FERGUS PETER HUGHES

B.A.

St. John's University, New York, 1968

Major: Psychology Minor: English

M.A.

Syracuse University, 1971

Developmental Psychology

Ph.D.

Syracuse University, 1972

Developmental Psychology

 

I grew up in the New York City area, and did my undergraduate work at St. John’s University in New York (Major: Psychology, Minor: English) and my graduate work in Developmental Psychology at Syracuse University. I came to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1972, thinking that I might stay for a year or two and then move back to the East Coast. Instead I discovered that, aside from the long winters, Wisconsin has a lot of very attractive features to recommend it. I also found it exciting to be working at a new university, where I would have a chance to make my mark on the curriculum.

One of the most appealing features of UW-Green Bay was the emphasis that is placed on quality teaching. I would have to say that teaching is the most important of my work activities, and the one that consistently requires the greatest amount of my time and energy. Good teachers need to be completely familiar with their chosen area of study, and must constantly renew themselves by keeping abreast of current developments in their field. But good teachers should do more than that. They should also stimulate the interest of their students by modeling their enthusiasm for, and their genuine love of learning, and not only in their own subject area but in a broader sense as well. It is my hope that I have done this at least occasionally in my teaching career.

 I've taught twelve different courses at UW-Green Bay, and two as a graduate student at Syracuse University, with enrollments ranging from five to three hundred. My primary areas of teaching expertise are in life-span development, adolescent development, human cognition, and children’s play. I've experienced a variety of teaching formats ranging from the small advanced seminar to the large lecture. In addition, I am available for independent studies, internships, and senior distinction projects. The courses that I currently teach most often are: 

 

Hum Dev 210 - Introduction to Human Development 

Hum Dev 332 - Middle Childhood and Adolescence 

Hum Dev 334 - Play and Creative Activities in Childhood 

 

In terms of scholarship, I have published in the area of cognitive development (children’s spatial awareness, adult learning), life-span development (Human Development: Across the Life Span), general child development (my child development textbook), and children’s play. A listing of my books, articles and presentations can be found below: