Undergraduate Program Co-Chairs:

Jennifer Cole, HD 301, 702-4235, jcole@uchicago.edu;

David Orlinsky, J 445, 702-7921, d-orlinsky@uchicago.edu

Departmental Contact: Janie Lardner, HD 102, 702-3971

Web: humdev.uchicago.edu

Program of Study

The program in Comparative Human Development focuses on the study of lives and individual functioning in context, whether that context be temporal (e.g., evolutionary or developmental), situational (e.g., relational or social), or symbolic (e.g., linguistic or cultural). This focus is coupled with a concern for the social and psychological factors leading to optimal or impaired functioning of individuals and communities. Comparative Human Development as a field is intrinsically interdisciplinary and the program aims to advance the integrative application of diverse social science approaches. Although closely allied with the fields of anthropology, sociology, and psychology, students in Comparative Human Development typically study a set of problems at their interface, problems often ignored or avoided by them. We seek, for example, to understand how biological and social processes form a systemic unity, how individual psychological mechanisms and systems of cultural meaning mutually constitute each other, and whether and how lives and selves can cohere as meaningful.

Program Requirements

A major in Comparative Human Development requires twelve courses. For the most recent requirements, please visit the Office of the Department of Comparative Human Development and consult the Undergraduate Student Manual.

I.    Core Courses in Comparative Human Development. A two-quarter introductory sequence (HUDV 20000-20100) must be completed by the third year. Autumn Quarter primarily presents theories of development, particularly self and its development within a social and cultural context. Winter Quarter focuses on modes of inquiry in human development, including basic concepts of research design and different methods useful for studying human development (e.g., ethnography, experiments, discourse analysis and narrative inquiry, animal models). A student is asked to consider the advantages of each approach in answering particular questions concerning person and culture.

II.  Methods. A student must register for one quantitative or qualitative methods course designated with the letter "M."

III. Distribution. A student must take at least one course in three of the four subfields below. Examples of topics within each area are listed. Boldface letters following course descriptions identify area of specialization. Although a course may be listed in more than one category, each course taken will satisfy only one specialization requirement.

      A.  Comparative Behavioral Biology: biopsychology of attachment; evolutionary social psychology; evolution of parenting; biological psychology; primate behavior and ecology; behavioral endocrinology.

      B.  Developmental Perspectives: developmental psychology; introduction to language development; psychoanalysis and child development; development through the life-course; the role of early experience in development; sexual identity; life-course and life story; adolescence, adulthood, and aging.

      C.  Cultural Perspectives: cultural psychology; psychological anthropology; social psychology; cross-cultural child development; language, culture, and thought; language socialization; divinity and experience; psychiatric and psychodynamic anthropology; memory and culture.

      D.  Mental Health Perspectives: personality theory and research; the study of lives; modern psychotherapies; psychology of well-being; topics in conflict understanding and resolution; core concepts and current directions in psychopathology; emotion, mind, and rationality; body image in health and disorder; advanced concepts in psychoanalysis.

IV. Specialization. A student must develop a specialization by taking at least two additional courses in one of the four subfields.

V.  Electives. A student must choose two additional courses in some area of human development or in another discipline with the approval of the program chair. Courses from another discipline should fit the student's articulated interest area within Comparative Human Development. Only one reading and research course may be counted as an elective.

VI. Senior Seminar and Paper. Students are expected to enroll in Senior Seminar (HUDV 29800) and to write a senior paper. The seminar meets Autumn Quarter and is designed to help students prepare for writing their senior paper. A student may choose to extend and revise a course paper or may elect an entirely new topic. The student and faculty adviser will design the paper together. The mechanics of the research and writing will be supervised by a program preceptor. In Winter Quarter, students must sign up for B.A. Paper Preparation (HUDV 29900). Papers are due by the end of fifth week of the quarter (typically Spring Quarter) in which a student plans to graduate.

      Students should plan to be in residence during Autumn and Winter Quarters of their fourth year so that they will be on campus to take the required sequence described above: Senior Seminar (HUDV 29800) and B.A. Paper Preparation (HUDV 29900). Students who wish to study abroad or to participate in another off-campus study program should do so before their fourth year. Alternatively it is possible for students to study off campus during Spring Quarter of their fourth year, but only if they and their adviser agree that the B.A. paper can be completed by the end of fifth week as required.

Summary of Requirements

                                  2      core courses

                                  1      methods courses

                                  3      distribution courses

                                  2      specialization courses*

                                  2      electives*

                                  1      Senior Seminar (HUDV 29800)

                                  1      B.A. paper (HUDV 29900)

                                12

*    With prior approval, a maximum of two of these four courses

    may be taken outside Comparative Human Development.

B.A. Paper and Honors. All students in the program are expected to write a B.A. paper by the end of their fourth year. The paper should reflect scholarly proficiency in an area of study within Comparative Human Development. Students who wish to be considered for honors and who graduate in 2006 must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and 3.5 in the major; thereafter, eligible students must have a 3.25 overall and 3.6 in the major. To be eligible for honors, students must complete a thirty- to forty-page B.A. paper of high quality that involves original research featuring data gathered by a method appropriate to the project (e.g., interviews, experiments, or observation). Other students may write a twenty- to thirty-page paper based on library research, possibly revising and extending a previously submitted course paper. In Winter Quarter of their fourth year, students who are pursuing honors are expected to meet regularly with both their faculty B.A. paper adviser and their preceptor, while other students are expected to meet regularly with their preceptor. Although students must decide to pursue honors during Autumn Quarter of their fourth year, the honors designation is ultimately based upon the evaluation of the final paper made by the B.A. adviser and a second reader.

Grading. All courses required for the Comparative Human Development major must be taken for quality grades.

Faculty

B. Cohler, J. Cole, R. Fogelson, S. Goldin-Meadow, W. Goldstein, C. Johnson, J. Lucy,
T. Luhrmann, D. Maestripieri, J. Mateo, M. McClintock, D. Orlinsky, R. Shweder,
N. Stein, S. Stodolsky, R. Taub, A. Woodward

Associated Faculty

S. Fisher, S. Hans, B. Schneider

Courses: Human Development (hudv)

Areas of specialization described in the Program Requirements section above are indicated by boldfaced parentheses.

20000. Introduction to Human Development. This course introduces the study of lives in context. The nature of human development from infancy through old age is explored through theory and empirical findings from various disciplines. Readings and discussions emphasize the interrelations of biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces at different points of the life cycle. B. Cohler. Autumn. (Core Course)

20100. Human Development/Research Designs in Social Science. (=PSYC 21100) This course aims to expose students to a variety of examples of well-designed social research addressing questions of great interest and importance. One goal is to clarify what it means to do "interesting" research. A second goal is to appreciate the features of good research design. A third goal is to examine the variety of research methodologies in the social sciences, including ethnography, clinical case interviewing, survey research, experimental studies of cognition and social behavior, behavior observations, longitudinal research, and model building. The general emphasis is on what might be called the aesthetics of well-designed research. R. Shweder. Winter. (Core Course)

20200/30201. Genocide and Refugees: The Politics of Purification and Exile. This course explores concepts and forms of destruction and survival, as well as the differing processes that threaten indigenous societies. We focus on prominent themes in studies of ethnocide, genocide, and refugees: the roles of ideology, identity, ethnicity, religion, colonization, de-colonization, re-colonization, globalization, disease, purification, pollution, scarcity, revenge, power, and domination. Students critique theoretical approaches and the methods used to explore ideas about the destruction and survival of indigenous societies, developing their own analyses of themes in the literature and of the sources and qualities of available information. C. Casey. Autumn. (C)

21301. Modern Readings in Anthropology: Shamanism. (=ANTH 21301) The venerable topic of shamanism is explored in its original Siberian manifestations; North American variations; and extensions into Central America, South America, and elsewhere. The New Age and not-so-New Age interest in shamanism is also considered. R. Fogelson. Autumn.

21500. Darwinian Health. (=GNDR 21500) This course, which has a seminar format, uses an evolutionary, rather than a clinical, approach to understanding why we get sick. In particular, we consider how health issues (e.g., menstruation, senescence, pregnancy sickness, menopause, diseases) can be considered adaptations rather than pathologies. We also discuss how our rapidly changing environments can reduce the benefits of these adaptations. J. Mateo. Autumn. (A)

21501. Psychology and Biography. (=FNDL 23303, PSYC 21503) Starting with Freud's perspective on psychology and his psychobiography of Leonado Da Vinci, this course focuses on the contributions of psychoanalysis to the study of lives in biography. We discuss classical and contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives reflected in Erik Erikson's study of Martin Luther, Jean Strousse's study of Alice James, and recent psychobiographical studies of Abraham Lincoln. B. Cohler. Spring. (D)

22001/32000. Developmental Biopsychology. (=PSYC 22001/32000) PQ: PSYC 20000 or completion of the general education requirement in biological sciences. This course introduces the biological and physiological analysis of behavior and the principles of neural and endocrine integration. We use a developmental emphasis through the reading and analysis of experimental and clinical literature. M. McClintock. Spring. (A)

23249. Animal Behavior. (=BIOS 23249, PSYC 23249) PQ: Completion of the general education requirement for the biological sciences. This course introduces the mechanism, ecology, and evolution of behavior, primarily in nonhuman species, at the individual and group level. Topics include the genetic basis of behavior, developmental pathways, communication, physiology and behavior, foraging behavior, kin selection, mating systems and sexual selection, and the ecological and social context of behavior. A major emphasis is placed on understanding and evaluating scientific studies and their field and lab techniques. S. Pruett-Jones, J. Mateo. Winter. (A)

23700/31200. Education and Human Development. This course introduces the connections between education and human development. Topics include the achievement and motivation of U.S. students from an international perspective; the development of literacy from a comparative perspective; equality and inequality in schools; issues of gender, ethnicity, and race in relation to schooling; and historical and contemporary responses to immigration in educational institutions. The last part of the course is devoted to promising solutions to problems, including providing preschool education, reducing class size, reforming the organization of schools, developing professional communities, and improving connections between families and schools. S. Stodolsky. Winter. (B, C)

23800/36400. Theories of Emotion, Culture, and the Psychology of Well-Being. (=PSYC 26400/36400) This course reviews different approaches to the study of emotion and well-being, different ways of measuring well-being, the relationship between positive and negative well-being, and the degree to which well-being can be changed. We discuss studies that focus on the mechanisms that control psychological well-being, as well as the thinking, appraisals, and beliefs that lead to positive versus negative well-being. We also investigate those conditions that produce irrevocable changes in psychological well-being and those conditions that promote robustness. N. Stein. Spring. (D)

23900. Introduction to Language Development. (=LING 21600/31600, PSYC 23200/33200) This course addresses the major issues involved in first-language acquisition. We deal with the child's production and perception of speech sounds (phonology), the acquisition of the lexicon (semantics), the comprehension and production of structured word combinations (syntax), and the ability to use language to communicate (pragmatics). S. Goldin-Meadow, Staff. Winter. (B)

24103. On Love: Cultural and Psychological Perspectives. (=BPRO 26103, HUMA 24102, ISHU 24102) PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. This course explores the nature of love and love relationships from humanistic and social scientific perspectives. Readings and presentations include classic philosophic and literary works (e.g., Plato, Aristotle, Shakespeare) and modern writers (e.g., Freud, Tillich, DeRougemont). We focus first on the qualities that characterize the phenomenon of love in general. Then, more specifically, we examine psychological, social, and cultural aspects of romantic love. Lectures and class discussions may be supplemented by cinematic materials. D. Orlinsky, K. Mitova. Winter. (D)

24300. Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences. (=PSYC 24300/39300, SOSC 20600) This seminar explores the variety of qualitative methods used in social science study. Perspectives surveyed include field study, including the Chicago studies of social disorganization. We also discuss "grounded theory," ethnography and study of culture, and narrative and life-story approaches to the study of person and social life. Attention is devoted to issues of method (e.g., reliability, validity), implications for philosophy of social science study, and portrayal of both person and of context or setting. We focus on the complex interplay of observer and observed, and we also examine "reflexivity" in the human sciences. B. Cohler. Winter. (M)

25200. Body and Soul: Historical and Ethnographic Approaches to Prayer. (=BPRO 25200, HIST 29406, RLST 28800) PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. Why do we pray? Why do we experience prayer practice as reaching out towards an intentional being whom we cannot (except in representation) touch, see, or hear? This course approaches an answer to that question by looking at the way we pray, particularly in a Christian context. What kinds of bodily engagement do we find in prayer; what impact might prayer practice have upon our bodies; what bodily-features of prayer might help to explain why its practice has been so compelling to so many for so many years? R. Fulton, T. Luhrmann. Spring. (C)

25900/30700. Introduction to Developmental Psychology. (=PSYC 20500/30500) This course is an introduction to developmental psychology that stresses the development and integration of cognitive, social, and perceptual skills. Discussion section required. A. Woodward. Spring. (B)

26000/30600. Social Psychology. (=PSYC 20600/30600) PSYC 20000 recommended. This course examines social psychological theory and research based on both classic and contemporary contributions. Among the major topics examined are conformity and deviance, the attitude-change process, social role and personality, social cognition, and political psychology. W. Goldstein. Autumn. (D)

26205. Perspectives on Sex and Gender in Human Development. This course is intended as an invitation to think about gender from the perspective of human development: in terms of both "nature" and "nurture," across the life course, and around the globe. We read articles illustrating and employing the diverse perspectives and methods offered in human development (biological, psychological, social, and cultural) to think about sex differences, gender, and sexuality. By exposing students to a range of approaches, as well as a mix of both classic and contemporary readings, the course aims to provide tools to think critically about issues of sex, gender, and sexuality as they arise in everyday life. S. Fruehan. Spring. (C)

26206. Identity, Culture, and Human Development. This course offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of identity, focusing on its origins in psychology and sociology. Beginning with an introduction to two interdisciplinary ways of examining human development (i.e., cultural psychology, life-course theory), we explore the concept of identity through an historic lens and an eye toward the relevance of identity in the contemporary world. The course concludes with a consideration of identity and the postmodern perspective as we survey four texts in which the question of self and society in postmodernity or late modernity has been explored. P. Hammack. Winter. (B, D)

26207. Islamic Finance: The "Business" of Culture and the Culture of Business. This course begins with a general discussion of culture, capitalism, globalization, and some ways in which business and culture interact in the international business world. We identify some attributes of both the international financial culture and Islam, juxtaposing these with attributes of the Islamic finance industry. Then, we apply the knowledge we have accumulated to expand debates about globalization, cultural production, and transnational Muslim politics. K. Ahmed. Autumn. (C)

27700/31800. Modern Psychotherapies. This course introduces students to the nature and varieties of modern psychotherapies by extensive viewing and discussion of video-taped demonstration sessions. Diverse therapeutic approaches are examined, including psychodynamic, interpersonal, client-centered, gestalt, and cognitive-behavioral orientations. Couple and family therapy sessions, as well as sessions with younger clients, may also be viewed. Historical and conceptual models are presented to deepen an understanding of what is being viewed, but the main emphasis is on experiential learning through observation and discussion. D. Orlinsky. Winter. (D)

28000/32800. Advanced Psychoanalytic Theory. This seminar focuses on present psychoanalytic theories and their relationships to one another. Central to our inquiry is the dynamic unconscious of Freud and the ways in which it has been elaborated, modified, or diminished in the views of Fairbairn, Klein, Winnicott, Kohut, Gedo, and Modell. We also examine the problems and uses of transference and countertransference, and we look at some aspects of feminism in psychoanalytic theory. S. Fisher. Winter. (D)

28701/38701. Social/Cultural Foundations of Mental Health. The well-being and mental health of individuals depends on both psychobiological and sociocultural conditions. However, professional thinking about mental health and illness currently focuses almost exclusively on psychobiological factors. This course aims to broaden our concepts of mental health and well-being by examining the contributions of major social scientific theorists (i.e., Durkheim, Simmel, Freud, Mead) and other classic and contemporary writers who show the vital connection between individual personality and sociocultural context. D. Orlinsky. Autumn. (C, D)

29700. Undergraduate Reading and Research. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Available for quality grades or for P/F grading. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

29800. Senior Seminar. Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in Comparative Human Development. This seminar prepares Comparative Human Development students for writing their required senior paper. Students work with their faculty adviser to design their paper, which may be a revision of a course paper or based on an entirely new topic. The mechanics of research and writing is supervised by a program preceptor. Students may wish to take a Reading and Research course in Winter Quarter in order to complete work on their senior paper. Papers are due by the end of fifth week of the quarter (typically Spring Quarter) in which a student plans to graduate. Autumn.

29900. B.A. Paper Preparation. PQ: HUDV 29800. Required of fourth-year students who are majoring in Comparative Human Development. Faculty are selected from section list. Must be taken for a quality grade. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Honors papers are due by the end of fifth week of the quarter (typically Spring Quarter) in which a student plans to graduate. Winter.

30901. Biopsychology of Sex Differences. (=EVOL 36900, PSYC 31600) Some background in biology, preferably prior course in biology or biological psychology, recommended. This course explores the biological basis of mammalian sex differences and reproductive behaviors. We consider a variety of species, including humans. We address the physiological, hormonal, ecological, and social basis of sex differences. J. Mateo. Winter. (A)

31000. Cultural Psychology. (=PSYC 33000) PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing and consent of instructor. At the heart of the discipline of cultural psychology is the tenet of psychological pluralism, which states that the study of "normal" psychology is the study of multiple psychologies. Research findings in cultural psychology thus raise provocative questions about the integrity and value of alternative forms of subjectivity across cultural groups. In this course, we analyze the concept of "culture" and examine ethnic and cross-cultural variations in mental functioning with special attention to the cultural psychology of emotions, self, moral judgment, categorization, and reasoning. R. Shweder. Autumn. (C)

31401/41401. Cognitive Development and Complex Language Acquisition. (=PSYC 31401/41401) This course covers the development of thinking, reasoning, language, and problem solving from infancy through the childhood years. We are especially attentive to the ways in which children think in everyday situations; the ways in which parents shape, talk to, and train their children; the cognitive skills that are necessary and develop as a function of schooling; the development of scientific reasoning; and the impact of culture on schooling and learning. N. Stein. Autumn. (B)

31801. Religious Movements of Native North America. (=ANTH 31801) New Agers essentialize and romanticize Native American religions. Religious beliefs and practices are assumed to be primordial, eternal, and invariable. However, a closer examination reveals that Native American religions are highly dynamic and adaptive, ever reactive to internal pressure and external circumstances. We examine classic accounts of the Ghost Dance, often considered to be the prototypical Native American religious movement; the Handsome Lake Religion among the Senecas; and other Native American religious movements. R. Fogelson. Spring. (C)

32214. Ethnographic Writing. PQ: Consent of instructor. Class limited to fifteen students. This course is intended for any student (typically a graduate student) engaged in the act of ethnographic writing (i.e., thesis, prospectus, article). The course is organized around student presentations of work in progress and critical feedback from other participants. The goal is for each student to emerge from the course with a polished piece of work. J. Cole. Winter. (M)

32213. Culture and Power II: Subjectivities. In this class, which is the second quarter of a two-part sequence (Culture, Power, Subjectivity), we focus closely on the question of subjectivity and the formation of subjects, as well as how these questions have been addressed in contemporary social theory. Authors include Althusser, Foucault, Butler, Bakhtin, and Voloshinov. One goal of the class is for students to acquire a basic familiarity with diverse approaches to the question of how subjects and subjectivity are formed. Given the fundamental tension between poststructuralist approaches and the assumptions about subjectivity derived from psychological anthropology, another goal of the class is to think about if any bridging between these approaches is either possible or desirable. J. Cole. Spring. (C)

33101-33102. Native Peoples of North America I, II. (=ANTH 33101-33102) PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing. This course is a comprehensive review of Native American cultural history, including consideration of intellectual context, prehistory, ethnology, history, and the contemporary situation. The last half of the third quarter is devoted to a mutually agreed-on topic in which students pursue individual research, the results of which are presented in seminar format. R. Fogelson, J. Cattelino, Autumn; R. Fogelson, Winter. (C)

34501-34502. Anthropology of Museums I, II. (=ANTH 34501-34502, MAPS 34500-34600, SOSC 34500-34600) PQ: Advanced standing and consent of instructor. This sequence examines museums from a variety of perspectives. We consider the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the image and imagination of African-American culture as presented in local museums, and museums as history and memorials as exemplified by Holocaust exhibitions. Several visits to area museums required. R. Fogelson, M. Fred. Winter, Spring. (C)

35651. The Study of Conflict, Culture, Attitudes, and Change. (=PSYC 35650) PQ: Consent of instructor. This course covers the notion of conflict from four different perspectives: social psychological, cognitive science, business, and political science. Our goal is to build a model of the process of conflict that is broader and more process oriented than existing models. We then attempt to address conflict as it impacts learning during political decision making, times of war, times of rapid cultural change, and personal decision making. N. Stein. Winter. (D)

37500-37502-37503. Research Seminar in Animal Behavior I, II, III. (=EVOL 37600-37700-37800) Students register for this course in Autumn Quarter and receive credit in Spring Quarter after successful completion of the year's work. This workshop involves weekly research seminars in animal behavior given by faculty members, post-docs, and advanced graduate students from this and other institutions. The seminars are followed by discussion in which students have the opportunity to interact with the speaker, ask questions about the presentation, and share information about their work. The purpose of this workshop is to expose graduate students to current comparative research in behavioral biology and provide interactions with some of the leading scientists in this field. D. Maestripieri. Autumn, Winter, Spring. (A)

38000-38100-38200. Mind and Biology Proseminar. (=PSYC 37000-37100-37200) Credit is granted only in Spring Quarter after successful completion of the year's work. Topics relate to mind and biology. The seminar series meets three to four times a quarter. L. Kay, J. Cacioppo, D. Maestripieri, M. McClintock. Autumn, Winter, Spring. (A)

42200. Research Seminar in Research in Behavioral Endocrinology. (=EVOL 42200, PSYC 26200/42200) PQ: Consent of instructor. Ongoing research in the lab of Professor McClintock is discussed. M. McClintock. Autumn, Winter, Spring.