BSc Home Science Development in Adolescent and Adulthood Years II Syllabus - Mumbai University 2026
This is the Semester 4 syllabus under NEP 2020, in force from the academic year 2025-26. The University still examines the earlier Choice Based papers alongside it — her third-year timetables name that scheme — so check which scheme your exam form names before you revise.
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Syllabus for Development in Adolescent and Adulthood Years - II
Module I
- A Development in Adolescent Years - Moral Development
- G Piaget’s perspective - Heteronomous morality versus Autonomous morality
- H Kohlberg’s theory
- I Carol Gilligan’s Ethics of Care
- J Cultural-Relational Views - Morality shaped by social, religious, and cultural contexts (e.g., Indian epics, rituals, stories, community norms); role of family, rituals, festivals, religion, and tradition in moral teaching; influence of caste, class, and gender norms on moral expectations
- B Personality, Gender, and Sexuality
- i Personality: different conceptions of personality, the Big Five model of personality, person vs. situation as determinants of behavior
- ii Gender : femininity, masculinity, gender classifications, androgyny as a healthy option, role of culture in gender development, sex vs. gender, gender differences (activities and interests, personal-social attributes, social relationships, styles and symbols)
- iii Sexuality: sex vs. sexuality, sexual orientations, importance of sexuality in adolescence, challenges related to sexuality and strategies for developing healthy sexuality.
Module II
- A Interpersonal Relationships with Family and Peers
- i Reciprocal socialization and the family as a system.
- ii Parents: developmental changes in parents and adolescents, changing parent-adolescent relationships, parents as managers, parent-adolescent conflict, emotional and psychological independence from parents
- iii Siblings: sibling roles
- iv Peer relations: peer group functions, family-peer linkages, peer conformity, peer statuses, friendship, dating and romantic relationships
- v School and college as important contexts for development of academic excellence, resilience and well-being
- B Challenges, Problems and Wellbeing in Adolescence
- i Emotions: Definition, emotional competence
- ii Challenges/stressors during adolescence (e.g. Bullying, comparison, academic stress, self-harm, depression, substance abuse, etc.)
- iii Coping through building youth developmental assets
- iv Strategies for creating well-being in adolescence
Module III
- A Family Life in Adulthood Years
- i Brief overview of changing families, changing times
- ii Optimal functioning families, and their characteristics
- iii Contemporary one-parent and two-parent families: Diversities, strengths and challenges
- iv Multi-generation and joint families: Diversity, strengths and challenges
- v Reconstituted families: strengths and challenges
- B Family Life Cycle theory and its limitations
- C Close Interpersonal Relationships in the Family
- i Parent-child relations over the life course
- ii The influence of parents on children, and that of children on parents
- iii Delayed parenthood
- iv Voluntary childlessness; adoptive families
- v Characteristics of high quality parent-child relationships
- vi Roles, functions and status of grandparents in the family
- vii Roles of adult grandchildren
- viii Sibling relationships: A life-course perspective
- D Social relationships - social support and friendship
- i Nature of relationships
- ii Benefits of relating
- iii Social support
- iv Friendship - nature, functions and development over the life span
- E Alternative arrangements:
- i Singlehood
- ii Cohabitation
- iii Widowhood
- iv Divorce
Module IV
- A Understanding Family Conflict in Adulthood
- i Common sources of conflict: marital, in-law tension, parent-child, sibling, intergenerational disagreements, financial; their impact
- ii Strategies of conflict management
- B Family Violence and Abuse: Types, Causes, Impact, Prevention, Support, and Intervention Strategies
- i Types: Physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, financial
- ii Intimate partner violence (IPV); Child, elder abuse and neglect; Domestic violence against women and men
- iii Cycle of abuse
- iv Causes: Substance abuse, mental health issues, Societal norms (patriarchy, gender roles), Learned behavior from childhood (intergenerational transmission), Economic dependence and unemployment, Cultural stigma and silence around abuse
- v Impact: Long-term effects on mental health, Impact on parenting and child development, Trauma bonding and low self- esteem, Isolation and loss of autonomy
- vi Prevention, Support, and Intervention Strategies: Role of psycho-education and premarital counseling; therapy and family mediation; building communication, and conflict resolution skills; creating safe spaces and support networks; empowerment and financial independence
- C Death, Grief and Bereavement
- i Awareness of death as a developmental milestone in adulthood and old age; meaning-making around death
- ii Death anxiety in midlife
- iii Dying well: Living Will, Euthanasia
- iv Hospice care; improving care of the dying; caring for the caregiver
- v Grief and Bereavement: Definitions and Types
- vi Kubler-Ross’ Five Stages of Grief; Grief Process
- vii Supporting the Grieving Process: Active listening and non-judgmental presence; What to say (and not to say) to someone grieving; Role of support groups, therapy, and community-based rituals; Special cases: child loss, suicide, sudden or traumatic death; Grief in caregivers, professionals, and helping roles (compassion fatigue)
- viii Positive psychological, emotional, and interpersonal outcomes of grief
Text Books & Reference Books
- 1 Dolgin, K. G. (2010). The adolescent: Development, relationships, and culture (13 th ed.). Pearson. &
- 2 Lally, M., & Valentine - French, S. (2022). Lifespan development: a psychological perspective (4 th ed.). LibreTexts. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Human_Development/Lifespan_Development%3A_A_Psychological_Perspect ive_4e_(Lally_and_Valentine-French)
- 3 Lemme, B. (2006). Development in adulthood (4th ed.). Pearson. Lumen Learning (2020) Lifespan Development. https://socialsci.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Human_Dev elopment/Lifespan_Development_(Lumen) https://pressbooks.nscc.ca/lumenlife/
- 4 Santrock, J. W. (2019). Adolescence (18 th ed.). McGraw-Hill
Reproduced from the University of Mumbai syllabus for B.Sc. (Home Science) under NEP 2020, in force from the academic year 2025-26. Wording is as printed in that syllabus. Module numbering is as printed there too.