Department of Comparative Human Development

CHDV 30102. Introduction to Causal Inference. 100 Units.

This course is designed for graduate students and advanced undergraduate students from the social sciences, education, public health science, public policy, social service administration, and statistics who are involved in quantitative research and are interested in studying causality. The goal of this course is to equip students with basic knowledge of and analytic skills in causal inference. Topics for the course will include the potential outcomes framework for causal inference; experimental and observational studies; identification assumptions for causal parameters; potential pitfalls of using ANCOVA to estimate a causal effect; propensity score based methods including matching, stratification, inverse-probability-of-treatment-weighting (IPTW), marginal mean weighting through stratification (MMWS), and doubly robust estimation; the instrumental variable (IV) method; regression discontinuity design (RDD) including sharp RDD and fuzzy RDD; difference in difference (DID) and generalized DID methods for cross-section and panel data, and fixed effects model. Intermediate Statistics or equivalent such as STAT 224/PBHS 324, PP 31301, BUS 41100, or SOC 30005 is a prerequisite. This course is a prerequisite for "Advanced Topics in Causal Inference" and "Mediation, moderation, and spillover effects."

Instructor(s): G. Hong     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Intermediate Statistics or equivalent such as STAT 224, PBHS 324, PBPL 31301, BUS 41100, or SOCI 30005
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: M; M
Equivalent Course(s): MACS 51000, SOCI 30315, STAT 31900, CHDV 20102, PBHS 43201, PLSC 30102, MACS 21000

CHDV 30315. Inequality in Urban Spaces. 100 Units.

The problems confronting urban schools are bound to the social, economic, and political conditions of the urban environments in which schools reside. Thus, this course will explore social, economic, and political issues, with an emphasis on issues of race and class as they have affected the distribution of equal educational opportunities in urban schools. We will focus on the ways in which family, school, and neighborhood characteristics intersect to shape the divergent outcomes of low- and middle-income children residing with any given neighborhood. Students will tackle an important issue affecting the residents and schools in one Chicago neighborhood. This course is part of the College Course Cluster: Urban Design.

Instructor(s): M. Keels     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: B; 2*
Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 40315, RDIN 20305, CHDV 20305, PBPL 20305

CHDV 30409. Anthropology of Healing. 100 Units.

In our world marked by pandemics, stress, chronic illness, and cancers, healing is a primary concern, with people around the world experimenting with disparate techniques, from psychotherapy to psychedelics, to energy therapies and others. In this course we will rethink what it means to heal and to disease, reimagining healing as a practice that is deeply implicated in the ways in which we come to know, inhabit, and story the world. If we imagine our contemporary forms of life, entangled as they are, in legacies of colonial violence, capitalism, and ecological disaster, as ongoing sources of collective disease; how then do we re-entangle our ways of being, in anthropology and in the world, that encourage possibilities for healing? What would it mean to think our conceptual and sensorial practices as crucial to the ways in which we heal and disease? While the course design introduces students to anthropology and its methods, it pierces its confines and shifts the canon, or the story of anthropology, from its roots in colonializations or whiteness (and its myriad burdens) to the intimacies and desires of queer, sub-altern, black, and indigenous life-worlds. What are the ways in which disease is written into contemporary ways of being and how do we refuse to partake in it? How do we articulate stories that can not only bear lives on the margin but bear health? How can we story self and world differently? And how then, can we collectively live in more joyful and healing ways?

Instructor(s): Nida Paracha
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 30401, HLTH 20401, ANTH 20401, CHDV 20401

CHDV 30750. Global Health, Environment, and Indigenous Futures. 100 Units.

The global coronavirus pandemic has made evident the significance of ecological (im)balances for the well-being of societies. The relationship between structural inequalities, changing environments and health, especially for historically and socio-economically marginalized communities, is now well established. At the same time, a growing body of literature links the material conditions of marginalized communities-for instance, spaces of dwelling and conditions of labor-to health status, globally. Based on a set of interdisciplinary literature arranged through anthropological theories, this course will critically engage with notions of health and well-being for indigenous communities, tracing injustices that stem histories of racial, caste- and ethnicity-based, and environmental exclusions. The readings are organized around one central question: What does it mean to be indigenous in a changing planet where social, political, and economic systems are marked by enduring legacies of systemic violence? This graduate and undergraduate level course will introduce contexts within which structural exclusions lead to ill-health and loss of well-being among indigenous communities across the globe. The aim is to develop critical thinking on the political economy and political ecologies of indigenous health as imbricated with issues of social, economic, and environmental justice.

Instructor(s): Sanghamitra Das
Equivalent Course(s): SALC 32704, CEGU 30700, SALC 26501, RDIN 30700, CHDV 20700, ANTH 30700, RDIN 20700, ANTH 20700, CEGU 20700

CHDV 31000. Cultural Psychology. 100 Units.

There is a substantial portion of the psychological nature of human beings that is neither homogeneous nor fixed across time and space. 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 and not just the study of a single or uniform fundamental psychology for all peoples of the world. 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.

Instructor(s): R. Shweder     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduates must be in third or fourth year.
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: B, C
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 23000, CHDV 21000, AMER 33000, ANTH 35110, ANTH 24320, GNSE 31000, CRES 21100, GNSE 21001, PSYC 33000, KNOW 31000

CHDV 31500. Darwinian Health. 100 Units.

This course will use an evolutionary, rather than clinical, approach to understanding why we get sick. In particular, we will consider how health issues such as menstruation, senescence, pregnancy sickness, menopause, and diseases can be considered adaptations rather than pathologies. We will also discuss how our rapidly changing environments can reduce the benefits of these adaptations.

Instructor(s): J. Mateo     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite(s): For BIOS Majors: Three quarters of a Biological Sciences Fundamentals Sequence or consent of instructor.
Note(s): CHDV Distribution - Undergrad: A; Grad: 1
Equivalent Course(s): HIPS 22401, CHDV 21500, PSYC 31551, BIOS 23405, GNSE 21500, HLTH 21500

CHDV 32401. Multilevel Modeling. 100 Units.

This course will focus on the analysis of multilevel data in which subjects are nested within clusters (e.g., health care providers, hospitals). The focus will be on clustered data, and several extensions to the basic two-level multilevel model will be considered including three-level, cross-classified, multiple membership, and multivariate models. In addition to models for continuous outcomes, methods for non-normal outcomes will be covered, including multilevel models for dichotomous, ordinal, nominal, time-to-event, and count outcomes. Some statistical theory will be given, but the focus will be on application and interpretation of the statistical analyses.

Instructor(s): D. Hedeker     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): PBHS 32400 or PBHS 32410 and PBHS 32700 or consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PBHS 33400

CHDV 32501. Applied Longitudinal Data Analysis. 100 Units.

Longitudinal data consist of multiple measures over time on a sample of individuals. This type of data occurs extensively in both observational and experimental biomedical and public health studies, as well as in studies in sociology and applied economics. This course will provide an introduction to the principles and methods for the analysis of longitudinal data. Whereas some supporting statistical theory will be given, emphasis will be on data analysis and interpretation of models for longitudinal data. Problems will be motivated by applications in epidemiology, clinical medicine, health services research, and disease natural history studies.

Instructor(s): D. Hedeker     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): PBHS 32400/STAT 22400 or PBHS 32410 or equivalent, AND PBHS 32600/STAT 22600 or PBHS 32700/STAT 22700 or equivalent; or consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): PBHS 33300, STAT 36900

CHDV 32702. Statistical Applications. 100 Units.

This course provides a transition between statistical theory and practice. The course will cover statistical applications in medicine, mental health, environmental science, analytical chemistry, and public policy. ,Lectures are oriented around specific examples from a variety of content areas. Opportunities for the class to work on interesting applied problems presented by U of C faculty will be provided. Although an overview ,of relevant statistical theory will be presented, emphasis is on the development of statistical solutions to interesting applied problems.

Instructor(s): R. Gibbons     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): PBHS 32400, PBHS 32410 or equivalent, and PBHS 32600/STAT 22600 or PBHS 32700/STAT 22700 or equivalent; or consent of instructor. Knowledge of STATA and/or R highly recommended.
Equivalent Course(s): PBHS 33500, STAT 35800

CHDV 33011. Beyond the Culture Wars: Social Movements and the Politics of Education in the U.S. 100 Units.

Passionate conflicts over school curriculum and educational policy are a recurring phenomenon in the history of US schooling. Why are schools such frequent sites of struggle and what is at stake in these conflicts? In this discussion-based seminar, we will consider schools as battlegrounds in the US "culture wars": contests over competing visions of national identity, morality, social order, the fundamental purposes of public education, and the role of the state vis-à-vis the family. Drawing on case studies from history, anthropology, sociology and critical race and gender studies, we will examine both past and contemporary debates over school curriculum and school policy. Topics may include clashes over: the teaching of evolution, sex and sexuality education, busing/desegregation, prayer in schools, multiculturalism, the content of the literary canon, the teaching of reading, mathematics and history, and the closure of underperforming urban schools. Our inquiry will examine how social and political movements have used schools to advance or resist particular agendas and social projects.

Instructor(s): Lisa Rosen     Terms Offered: Spring. Offered spring 2025
Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 33011, PBPL 23011, CHDV 23011, HIST 37718, SOCI 30588, EDSO 23011, SOCI 20588, HIST 27718

CHDV 33930. Biological and Cultural Evolution. 100 Units.

This course draws on readings in and case studies of language evolution, biological evolution, cognitive development and scaffolding, processes of socialization and formation of groups and institutions, and the history and philosophy of science and technology. We seek primarily to elaborate theory to understand and model processes of cultural evolution, while exploring analogies, differences, and relations to biological evolution. This has been a highly contentious area, and we examine why. We seek to evaluate what such a theory could reasonably cover and what it cannot.

Instructor(s): W. Wimsatt, S. Mufwene     Terms Offered: Not offered in 2024-2025
Prerequisite(s): Third- or fourth-year standing or consent of instructor required; core background in evolution and genetics strongly recommended.
Equivalent Course(s): HIPS 23900, CHDV 23930, BPRO 23900, PHIL 22500, NCDV 27400, LING 39286, ANTH 28615, LING 11100, CHSS 37900, PHIL 32500, ANTH 38615

CHDV 34800. Kinship and Social Systems. 100 Units.

This course will use a biological approach to understanding how groups form and how cooperation and competition modulate group size and reproductive success. We will explore social systems from evolutionary and ecological perspectives, focusing on how the biotic and social environments favor cooperation among kin as well as how these environmental features influence mating systems and inclusive fitness. While a strong background in evolutionary theory is not required, students should have basic understanding of biology and natural selection. Course will use combination of lectures and discussion.

Instructor(s): J. Mateo
Note(s): CHDV Distributions: A; 1 Not offered in 2023-2024
Equivalent Course(s): ECEV 34800, EVOL 34800

CHDV 34960. Creole Genesis and Genetic Linguistics. 100 Units.

In this seminar course we will review the "creole exceptionalism" tradition against the uniformitarian view, according to which creoles have emerged and evolved like other, natural and non-creole languages. We will situate creoles in the context of the plantation settlement colonies that produced them and compare their emergence specifically with that of languages such as English and the Romance languages in Europe. We will also compare these evolutions with those of new colonial varieties of European languages (such as Amish English, mainstream American English varieties, Brazilian Portuguese, and Québécois French) which emerged around the same time but are not considered creoles. Using the comparative approach (in evolutionary theory), we will assess whether the criteria used in the genetic classification of languages have been applied uniformly to creole and non-creole languages. In return, we will explore ways in which genetic creolistics can inform and improve genetic linguistics (including historical dialectology).

Instructor(s): Salikoko Mufwene
Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 24960, RDIN 34960, RDIN 24960, LING 34960, LING 24960

CHDV 35055. Uncertain Futures: A Sociology of Times to Come. 100 Units.

Between global militarism, intensive inequality, and climate catastrophe, the future looks uncertain. This class engages lay, scholarly and fictional futurisms-particularly emerging from Queer, Indigenous and Black traditions. We will read sociological and anthropological texts that consider how different communities envision the decades and centuries to come alongside speculative fiction that theorizes where earth and humanity are heading. Does humanity have a future? How does that future look? How do differing answers to these questions shape individuals' and communities' lives and decisions?

Instructor(s): E. Abdelhadi     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): C; 3
Equivalent Course(s): GNSE 35055, GNSE 25055, CHDV 25055

CHDV 35201. Communication in humans and non-humans. 100 Units.

This seminar will compare communication in humans and non-humans. Topics to be covered include the reliance of communication on more general cognitive processes, the learnability of communicative systems, referential intent, honest signaling, and deception. These issues will be explored through readings that cover recent work at the intersection of human and animal communication.

Instructor(s): J. Mateo
Note(s): Not offered in 2023-2024
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 35201

CHDV 36008. Principles and Methods of Measurement. 100 Units.

Accurate measurement of key theoretical constructs with known and consistent psychometric properties is one of the essential steps in quantitative social and behavioral research. However, measurement of phenomena that are not directly observable (such as psychological attributes, perceptions of organizational climate, or quality of services) is difficult. Much of the research in psychometrics has been developed in an attempt to properly define and quantify such phenomena. This course is designed to introduce students to the relevant concepts, principles, and methods underlying the construction and interpretation of tests or measures. It provides in-depth coverage of test reliability and validity, topics in test theory, and statistical procedures applicable to psychometric methods. Such understanding is essential for rigorous practice in measurement as well as for proper interpretation of research. The course is highly recommended for students who plan to pursue careers in academic research or applied practice involving the use or development of tests or measures in the social and behavioral sciences.

Instructor(s): Yanyan Sheng     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Course work or background experience in statistics through inferential statistics and linear regression.
Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 26008, SOSC 26008, SOSC 36008, PSYC 36008, PSYC 28962

CHDV 36036. Survey Research Methods in Psychology. 100 Units.

How do we distil complex constructs of human behavior like personality and resilience into brief survey measures? How do the questions we ask shape the responses we receive? Drawing on examples from psychology and health research, this course will examine the nuanced process of developing and validating high-quality survey measures. Specific attention will be paid to validity, question order effects and wording, cross-cultural considerations, sampling methods, and psychological and social phenomena that may influence participant responses. We will discuss common issues in psychology survey design and data collection, as well as strategies to mitigate bias, error, and missing data. Through practical workshops using electronic data capture tools, students will also gain hands-on experience building surveys and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting their own data.

Instructor(s): Ceniti, Amanda     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): MAPS 36036, PSYC 36036

CHDV 36069. Scientific Childhood. 100 Units.

The first half of the twentieth century was a period of intensified focus and progressive thinking regarding the rights, development, and well-being of children as interests of utmost importance to all society. This focus was marked, inter alia, by concerted efforts to apply the methods of modern science to the investigation of childhood, efforts that in turn forever changed the way we understand, raise, and educate children. This seminar will revisit the lives of children who had served as subjects of observation and experiment from the 1880s to the 1950s, and whose childhood experiences (their emotions, thoughts, and games; their family lives and institutional realities) had shaped the central dogmas of developmental psychology, as well as our ideas about normality. The course takes a biographical approach to the history of science, but rather than focus on the careers of scientists and doctors, delves into the stories of their objects of study, from the Bostonian first graders who answered G. Stanley Hall's pioneering survey to the 44 "juvenile thieves" who had informed John Bowlby's influential attachment theory.

Instructor(s): Tal Arbel     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): CHSS 36069, HLTH 26069, EDSO 36069, KNOW 36069

CHDV 36078. Normal People. 100 Units.

Worrying about what's normal and what's not is an endemic feature of both our popular and scientific cultures. Is my intelligence above average? What about my height? Should I be feeling this way? Is there a pill for that? People seem to have always been concerned with fitting in, but the way of describing the general run of practices and conditions as "normal" is a rather recent phenomenon; testament to the vast influence of the modern human sciences on how we understand ourselves and others. This seminar will offer a broad historical overview of the ways that group behaviors and individual traits - bodily, moral, intellectual - were methodically described and measured in the past 200 years. We will become acquainted with the work of sociologists and anthropologists, psychiatrists and psychologists, polling experts and child development specialists, and ask about the kinds of people their efforts brought into being, from sexual perverts to the chronically depressed. The course will focus on the scientific theories and techniques used to distinguish the normal from the pathological, together with the new social institutions that translated this knowledge into forms of control. We will read Émile Durkheim on suicide rates and Cesare Lombroso on born criminals; learn about IQ tests and developmental milestones; and consider whether, with the advent of personalized medicine and self-data, we have indeed reached the "end of average."

Instructor(s): Tal Arbel     Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): HIPS 26078, HLTH 26078, SOCI 40255, KNOW 36078, IRHU 20009, IRHU 36078, HIST 25213, HIST 35213, CHSS 36078

CHDV 36405. More than Mood: Biopsychosocial Approaches to Depression. 100 Units.

Depression is a common mental health condition that is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Using a biopsychosocial lens, this course will discuss the etiology, presentation, and treatment of this condition with a focus on clinical research principles and experimental design. Students will become familiar with relevant neurotransmitter systems and brain structure/function; psychological and cognitive correlates; and social and cultural contributors. We will discuss the substantial heterogeneity of depression, as well as recent efforts in precision psychiatry to identify more homogenous subtypes using 'big data'. Finally, students will become familiar with current and emerging treatment strategies, including pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, neurostimulation, and social interventions. By using depression as a case study, students will deepen their ability to critically read and evaluate scientific articles, craft novel research questions, and apply a biopsychosocial lens to other constructs.

Instructor(s): Ceniti, Amanda     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): MAPS 36405, PSYC 36405

CHDV 36455. Relationships and Health: The Need to Belong. 100 Units.

This seminar will explore the theory that the need to belong is a fundamental human motivation. In our discussions of relevant psychology journal articles, we will examine the connections between relationships and health, how the need to belong is related to empathy, reactions to rejection, and substitutes for belonging.

Instructor(s): Hamilton, Hannah     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter
Note(s): Undergraduate Consent Required
Equivalent Course(s): MAPS 36455, PSYC 36455, MAPS 26455

CHDV 36655. Advanced Topics in Epigenetics of the Brain. 100 Units.

Once considered a domain of cancer, we now recognize that epigenetic processes affect neurodevelopment, cognitive processes, mental disorders, and behavior. Epigenetic mechanisms are those that alter the function of the genome without altering the base sequence of genomic DNA (the As, Cs, Ts, and Gs we are familiar with), thus can be flexibly modified in response to the environment. In this seminar, we will explore a variety of epigenetic modifications, consider how they encode personal and transgenerational experiences, and examine how they direct brain function and behavior. Behavior can be understood on multiple levels and timescales; we will employ knowledge from the emerging field of epigenetics to shed more light into the black box of behavior.

Instructor(s): S. London     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Only fourth-year college students with permission
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 36655

CHDV 37201. Language In Culture I. 100 Units.

The first quarter of the two-quarter Language in Culture sequence introduces a number of analytic concepts developed out of the study of "language" and its limits. We begin with the study of "interaction order" in its multifunctional complexity, teasing out its constitution through the real-time unfolding of indexical (pragmatic) and reflexive (metapragmatic) signs/functions as coherent "text." We use this attention to the dialectics of indexicality and its various implications to investigate various problematics in the philosophy of language (reference, performativity), linguistics (poetics, grammatical sense, variation, register), and sociocultural anthropology (racialization, relativity, subjectivity/identity, temporality, institutionality).

Instructor(s): Constantine Nakassis
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor for Undergrads
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: 5*
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 47001, ANTH 37201, LING 31100

CHDV 37250. Psychological Anthropology. 100 Units.

This course traces the development of the field of psychological anthropology and critically reviews the various paradigms adopted by psychological anthropologists. In our discussions, we will draw examples from different cultural contexts to critically examine the relationship between culture and psychological functioning. By the end of the quarter, you will develop an insightful understanding of the cultural sources of the self, mind, behavior, and mental health as well as a substantial knowledge of the field of psychological anthropology.

Instructor(s): S. Numanbayraktaroglu     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Grad distribution: 4*; Undergrad Distribution: 3, 4
Equivalent Course(s): HLTH 27250, HIPS 27250, ANTH 24321, CHDV 27250

CHDV 37501. Sexual Selection. 100 Units.

A discussion and critical analysis of sexual selection. The course will consist of lectures, reading and discussion.

Instructor(s): S. Pruett-Jones     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Common Core Biology, BIOS 248, or consent of instructor.
Equivalent Course(s): ECEV 37500, EVOL 37500

CHDV 37861. Darwinism and Literature. 100 Units.

In this course we will explore the notion that literary fiction can contribute to the generation of new knowledge of the human mind, human behavior, and human societies. Some novelists in the late 19th and early 20th century provided fictional portrayals of human nature that were grounded into Darwinian theory. These novelists operated within the conceptual framework of the complementarity of science and literature advanced by Goethe and the other romantics. At a time when novels became highly introspective and psychological, these writers used their literary craftsmanship to explore and illustrate universals aspects of human nature. In this course we read the work of several novelists such as George Eliot, HG Wells, Joseph Conrad, Jack London, Yuvgeny Zamyatin, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Italo Svevo, and Elias Canetti, and discuss how these authors anticipated the discoveries made decades later by cognitive, social, and evolutionary psychology.

Instructor(s): D. Maestripieri     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Distribution requirements: Undergraduate: A; Graduate: 1
Equivalent Course(s): HIST 34921, CHDV 27861, KNOW 31418, CHSS 34921, HIST 24921, HIPS 24921, KNOW 21418

CHDV 37950. Evolution and Economics of Human Behavior. 100 Units.

This course explores how evolutionary biology and behavioral economics explain many different aspects of human behavior. Specific topics include evolutionary theory, natural and sexual selection, game theory, cost-benefit analyses of behavior from an evolutionary and a behavioral economics perspective, aggression, power and dominance, cooperation and competition, biological markets, parental investment, life history and risk-taking, love and mating, physical attractiveness and the market, emotion and motivation, sex and consumer behavior, cognitive biases in decision-making, and personality and psychopathology.

Instructor(s): D. Maestripieri     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: Undergraduate subject area: A, Graduate distribution: 1
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 27950, PSYC 37950, ECON 14810, CHDV 27950

CHDV 38301. Disability and Design. 100 Units.

Disability is often an afterthought, an unexpected tragedy to be mitigated, accommodated, or overcome. In cultural, political, and educational spheres, disabilities are non-normative, marginal, even invisible. This runs counter to many of our lived experiences of difference where, in fact, disabilities of all kinds are the "new normal." In this interdisciplinary course, we center both the category and experience of disability. Moreover, we consider the stakes of explicitly designing for different kinds of bodies and minds. Rather than approaching disability as a problem to be accommodated, we consider the affordances that disability offers for design. This course begins by situating us in the growing discipline of Disability Studies and the activist (and intersectional) Disability Justice movement. We then move to four two-week units in specific areas where disability meets design: architecture, infrastructure, and public space; education and the classroom; economics, employment, and public policy; and aesthetics. Traversing from architecture to art, and from education to economic policy, this course asks how we can design for access.

Instructor(s): M. Friedner, J. Iverson     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth-year standing
Equivalent Course(s): MADD 28300, CHDV 28301, HLTH 28301, BPRO 28300, MUSI 25719, MUSI 35719

CHDV 38950. The Development of Communicative Competence. 100 Units.

This course examines the emergence of communicative skills in humans. We will focus on how children glean information about language structure and language use from their home environments. We will also discuss the proposed cognitive and evolutionary roots of communicative behaviors, with a focus on current gaps in our knowledge and possible pathways forward. The course will consider these issues from multiple perspectives including linguistics, psychology, and linguistic anthropology. We will also briefly cover a range of methods associated with these different areas of study. It is expected that, by the end of the course, you should be able to think and write critically about how human communication and human language are intertwined in both adults and children.

Instructor(s): M. Casillas     Terms Offered: Spring
Note(s): Subject area: UG: B, C; Grad: 2
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 38960, LING 38951, EDSO 38950

CHDV 39900. Readings: Comparative Human Development. 100 Units.

Independent reading and research course with faculty.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Summer Winter
Prerequisite(s): Instructor consent required.

CHDV 40000. Human Development Concepts. 100 Units.

Human Development Concepts provides students with a basic introduction to the social science concepts and disciplines that inform the study of comparative human development. The aim is to equip all students, regardless of previous background or future focus with a common background. The course emphasizes close reading, analysis, and discussion of texts representative of major figures, theories and approaches. The course involves reading foundational texts for each of four key disciplines - anthropology, sociology, psychology, and biology. These foundational texts are often paired with more contemporary or historicizing perspectives, encouraging us to read in a critical and contextualizing manner. This course is required for first year graduate students in Comparative Human Development and open to other M.A. and PhD students in the social sciences and related disciplines.

Instructor(s): E. Raikhel     Terms Offered: Autumn
Note(s): Required Course for Comparative Human Development 1st year Graduate Students; open to M.A. and other PhD students in Social Sciences

CHDV 40001. Introduction to Department of Comparative Human Development. 100.00 Units.

The course is mandatory for First and Second year doctoral students in the Department of Comparative Human Development, and it is strongly recommended for more advanced doctoral students in CHD. This course will meet once a month for the entire academic year. One faculty member per month will be responsible for facilitating/discussing their own research and approach to CHD concepts. Grading for the course is dependent on attendance and the active participation of the student. Students are required to register for the course in Autumn, Winter and Spring quarters of first year and grading and credit will be given in the Spring quarter only.

Instructor(s): G. Hong     Terms Offered: Autumn Spring Winter
Prerequisite(s): First and Second year graduate student standing in the Department of Comparative Human Development

CHDV 40112. Sem: Health and Society. 100 Units.

A long and healthy life is a widely sought after human goal. But not everyone has equal chances of achieving this goal. This course focuses on the role played by society in differential access to physical, psychological, cognitive health and well-being. We will discuss the role of parental characteristics and childhood circumstances in later-life health, differences in health and well-being for men and women, for racial and ethnic groups, by characteristics of our neighborhoods and communities, and by regions or countries. Each class meeting we will read and discuss three or four journal articles or sections of a book, with class participants presenting each reading, summarizing it, and then critiquing it. The class will then discuss. We will add to and subtract from the readings to match the interests of participants on each topic; the syllabus will list readings as a starting point for this process.

Instructor(s): L. Waite     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Some Social Science background
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 50112, GNSE 50112

CHDV 40404. Computation and the Identification of Cultural Patterns. 100 Units.

Culture is increasingly becoming digital, making it more and more necessary for those in both academia and industry to use computational strategies to effectively identify, understand, and (in the case of industry) capitalize on emerging cultural patterns. In this course, students will explore interdisciplinary approaches for defining and mobilizing the concept of "culture" in their computational analyses, drawing on relevant literature from the fields of Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology. Additionally, they will receive hands-on experience applying computational approaches to identify and analyze a wide range of cultural patterns using the Python programming language. For instance, students will learn to identify emerging social movements using social media data, predict the next fashion trends, and even decipher ancient symbols using archaeological databases.

Instructor(s): Clindaniel, Jon     Terms Offered: Autumn Winter
Prerequisite(s): No previous coding experience required. A Python boot camp will be held at the beginning of the quarter to teach the coding skills necessary to succeed in the course. Open to Advanced Undergraduates with Instructor Permission.
Equivalent Course(s): MACS 40400, PSYC 40460, MACS 20400, MAPS 40401

CHDV 41601. Seminar in Language Development. 100 Units.

Undergraduates should register for PSYC 23200. Psychology and Linguistics doctoral students should register for PSYC 43200. 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).

Instructor(s): S. Goldin-Meadow     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 43200

CHDV 42350. Development Over Life Course. 100 Units.

This course explores the biological and social patterning of lives from infancy through old age. Readings will include class and contemporary theory and research related to varied stages of the life course. Discussion will focus on paradigmatic themes in life course development such as: the social situation of lives in time and place, the interconnectedness of lives and generations, the nature of developmental transitions, the timing of life experiences, and the continuity of lives through time. Examples will be drawn from populations of traditional concern within social welfare policy and social work practice.

Equivalent Course(s): SSAD 50400

CHDV 42401-42402. Trial Research in Human Development - I-II.

This course is taken in the Spring quarter of the first year, and again in the Autumn quarter of the second year. The purpose of this seminar is to help students formulate and complete their trial research projects.

CHDV 42550. Theory, Method & Evidence: Finding Persons in the Social. 100 Units.

This course introduces students to the process of examining relationships among theory, evidence, and method in contemporary social science with a particular focus on writings from sociology, social psychology, and developmental psychology. To situate our focus on theory, evidence, and method we will also draw upon history of science and philosophy of science so we can better understand how we produce knowledge via research on people. The construction of person has taken place over the last century, which is a central idea to psychology, sociology and all social sciences. We will examine what social/psychological theory aims to be, what counts as such a theory; relationships between quantitative and qualitative methods; how we produce knowledge via surveys, interviews, ethnographies, and experiments; and how we make evidence (e.g., functional magnetic resonance imaging is evidence of what?). The aim of the course is to better situate students to the range of relevant understandings of social theory, social methods, and social evidence. Doing so puts students in the position to consider evidence from a multitude of perspectives leading to clearer formulations and examinations of the social world (e.g., guides on writing research proposals). Further, students will then consider what the examined relationships mean for social science in an age of changing politics of knowledge, including considerations of the replication crisis in the social sciences, particularly psychology.

Instructor(s): Gugwor, Resney     Terms Offered: Spring Winter
Equivalent Course(s): CHDV 22550, MAPS 41501, SOCI 30333, PSYC 39019

CHDV 43600. Processes of Judgement and Decision Making. 100 Units.

This course offers a survey of research on judgment and decision making, with emphasis placed on uncertainty and (intrapersonal) conflict. An historical approach is taken in which the roots of current research issues and practices are traced. Topics are drawn from the following areas: evaluation and choice when goals are in conflict and must be traded off, decision making when consequences of the decision are uncertain, predictive and evaluative judgments under conditions of uncertain, incomplete, conflicting, or otherwise fallible information.

Instructor(s): W. Goldstein     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 43600

CHDV 43680. Topics in Language and Gesture. 100 Units.

The course will focus on a range of topics in language (discourse, narrative, turn-taking, conversational repair, etc.) and how they interact with co-speech and other nonverbal cues.

Instructor(s): S. Goldin-Meadow     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 43680

CHDV 43690. Topics in Action, Representation, and Gesture. 100 Units.

The course will focus on how movement of the body (including gesture) affects learning, information processing, and representation.

Instructor(s): S. Goldin-Meadow     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 43690

CHDV 43760. Sensitive Periods: How the Timing of Experience Alters Its Effect. 100 Units.

Sensitive periods are defined as phases in life when experience has the most effect on a particular brain system. Typically occurring during development, experience during sensitive periods has long-term implications for sensory processing, affective development, cognitive processes, and production of complex learned behavior such as language. We will combine an investigation of biological underpinnings with behavioral consequences of sensitive periods and ask questions such as: How are sensitive periods defined during development? Are sensitive periods for a variety of behaviors different or the same? How does experience intersect with the brain to encode and modify a sensitive period? Can we re-open sensitive periods after their normal end - and do we want to?

Instructor(s): S. London     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 43760, NURB 33760

CHDV 44599. Historical and Contemporary Issues in U.S. Racial Health Inequality. 100 Units.

This course explores persistent health inequality in the U.S. from the 1900s to the present day. The focus will be on racial gaps in urban health inequality with some discussion of rural communities. Readings will largely cover the research on Black and White gaps in health inequality, with the understanding that most of the issues discussed extend to health inequalities across many racial and ethnic groups. Readings cover the broad range of social determinants of health (socioeconomic status, education, access to health care, homelessness) and how these social determinants are rooted in longstanding legacies of American inequality. A major component of class assignments will be identifying emerging research and innovative policies and programs that point to promising pathways to eliminating health disparities.

Instructor(s): M. Keels     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Only students with 2nd year standing or above.
Note(s): Fulfills grad requirement: 2,4 and undergrad major requirement B.
Equivalent Course(s): CHST 24599, HLTH 24599, AMER 24599, CHDV 24599, RDIN 24599, PBPL 24599

CHDV 44700. Seminar: Topics in Judgment and Decision Making. 100 Units.

This course offers a survey of research on judgment and decision making, with emphasis placed on uncertainty and (intrapersonal) conflict. An historical approach is taken in which the roots of current research issues and practices are traced. Topics are drawn from the following areas: evaluation and choice when goals are in conflict and must be traded off, decision making when consequences of the decision are uncertain, predictive and evaluative judgments under conditions of uncertain, incomplete, conflicting, or otherwise fallible information.

Instructor(s): W. Goldstein     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 44700

CHDV 45601. Moral Psychology and the Anthropology of Morality. 100 Units.

Three types of questions about morality can be distinguished: (1) philosophical, (2) psychological, and (3) epidemiological. The philosophical question asks, whether and in what sense (if any) "goodness" or "rightness" are real or objective properties that particular actions possess in varying degrees. The psychological question asks, what are the mental states and processes associated with the human classification of actions are moral or immoral, ethical or unethical. The epidemiological question asks, what is the actual distribution of moral judgments across time (developmental time and historical time) and across space (for example, across cultures). In this seminar we will read classic and contemporary philosophical, psychological, and anthropological texts that address those questions.

Instructor(s): R. Shweder     Terms Offered: Autumn
Prerequisite(s): Advanced undergraduates may enroll with permission of instructor
Note(s): CHDV Distribution: B, C; 3
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 44000

CHDV 45699. When Cultures Collide: The Multicultural Challenge in Liberal Democracies. 100 Units.

Coming to terms with diversity in an increasingly multicultural world has become one of the most pressing public policy projects for liberal democracies in the early 21st century. One way to come to terms with diversity is to try to understand the scope and limits of toleration for variety at different national sites where immigration from foreign lands has complicated the cultural landscape. This seminar examines a series of legal and moral questions about the proper response to norm conflict between mainstream populations and cultural minority groups (including old and new immigrants), with special reference to court cases that have arisen in the recent history of the United States.

Instructor(s): R. Shweder     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Undergraduates students: 4th year standing and instructor consent only
Note(s): Subject area: Grad: 2, 3
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 45300, KNOW 45699, ANTH 45600, HMRT 35600, GNSE 45600

CHDV 47015. Scientific and Humanistic Contributions to Knowledge Formation. 100 Units.

In this course, we will explore whether the sciences and the humanities can make complementary contributions to the formation of knowledge, thus leading to the integration and unification of human knowledge. In the first part of the course we will take a historical approach to the issue; we will discuss how art and science were considered complementary for much of the 18th and 19th century (for example, in the views and work of Wolfgang Goethe), how they became separate ('the two cultures') in the middle of the 20th century with the compartmentalization of academic disciplines, and how some attempts have recently been made at a reunification under the concept of 'consilience'. In the second part of the course, we will focus on conceptual issues such as the cognitive value of literature, the role of ideas in knowledge formation in science and literature, the role of creativity in scientific and literary production, and how scientific and philosophical ideas have been incorporated into literary fiction in the genre known as 'the novel of ideas'. As an example of the latter, we will read the novel 'One, No One, and 100,000' (1926) by Luigi Pirandello and discuss how this author elaborated and articulated a view of the human persona (including issues of identity and personality) from French philosophers and psychologists such as Henri Bergson and Alfred Binet.

Instructor(s): D. Maestripieri     Terms Offered: Winter
Note(s): Part of Study Abroad program in Paris. Satisfies CHD graduate distribution (1)
Equivalent Course(s): KNOW 28015, HIPS 27515, KNOW 47015, CHSS 47015, SCTH 47015, CHDV 27015

CHDV 47300. Doing Multimodal Discourse Analysis, from Interaction to Media Textuality. 100 Units.

Linguistic Anthropology Practicum / Projects in the Linguistics Laboratory

Instructor(s): Constantine Nakassis
Equivalent Course(s): LING 57300, ANTH 57300

CHDV 48700. Adolescent Development in Context. 100 Units.

This course focuses on developmental pathways from middle childhood through adolescence within the context of school, family, community, and culture. Because human development is an applied field, we will be paying special attention to how sociocultural and historical influences affect academic, socioemotional, and identity development in the context of real-world challenges and opportunities faced by adolescents. In addition to learning about developmental and sociocultural theories, students will apply research to policy and practice by creating resources geared toward youth, parents, or those who work with youth. By the end of this course sequence, students should be able to: 1. Describe and apply key theories of middle childhood and adolescent development; 2. Identify developmental opportunities and challenges during middle childhood and adolescence; 3. Discuss the role of identity development in constructing or authoring one's life story; 4. Reframe adolescent risk-taking as a form of creativity and individual expression; 5. Understand how relationships can influence positive youth development; and 6. Translate theory and research into developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive resources for youth, families, and those who work with youth.

Terms Offered: TBD
Equivalent Course(s): EDSO 28700, SSAD 68700, PSYC 38780, EDSO 68700

CHDV 50132. Sem:Causal Inference in Studies of Educational Interventions. 100 Units.

This course will engage students in evaluating the validity of causal claims made in important educational studies conducted within multiple disciplines. A focus will be on what can be learned about the school as an organization and the work of teaching by evaluating attempts to improve education. Fellows will re-analyze data from such studies, write reports that critically evaluate published study findings, and consider implications for research on educational improvement. This course is required of second year Fellows in the Education Sciences. Otherwise, admission to the seminar requires permission of the instructor. Introductory coursework in applied statistics is a prerequisite; prior study of causal inference is recommended.

Instructor(s): S. Raudenbush, G. Hong     Terms Offered: Spring
Equivalent Course(s): SOCI 50132, EDSO 50132