Biology, Culture and Family in Early Development

Early childhood is a time of both enormous promise and vulnerability. Parents differ widely in their practices and beliefs about their role in enabling children to avoid risk and to achieve their potential for a healthy and productive life in the particular physical, social and cultural contexts of the communities and societies in which they live. In this seminar we will evaluate evidence from the biological and social sciences showing how experiences in infancy have profound and enduring effects on early brain architecture, with consequences for later language, cognitive, and socio- emotional development in childhood and adulthood. We will also consider the challenges of designing more effective social policies and programs to provide support for families in diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts, who all want to help their children thrive. A community-service learning option, working with children as a reading tutor, is included for students taking this class for 4-units. Enrollment is limited and consent of instructor is required. Please send a brief statement of your interests, goals, and academic preparation relevant to the themes of this class to Prof. Fernald (afernald@stanford.edu). Pre-requisites: Psych 01 and Psych 60, or Human Biology 3B.