Encyclopedia of the Life Course and Human Development - 9780028661629

Aimed at an audience ranging from undergraduate students to seasoned social scientists, this three-volume encyclopedia has been put together by chief editor Carr (Institute for Health, Health Care, and Aging Research at Rutgers U.) and her collaborators in order to introduce the theory, research, and methodologies of the field of life course studies, a field guided by four key assumptions: human lives are embedded in and shaped by historical context, the meaning and impact of a life transition is contingent on when it occurs, lives are intertwined through social relationships, and individuals construct their lives through their choices and actions, yet within the constraints of historical and social circumstances. The encyclopedia contains some 450 entries, divided amongst the volumes according to the life course stages that are typically the foci of undergraduate courses--childhood and adolescence, adulthood, and later life--although those that cross boundaries have been limited to one volume or the other depending on editorial intuitive sense of where the reader might expect them. Long (up to 7000 words) entries focus on broad topics like aging, childbearing, mental health, and stages of schooling, while short entries (with a minimum of 250 words) discuss recent controversial issues such as "Hurried Child Syndrome" and "Virginity Pledges." Entries define key terms, explain the import of the topic, review classic and contemporary research, document human subgroup patterns, discuss future research directions, and examine policy implications. Entries also often contain bibliographic material, cross-references, illustrations, and statistical charts and grafts. The final volume includes a glossary, a discussion of research methods, an annotated bibliography, and a comprehensive index. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)