Human Development and Family Science
Relevant Courses
Studying Human Development and Family Science has helped me connect classroom lessons to real-world experiences that shape families, communities, and society as a whole. Each course has encouraged me to think deeply, serve others with empathy, and apply what I’ve learned in meaningful ways. Keep reading to discover how these courses have inspired my growth and strengthened my passion for helping others.
Course Descriptions
HDFS 5300: HDFS and Social Policy | Spring 2025
HDFS 5300 is a graduate-level course that enables students to critically analyze social policies. For the final policy brief, I examined the implications of decreased funding to the Head Start program, developing recommendations based on policy research and my knowledge of family systems. This assignment deepened my understanding of social policy and the policy life cycle from idea conception to implementation and evaluation. In addition to learning about the policy life cycle, I also learned about varying historical and social factors that impact modern policy, policy data collection, and how policy can be used as a tool to uplift families and communities.
HDFS 3060: Patterns of Family Interaction | Spring 2025
HDFS 3060 focuses on family processes and interactions through major conceptual frameworks of family development. For the final project, our group completed a two-part assignment, an essay and presentation, centered on identifying and providing solutions for the O’Leary family. By analyzing a specific family, I was able to take a unique look at internal family relationships, specifically, marriage, sibling relationships, and parent-child relationships, and how these family relationships are impacted by disability. Additionally, I took a critical look at how families interact with other spheres including school, community, and government.
HDFS 3030: Adolescent Development in the Family | Fall 2023
HDFS 3030 explores adolescent development through a biopsychosocial perspective, emphasizing the influence of families, peers, schools, and culture. For the adolescent manual project, students created a guide on “how to thrive during adolescence.” This assignment allowed me to share personal and peer experiences while translating the latest research and complex developmental theories into digestible, practical insights.
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As stated earlier, HDFS 3030 explores many different faucets of adolescent development, including identity and perception of self. My literature review examines the intersection of lived experience, cultural identity, gender identity, self-efficacy, and self-esteem on Black female-identifying adolescents.
COUN 2300: Mental Health Disparities | Spring 2024
INTL 3937-999: Honoring Diversity Across Europe: London, Paris, Amsterdam | Fall 2023
HUSC 2000: Hunger: Causes, Consequences, and Responses | Spring 2025
COUN 2300 examines the root causes and potential solutions for disparities that exist within the mental health field. This class provided me with a broad understanding of the mental health landscape, included but not limited to, mental health diagnosis, stigmatization, and treatment.
INTL 3937 was a course with an embedded two-week study abroad program. The course and study abroad program were focused on understanding the Black experience in Europe. Throughout the semester, I researched Little Africa and during the study abroad, we traveled to London, Paris, and Amsterdam.
HUSC 2000 explores hunger as a global and systemic issue that impacts individuals, families, and communities in countless ways. Through this class, I spent 20 hours serving at Auburn United Methodist Church’s Good News Center Food Pantry—stocking shelves, organizing goods, and shopping alongside guests as they picked out their groceries. Some of my favorite moments were connecting with non-English-speaking participants and finding creative ways to communicate and make them feel welcome. This experience deepened my passion for finding solutions for complex issues like food insecurity.