EDHD 850: Social Cognition and Moral Reasoning
Tuesdays, 1:00pm to 3:45 pm, Spring, 2026
Room 2130, Language Science Center, H.J. Patterson bldg
Prof. Melanie Killen
Social cognition and moral reasoning are complex social abilities that form the foundations of human interactions and development. How do humans learn to allocate resources, resolve interpersonal and intergroup conflicts, include others in group contexts, and refrain from engaging in aggressive behavior towards others? To address these questions, we will read and discuss articles that focus on the origins of social cognition (theory of mind, knowledge about groups, group dynamics), moral reasoning (conceptions of fairness, equality, others’ welfare in multiple contexts), and the role that parents and teachers play for facilitating these capacities at home and school.
Understanding how parents, teachers, and adults prepare children to navigate the social world is critical for promoting children’s and adolescents’ capacities. We will also read new research on A.I. tools designed to improve classroom climates by shedding light on teaching strategies as well as student discourse in K-12 educational contexts. These fundamental questions about human behavior have been studied by developmental scientists, education researchers, criminologists, philosophers, anthropologists, and sociologists.
This course is open to graduate students in human development, counseling, school psychology, psychology, education, family science, public health, criminology, philosophy, and related disciplines.
Please contact Prof. Melanie Killen, mkillen@umd.edu, for questions.
