Unit name | Constructing Childhoods |
---|---|
Unit code | SPOL10023 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Roy |
Open unit status | Open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School for Policy Studies |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
What is a child? Childhood is a universal experience, in that we have all been children, yet our understanding of why a child is defined as a child and not an adult will vary depending on the time, culture and context we are considering. This unit provides an introduction to childhood as a social construct and unpicks different theories of childhood. It aims to enable students to recognise that the construction of childhood is dynamic, fluid and culturally subjective, and to explore different ways that children and young people can be conceptualised within historical and contemporary contexts. Drawing on history, sociology, psychology and anthropology, this unit challenges age/stage theories of childhood and narrow definitions of the universal child, instead exploring the diversity of ideas about childhood. A wide range of resources including official documents, statistics, diaries, novels, artwork, and oral histories will be used to compare different representations and experiences of childhood.
The unit aims to consider:
Intended Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of this unit, the student will be able to demonstrate:
Lectures, seminars
Formative assessment is by:
(a) a seminar presentation of a small group project which has been jointly researched, and
(b) an essay of not more than 2,000 words
Summative assessment is by 3,000 word essay
The assessments will assess all of the intended learning outcomes for this unit