In this program, we will explore human development during childhood, adolescence and adulthood, including studying current research on early childhood and aging. Some guiding questions will be: What is development? What arrests development, and more importantly, what repairs it? What is attachment and how does it present itself across the lifespan?

We will consider development by exploring concepts from attachment theory, child development theory, existential theory, Jungian analysis, interpersonal neurobiology, and qualitative research. Program activities will include reading and discussing texts from such authors as Erel Shalit, Frances Jensen, Sherry Turkle, Carol Garhart Mooney, and Victor Frankl, engaging in small group activities and lectures, and participating in writing and movement workshops. Students will research and present in groups on a major developmental theorist as a way to integrate historical and current concepts. Students will also participate in a qualitative interview with another person in order to increase observation skills and understanding of developmental milestones.

Our study of development will include a consideration of ourselves and our own autobiographical narrative. To support this narrative, we will engage in the weekly body mind practices such as yoga, and complete a self-study project that includes exploring values, personality assessments, media, and art. Throughout the quarter, students will regularly reflect on their own development, and their growing understanding of developmental theory, culminating in a final formal portfolio.