Resilience Across the Lifespan
HB 746 A1
Summer 2011
PROFESSOR:
Gary R. Eager, LICSW, DCSW
1019 Union Street
Manchester, NH 03104
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Email: [email protected]
Office: 603-890-8670 (when it can wait a few days)
Cell: 603-315-5205 (when it can’t wait)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Humans have an amazing capacity to adapt well to adversity—a phenomenon known
as resilience. This course uses a resilience framework to explore development across
the lifespan, with implications for social work practice. The approach presumes that
resilience results from dynamic interactions between individuals and their environments
and that every person has the potential to overcome significant challenge at any point in
the life course. The construct of resilience has become well-used in social science
fields, perhaps as a reaction to deficit models of development, or as part of a renewed
focus on human strengths. As a result, greater attention is paid to those who do well
“despite the odds,” and on the environmental contexts that support these adaptations.
Over the course of the semester, students will examine conceptual, empirical, and
applied work on resilience, including new and sometimes controversial applications of
resilience theory to social work practice with individuals, families, and communities.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of this semester-long course you will be able to:
1. Understand the key principles of resilience theory and practice.
2. Articulate divergent views on the definition and operationalization of resilience.
3. Define and identify risk and protective factors at each stage of development from birth
to late adulthood.
4. Describe personal attributes that influence the odds of resilient functioning.
5. Explain how the contexts in which individuals are embedded may shape their
adaptation to adversity.
6. Understand resilience as involving mutually beneficial, reciprocally influential relations
between a person and his or her context.
7. Begin to apply a resilience framework to social work practice (clinical and macro) with
and on behalf of children, adolescents, adults, families, and communities.
TEXT AND READINGS
Class time is used to integrate the reading material through lectures, discussions,
experiential learning and/or writing exercises. Therefore, it is essential to come to every
class prepared, having acquired a firm grasp of the readings assigned.
Required:
Required texts may be purchased in the BU Bookstore or mail ordered from Barnes &
Noble. All articles are available online through Mugar Reserve Services.
The following texts are required for this course:
Peters, D. R., Leadbeater, B., & McMahon, R. J. (Eds.). (2005). Resilience in Children,
families, and communities: Linking context to policy and practice. New York: Kluwer
Academic/Plenum.
Walls, J. (2005). The glass castle: A memoir. New York: Scribner.
Recommended:
Several readings (both required and recommended) were selected from the following
books. They are excellent resources, but students are not required to purchase them:
Greene, R. R. (Ed.). (2002). Resiliency: An integrated approach to practice, policy, and
research. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Luthar, S. S. (Ed.). (2003). Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of
childhood adversities. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (2001). Journeys from childhood to midlife: Risk,
Resilience, and Recovery. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Readings: All required and recommended readings are available online through
Mugar Library, and a hard copy will be available in the library resource room at each of
the Off-Campus sites.
Go to: library.bu.edu
1. Click on “Course Reserves”
2. Enter ssw hb720 and click on “Search”
3. Click on the title link
4. To search for a reading by author, click on “Author” to alphabetize all the readings
by last name
5. Enter the password – ssw (in lower case) – and click on “Submit”
6. If you wish to save a copy of the article, click on the small disk image (Save a Copy)
on the command bar directly above the article and save it to your hard drive or to a
disk/CD/flash drive. It is often helpful to create folders on your personal computer to
organize your course readings, e.g., “HB720 Readings.” Creating folders will allow you
to save articles in one location so that you can read or print them at a later date.
COURSE OUTLINE
Week Date Content Assignment Due
1) 4/29/11 Introduction/Course Overview
Defining & Operationalizing the Construct of Resilience
2) 4/30/11
Individual Processes Assignment 1: Brief
Assignment #1: Reflection Paper Due
3) 5/06/11
Ecological Factors, Part I: Family
Ecological Factors, Part II: Neighborhood and Community
4) 5/07/11
Sociocultural Factors, Part I: Race/Ethnicity, Culture, and Class
Sociocultural Factors, Part II: Gender and Sexual Orientation
Assignment #2: Short Paper on The Glass Castle Due
5) 5/13/11
Infancy and Early Childhood
Middle Childhood
6) 5/14/11
Adolescence
7) 5/20/11
Early and Middle Adulthood Student
Late Adulthood
8) 5/21/11
Policies and Programs
Integration and Evaluation
CLASS #1 4/29/11
Part 1. Introduction/Course Overview
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”
--Ernest Hemingway
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Begin to understand basic concepts inherent to a resilience perspective and its
application to development across the lifespan.
2. Recognize divergent definitions of resilience.
3. Understand the expectations and requirements of the course.
Required Readings:
Masten, A. S., & Coatsworth, J. D. (1998). The development of competence in favorable
and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children.
American Psychologist, 53(2), 205−220.
Rolf, J. E., & Glantz, M. D. (1999). Resilience: An interview with Norman Garmezy.
In M. D. Glantz & J. L. Johnson (Eds.), Resilience and development: Positive life
adaptations (pp. 5−14). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
Recommended Readings:
Greene, R. R. (2002). Human behavior theory: A resilience orientation. In R. R.
Greene (Ed.), Resiliency: An integrated approach to practice, policy, and research
(pp.1− 27). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Masten, A. S. (2007). Resilience in developing systems: Progress and promise as the
fourth wave rises. Development and Psychopathology, 19(3), 921−930.
Part 2. Defining & Operationalizing the Construct of Resilience
“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.”
--Ernest Hemingway
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Understand different perspectives on resilience processes among individuals and
their developmental contexts.
2. Begin to recognize how measurement of resilience varies by life stage.
3. Recognize the import of examining interactions between individuals and their
environments to the assessment of resilience.
Required Readings:
TEXT (Peters et al.): Preface (pp. ix-xii); and Part I, The conceptual and empirical
framework for linking resilience to intervention and policy (pp. 3−61).
Greene, R. R. (2007). Risk and resilience theory: Social work practice in a changing
world. In Social work practice: A risk and resilience perspective (pp. 3−21). Belmont,
CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.
Recommended Readings:
Cicchetti, D. (2010). Resilience under conditions of extreme stress: A multilevel
perspective. World Psychiatry, 9, 145-154.
Corcoran, J., & Nichols-Casebolt, A. (2004). Risk and resilience ecological framework
for assessment and goal formation. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 21(3),
211−235.
Luthar, S. S., & Brown, P. J. (2007). Maximizing resilience through diverse levels of
inquiry: Prevailing paradigms, possibilities, and priorities for the future. Development
and Psychopathology, 19, 931−955.
Osborn, A. S. (2007). Life span and resiliency theory: A critical review. Advances in
Social Work, 8(1), 152−168.
Saleebey, D. (2009). Power in the people. In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The strengths
perspective in social work practice (5th ed., pp. 1−23). Boston, MA: Pearson.
CLASS #2 4/30/11
Individual Processes
“It’s not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
--Charles Darwin
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Understand the role of individual attributes in resilience across the lifespan.
2. Recognize the contributions of neurobiology to risk and resilience processes.
3. Identify psychological traits associated with risk and resilience processes.
4. Understand how social work practice can promote adaptive individual functioning.
Required Readings:
Gunnar, M., & Quevedo, K. (2007). The neurobiology of stress and development.
Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 145−173.
Seery, M. D., Holman, E. A., & Silver, R. C. (2010). Whatever does not kill us:
Cumulative lifetime adversity, vulnerability, and resilience. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 99(6), 1025-1041.
Werner, E. E. (2000). Protective factors and individual resilience. In J. Shonkoff &
S. Meisels (Eds), Handbook of early childhood intervention (pp. 115−132). New
York: Cambridge University Press. 7
Westphal, M., Bonanno, G. A., & Bartone, P. T. (2008). Resilience and personality. In B.
J. Lukey & V. Tepe (Eds.), Biobehavioral resilience to stress (pp. 219−257). Boca
Raton, Fl: CRC Press.
Recommended Readings:
Deater-Deckard, K., Ivy, L., & Smith, J. (2006). Resilience in gene-environment
transactions. In S. Goldstein & R. B. Brooks (Eds.), Handbook of resilience in children
(pp. 49−63). New York: Springer.
Gopnick, A., Meltzoff, A. N., & Kuhl, P. (2001). What scientists have learned about
children’s brains. In The scientist in the crib: What early learning tells us about the mind
(pp. 174−197). New York: Harper Perennial.
Haglund, M.E.M., Nestadt, P. S., Cooper, N. S., Southwick, S. M., & Charney, D. S.
(2007). Psychobiological mechanisms of resilience: Relevance to prevention and
treatment of stress-related psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 19,
889−920.
CLASS #3 5/06/11
Part 1. Ecological Factors: The Family
“Resilience does not come from rare and special qualities, but from the everyday magic
of ordinary, normative human resources in the minds, brains, and bodies of children in
their families and relationships, and in their communities.”
--Ann Masten
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Understand how family processes impact resilient functioning across the life span.
2. Identify risk and protective factors within the family that decrease or enhance the
likelihood of resilience.
3. Apply a resilience framework to strategies for supporting family protective processes.
Required Readings:
Focht-Birkerts, L. F., & Beardlsee, W. R. (2000). A child’s experience of parental
depression: Encouraging relational resilience in families with affective illness. Family
Processes, 39(4), 417−434.
Simon, J. B., Murphy, J. J., & Smith, S. M. (2005). Understanding and fostering family
resilience. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families,
13(4), 427−436.
SmithBattle, L. (2006). Family legacies in shaping teen mothers’ caregiving practices
over 12 years. Qualitative Health Research, 16(8), 1129−1144.
Walsh, F. (2006). Practice principles and guidelines to strengthen family resilience. In
Strengthening family resilience (2nd ed., pp. 129−163). New York: Guilford.
Recommended Readings:
Bolger, K. E., & Patterson, C. J. (2003). Sequelae of child maltreatment: Vulnerability
and resilience. In S. S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the
context of childhood adversities (pp. 156−181). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Children’s Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services (2009). Strengthening families and communities: 2009
resource guide. Washington, DC: Author.
Family Strengthening Policy Center (2007). Family strengthening writ large: On
becoming a nation that promotes strong families and successful youth.
Washington, DC: National Human Services Assembly.
Sheridan, S. M., Eagle, J. W., & Dowd, S. E. (2006). Families as contexts for children’s
adaptation. In S. Goldstein & R. B. Brooks (Eds.), Handbook of resilience in children
(pp. 165−179). New York: Springer.
Part 2. Ecological Factors: The Neighborhood and Community
“The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and
hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to
struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun."
--Napoleon Hill
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Recognize the influence of neighborhood and community context on resilience over
the lifespan.
2. Identify specific risk and protective factors within neighborhoods and communities
that influence human development and adaptation to risk.
3. Identify social work practice strategies that promote protective forces within
neighborhoods and communities.
Required Readings:
TEXT (Peters et al.):
Chapter 7, Building strengths and resilience among at-risk mothers and their children: A
community-based prevention partnership (pp.101−116).
Chapter 8, The social transformation of environments and the promotion of resilience in
children (pp. 119−135).
Chapter 9, Promoting resilience in the inner city: Families as a venue for protection,
support, and opportunity (pp. 137−155).
Benard, B. (2004). Community protective factors. In Resiliency: What we have
learned (pp. 89−106). San Francisco, CA: WestEd.
Recommended Readings:
Jaffee, S. R., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Polo-Tomás, M., & Taylor, A. (2007). Individual,
family, and neighborhood factors distinguish resilient from nonresilient maltreated
children: A cumulative stressor model. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31, 231−253.
La Fromboise, T. D., Hoyt, D. R., Oliver, L., & Whitbeck, L. B. (2006). Family,
community, and school influences on resilience among American Indian adolescents in
the upper Midwest. Journal of Community Psychology, 34,193−209.
Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). The neighborhoods they live in: The effects of
neighborhood residence on child and adolescent outcomes. Psychological Bulletin,
126(2), 309−337.
Wolkow, K. E., & Ferguson, H. B. (2001). Community factors in the development of
resiliency: Considerations and future directions. Community Mental Health Journal,
37(6), 489−498.
CLASS # 4 5/07/11
Part 1:. Sociocultural Factors: Race/Ethnicity, Culture, and Class
“If we are to achieve a richer culture…we must recognize the whole gamut of human
potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, in which each diverse human
gift will find a fitting place.”
--Margaret Mead
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Recognize the relevance of race/ethnicity, culture, and class to the identification and
promotion of resilience across the lifespan.
2. Identify how psychosocial factors shape an individual’s experience of risk, adaptation,
and resilience.
3. Understand how social workers can incorporate an awareness of and sensitivity to
race/ethnicity, culture, and class into practice aimed at promoting resilience.
Required Readings:
Arrington, E. G., & Wilson, M. N. (2000). A re-examination of risk and resilience during
adolescence: Incorporating culture and diversity. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 9,
221−230.
Luthar, S. S. (2003). The culture of affluence: Psychological costs of material wealth.
Child Development, 74, 1581−1593.
Seccombe, K. (2002). “Beating the odds” versus “changing the odds”: Poverty,
resilience, and family policy. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 64, 384−394.
Szalacha, L. A., Erkut, S., García Coll, C., Fields, J. P., Alarcon, O., & Ceder, I. (2003).
Perceived discrimination and resilience. In S. S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and
vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of childhood adversities (pp. 414-435). New
York: Cambridge University Press.
Ungar, M., Brown, M., Liebenberg, L., Othman, R., Kwong, W. M., Armstrong, M. et al.
(2007). Unique pathways to resilience across cultures. Adolescence,42(166), 287−310.
Recommended Reading:
Abelev, M. S. (2009). Advancing out of poverty: Social class worldview and its relation
to resilience. Journal of Adolescent Research, 24(1), 114−141.
García Coll, C., & Magnuson, K. (2000). Cultural differences as sources of
developmental vulnerabilities and resources: A view from developmental research. In J.
P. Shonkoff & S. J. Meisels (Eds.), Early childhood intervention (2nd ed., pp. 94−114).
New York: Cambridge University Press.
McCubbin, L. D., & McCubbin, H. I. (2005). Culture and ethnic identity in family
resilience: Dynamic processes in trauma and transformation of indigenous people. In M.
Ungar (Ed.), Handbook for working with children and youth: Pathways to resilience
across cultures and contexts (pp. 27−44). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Torres, L. (2009). Latino definitions of success: A cultural model of intercultural
competence. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 31(4), 576−593.
Part 2:. Sociocultural Factors: Gender and Sexual Orientation
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
--Maya Angelou
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Describe gender and sexual orientation within a resilience framework.
2. Recognize protective processes that support positive development in the face of
discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.
3. Understand methods of social work practice that may limit the impact of risk and
promote strengths associated with gender and sexual orientation.
Required Readings:
Morales, E. E. (2008). Exceptional female students of color: Academic resilience and
gender in higher education. Innovative Higher Education, 33, 197−213.
Oswald, R. F. (2002). Resilience within the family networks of lesbians and gay men:
Intentionality and redefinition. Journal of Marriage and Family Therapy, 64, 374−383.
Pollack, W. S. (2006). Sustaining and reframing vulnerability and connection: Creating
genuine resilience in boys and young males. In S. Goldstein & R. B. Brooks (Eds.),
Handbook of resilience in children (pp. 65−77). New York: Springer.
Scourfield, J., Roen, K., & McDermott, L. (2008). Lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender young people’s experiences of distress: Resilience, ambivalence and selfdestructive behavior. Health and Social Care in the Community, 16(3), 329−336.
Recommended Reading:
Reimer, M. S. (2002). Gender, risk, and resilience in the middle school context.
Children & Schools, 24(1), 35−47.
Russell, G. M., & Richards, J. A. (2003). Stressor and resilience factors for lesbian, gay
men, and bisexuals confronting antigay politics. American Journal of Community
Psychology, 31(3/4), 313−328.
Sanders, G. L., & Kroll, I. T. (2000). Generating stories of resilience: Helping gay and
lesbian youth and their families. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 26(4), 433−442.
Watkins, M. L. (2002). Listening to girls: A study in resilience. In R. R. Greene (Ed.),
Resiliency: An integrated approach to practice, policy, and research (pp.115−131).
Washington, DC: NASW Press.
CLASS #5 5/13/11
Part 1:. Infancy and Early Childhood
“There is no such thing as a baby.”
--Winnicott
“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”
--Frederick Douglass
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify risk and resilience processes in the first five years of life.
2. Understand the importance of early relationships to resilience across the lifespan.
3. Identify strategies for intervening with young children at risk, their families, and their
environments that facilitate successful navigation of developmental tasks.
Required Readings:
Easterbrooks, M. A., Driscoll, J. R., & Bartlett, J. D. (2008). Resilience in infancy: A
relational approach. Research in Human Development, 5(3), 139−152.
Lieberman, A. F., Padrón, E., van Horn, P., & Harris, W. W. (2005). Angels in the
nursery: The intergenerational transmission of benevolent parental influences. Infant
Mental Health Journal, 26(6), 504−520.
Masten, A. S., & Gewirtz, A. H. (2006). Vulnerability and resilience in early child
development. In K. McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of early
childhood development (pp. 22−43). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
van Ijzendoorn, M. H., & Juffer, F. (2006). Adoption as intervention. Meta-analytic
evidence for massive catch-up and plasticity in physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive
development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47(12), 1228−1245.
Recommended Readings:
Horning, L. E., & Rouse, K. A. (2002). Resilience in preschoolers and toddlers from lowincome families. Early Childhood Education Journal, 29(3), 155−159.
Owens, E. B., & Shaw, D. S. (2003). Poverty and early childhood adjustment. In S.
S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of childhood
adversities (pp. 267−292). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Seifer, R. (2003). Young children with mentally ill parents: Resilient developmental
systems. In S. S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of
childhood adversities (pp. 29−49). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Zeanah, C. H., & Zeanah, P. D. (2009). The scope of infant mental health. In C.H.
Zeanah (Ed.), Handbook of infant mental health (3rd ed., pp. 5−21). New York: Guilford.
Part 2:. Middle Childhood
“Children's talent to endure stems from their ignorance of alternatives.”
--Maya Angelou
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Understand processes of positive adaptation despite adversity particular to middle
childhood.
2. Identify individual attributes and characteristics of family, peers, schools,
communities, and larger social and cultural systems associated with resilience.
3. Apply principles of resilience to social work practice with and on behalf of school-age
children and their families.
Required Readings:
Fiese, B. H., & Schwartz, M. (2008). Reclaiming the family table: Mealtimes and child
health and wellbeing. Social Policy Report, 22(4), 3−18.
Gilligan, R. (1999). Enhancing the resilience of children and young people in public care
by mentoring their talents and interests. Child and Family Social Work, 4, 187−196.
Haskett, M. E., Nears, K., Ward, C. S., & McPherson, A. V. (2006). Diversity in
adjustment of maltreated children: Factors associated with resilient functioning. Clinical
Psychology Review, 26, 796−812.
Smith, E. P., Boutte, G. S., Zigler, E., & Finn-Stevenson, M. (2004). Opportunities
for schools to promote resilience in children and youth. In K. I. Maton, S. J.
Schellenbach, B. J. Leadbeater, & A. L. Solarz (Eds.), Investing in children, youth,
families, and communities (pp. 213−231). Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association.
Recommended Reading:
Fraser, M. W., Kirby, L. D., & Smokowski, P. R. (2004). Risk and resilience in
childhood. In M. W. Fraser (Ed.), Risk and resilience in childhood: An ecological
perspective (2nd ed., pp. 13−66). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Hetherington, E. M. (2003). Risk and resilience in children coping with their parents’
divorce and remarriage. In S. S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability:
Adaptation in the context of childhood adversities (pp. 213−240). New York:
Cambridge University Press.
Kirschke, J., & van Vliet, W. (2005). ”How can they look so happy?”: Reconstructing
the place of children after Hurricane Katrina: Images and reflections. Children,
Youth, and Environments, 15, 1−14.
CLASS #6 5/14/11
Adolescence
"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply
can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death."
-- Anne Frank
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Understand multi-level protective processes in adolescence that support positive
development despite exposure to risk.
2. Recognize common risk factors in adolescence that challenge healthy growth
and development over the lifespan.
3. Apply a resilience framework to social work practice with and on behalf of youth
experiencing hardship.
Required Readings:
TEXT (Peters et al.): Chapter 6, Dating relationships among at-risk adolescents: An
opportunity for resilience? (pp. 83−100).
Hurd, R. C. (2004). A teenager revisits her father’s death during childhood: A study in
resilience and healthy mourning. Adolescence, 39(154), 337−354.
Jenson, J. M. (2004). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug use in
childhood and adolescence. In M. W. Fraser (Ed.), Risk and resilience in childhood: An
ecological perspective (2nd ed., pp. 183−208). Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Ungar, M. (2004). The importance of parents and other caregivers to the resilience of
high-risk adolescents. Family Process, 43(1), 23−41.
Recommended Readings:
Cauce, A. M., Stewart, A., Rodriguez, M. D., Cochran, B. & Ginzler, J. (2003).
Overcoming the odds? Adolescent development in the context of urban poverty. In S. S.
Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and vulnerability: Adaptation in the context of childhood
adversities (pp. 343−363). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Fergus, S., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2005). Adolescent resilience: A framework for
understanding healthy development in the face of risk. Annual Review of Public
Health, 26, 399−419.
Schofield, G., & Beek, M. (2009). Growing up in foster care: Providing a secure
base through adolescence. Child and Family Social Work, 14, 255−266.
Stevens, J. W. (2005). Lessons learned from poor African-American youth: Resilient
strengths in coping with adverse environments. In M. Ungar (Ed.), Handbook for
working with children and youth: Pathways to resilience across cultures and contexts
(pp. 45−56). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
CLASS #7 5/20/11
Part 1:. Early and Middle Adulthood
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
--Confucius
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Recognize individual assets and risk factors that impact the likelihood of positive
adaptation in early and middle adulthood.
2. Understand contextual influences on adjustment to adversity during adulthood.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of how social workers can promote resilience through
diverse pathways in adulthood.
Required Readings:
Carbonell, D. M., Reinherz, H. Z., & Beardslee, W. R. (2005). Adaptation and coping in
childhood and adolescence for those at risk for depression in emerging adulthood. Child
and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 22(5/6), 395−416.
Gladwell, M. (2008). The 10,000-hour rule. In Outliers (pp. 35−68). New York: Little,
Brown, and Company.
Mancini, A. D., & Bonanno, G. A. (2006). Resilience in the face of potential trauma:
Clinical practices and illustrations. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Session, 62(8),
971−985.
Wilks, S. E. (2008). Resilience amid academic stress: The moderating impact of social
support among social work students. Advances in Social Work, 9(2), 106−125.
Recommended Readings:
Bonanno, G. A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated
the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American Psychologist,
59(1), 20−28.
Masten, A. S., Burt, K. B., Roisman, G. I., Obradovic, J., Long, J. D., & Tellegen, A.
(2004). Resources and resilience in the transition to adulthood: Continuity and change.
Development and Psychology, 16, 1071−1094.
Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (2001). Forty something. In Journeys from childhood to
midlife: Risk, resilience, and recovery (pp. 38−55). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Part 2:. Late Adulthood
"In the depths of winter, I discovered in me an invincible summer"
--Albert Camus
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify and apply a resilience perspective to development in late adulthood.
2. Understand individual strengths and challenges that impact developmental
trajectories in the last stage of life.
3. Develop an understanding of the sociocultural contexts within which adaptation in late
adulthood are influenced and defined.
4. Recognize specific social work strategies to promote positive development in late
adulthood.
Required Readings:
Hilton, J. M., Kopera-Frye, K., & Krave, A. (2009). Successful aging from the
perspective of family caregivers. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for
Couples and Families, 17(1), 39−50.
Lewis, J. S., & Harrell, E. B. (2002). Older adults. In R. R. Greene (Ed.), Resiliency:
An integrated approach to practice, policy, and research (pp. 277−292). Washington,
DC: NASW Press.
Nakashima, M., & Canda, E. R. (2005). Positive dying and resiliency in later life: A
qualitative study. Journal of Aging Studies, 19, 109−125.
Nelson-Becker, H., Chapin, R., & Fast, B. (2009). The strengths model with older adults:
Critical practice components. In D. Saleebey (Ed.), The strengths perspective in social
work practice (5th ed., pp. 161−180). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Recommended Readings:
Baltes, P. B., & Baltes, M. M. (1990). Psychological perspectives on successful aging:
The model of selective optimization with compensation. In P. B. Baltes & M. M. Baltes
(Eds.), Successful aging: Perspectives from the behavioral sciences (pp. 1−34). New
York: Cambridge University Press.
Crosnoe, R., & Elder, G. H. (2002). Successful adaptation in the later years: A life
course approach to aging. Social Psychology Quarterly, 65(4), 309−328.
Fuller-Iglesias, H., Sellars, B., & Antonucci, T. C. (2008). Resilience in old age: Social
relations as a protective factor. Research in Human Development,5(3), 181−193.
Tanner, D. (2007). Starting with lives: Supporting older people’s strategies and ways of
coping. Journal of Social Work, 7(1), 7−30.
CLASS #8 5/21/11
Part 1:. Policies and Programs
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Recognize how a resilience approach can be applied to the development and
implementation of prevention/intervention programs and policies.
2. Identify examples of resilience-based programs and policies that target specific risks
to healthy development.
3. Understand how social workers can use evidence-based programs and policies to
promote positive development among individuals, families, and communities.
Required Readings:
TEXT (Peters et al.):
Chapter 5, Creating effective interventions for pregnant teenagers
(pp.65−82).
Chapter 10, A community-based approach to promoting resilience in young
children, their families, and their neighborhoods (pp. 157−176).
Gottfredson, D. C., & Bauer, E. L. (2007). Interventions to prevent youth violence. In
L. S. Doll, S. E. Bonzo, J. A. Mercy, & D. A. Sleet (Eds.), Handbook of injury and
violence prevention (pp. 157−181). New York: Springer.
Rogerson, M., & Emes, C. (2008). Fostering resilience within an adult day support
program. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 32(1), 1−18.
Recommended Readings:
Jenson, J. M., & Fraser, M. W. (2006). Toward the integration of child, youth, and family
policy: Applying principles of risk, resilience, and ecological theory. In J.M. Jenson & M.
W. Fraser (Eds.), Social policy for children & families: A risk and resilience perspective
(pp. 265−279). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Kent, M. W., & Davis, N. J. (in press). Resilience interventions. In J. W. Reich, A. J.
Zautra, & J. S. Hall (Eds.), (2009), Handbook of adult resilience. New York: Guilford.
Knitzer, J., & Cohen, E. P. (2007). Promoting resilience in young children and families at
the highest risk: The challenge for early childhood mental health. In D. F. Perry, R. K.
Kaufman, & J. Knitzer (Eds.), Social & emotional health in early childhood: Building
bridges between services & systems (pp. 335−359).Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brooks.
Part 2: Integration and Evaluation
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
--Albert Einstein
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Reflect on the content covered and one's learning during the semester.
2. Evaluate the course.
Required Readings:
None
EVALUATION CRITERIA/GRADING
You will complete 3 assignments for this course (see assignment descriptions)
Assignments Percentage of Grade
1. Brief Reflection Paper 10%
2. Short Paper on The Glass Castle 20%
3. Group Presentation 15%
4. Research Paper 35%
Class Participation
Attendance, readings completed, engagement 20%
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all class sessions and to inform the instructor in
advance of any absences. Failure to attend class sessions is likely to have a negative
effect on your course grade.
Academic honesty:
Papers and presentations in the School of Social Work must meet standards of
academic honesty and integrity, avoiding any possibility of plagiarism or other forms of
academic misconduct. For specific information about the BUSSW policy regarding
academic misconduct, see Student Handbook: Ways & Means
(http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/stud_hb/index.shtml).
Incomplete Grades:
A student who cannot complete the assignments for a course must initiate an
incomplete grade dialogue with the instructor before the final class. Individual instructors
can refuse to grant a grade of Incomplete.
The Incomplete Grade Contract can be found at:
http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/academic/registration/documents/IncompleteGradeC
ontract2010.pdf
A student who does not submit to the Registrar a negotiated Incomplete Grade
Contract with the instructor will receive a grade of F for the course. Students must
resolve incomplete grades by the agreed upon contract date. An incomplete grade will
be changed to a grade of F by the instructor if the student fails to complete work by
contract date. A student must successfully complete a pre-requisite course to continue
in the next course in the sequence.
Students with disabilities:
If you have a disability and want to request reasonable accommodation, the
University requires that you consult with Boston University’s Office of Disability
Services for information regarding this process (http://www.bu.edu/disability/).
Writing style and references:
Students are expected to follow the editorial and reference standards set out in the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). This manual
is available at the Mugar Library reference desk. A helpful BUSSW APA Style
Guide can be found at http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/academic/index.shtml.
Academic writing assistance:
If you would like academic writing assistance, information can be found at
http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/academic/assistance/index.shtml or contact the
BUSSW Office of Student Services.
Electronic devices in the classroom:
Computers may be used to support the learning activities in the classroom, with
permission of your instructor. These include such activities as taking notes and
accessing course readings under discussion. However, non-academic use of laptops
and other devices are distracting and seriously disrupt the learning process for
everyone. Neither computers nor other electronic devices are to be used in the
classroom for non-academic reasons. This includes e-mailing, texting, social
networking, and use of the Internet. The use of cell phones during class time is
prohibited. Please turn off cell phones and refrain from taking calls unless you are “on
call” and have cleared this with the instructor prior to class.
Under such circumstances, please put your phone on vibrate, sit close to a door, and
step out of the room to take the call.
Audiotaping of classes:
A Massachusetts statute, MGL c. 272 section 99, prohibits the taping of any oral
communication without notice to all parties involved. It is important, therefore, that
any taping of classroom proceedings (e.g., for the benefit of absent students or as a
study aid to all students) occur only with effective prior notice to all.
Class lectures at BUSSW are not routinely audiotaped, but occasionally a student
or faculty member may wish to do so. In the event that a specific class session is to
be taped (e.g., for a student who will be absent for that session), the faculty
member should notify students at the beginning of the class that the session will be
taped. If a course will be audiotaped throughout the semester (e.g., as an academic
accommodation for a student with a documented disability or for other educational
purposes) the faculty member will inform students (in the course syllabus or in a
written communication) that the class lectures will be taped.
Religious holidays:
The school, in scheduling classes on religious holiday, intends that students
observing those holidays be given ample opportunity to make up work. Faculty
members who wish to observe religious holidays will arrange for another faculty
member to meet their classes or for canceled classes to be rescheduled.
Other course policies:
Students should notify instructors by phone or e-mail of any impending
absence, indicating how they will obtain material from the missed session. Because
the framework for each class is established in the opening minutes of the session, it is
important that all participants arrive on time. A persistent pattern of unapproved
lateness may have a negative effect on the student’s course grade.
Class Participation:
Students are expected to participate actively in class, and in a manner that is
respectful of each other's contributions, of clients and client confidentiality, and of the
instructor and the shared process of learning.
Full participation creates an effective learning environment. We expect that each
student will contribute to the in-class learning experience by actively listening,
speaking, and sometimes leading class discussions.
Each student is a learning resource for other students and faculty. The common
foundation for discussion rests with the readings. We believe that both verbal and
written skills are important to social workers. You will have the opportunity to
participate in small groups as well as in larger class discussions.
Class participation counts for 20% of your grade and is evaluated on the
following criteria: attendance, level of preparation demonstrated in oral questions
and comments in small and large group discussions, and active listening to the
instructor and your classmates.
Late Assignments
It is your responsibility to submit assignments on time. If you are unable to submit
an assignment by the date and time indicated on this syllabus, you must inform me
at least 48 hours prior to the time the assignment is due. If you submit an
assignment after the due date and time without informing me, 10% of the total
assignment point value will be deducted automatically. For example, if an
assignment is worth 25 points, 2.5 points will be deducted prior to grading. Another
10% of the total grade will be deducted for each additional week, or fraction thereof,
that the assignment is late. You can avoid the late deduction(s) by planning ahead
and contacting me to make alternative arrangements.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment 1
BRIEF REFLECTION PAPER
Due: 4/30/11
Assignment Description:
Resilience has been described as “ordinary magic,” meaning that it is a common
phenomenon arising from basic systems of human adaptation (Masten, 2001).
With this in mind, answer the following questions about resilience in your own life:
1. How do you define resilience?
a. What definition(s) from the readings and lectures made the most sense to
you and why? (Cite at least one source for the definition you choose.)
b. Did you disagree or were you uncomfortable with any definition? If so, why?
2. In what ways do you think resilience has been evident in your own life?
a. What evidence of resilience can you identify in your own life or in the life of a
person close to you?
b. What were the particular challenges you/this person faced?
c. Did you expect that you/this person would respond to adversity in the way
that you/this person did? Why or why not?
d. Were there ways in which you/this person did not adapt well to the
adversity? Describe.
3. What do you think accounts for your/this person’s resilient functioning?
a. What individual factors (e.g., temperament, problem-solving skills,
intelligence, mental health) might have played a protective role?
b. What ecological factors (e.g., family, friends, schools, neighborhood, culture,
religion, social networks) do you think played a protective role?
4. How might this example of resilience relate (or not relate) to your/this
person’s capacity to adapt well to stress in the future?
General Paper Guidelines
Length: 2-3 pages
Format: 12-point, Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins (top, bottom, right, left);
include
page numbers.
References: Follow American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines for citation.
Assignment 2
SHORT PAPER on THE GLASS CASTLE
Due: May 7, 2011
Assignment Description:
For this assignment, students are required to read the book, The Glass Castle, a
memoir by Jeannette Walls. Students will then write a short paper (4−6 pages)
applying concepts learned in the first half of the course. There are two parts to the
paper: 1) an analysis of risk and resilience (80% of paper grade), and 2) a proposal
for an intervention (clinical or macro) (20% of paper grade).
Part 1. Analysis of Risk and Resilience (3−4 pages)
Please address the following questions in your paper:
1. What do you believe are the primary threats to Jeannette Walls’ development
(e.g., individual, family, school, neighborhood, cultural, societal risk factors), and
do they change over time?
What definition did you use to define and identify risk in the Walls family? (Use
at least two articles and/or chapters to explain your answer.)
2. The first story Jeanette tells of her childhood is that of burning herself severely
at age three, and her father abruptly taking her out of the hospital. Why do you
think she opens with this story, and how does it serve as a metaphor for her childhood?
3. Rex Walls often asked his children, "Have I ever let you down?" Why was this
question—and the "No, Dad" response—so important for him and for his children?
In what ways did he actually come through for the children?
4. Despite many hardships Jeanette faced growing up, as an adult she leads a life
that could be characterized as “successful.” What factors might account for her
success?
What are the central mechanisms of protection in Jeannette’s life (e.g., individual,
family, school, neighborhood, cultural, societal protective factors)?
How do the course readings/lectures inform the definition and identification of protective
factors? (Use at least two articles and/or chapters to support your appraisal.)
5. What character traits (good, bad, or in between) do you think Jeannette
inherited from her parents and how do you think those traits shaped her life?
6. Would you characterize this memoir as a story of resilience? Why or why not?
How, if at all, is your answer different for Jeannette than her siblings?
What definition are you using to assess resilience? (Select and present a
definition of resilience from the readings/lecture that supports your conclusions.)
7. Discuss the metaphor of the “glass castle” and what it signifies.
Why is it important that, just before leaving for New York, Jeannette tells her
father that she doesn't believe he'll ever build it? (p. 238)
Part 2. Proposing an Intervention (1−2 pages)
Imagine that you, as a social worker, can intervene with one or more characters at
any point in the book. Using a clinical or macro focus, answer the following questions:
1. Based on a resilience framework, what social work intervention would you suggest?
Describe the intervention you selected, including the problem(s) you aim to address and
the nature (i.e., type, mode, duration, intensity) of services to be provided.
2. What are the potential strengths and limitations of this intervention to promote
resilience?
Describe the fit of this intervention with the needs of the client(s). (Use at least one
article/chapter from course readings to support your approach.)
What issue(s) will likely remain unaddressed by the intervention? How so?
General Paper Guidelines
Length: 4-5 pages
Format: 12-point, Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins (top, bottom, right, left);
double-spaced (no extra spaces between paragraphs); include page numbers.
References: A minimum of 6 peer-reviewed journal articles/chapters from scholarly texts
required. You must follow American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines for
citation.
Assignment 3
GROUP PRESENTATION
Due: As assigned
Assignment Description:
This assignment requires students to conduct research on resilience at a single
stage of the lifespan and to consider the risks/challenges as well as protective factors
associated with this stage of life. You will present your findings during the 5th, 6thor 7th
classes. Your presentation will include a 1-2 page summary of your findings WITH
REFERENCES to be handed out to each student for their own use after class. This
summary as well as a copy of any other handouts/slides involved with your presentation
will be handed in to the professor.
.
Part I. Oral Presentation (15% of course grade)
You will give your oral presentation during the class devoted to the life stage you
are assigned for this assignment
1. You will have 30 minutes for your presentation: 20 minutes for a didactic
overview and 10 minutes for questions/comments from the audience (Power
Point presentations allowed but not required).
2. Please prepare a summary of 1-2 pages in length that includes a list of
references you found useful and which will be handed out to each student. You may
also use PowerPoint slides, tables, graphs, or any other design that will help you
supplement and strengthen your presentation. A copy of these materials should also be
given to the instructor.
3. It is important to rehearse and time your presentation to make maximum use of the
time allotted to you.
4. Your presentation will be evaluated as follows:
a. the scholarly content of your presentation;
b. how well you deliver information and engage with the audience;
c. how well you organize your presentation; and
d. how well you answer questions from the audience.
Assignment 4.
Research Paper (35% of course grade)
Due: 6/1/11 (via snail mail or email)
You will write a 10−12 page, double-spaced research paper based on a topic of your
choosing. This topic may be related to the subject of your group presentation.
Sample topics include (but are not limited to):
Abuse and neglect in early
childhood
Homophobia in early adulthood
Racism in adolescence
Dementia in late adulthood
Parental divorce in early childhood
ADHD in middle adulthood
Immigration in middle adulthood
Adolescent pregnancy
Chronic/severe illness in infancy
Poverty in late adulthood
Death of a parent in early childhood
Substance abuse in adolescence
A hardcopy of your paper is due ten days after the end of class.
Your research paper must:
1. Describe the topic area (i.e., recent trends, demographic statistics, and
epidemiological data, if available) and state why this topic is important to
understanding resilience (2−3 pages).
2. State the relevance of this topic to development at the stage of life you
chose (i.e., neurological, biological, cognitive, social-emotional, physical
development) (1−2 pages).
3. Summarize current scholarship on risk and resilience with regard to your
topic and life stage (5−6 pages).
a. What specific risk and protective factors have been identified in theliterature?
b. What individual and environmental conditions are associated with resilience?
c. What interventions appear to have been successful or unsuccessful in
promoting resilience to this adversity during this life stage?
4. Identify limitations in current research on your topic and life stage (e.g., lack
of studies, problems with research methodology, limited applications to social
work practice) (1−2 pages).
5. Discuss implications of extant research for social work research, policy,
and practice (macro, clinical, or both) (1−2 pages).
General Paper Guidelines
Length: 10-12 pages
Format: 12-point, Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins (top, bottom, right, left);
double-spaced (no extra spaces between paragraphs, please); include page numbers.
Organization: Introductory and concluding paragraphs and section subheadings are
strongly recommended to help organize a paper of this length.
References: You must use at least 15-20 peer-reviewed journal articles and chapters
from scholarly texts. Follow American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines for
citation.