Child Studies Minor

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Affiliation: Interdisciplinary Studies

The Child Studies minor gives students the opportunity to focus on the physical, psychological, cognitive, and social development of children; the creation and critique of art and media focused on and directed towards children; and the political debates and social policies that influence children in an interdisciplinary way.

While the health, personal development, and well-being of children and adolescents is pertinent to every major and discipline of study, students in communications, communication disorders, creative writing, education, English, exercise science, justice systems, nursing, psychology, health science, and political science would likely find this interdisciplinary minor particularly engaging.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS:

A 2.00 GPA in minor requirements.
At least nine hours of the program requirements must be completed at Truman State University.

Program Requirements:

The minor requires the successful completion of 15 or more credits.
A student may use courses from the Dialogues, including JINS courses, to fulfill requirements for the minor.
No more than 8 credits from any course prefix can be counted toward the Child Studies minor.
Students may double-count one course from another minor toward the Child Studies minor.
No grade of “D” is accepted toward the Child Studies minor.

To complete the minor, students must complete 15 or more credits from (a) the courses listed in the areas and elective options below and/or (b) additional courses approved by the Child Studies Minor Oversight Committee.

At least one course must come from Area 1: Arts and Language,
At least one course must come from Area 2: Society, Health, and Learning,
At least one course must come from Area 3: Theory and Application, and
At least two of the courses counted toward the minor (not including IDSM 432) must be at the 300-level or higher.
Any additional courses taken in Area I, Area 2, or Area 3 can count as electives for the minor.

Capstone (1 credit):

IDSM 432 - Child Studies Capstone (1 Credit)

After having completed at least nine (9) credits, but preferably twelve (12) credits, in the minor, students will write a reflective essay in consultation with a faculty member from the Child Studies Minor Committee or another faculty member approved by the Committee. The resulting essay will:

Examine how their coursework and/or research, service learning, and internship experience in the minor have contributed to their interdisciplinary understanding of the physical, psychological, cognitive, and social development of children; the creation and critique of art and media focused on and directed towards children; and the political debates and social policies that influence children;
Consider the ways in which the knowledge, skills, and experience they have gained as a result of completing the Child Studies minor will contribute to their future academic and personal endeavors.

Area 1: Arts and Language (3 credits minimum)

COMM 273 - Oral Interpretation Credit(s): 3
ENG 365 - Folklore Credit(s): 4
ENG 415 - Literature for Children Credit(s): 4
ENG 416 - Young Adult Literature Credit(s): 4
JINS 385 - Controversial Issues in Children’s and Young Adult Literature Credit(s): 3
LING 414 - Language and the Mind Credit(s): 4

Area 2: Society, Health, and Learning (3 credits minimum)

CMDS 200 - Introduction to Communication Disorders Credit(s): 3
COMM 315 - Family Communication Credit(s): 3
ED 388 - Exploratory Field Experiences Credit(s): 1 AND ED 389 - Foundations of Education Credits: 3
ED 520 - Principles of Early Childhood Education Credit(s): 4 AND ED 521 - Teaching Experience: Early Childhood Field Experience Credit: 1
ES 195 - Instructional Strategies in Physical Education and Health Credit(s): 3
ES 355 - Principles of Coaching Credit(s): 3
HLTH 245 - Substance Use Prevention Credit(s): 3
HLTH 260 - Human Sexuality Credit(s): 3
JUST 332 - Children & the Legal System Credit(s): 3
NU 250 - Lifespan Development Credit(s): 3
SOAN 215 - Social Problems Credit(s): 3

Area 3: Theory and Application (3 credits minimum)

To complete Area 3, students will take one of the following courses and complete a paper or project in the course that focuses on one of the following aspect of child studies:

the physical, psychological, cognitive, and social development of children;
the creation and critique of art and media focused on and directed towards children; the political debates and social policies that influence children in an interdisciplinary way.

Students will be required to reflect on what they learned from doing this paper or project in their IDSM 432 - Child Studies Capstone paper. If the course is taken prior to declaring the minor, students will be expected to reflect on how the course taken for Area 3 has influenced their understanding of Child Studies as an interdisciplinary field and demonstrate an ability to apply theoretical knowledge gained in that course in their capstone paper.

ART 219 - Digital Illustration Credit(s): 3
CML 308 - Principles of Second Language Teaching Credit(s): 3
COMM 252 - Interpersonal Communication Credit(s): 3
COMM 370 - Small Group Communication Credit(s): 3
COMM 382 - Communication Theory Credit(s): 4
COMM 392 - Social Scientific Research Methods Credit(s): 4
COMM 420 - Intercultural Communication Credit(s): 3
COMM 429 - Political Communication Credit(s): 3
ED 393 - Clinical Experiences in Teaching Credit(s): 3
ENG 280 - Film Form and Sense Credit(s): 3
JUST 417 - Internship in Criminal Justice & Legal Studies Credit(s): 1 to 12
LING 308 - Principles of Second Language Teaching Credit(s): 4
POL 344 - Principles of Public Administration Credit(s): 4
POL 410 - Advanced Public Policy: Theory and Research Credit(s): 4
SED 535 - Counseling, Collaboration, and Consultation with Parents and Families Credit(s): 3
SOAN 253 - Comparative Cultures Credit(s): 3
SOAN 260 - Social Institutions Credit(s): 3
SOAN 267 - Social Psychology Credit(s): 3
THEA 278 - Acting II: Advanced Scene Study Credit(s): 3
THEA 420 - Playwriting Credit(s): 3
THEA 491 - Play Direction Credit(s): 3

Electives for the Minor

Students are encouraged to check for prerequisites and other course restrictions when deciding which electives to take for the minor. Some courses listed below may be designed specifically for majors or may not have seats available for non-majors.

CMDS 460 - Language Development Credit(s): 3
ED 593 - Psychological Foundations of Education Credit(s): 3
ES 235 - Fundamental Movement and Tumbling Credit(s): 3
ES 236 - Rhythmic Movement and Dance Credit(s): 3
ES 245 - Nutrition for Health, Fitness, and Sport Credit(s): 3
ES 344 - Lifespan Motor Development Credit(s): 3
ES 366 - Outdoor Recreational and Fitness Activities Credit(s): 3
ES 368 - Lifetime Fitness and Conditioning Activities Credit(s): 3
ES 369 - Physical Activity for Individuals with Disability Credit(s): 3
ES 502 - Social Problems in Sport Credit(s): 3
HLTH 455 - School Health Programs Credit(s): 3
JINS 374 - The Parenting Process Credit(s): 3
NU 375 - Maternal/Neonatal Nursing Credit(s): 3
NU 385 - Child/Family Nursing Credit(s): 3
PSYC 332 - Child Development Credit(s): 3
PSYC 337 - The Autism Spectrum Credit(s): 3
PSYC 369 - Behavior Change Credit(s): 3
PSYC 373 - Learning and Memory Credit(s): 3
PSYC 377 - Developmental Psychology Credit(s): 3
PSYC 437 - Attachment Theory Credit(s): 3
PSYC 438 - Queer Psychology Credit(s): 3
SED 530 - Psychology of the Exceptional Child Credit(s): 3
SED 535 - Counseling, Collaboration, and Consultation with Parents and Families Credit(s): 3
SED 581 - Learning Characteristics of and Curriculum for Students with Disabilities Credit(s): 3

Pre-approved Topics and Reading Courses

A specific section or topics course related to Child Studies (e.g. ENG 322 - Studies in Cinema Children’s Film) when offered, may fulfill one of the required areas of the minor or may count as an elective for the minor. Please contact the Child Studies Minor Committee for a current list of these pre-approved courses.

Petitioned Courses (no more than 6 credits)

Students are encouraged to seek out opportunities to complete faculty-mentored research in Child Studies and related fields for the minor. Internships, independent studies, and directed reading courses related to Child Studies can be counted toward the minor, if approved by the Child Studies Minor Committee.
Likewise, students who can document the successful completion of a major presentation, creative project, or term paper related to Child Studies in a course not listed above are encouraged to seek approval from the Child Studies Minor Committee to count that course as an elective for the minor or as a course option fulfilling one of the two areas required by the minor.

Please contact a member of the Child Studies Minor Committee or the Director of Interdisciplinary Studies for more information about petitioning.