HDFS - Human Dev and Family Studies
Courses
HDFS 101 Opportunities, Careers in HDFS credit: 1 Hour.
Opportunities and Careers in HDFS explores the opportunities in the department of Human Development and Family Studies. The course also teaches students about careers related to the major.
HDFS 102 Academic Strategies credit: 2 Hours.
Stress, frustration, and difficulty surrounding academic work? Students will learn executive function strategies that can be applied directly to assignments for their current classes. These strategies will promote student success this semester and in their future academic and professional career. Discussion time will be used to complete course assignments, build social networks, and provide a quiet study space with structured accountability. This course is for students who have or suspect they have a neurodiverse brain. Credit is not given for both HDFS 199 Academic Strategies and HDFS 102. For spring course offering, open to any student. Instructor approval needed. Contact Dr. Jeanne Kramer (jjkramer@illinois.edu) for approval to register. Prerequisite: For fall course offering, restricted to students enrolled in the Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative (INI) Program.
HDFS 105 Intro to Human Development credit: 3 Hours.
Systematic overview of the psychological, biological, familial, and cultural factors related to human growth and development across the life span.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Beh Sci
HDFS 108 Grief and Loss Across the Lifespan credit: 3 Hours.
Educates students on the impact of grief and loss from the perspective of human development. Begins by exploring different types of grief and loss and the importance of studying this topic, especially for those students seeking professions in healthcare and social service settings. Utilizes developmental theories as we look across the lifespan at how individuals’ approach and understand death, the coping strategies utilized to confront grief/loss and ways to support individuals experiencing the plethora of feelings that accompany grief/loss.
HDFS 120 Intro to Family Studies credit: 3 Hours.
Overview of current concepts, theories, and substantive issues in family studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Gives attention to variation in family form and function across different social/cultural contexts and how family experience is structured by gender. Examines issues of family development (marriage, parenting, divorce, remarriage, aging family) and explores the links between families and other social institutions.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority
HDFS 140 Intro Gender & Women's Studies credit: 3 Hours.
Same as GWS 100 and SOC 130. See GWS 100.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
HDFS 143 Biology of Human Behavior credit: 3 Hours.
Same as ANTH 143. See ANTH 143.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Nat Sci & Tech - Life Sciences
HDFS 199 Undergraduate Open Seminar credit: 1 to 5 Hours.
Experimental course on a special topic in human development and family studies. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours in the same or subsequent terms, if topics vary. Credit is not given for more than a total of 12 hours of Independent Study (IND) courses applying to a degree in ACES.
HDFS 202 Pre-Employment Seminar credit: 2 Hours.
Neurodivergent students will gain an overview of employment preparation in this course. Students will create a resume and elevator pitch, learn corporate etiquette, practice interview skills, attend career fairs, and gain exposure and confidence in their job seeking skills. Corporate guest speakers will share various topics about hiring and supporting neurodivergent talent for internships and permanent positions. Credit is not given for HDFS 199 Pre-Employment and HDFS 202. Online course offering requires instructor approval. Prerequisite: Restricted to First year or Sophomore students enrolled in the Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative (INI) Program.
HDFS 204 Living on Your Own credit: 1 Hour.
Neurodivergent students will learn and apply essential skills for independent living. Topics include problem-solving strategies, effective communication, money management, navigating the community, home maintenance, interpersonal skills, and healthy relationships. Through interactive discussions, activities, and practical exercises, students will develop the necessary skills to thrive independently. Credit not given for HDFS 199 INI Independent Living Skills and HDFS 204. Prerequisite: Restricted to first year and sophomore students enrolled in the Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative (INI) program.
HDFS 207 Self in Context credit: 3 Hours.
This hands-on course uses family genograms - a version of a family tree - to explore the complexity of human experience in the context of multigenerational family systems. Students construct and analyze genograms, including their own, using family systems theory and multigenerational development perspectives. Attention is given to critically examining one's own family history as a part of professional growth. Students will practice using genograms to assess families in popular media using novels, memoirs, films, and/or television shows. Case studies will be used throughout the course to expose students to diverse family experiences with specific attention to race and sociocultural context.
HDFS 208 Child and Family Inclusion: Disability, Health, and Diversity credit: 3 Hours.
Provides a multi-disciplinary, developmental approach to the study of disability relating to children and families. Students will explore social and emotional aspects of self-identity in children and youth with disabilities, as well as historical and social constructs around racial, cultural, and economic marginalization. The course will examine processes of identification, intervention, and integration of children who deviate significantly from developmental norms, including children who are gifted and talented. Basic introduction to Black Disability Studies, needs and preferences of Latinx families in supporting their children with disabilities, trauma-informed support, effects of the Covid 19 pandemic, neurodiversity supports relating to the attachment relationship, food insecurity and teratogens are included, as well as intersections of disability and LGBTQA+ self-identification. The course was designed for students studying child development, education, special education, social work, nursing, child life, pediatric medicine and therapies, advocacy, and other disciplines involved with children who have health concerns and/or disabilities. Prerequisite: HDFS 105.
HDFS 220 Families in Global Perspective credit: 3 Hours.
Explores economic, political, cultural and social factors affecting families in different countries; examines variations among families in developed and developing nations and their historical, political and cultural contexts. Same as ANTH 210.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - Non-West
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
HDFS 221 Asian Families in America credit: 3 Hours.
Same as AAS 297 and SOCW 297. See SOCW 297.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
Cultural Studies - US Minority
HDFS 225 Close Relationships credit: 3 Hours.
Initiation, development, and dissolution of committed relationships with same- or different-sex partners within familial, cultural, and societal contexts. Prerequisite: Restricted to sophomores.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
HDFS 255 Autism Current Topics credit: 2 Hours.
Students will gain a strength-based overview of autism throughout the lifespan, including educational and employment outcomes, historical perspectives, neurodiversity and autistic identity, and cultural biases and barriers to inclusion. Practical strategies for supporting inclusion and success for individuals on the autism spectrum will be highlighted. Credit is not given for both HDFS 398 Autism: Current Topics and HDFS 255.
HDFS 263 Diversity in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism credit: 3 Hours.
Same as RST 230. See RST 230.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
HDFS 290 Intro to Research Methods credit: 4 Hours.
Introduction to quantitative and qualitative research methods used to study human development and families. Provides experience conducting observations and survey interviews, evaluating research results, and writing research reports. Prerequisite: HDFS 105 or other introductory social science course.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Advanced Composition
HDFS 291 HDFS Career Planning & Preparation credit: 1 Hour.
Overview of job opportunities, graduate, and professional school programs that prepare students for careers in health care, counseling, social work, higher education, policymaking and other fields related to Human Development and Family Studies. Examines types of jobs, graduate and professional opportunities and the preparation they require. Students develop personal job, graduate/professional school preparation plans. Approved for S/U grading only.
HDFS 294 Research Internship credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Students work one-on-one or in a small group with a faculty member engaged in research. Students must arrange this research experience with a professor prior to registering for the course. A list of possible research projects can be found at: http://hdfs.illinois.edu/undergraduate/research-opportunities. Once you have found a project that interests you, email the professor and ask to participate in his or her research opportunity. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated in the same or separate terms to a maximum of 12 hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor; not open to students on probation.
HDFS 295 Independent Study or Research credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Individual research, special problems, thesis, development and/or design work under the supervision of an appropriate member of the faculty. May be repeated in the same or separate terms to a maximum of 12 hours. Credit is not given for more than a total of 12 hours of Independent Study (IND) courses applying to a degree in ACES.
HDFS 301 Infancy & Early Childhood credit: 4 Hours.
Reviews development during the first five years of life, including cognitive, social, and biological aspects of early development; includes first-hand observation of young children to supplement and extend lecture material. Prerequisite: HDFS 105 or PSYC 216.
HDFS 305 Middle Childhood credit: 3 Hours.
Systematic overview of the normative changes that occur in the physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral domains during the middle childhood period as well as current social issues that confront many of today's children (such as school violence or poverty). Prerequisite: HDFS 105.
HDFS 310 Adult Development credit: 3 Hours.
Focuses on adult development as a means for understanding the quality of family relationships and community functioning. Uses current theoretical approaches to understand adult development and evaluate each approach's usefulness for adults in the contexts of family, health, work, leisure and challenges over the life course. Prerequisite: HDFS 105 or equivalent.
HDFS 320 Families and the Law credit: 3 Hours.
Examines law from a family perspective and how the family in American society is impacted by and interacts with the legal system. Explores the concept of family from a legal perspective, as well as common family law issues including marriage, divorce, child custody, and family violence. Students will discover how family science research can impact case law and legislation, the impacts of such legislation on families, and the relationships between the fields of family science, law, and public policy. Prerequisite: HDFS 120 or SOC 100. Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.
HDFS 322 US Latina and Latino Families credit: 3 Hours.
Explores a variety of topics and provides a basic overview of issues relevant to the understanding of Latina/Latino families and children in the United States. Examines recent demographic changes in the U.S. population and their implications for the socialization and education of Latina/Latino children and their families. Course content looks at such areas as who are Latina/Latino families; how are those families different from others; what are the similarities and differences within Latinas/Latinos; how does acculturation and language fit into our understanding of these families; and what are the implications for the education success of current and future Latina/Latino children. Same as LLS 322.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Cultural Studies - US Minority
HDFS 330 Statistical Reasoning for Everyday Life credit: 3 Hours.
With technological advances, we often learn of scientific breakthroughs related to health, behavior, attitudes, and beliefs as soon as they happen. Sometimes this information is contradictory or confusing. How do we know what to believe or pay attention to? Students in this course will improve their statistical literacy and learn the statistical tools professionals need to sort through scientific information and separate out the accurate and useful from the misleading and useless. Students will develop critical thinking skills and foundational understanding of statistical concepts through analysis of real-world examples. Prerequisite: STAT 100 or equivalent required. Restricted to students with Junior standing or higher.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for:
Quantitative Reasoning II
HDFS 335 Food, Identity, & Family Life credit: 3 Hours.
Situates family food decisions amid social positions such as race, class, gender, and sexuality. We will consider how food can be used to express identities and connect to others, but also differentiate, exclude, and disparage those who are "not like us." Through these investigations we will learn about how family food practices are shaped by social norms, institutions, and policies in areas like education, media, immigration, neighborhood zoning, and health and social services. Prerequisite: There are no formal pre-requisites for this class, but HDFS 105 or another 100- or 200-level Social and Behavioral Science general education course is strongly recommended.
HDFS 340 Gender, Relationshps & Society credit: 3 Hours.
Explores the production of gender through social interaction within families and other specific interpersonal and institutional relationships that change over time. Gender is also linked to race, class, ability, and sexuality. Same as GWS 340 and SOC 322. Prerequisite: HDFS 105 or SOC 100.
HDFS 350 Early Childhood Learning and Play credit: 4 Hours.
Using current child development theories and principles of play, students will gain practical experience in observing and assessing development while using play as a vehicle to advance the physical, intellectual, social, and emotional development of children. Students will implement their lesson plans in a diverse childcare setting with children from birth to age five. Credit is not given for both HDFS 206 and HDFS 350. Prerequisite: HDFS 105. Not intended for students with Freshman class standing.
HDFS 355 Creative Dance for Children credit: 3 Hours.
Same as ARTE 355, CI 355, DANC 355, and MUS 355. See DANC 355.
HDFS 379 HDFS Study Abroad Experience credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
International experience in areas related to human development and family studies involving foreign travel and study without enrollment in another institution. Experience must be planned and approved in advance via consultation with an HDFS faculty member. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 8 hours if topics vary.
HDFS 396 Honors Research or Thesis credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Individual research, special problems, thesis, development and/or design work under the direction of the Honors advisor. May be repeated in separate terms. Independent Study courses are limited to 12 hours total applying to a degree in ACES. Prerequisite: Junior standing, admission to the ACES Honors Program.
HDFS 398 Undergraduate Seminar credit: 1 to 3 Hours.
Special topics in a field of study directly pertaining to subject matter in human development and family studies. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 12 hours. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
HDFS 401 Socialization and Development credit: 4 Hours.
Presents and uses theories of socialization to evaluate and analyze current issues and socialization practices; delineates historical and philosophical trends in socialization, and discusses the implications of these trends for generating social policy affecting the developing individual. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 301 and HDFS 290.
HDFS 405 Adolescent Development credit: 3 Hours.
Examines paths of experience and individual development within the family, the peer group, and other domains through this socially-defined stage of life. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 105 or PSYC 100.
HDFS 406 Child Dev Class Supervision credit: 5 Hours.
Examines the relationships between child development theories and developmentally appropriate and individualized instruction techniques, discipline and guidance strategies, and the role of the family in child development programs. Emphasizes program supervision. Includes direct experience with children and families in a laboratory setting. 5 undergraduate hours. 5 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 206, HDFS 220, and junior standing.
HDFS 408 Hospitalized Children credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Examines the developmental needs and stress reactions of children and families in a hospital/medical setting; examines responses of family and staff facing terminal illness and the death of a family member; familiarizes students with general hospital procedures, medical terms, and illnesses; introduces the role of Child Life programs and the Child Life Specialist. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 105 or consent of instructor.
HDFS 420 Inequality, Public Policy, and U.S. Families credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Examines influence of economic, demographic and social changes on families in the U.S. and on the opportunities of individual family members. Explores interactions of social class, poverty, race and gender and their effects on family life and on child and adolescent development. Includes critical analysis of health care, employment, immigration, family leave, welfare and other social policy options that affect family life and well-being. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 120.
HDFS 425 Family Stress and Change credit: 4 Hours.
Applies family theories (e.g. family systems, family stress, multigenerational developmental perspectives) to understand how families change and adapt to stress across time and diverse contexts. Attention is given to assessing intergenerational family dynamics and working with individuals and families to reduce negative patterns. 4 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 120.
HDFS 426 Family Conflict Management credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Examines processes of conflict management in family and community disputes; emphasizes negotiation and mediation as modes of dispute settlement. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 120.
HDFS 444 LGBT Indiv, Fam & Community credit: 3 or 4 Hours.
Examines contemporary sexual and gender minority experiences in the context of societal inequality. Of particular interest to students pursuing educational, human service, legal, and/or health profession careers. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: SOC 100 or an introductory course on gender issues.
HDFS 445 Substance Use and Family Health credit: 3 Hours.
Examines the impact of substance use on families through the social ecological framework, including biopsychosocial impacts on individuals, relationships with family members (including between partners, parents and children, siblings, extended family), and family health. Explores the roles of neighborhood and community context, policy, and other social factors in substance use and effects on families. Students apply course concepts and information to develop materials for community outreach and education about substance use and family health. 3 undergraduate hours. 3 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HDFS 105 or 120 and HDFS 290, or their social science equivalent. Junior standing or higher.
HDFS 450 Practicum in HDFS credit: 1 to 12 Hours.
Supervised on- or off-campus learning experience related to human development or family studies, supervised in cooperation with an appropriate agency or institution. Not available to students on probation. 1 to 12 undergraduate hours. 1 to 12 graduate hours. May be repeated for up to 12 hours in separate semesters. Only 6 hours of the course may be applied to the total required for a graduate or undergraduate degree in Human Development and Family Studies. Prerequisite: Human Development and Family Studies major; junior standing.
HDFS 455 TAP Internship credit: 2 to 4 Hours.
Students will gain experience in (1) staffing a resource center on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) for families and professionals who work with families, (2) participating in programs that provide supports or services related to ASDs to families or professionals, and (3) developing information and resources for families and professionals. 2 TO 4 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated in separate terms for a maximum of 8 hours. Credit is not given for HDFS 455 if given for HDFS 494 (TAP Internship).
HDFS 494 Applied Research Methods credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Participation in faculty-supervised research as a member of a transdisiplinary team investigating questions related to the health and well-being of children and families. Students propose their own research questions and present findings developed from data gathered by the team. 1 to 4 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours in the same term or to a maximum of 12 hours in separate terms. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
HDFS 499 Seminar credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Special topics in human development, family studies, or community development. 1 to 4 undergraduate hours. 1 to 4 graduate hours. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 12 hours.
HDFS 500 Professional Development credit: 1 Hour.
Overview of issues in professional development in the field of human development and family studies; focuses on both academic and applied career paths. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated to a maximum of 4 hours.
HDFS 501 Human Development Theories credit: 4 Hours.
Overview of basic theories and theoretical perspectives on human development; focuses on major concepts, issues, and questions in the field. Same as RST 581. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
HDFS 503 Social-Emotional Development credit: 2 Hours.
Theory and research related to social and emotional development from infancy through middle childhood. Key topics include emotional regulation and social-emotional understanding, with special attention to the interpersonal contexts of social-emotional development, including parent-child, sibling and peer relationships. Prerequisite: HDFS 501.
HDFS 505 Advanced Adolescence credit: 2 Hours.
Advanced interdisciplinary examination of current research on adolescence as a life course stage and developmental period; focuses on principal contexts of adolescents¿ lives, such as family, peers and school, and examines how experience in these contexts relates to preparation for adulthood. Designed for students with prior course work on adolescence or related topics who plan to do research, teaching, or policy work pertinent to this age period. Prerequisite: Prior course work in human development, developmental psychology or life course sociology.
HDFS 508 Ethics in the Helping Professions credit: 4 Hours.
Introduces students to ethics in helping professions and the impact of ethical decision-making on various populations served within these professions. Students will learn the factors considered when making ethical decisions in helping professions. Through various course activities, students will reflect on their personal backgrounds and biases that may impact decision-making in their future professional endeavors. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: HDFS 408 or equivalent course.
HDFS 518 Therapeutic Play and Activities credit: 4 Hours.
Introduces students to the theoretical framework for the importance of therapeutic play and activities within the pediatric healthcare setting. Starting with the history and foundations of play, this course will also have an emphasis on the varying types of play and activities implemented within the pediatric healthcare setting and how play is utilized to promote optimal development, express emotions, gain mastery and increase coping skills for children facing an array of medical challenges. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: HDFS 408 or equivalent course.
HDFS 521 Family Theories credit: 4 Hours.
Contemporary family theories and their application in family research.
HDFS 523 Ethnic Families credit: 4 Hours.
Historical, social, economic, contextual (neighborhood), and subcultural factors that influence the organization and dynamics of ethnic-racial family life in the United States: family and group immigration and migration histories, acculturation, identity development, family organization, gender roles, parent-child relations, family rituals, neighborhood influences on family life and child-adolescent development, and the relationship between social class and ethnicity-race. Particular emphasis is given to qualitative studies that detail the first-hand experiences of families.
HDFS 526 Intimate Partner Violence credit: 2 Hours.
Extent, nature, causes, and consequences of intimate partner violence in the United States. Examines the complexities of intimate partner violence, including individual, societal, and historical factors that contribute to violence, the implications of making distinctions in types of violence and perpetrators, and the relationship between institutional responses and individual decision-making. Also examines theoretical methodological and ethical issues related to violence research.
HDFS 527 Family Resiliency credit: 4 Hours.
Examines complex factors, including culture, economy, and values conflicts, that challenge families and the range of adaptive strategies that families deploy amid various challenges and stressors. Activities include developing a research or action proposal related to developing family resiliency. Credit is not given for both HDFS 527 and HDFS 427. Prerequisite: HDFS 521 or HDFS 525 or equivalent.
HDFS 528 Parenting credit: 2 Hours.
Explores how parenthood has been conceptualized and investigated in human development, family studies, and related disciplines. Major theoretical perspectives and emerging line of research will be reviewed including parental style, beliefs and cognition, identity, fathering and diverse parenting contexts. Prerequisite: HDFS 501 or HDFS 521.
HDFS 533 Community In American Society credit: 4 Hours.
Classic U. S. community studies are paired with current journal articles to examine how people in rural, suburban, and urban places go about making, maintaining or losing "community" in the context of societal change. The community studies provide a window on change at the local level including: urbanization, suburbanization, ethnic group interactions, inner-city poverty concentration, household structure variation, economic restructuring, and environmental impacts. Community studies are also critically evaluated both theoretically and as a research strategy. Same as RST 582, SOC 572, and UP 533. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
HDFS 534 Neighborhoods and Human Dev credit: 4 Hours.
Theories, methodological issues, and current empirical research on the impact of neighborhoods on human development and family welfare across the life course including how neighborhoods characteristics, e.g., poverty, racial and ethnic composition, and geographic space, influence child and adolescent development, health, and employment opportunities and success in adulthood. Key mechanisms include: family conditions, local environment, social networks, and spatial mismatch. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
HDFS 540 Gender & Sexuality credit: 2 Hours.
Highlights key approaches to gender and sexuality within the multidisciplinary field of family studies; examines how gender and sexuality organize the accomplishment of family life through both social structure and social performance, and their attendant historical, economic and political contexts.
HDFS 550 Advanced Practicum in HDFS credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Practicum providing graduate students with supervised experience in the design, implementation, and/or evaluation of outreach programs, policy development, or consultation models designed to meet the needs of children, families and/or communities. 1 to 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: HDFS 450.
HDFS 558 Child Health Internship credit: 5 Hours.
This supervised clinical internship meets the objectives of the Association of Child Life Professional Competencies and addresses all the skills defined by the Child Life Certification Commission Exam Content Outline. Students will complete reading and writing assignments and meet weekly with the instructor for group supervision. The remaining hours will be held in community agencies as scheduled by the instructor. 5 graduate hours. No professional credit. This course is repeated up to four times to meet the 600-hour clinical internship requirement for the CCLS exam and certification. Students will be in a cohort and their repeated internship courses will build upon the previous term's content. Prerequisite: HDFS 408 or equivalent course. Restricted to students enrolled in the MS in Child Health.
HDFS 561 Child and Family Program Dev credit: 4 Hours.
Theoretical and practical aspects of planned efforts to influence the development of children, youth, and families in the context of communities, particularly efforts to promote competence and well-being of children and youth, positive parenting, and well-being and adjustment of adults. Examines literature from four approaches: family life education, youth development, prevention/applied developmental science, as well as health promotion and community health.
HDFS 562 Child & Family Program Eval credit: 4 Hours.
Introduces practical skills for evaluating service, intervention, and educational programs, including needs assessment, program monitoring and impact assessment, with emphasis on outcome measure selection, randomized and quasi-experimental designs, statistical power analysis, and ethical issues.
Leads students to understand best practices related to survey research methodology, including study design and instrument development. It provides a foundation in survey methods to inform future survey work. During this course, students will design a survey study. We will cover the significant decisions and alternatives considered by a researcher who wants to design and implement a survey that accurately represents a particular population's characteristics and behavior. Topics common to surveys include sample design, respondent recruitment, response rates, data collection methods (in-person or telephone interviews, computer-assisted interviews, or mail surveys), instrument construction, and potential sources (respondent and interviewer) of bias. Reaching hard-to-reach populations will be considered throughout. For this course, working knowledge of research methods (e.g., introductory research methods graduate-level course) is essential, as is the ability to analyze existing research studies critically. The methods, strategies, and techniques learned in this course will apply to many disciplines (e.g., HDFS, public health, social work, education, business, social and human sciences) and provide a broad base of knowledge to grow through more advanced coursework and internships. 4 graduate hours. 4 professional hours. Prerequisite: One previous course in graduate level research methods.
Students in this course will review theoretical frameworks, principles, methodological approaches, and best practices of community-based participatory research. The methods, strategies, and techniques learned in this course will apply to social and human science disciplines (e.g., HDFS, public health, social work, education, sociology, psychology, business). The course will cover the major decisions and alternatives considered by a researcher who wants to engage community members in participatory research projects. Hard-to-reach populations will be considered throughout. Master's and doctoral level students may enroll, but should have taken at least one graduate level research methods course prior to this one. 4 graduate hours. 4 professional hours. Prerequisite: One previous graduate level research methods course.
HDFS 582 Discourse Analysis in the Social Sciences credit: 4 Hours.
Introduces social scientific approaches to discourse analysis and provides training on conducting a qualitative discourse analysis of publicly-available textual data. We explore common theoretical approaches to discourse analysis and develop hands-on skills related to study design, and collecting, coding, and analyzing textual data. We focus mainly on discourses as "macro"-level institutionally embedded patterns of meaning in society, rather than "micro"-level language patterns in interactions, while recognizing their co-occurrence and situating them alongside one another. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: HDFS 590 or equivalent.
HDFS 590 Advanced Research Methods credit: 4 Hours.
Overview of positivist, interpretive, and critical research paradigms and their quantitative and qualitative methodologies; critical evaluation of current social science literature; students develop their own research proposals. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit.
HDFS 591 Qualitative Methods credit: 4 Hours.
Qualitative methods in the social sciences: epistemological context; data collection and relationships with participants; data management, analysis and evaluation; writing strategies. Specific content emphasis alternates annually between field research and grounded theory. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours.
HDFS 594 Intermed Statistical Analysis credit: 4 Hours.
Overview of common quantitative research methods and statistical analyses used in human development, family, and community research; covers sampling, data management, bivariate analyses, multivariate regression. Students frame a research question and use a common data set and statistical analysis software to prepare methods and results sections of a manuscript suitable for publication. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Prerequisite: HDFS 590 or equivalent.
HDFS 595 Seminar credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Discussion and evaluation of current literature on selected topics in human and community development. 1 to 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated in the same or subsequent terms.
HDFS 596 Advanced Studies in HDFS credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Library or experimental research on specific problems of limited scope. May be taken in addition to 32 hours required for a master's degree by students who do not write a thesis. For non-thesis students only. May be repeated to a maximum of 4 hours.
HDFS 597 Advanced Statistical Analysis credit: 4 Hours.
Introduction to the conceptual bases and uses of advanced statistical techniques in human development and family research, including factor analysis, cluster analysis, multilevel modeling, and logistic regression. Special attention given to the longitudinal and dyadic analyses and to techniques for handling missing data. Students use common statistical packages and their own data set to produce a journal-style manuscript. 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Credit is not given for both HDFS 592 and HDFS 597. Prerequisite: HDFS 594 or a graduate-level course in multivariate statistical analysis.
HDFS 598 Special Problems in HDFS credit: 1 to 4 Hours.
Research or independent study on a special problem that is not part of thesis work. 1 to 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated in the same or separate terms to a maximum of 8 hours.
HDFS 599 Thesis Research credit: 0 to 16 Hours.
Individual thesis research under supervision of faculty in specialized fields of human and community development. 0 to 16 graduate hours. No professional credit. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated.