Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance

Kansas State University | Michigan State University University of Missouri | University of Nebraska

Youth Development
Courses

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Kansas State University, Michigan State University, University of Missouri, University of Nebraska

This course will examine the fundamentals of youth development and the youth development profession. Through this introduction to the field, students will explore the ethical, professional, and historical elements of youth development as it has evolved toward professionalization.

Michigan State University

This course focuses on the national emphasis of a strength-based or asset approach to community youth development, encompassing individual development (i.e., positive youth development) and adolescent interrelationships with environments. Emphasis is placed upon research, theory, and practice applied in communities throughout the U.S. Students will explore existing models, read theoretical and applied literature, and examine current community efforts as a basis for understanding community youth development.

Kansas State University & University of Missouri

This course will cover adolescent development as it is related to and intertwined with family development; reciprocal influences between adolescents and their families are examined. Working with youth vis à vis the family system will be highlighted.

University of Nebraska

This course will discuss the theoretical, methodological, and pragmatic issues involved in conducting programs and scholarship. Included in the course is an overview of the program development process and outcome evaluation of community children and family programs. Modes of outcome scholarship and their implications for community-based programs are discussed. Students will develop knowledge through participating in a community-based project involving the practical application of program design and evaluation methods.

Alternates

This course will present issues faced by youth today and associated risk and resiliency factors. A different topic will be presented each year, with the course rotating among participating universities. Past topics have included Youth Violence, Youth and Appearance, and Volunteerism. The course may be taken more than once, as long as the topic areas are different each time.

Michigan State University

This course will examine the cultural context factors that affect youth from a holistic perspective within and outside the family unit. The course will provide an understanding of the cultural heritage of differing family structures and types. Students will explore the social and educational processes experienced by youth through in-depth reading, writing, discussion, critical listening, viewing of contemporary videos, and informal interviews with youth. Students will be encouraged to think critically about society and culture, gain further knowledge of how ethnic groups fit historically into society, and examine the results of how history has shaped the current cultural climate of the U.S.

University of Nebraska

This course will help youth development professionals understand and evaluate research reports to reduce anxiety about applying research results and theories to practice. Specific emphasis will be on research and theory reports related to youth development.

Kansas State University

This course will introduce students to the development, administration and management of youth-serving organizations.

University of Nebraska

This course will introduce students to the developmental period of adolescence. The theory and research of positive youth development will be the lens through which this developmental period is examined. The course will emphasize how the developmental tasks of this life stage are influenced by (and influence) family and home, school, peers, and other contextual forces. The course will help students recognize and become familiar with the major issues and transitions adolescents face as they successfully navigate this developmental stage by critically examining the theoretical and research literature.

Michigan State University

This course examines various federal and state policies designed specifically for youth. Students will examine how and why policies for youth are constructed. A guiding question that will be used to evaluate existing state and national policies is whether they contribute to, or act as, barriers to desired developmental outcomes.

Kansas State University , Elaine Johannes, Bev Page, Dana Reinert

Basic Grant Development and Management will introduce students to the grant-getting process and provide an overview of what happens after a project is funded. The following topics will be covered: researching funding sources, generating cutting edge ideas, assessing needs, planning a project, establishing credibility, formulating a sustainable budget, designing an evaluation plan, managing the funded project, and disseminating project results.