Undergraduate Studies
The program in Comparative Human Development (CHDV) focuses on the study of persons over the course of life; on the social, cultural, biological, and psychological processes that jointly influence development; and on growth over time in different social and cultural settings. The study of human development also offers a unique lens through which we consider broad questions relevant to the social sciences, like the processes and impacts of social change, and the interactions of biology and culture. Faculty members in Comparative Human Development with diverse backgrounds in anthropology, biology, psychology, and sociology conduct research on topics that include (but are not limited to): the social and phenomenological experience of mental illness; the impact of socioeconomic context on growth and development; the influence of social interaction on biological functioning; the tensions inherent in living in multicultural societies; the experience and development of psychotherapists in Western and non-Western countries; and the ways in which youth in developing countries are forging new conceptions of adulthood. Given this interdisciplinary scope, the program in Comparative Human Development provides an excellent preparation for students interested in advanced postgraduate study at the frontiers of several social science disciplines, or in careers and professions that require a broad and integrated understanding of human experience and behavior—e.g., mental health, education, social work, health care, or human resource and organizational work in community or corporate settings.
Contact
All Comparative Human Development majors and prospective majors should sign up for the undergraduate listserv, humdev-undergrad. Please visit lists.uchicago.edu for information on how to sign up for this listserv.
To contact the undergraduate preceptors, email the humdev-preceptors listserv.
Resources
Undergraduate Student Manual
Petition for Courses Taken in Other Departments
Worksheet for Keeping Track of Your Courses and Department Requirements
Comparative Human Development Course Catalog
Spring 2012 course descriptions
Please check Time Schedules for current and imminent course offerings.
