College Launches New Major In Human Development

Program Includes Teacher and Non-Teacher Tracts

Chestertown, MD, January 5, 2004 — Launched this past Fall Semester under the direction of the Washington College's Department of Education, the College's newest major, Human Development, has been designed to provide comprehensive preparation for prospective elementary school teachers and an interdisciplinary program for students who wish to examine the theory and practice of human development in community and education. The addition of this program brings to 26 the College's number of major degree programs.

“The major serves as a foundation for individuals wishing to become elementary school teachers, as well as for those students seeking to continue their studies in allied professions such as school counseling and social services,” said Peggy Donnelly, Assistant Professor of Education and the Human Development program coordinator. “The class of 2005 will see five students graduate with a major in Human Development who will also be eligible for a Maryland teaching certificate in Elementary Education. Among the class of 2006, another dozen are planning to declare the major.”

According to Professor Sean O'Connor, Chair of Washington College's Department of Education, the Human Development major is designed to help students answer the question, “How do children develop into fully mature, autonomous and self-aware human beings who are capable of both intimate and public communal relationships?” Through a multi-disciplinary approach, the major helps students answer that question both theoretically and practically through an academic program that includes sequenced study in educational foundations (the history, philosophy and psychology of education), a developmental progression of study in pedagogical theory and practice, a demonstrated knowledge of content in selected liberal arts disciplines, and courses from the departments of anthropology, sociology and psychology.

Field experiences and research are essential components of the major. The major study includes field experiences in schools or other educational and social agencies; for the teacher candidate, major study includes a 100-day internship in a locally based Professional Development School. In the senior year, the major requires the completion of a significant independent project.

For more information about the new Human Development major, visit Washington College's catalog online at http://catalog.washcoll.edu.