Hsu's
Home PageInstructor: Dr. Hui-Chin Hsu
Office: Family Science Center 1
(House A, 2nd Floor)
E-mail: hchin@fcs.uga.edu
Phone: 542-2636
What Is CHFD 3010/PSYC4800?
CHFD3010/PSYC4800 is a course designed for advanced undergraduate students to learn about child and family development outside of classroom settings. Different kinds of activities are available for students to choose from. Of those CHFD3010/PSYC4800-Emotional Development in Infants and Young Children is an opportunity for students who are interested in participating in supervised research to learn about different kinds of research activities. This means you will be involved in designing experiments, collecting data, entering data, and analyzing data under the supervision of Dr. Hsu and/or her graduate research assistant. You may register for a maximum of 3 credit hours each semester. A total of 40 contact hours is required for each credit hour for a semester.
What Are My Responsibilities?
The primary objective of this course is to provide hands-on research experience for undergraduate students. Therefore, you are expected to be involved in all phases of the research activities. Your responsibilities may differ depending on the specific topic of the ongoing study. However, generally speaking, you will be involved in recruiting research participants (from hospitals/daycare centers/churches or through newspaper birth records), mailing recruitment letters, contacting parents or teachers by phone, scheduling appointments, maintaining computer database files, and general upkeep of the lab rooms. You will also be trained to assist in collecting video and heart rate data, interviewing young children, parents and/or teachers, coding videotapes, distributing and coding questionnaires, and entering and checking data for analysis.
You are also expected to attend lab meetings in which the research project(s) is discussed. The agenda of the lab meetings will include topics such as theoretical issues on infants’ and young children’s emotional development, research progress report, research procedure evaluation, research ethics, and professional development (i.e., job and graduate school application) etc.
How Will I Be Evaluated?
For each credit hour that you register, you are expected to devote 2-3 hours per week. For example, for 3 credit hours, you will be expected to perform 8 hours of quality work (see details below). Failure in meeting this expectation will result in a lower grade and/or an ‘INCOMPLETE’. All work should be completed in the planned time frame. Incomplete will only be given in emergency situations and a grade of 'B', 'C', or 'D' will be given, if works are completed within 3, 6, or 12 months, respectively. The time commitment includes all meetings, assignments, lab responsibilities, and reading time. Furthermore, due to the nature of our studies, it is important that you have "blocks" of time (2-3 hours) available.
Final evaluations will be based
on
your effort, initiative, efficiency,and dependabilityin
carrying
out different tasks. Specific evaluation criteria are listed as
follows:
1. Complete required hours (time logs will be provided);
2. Complete assigned responsibilities in a timely and
effective manner;
3. Attend all lab meetings on time, share your ideas
with the research group, and read any assigned readings;
4. Show up on time for scheduled appointments and/or
interviews with research participants;
5. Show professional demeanor (e.g., courtesy and
proficiency)
when interacting with research participants on the phone or in person;
and
6. Take extreme care of video equipment, computers, and
any lab facility.
What Will I Gain?
CHFD3010/PSYC4800 provides
an excellent opportunity
for you to:
1. Earn 1-3 credit hours per semester toward your
graduation;
2. Gain hands-on research experience and become
familiar
with different aspects of research activities, which are critical for
acceptance
into any type of graduate school;
3. Learn fist-hand knowledge about emotional
development
in infancy and early childhood;
4. Receive a letter of recommendation for job or school
application, in which your research experience and the qualities you
demonstrated
duringthis class will be highlighted; (Note. You need to register
for a minimum of 2 semesters in order to receive a recommondation
letter
for graduate school application.)
5. Gain other important practical skills such as
computer
and interpersonal
skills;
6. Earn a co-authorship on a presentation at a national
or international conference (not guaranteed; depending on your
initiative,
contribution, and the goals of the conference);
7. Access to an Undergraduate Research Grant Program
provided by the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, with which you
will receive monetary and research support for conducting an
independent
project under Dr. Hsu's supervision (limited to upper division CHFD
majors
only);
8. Access to the Honors Thesis program (CHFD 4990) in
which you will be conducting an independent project and writing a
research
thesis under Dr. Hsu's supervision (approval by the Honors program is
required).
Am I Qualified?
All CHFD majors and undergraduate students in related fields are welcome. No previous research experience is required. However, preference will be given to students who have taken classes related to child development (CHFD 2950, PSYC4220), infant development (CHFD 3090/ 4090), and/or research methods (CHFD5110/5120, PSYC 2980/2990). We also prefer students who can commit to the project for at least two consecutive semesters. A limited number of openings are available.
How Can I Apply?
For CHFD3100: You need to fill
out a pink form (Request
for special problems/internship/practicum) and a Salmon color form (CHFD3010:
Special Problems in CFD). Return the pink form with
Dr. Hsu's signature to Dawson 210 and the white form back to Dr.
Hsu.
Application forms are available at Dawson Hall (Room 123).
For PSYC4800: You need to fill out an online
application form at PsychNet website. In addition, you need to filled
out a blue form, which is
available at Main Office (Psychology Room 228) or Undergraduate
Advising
Office (Psychology Room 219). For prerequisites and related
questions about PSYC4800, please visit Psychology 219 (542-3052).