LECTURE ON PERIODS OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THE PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS OF WIRAS

Department of Psychology conducted a guest lecture for the final year students. Ms. ThaniyaK Leela, a research scholar at Christ University, Bangalore handled the session. She was invited as a guest lecturer for covering the topic ‘Periods of Development’ from the subject of Developmental Psychology. The class was held on 22 nd and 23 rd of July, 2020 via google meet. Since developmental psychology deals with human development, that begins from the womb of the mother and ends in late adulthood, the subject is an interesting one for the students. The class that had only a girl participant was very eager to learn about the process of development that happens in the womb. The lecture began at the proposed time. Beginning from the fetal stage of development, the students travelled along with the lecturer into the impeccable details of fertilization and implantation. The division of the tiny clot of blood into a human life was an amazing process to learn and understand about. The lecturer explained the steps that take place after the implantation, like the growth of the embryo into a fetus, in a very simple and interesting manner. The topics of miscarriage and adoption, which has much relevance in this context, were also discussed in detail in between the session. Students were free to ask any queries and clarifications in between the class. In fact, the lecturer had made it clear in the beginning itself that interactions were an important aspect of the session and that would make the class even more lively and enjoyable. Students were also ready to share their own views of understanding and experiences in learning the subject during their school days. The lecture continued in a very interactive way. As the class proceeded towards the topic of development of the fetus into a baby, it was a beautiful journey and the students felt like going through the events in person. The lecturer explained how in each month, the organs and senses of the baby begins to develop and finally by the end of the third trimester, the tiny life is perfectly ready to come out of the womb. The session describing the birth process was even more mesmerizing, especially because the lecturer herself had personal stories to share about a very unique, yet normal birth of her own children. In contrary to the normal delivery using medical interventions, the lecturer had a unique experience of having a completely different birth experience using the midwifery mode from Birth Village at Ernakulum. The session took a different dimension as all the students were awestruck hearing the personal stories the lecturer had to share regarding her birth experience which made the class so real and full of life. The session on the second day ended with clarifications by the lecturer for the queries from the students, who were taken through a completely new experience and loaded with much enlightening knowledge about human development in the initial stages of life.