Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series in
which reporters drop in on interesting classes throughout
the university's eight academic divisions. Suggestions are
welcome at
gazette@jhu.edu.
The course: Becoming an Adult: Life Course
Perspectives on School, Work and Family. 3 credits. Offered
by the Department of Sociology in the Krieger School of
Arts and Sciences.
The instructor: Stefanie DeLuca, assistant
professor, who specializes in the sociology of education,
sociology of neighborhoods and life course studies. DeLuca
is interested in the way social context--family, school,
neighborhood, peers, teachers, popular culture--affects the
outcomes of young people, primarily in adolescence and at
the transition to adulthood. She's currently examining
these issues through five separate research projects
blending quantitative and qualitative approaches.
Meeting time: 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and noon to 1
p.m. on Thursdays.
Syllabus: The undergraduates taking this course have
firsthand knowledge of what this phase of life--the
transition to adulthood--is all about. The course uses
personal experiences as a way to delve deeper into the
sociological and psychological dimensions of this
demographically dense period. DeLuca introduces her
students to several life course theories of human
development through empirical work on adolescence, the
transition to college, early employment and early family
formation. The course pays attention to the way class,
gender, race and nationality influence pathways, choices
and outcomes of young people.
Course work: A research paper is worth half the
final grade. Another 30 percent is made up of five critical
assignments based on readings and lectures, with the lowest
of the five grades dropped from consideration. The final 20
percent of a student's grade is participation in the weekly
section meeting of class, where DeLuca gives guidance,
hands out assignments and collects them. One assignment had
students conducting "life course history" interviews with
family members to find out why they had made the choices
they had in early adulthood and in what historical context
the decisions took place. In addition, each student is
required to moderate one section discussion during the
semester.
Required reading: The course has a hefty reading
list consisting of articles and excerpts on electronic
reserve at the library. The required books are On The
Frontier of Adulthood: Theory, Research, and Public
Policy, by Richard A. Settersten Jr., Frank F.
Furstenberg Jr. and Ruben G. Rumbaut; and Emerging
Adulthood: The Winding Road From the Late Teens Through the
Twenties, by Jeffrey Jensen Arnett.
Overheard in class: "People can't always see the
social backdrop in their own lives. One reason social
science is useful is that it allows us to pull back and see
what has changed over time. Interviews help us do that.
Telling a story is an affirmation, especially if we are
talking about overcoming hardship. Human beings in general
are storytellers. Once people are comfortable with you,
[they'll tell you about themselves]; a lot of times people
haven't been asked about what is going on with them without
expecting to give something back. It's like therapy--that's
why fieldwork can be exhausting."
— Stefanie DeLuca
Students say: "Professor DeLuca is by far the best
professor I've had at Hopkins. She is such a good teacher
and is excited to help us in any way possible, always
letting us know about opportunities outside of class to get
involved and expand our knowledge. I think that she is
proof that you can be a successful researcher and a good
teacher. She incorporates her research into her teaching
and is so excited about it. She also lets us know how the
things we are learning are applicable and can make a
difference. Once she said that her job as a researcher is
to do the most detailed research with the most integrity
possible [in order] to arm those working to influence
policy-makers with powerful data. Seriously, it is because
of her that I want to pursue a Ph.D. and do research, and I
hope I can teach someday and get kids excited about
research the way she's gotten our class.
"The class on becoming an adult is so
applicable to things I've been reading in magazines, etc.
Evidence of a more highly individualized society is
everywhere. It's so interesting to see what people are
looking for nowadays in a job, in their future. And talking
to my parents and friends, I can tell it's really changed
over time, and that it varies regionally. The best part
about Professor DeLuca's classes is the readings and
discussions. Because of the discussion, you really get to
know everyone in the class. I look forward to her class
every week."
— Christal Ng, a junior public health major from
Cincinnati, Ohio