PSY 466 - PSYCHOLOGY OF AGING

Spring 2014

Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art
Eleanor Roosevelt

Instructor: Dr. Mary Russell-Miller Office: EP 228
e-mail: russell@sou.edu Telephone: 552.6990
Office Hours: Mondays 1 4 pm
Tuesdays 1 3 pm
Please make an appointment

Required Text/Reading:
Foos, P.W. & Clark, M.C. (2008) Human aging (2
nd
ed.). New York: Pearson Education, Inc.

Kidder, T. (1993). Old friends. New York, NY: Houghton/Mifflin.

Other readings may be required during the course but will be supplied either in class or via our course
Moodle site.

Overall Course Goals:
To acquire an appreciation of aging as a part of your life process and as an important part of your
development.
To provide the basis for understanding the aging process and subsequent psychological impact
through current research and theoretical considerations.
To assist you in attaining some of the skills necessary in providing support to elders faced with life
changes.

Moodle:
Once you have your Moodle user name and password, you may access the materials for this course at
http://moodle.sou.edu. For more detailed instructions on logging in and using Moodle, please see the
Moodle Student User Guide available at http://moodle.sou.edu.

All students are expected to access the course Moodle site weekly. Important course announcements will
be posted from time to time. All course materials can be accessed through this site, as well. You will also
be able to track your grade with the on-line grade book. Important note: Lecture notes posted on Moodle
are outlines only.

Course Organization:
Each class period is designed to enhance your learning and understanding of the Psychology of Aging.
My method emphasizes an experiential approach, accomplished through class discussion, demonstrations,
films, and an interview with an elder.

Course Requirements:
Exams: There will be TWO examinations. Each will be based on text, class lecture, and discussion.

Attendance: Your attendance and participation are essential to your success in this course. Attendance
will be taken. Excellent participation can result in a higher grade. Attending means coming on time and
staying for the entire class.


Student Responsibilities:
Knowing that students often need to juggle school, work, family, and other obligations, you need to know
that I do not second-guess your priorities, and I do not think less of any student who chooses to devote
more time and effort to one of these other obligations rather than to an assignment or the course as a
whole. I respect the maturity of students who establish their priorities, make difficult choices, and accept
the consequences of those decisions. Do note that your grade is based solely on my professional
assessment of the quantity and quality of your work, not on your effort, situation, or on my opinion of you
as an individual.

Computer Use: Unless you have a documented disability or are a verified note-taker for a disabled
student, computer use during class time is not allowed. It is also expected that your cell phone will be
either turned off or put on silent.

Academic Standards:
All students are required to abide by the following academic standards:
Academic dishonesty as defined by cheating, plagiarism, or otherwise obtaining grades under false
pretenses.
Plagiarism is defined as knowingly submitting the language, ideas, thoughts, or work of another
author as ones original work, or allowing ones work to be used in this fashion.
I am obligated to report any violations of the honor code to the appropriate administrative office for
action. Any student who is uncertain about how his/her behavior might relate to the academic honor code
should consult me at once. Ignorance is not a legitimate excuse for honor code violations. If after review,
a student is found in violation of the honor code, he or she will receive the grade of F for the course, no
exceptions. Visit http://www.sou.edu/studentrights/discipline.shtml for detailed information.
For important information on what plagiarism is see:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html


Assignments:
All assignments will be typed, double-spaced (only double-spaced, no triple, quadruple between
paragraphs), 1 margins on all sides, left-side alignment only. Follow APA guidelines for paper
mechanics. Assignments are due on the date indicated on the syllabus. Late submissions will receive a
20% reduction in score for each day late. IMPORTANT NOTE: Late Finals will NOT be accepted.
Late I nterview Papers will NOT be accepted.


Old Friends Paper: Write a three to five page character study based on your reading of Old
Friends. After reading the book, go back and select a character that stands out to you. Then address
the following:

Main body of paper:
What is the individuals particular history? Briefly.
What life-process led him/her to Linda Manor?
How would you define his/her personality? Why is she/he a survivor?
What is it about your character that makes him/her stand out to you? Why?
How would you feel in the same situation?

Conclusion:
What was your experience reading? How does the topic of old people living in institutional care
strike you? Is this a comfortable topic for you? If so why? If not, why?

Interview with an Elder

The objectives of conducting an interview with an elder are:
Ability to identify aging as a process rather than something that happens all at once.
Ability to apply theoretical considerations to information gathered from an individual
Ability to identify overall functional levels of the elderly

Your interview requires that you become familiar with an individual aged 70 +.
See Interview Guide for specifics.

Interview Paper Criteria:
You will, in addition to your interview, also be required to prepare a paper based on your interview. Once
you have collected your data (the interview) you will then prepare a paper that addresses your
interviewees aging process.

Paper should be 5 to 7 pages, including interview selected quotes only.NOT entire interview
All papers are due June 04, 2014.
References: The relevant portions of your textbook will be the logical place for you to begin your
research. Along with your textbook you will also be required to cite scientific research. All papers
will be expected to have a minimum of 2 outside (other than your text) academic/peer-reviewed
references (preferably primary sources).
Technical Requirements: Follow the American Psychological Association Publication Manual
guidelines. Pay close attention to grammar, spelling, syntax, and sentence construction.
Paper Content: Report your interview/research as accurately as you can. Save your personal
insights for the discussion. Your writing needs to be well organized, logical, and sequential.
Focus on important points and be selective in choosing facts, ideas, and examples that are most
significant to your interview topic. Try to keep your paper interesting and creative.
See Interview Guidelines for more specifics.

Chapter Projects:
Selected chapters have been chosen for projects. The emphasis is on addressing a question that has
been raised in the chapter. You will submit each project on the date it is due. See course schedule for
projects and due dates.


Old age is like everything else. To make a success of it, youve got to start young.
Fred Astaire


Course Grading:
Exams (100 points each) 200
Interview Paper (75 paper- 25 presentation) 100
Old Friends Paper 50
Chapter Projects (4) 40
Total Points 390

Letter grades will be based on the following percentages:
A = 93-100 B = 83-86 C = 73-76 D = 63-66
A-= 90-92 B-= 80-82 C-= 70-72 D-= 60-62
B+= 87-89 C+= 77-79 D+= 67-69 F = 59 & below

Tentative Course Schedule:

DATE TOPIC & READINGS WHATS DUE

4/02
Course Introduction -
An Introduction to Human Aging
Research Methods and Issues

Chapters 1 & 2
4/09 Physical Aspects of Aging: Changes in Our Bodies
Theories of Senescence and Aging

Chapters 3 & 4
Project 3, p. 59 due
4/16 Health and Longevity

Chapter 5
Project 5, p. 95 due
4/23 No Class WPA Conference


4/30 Sensation, Perception and Slowing with Age
Memory and Cognition
Intelligence, Wisdom and Creativity

Chapters 6, 7 & 8

5/07 Personality
Relationships
Work & Retirement

Chapters 9, 10 & 11
Midterm Due Chapters 1 8
Project 10, p. 208-209 due
5/14 Psychopathology Chapter 12

5/21 Healthy/Helpful Environments: Places and People

Chapter 13
Old Friends Paper Due
Project 13, p. 335 due

5/28 Death and Bereavement
Looking to the Future

Chapters 14 & 15
6/04 Interviews/ Presentations

I nterview Papers Due 3:30 pm

6/09


6/11
Monday - Finals Week


Wednesday Final Class Time 3:30 5:30
Chapters 9 15
Final Due by noon

Graduate Presentations


to grow older and stay comfortable in the company of ghosts and not venture out of the cemetery can
turn into a portable coffin of fear
Sharon Garcia







Wisdom does not always come with age,
Sometimes age comes alone.












Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with student rights and responsibilities as described
on SOU Student Rights web page: Available at, http://WWW.SOU.EDU/studentrights/

It is the policy of Southern Oregon University that discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, or disability shall be prohibited. Neither will the
University tolerate sexual misconduct or sexual harassment by students, faculty, or staff. If you feel the
University policies regarding affirmative action or sexual misconduct have been violated, you are
encouraged to contact the Dean of Student Affairs Office, 552.6221.

If you are in need of academic support because of a documented disability (whether it be psychiatric,
learning, mobility, health-related, or sensory) you may be eligible for academic accommodations through
Disability Resources for students. At 552.6213, or schedule an appointment in person, Stevenson Union,
lower level.