From Neurons to Nations: The Science of Early Childhood Development and the Foundations of a Successful Society
In the fall semester 2011, for the second time, the Center on the Developing Child will offer a course for Harvard undergraduates. The General Education course will introduce students to the biology of human development and explore how an understanding of core developmental concepts can inform beneficial social policies.
The course will take an integrated, multidisciplinary approach. The first part of the course will provide an overview of embryonic and neurobiological development in the early years of life, with particular attention to causal mechanisms that explain how the developing brain and other biological systems are affected by complex gene-environment interactions within the contexts of family, community, and culture. The second part will investigate how early influences on the development of biological systems can affect later educational achievement and economic productivity as well as lifelong physical and mental health. The third part of the course will explore how the principles of early childhood and early brain development can guide the design of policies and practices that enhance the healthy development of young children, particularly for those living in adverse circumstances, and thereby build a strong foundation for promoting equality of opportunity, reducing social class disparities in life outcomes, building human capital, fostering economic prosperity, and generating positive social change.
During the semester, students will critically examine historical trends, current challenges, and new directions in both developmental science (including developmental psychology and developmental neuroscience) and early childhood policy. Through readings, written work, and class participation, students will have opportunities to grapple with the complexities of connecting scientific research to the formulation of evidence-based policies that advance the healthy development of children, families, and communities and bring high returns to all of society, in the United States and around the world.
The course will be taught by Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D.; Charles A. Nelson III, Ph.D.; and Holly Schindler, Ph.D. Dr. Shonkoff, the director of the Center on the Developing Child, is the Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital Boston. Dr. Nelson is Professor of Pediatrics and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, and Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric Developmental Medicine Research and Research Director, The Developmental Medicine Center, Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, at Children's Hospital Boston. Dr. Schindler is a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and project director of the National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Program's meta-analytic database on early childhood program evaluations from the prenatal period to age 5.
The course will meet on Tuesdays from 1:00 - 3:00PM during the 2011 fall semester. The first class meeting will be on September 6th.
View course website (requires Harvard University login & password) >>
View course listing on Harvard College Program in General Education website >>
