YFE 597B Applied Youth Development (3): Background and current  issues related to community youth development programs; features of
  programs that contribute to youth well-being; exercises and case studies to assess the quality of community programs for youth.

Overview

This course will stress the application of current knowledge about youth development in community settings. We will examine a variety of youth development topics including the history and current status of youth work as a profession, principles for promoting youth development, the various terminologies and frameworks used, and how adolescent development should be considered in designing programs. We also will discuss the often competing program approaches of positive youth development and prevention science as well as examine the evidence of each approach's beneficial effects on youth well-being. The course will particularly focus on the application of knowledge about the personal and social assets and the features of youth settings shown to promote positive development, and characteristics of successful youth practitioners for designing, implementing, and evaluating community programs for youth.

YFE 597 is broken down into lessons, which are all located within our password-protected course Web site. This course is a synchronous course meaning that you are part of a “cohort” or learning community. There are regular due dates for assignments, and a fixed start and end date. There are interactive sessions where you communicate with others in the class. This course lasts 16 weeks.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course you will:

• Understand the background, current status, and issues related to community youth development programs designed to promote youth well-being
• Be able to explain why it's important for youth professionals to understand the scientific evidence supporting programs and practices for youth development
• Be able to assess the quality of community youth programs based on the features of youth settings that promote positive development and the characteristics of successful youth practitioners

Required Course Materials

Eccles, J., & Gootman, J. A. (Eds.) (2002). Community programs to promote youth development. National Research Council and Institute of Medicine , Board on Children, Youth, and Families, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC : National Academy Press. ISBN: 0309072751.

In addition to being available at the Penn State Bookstore on the Penn State campus, the text is available in other formats and from other vendors:

Read on-line: No charge (no option to print, must read online) $0.00

http://newton.nap.edu/catalog/10022.html#toc

Purchase PDF files to download to your computer:

PDF Download (10.7 MB) –entire book $38.50

PDF Chapters $ 3.50 each

http://newton.nap.edu/catalog/10022.html#toc

Purchase Hard copy book:

Save 10% Ordering on-line

http://newton.nap.edu/catalog/10022.html#toc $44.96

*Note to County Extension Educators: This book should be available in your office in the 4-H Afterschool Toolkit distributed at the 2005 4-H Afterschool Conference.

Using the Library

You must have an active Penn State Access Account and be registered with the University Libraries in order to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and services. Registration and services are free.

Technical Requirements

• Recommended Browsers and Computers
• Test Your Computer to see if it is set up correctly
• Printing Tips

Course Requirements

Course Schedule

• Course begins January 16, 2007
• Course ends May 4, 2007
• Course length: 16 weeks
  

Note: Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. However, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year from the day the course began.

Grading

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.

Course Policies

• Deferred Grades
  If you are prevented from completing this course within the prescribed amount of time, it is possible to have the grade for that course deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. To seek a deferred grade, you must submit a request in writing (by e-mail or surface mail) to the instructor describing the reason(s) for the request. It is up to your instructor to determine whether or not you will be permitted to receive a deferred grade. If for any reason the course work for the deferred grade is not complete by the assigned time, a grade of "F" will be automatically entered on your transcript.
  
• Academic Integrity
  Penn State defines academic integrity as "the pursuit of scholarly project in an open, honest and responsible manner." Academic integrity includes "a commitment not to engage in or tolerate acts of falsification, misrepresentation, or deception." In particular, the University defines plagiarism as "the fabrication of information and citations; submitting other's work from professional journals, books, articles, and papers; submission of other student's papers, lab results or project reports and representing the work as one's own." Penalties for violations of academic integrity may include course failure and disqualification from the certificate program.

  In addition, you will find Penn State 's " A Statement on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty " (http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/cyberplag/cyberplagstudent.html) to be a valuable resource. That site includes helpful "Examples to Avoid."

• Accommodating Disabilities
  Penn State encourages academically qualified students with disabilities to participate in its educational programs. We are committed to equal opportunity in our admission policies and procedures and are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified students.

  Penn State Continuing Education students seeking special services or academic accommodations from the University must self-disclose their need for these services or accommodations by contacting Penn State 's Office for Disability Services (ODS).

• Netiquette
The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as e-mail and bulletin board postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions, but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages.


• Use of Trade Names - Where trade names are used, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the World Campus, Outreach and Cooperative Extension, the College of Agricultural Sciences, or The Pennsylvania State University is implied.

Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.