Module Identifier |
ED10710 |
Module Title |
THE SOCIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD |
Academic Year |
2001/2002 |
Co-ordinator |
Dr Merris Griffiths |
Semester |
Semester 2 |
Course delivery |
Lecture | 10 Hours |
|
Seminars / Tutorials | 5 Hours |
Assessment |
Assignment | 2,000 words | 40% |
|
Exam | 2 Hours | 60% |
Brief description
This module will introduce students to the social, historical and cultural constructions of 'childhood' and children within the Western sociological context. It will also provide students with a clear sociological framework/paradigm in which to locate the various perceptions of 'childhood'.
Aims of the module
-
To introduce students to the social, historical and cultural constructions of 'childhood' and children within the Western sociological context.
-
To provide students with a clear sociological framework/paradigm in which to structure the various facets of 'childhood'.
-
To develop general study skills in the process of achieving aims (1) and (2).
Syllabus
Lectures will cover the following aspects:
-
Introduction: The social construction of 'childhood'
-
Socio-historical perspectives on the construction of 'childhood'
-
Children and the changing family
-
The social world of the child
-
Education and socio-economic class
-
Children's rights and child protection
-
Gendering 'childhood'
-
Globalisation and 'childhood' within a capitalist culture
-
Children and society in conflict?
-
Representations of children in popular culture
Seminar themes will follow lecture topics in the sense that they are designed to clarify or further illustrate points raised in the lectures. There will be a strong thematic vein (following a given sociological paradigm) running through the module as a whole, as well as a related progression from one lecture to the next. It will therefore be possible to deal with a combination of lecture topics within the fortnightly seminar structure. For example:
-
What is a child?
-
The family
-
The peer group
-
Children's rights
-
Children in popular culture
Learning outcomes
Students should be able to discuss and assess the various sociological constructions of 'childhood'.
Students should be able to apply sociological frameworks in order to analyze the social construction of 'childhood'.
Students should have developed general study skills.
Reading Lists
Books
OPEN UNIVERSITY. (1988)
Kids Lib: The Politics of Childhood 1800-1941. Open University Press
POLAKOW, Viviane Suransky. (1992)
The Erosion of Childhood.. University of Chicago Press
QVORTRUP, Jens, Marjatta Bardy, Giovbanni Sgritta & Helmut Wintersberger (Eds). (1994)
Childhood Matters: Social Theory, Practice and Politics.. Avebury
STEINBERG, Sharon & Joe Kincheloe (Eds). (1997)
Kinderculture: The Corporate Construction of Childhood.. Westview Press
ADLER, Patricia & Peter Adler. (1998)
Peer Power: Preadolescent Culture and Identity.. Rutgers University Press
ARCHARD, David. (1993)
Children: Rights and Childhood.. Routledge
ARIES, Phillipe. (1960)
Centuries of Childhood. Penguin
COOTER, R. (1992)
In the Name of the Child: Health and Welfare 1880-1940. Routledge
CORSARO, William A. (1997)
The Sociology of Childhood. Pine Forge
FROST, N & M STEIN. (1989)
The Politics of Child Welfare. Harvester Wheatsheaf
GARFINKLE, Irwin, Jennifer L Hochschild & Sara S McLanahan (Eds). (1966)
Social Policies for Children. Brookings Institute
HARDING, L F. (1991)
Perspectives in Child-Care Policy. Longman
HOLLAND, Patricia. (1992)
What is a Child? Popular Images of Childhood.. Virago Press
JAMES, Allison & Alan Prout (Eds). (1999)
Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood.. Falmer Press
JENKS, C. (1992)
The Sociology of Childhood: Essential Readings.