Education - Childhood and Youth Studies

Children’s Imaginative Worlds (20 credits)

You’ll explore the ways in which children and young people appear to use their imaginations to do two distinct things – to create alternative worlds to occupy, and to make sense of their experiences. In doing this, you’ll explore the developmental and psychological purposes of imagination. You’ll have the chance to study one particular domain of imaginative experience in depth, working together with others in a choice of reading groups.

Childhoods in Context (20 credits)

You’ll learn how childhood and adolescence are affected by the social context in which they’re experienced. You’ll also consider young people as active agents in society.

You’ll critically examine childhood as a social construct, both now and in historical contexts. Exploring notions of the ‘crisis of childhood’ in modern societies and what is meant by a ‘good’ childhood. You’ll look at the different roles children play in society and how these might shape childhood in different times, places and cultures. You’ll interview an individual to explore their childhood experiences for your assignment.

We’ll look at a range of themes, such as:

• a critical comparison of differing perspectives on childhood: historical, sociological and cross-cultural
• differing notions of the start and end of childhood/adolescence
• the changing roles of children in relation to employment, schooling, consumerism
• changing international ideas of children’s rights
• spaces for play and learning environments.

Working with Children, Young People and their Families (20 credits)

You’ll look at the role of people who work in services in this sector. Examining the policy and practice developments which are aimed at improving the quality of children’s lives. You’ll question the reasoning behind those developments, examine the evidence base and identify good practice.

Ensuring effective communication between different services working with children and their families is difficult to achieve. We’ll look at the nature and complexity of this communication.

We’ll also investigate issues like:

• cultural capital, social and educational inclusion, children’s and young people’s needs, rights and opportunities
• rationales for intervention: notions of ‘wellbeing’, ‘vulnerability’, ‘cycles of deprivation’
• evaluating specialist interventions
• communicating across disciplinary and professional boundaries 
• managing complexity in services for children and their families – viewing the whole system.