, and  a framework for addressing those questions is needed. Each student will develop a system for making ethical decisions in their personal and professional life.

HSV 490 Portfolio and Synthesis (2 credits)
This final course is designed to help learners reflect on all they have done in the BA program. Through guest speakers, research study, and reflection on practice, students will synthesize all they have learned. Preparation of a professional portfolio will cap the learning experience.

SAC 430 Biblical Christianity for Thoughtful People (4 credits)
The question, "What is religious thought?" will be explored in the light of American culture. Students wrestle with basic questions of life, such as "What is the meaning of life?" World religions are discussed from the perspective of a Christian belief system. This course satisfies a general education requirement.