Module Identifier |
ED10710 |
Module Title |
THE SOCIOLOGY OF CHILDHOOD |
Academic Year |
2007/2008 |
Co-ordinator |
Dr Merris Griffiths |
Semester |
Intended for use in future years |
Next year offered |
N/A |
Next semester offered |
N/A |
Course delivery |
Seminars / Tutorials | 5 Hours. |
|
Lecture | 10 Hours. |
Assessment |
Assessment Type | Assessment Length/Details | Proportion |
Semester Exam | 2 Hours | 60% |
Semester Assessment | Assignment: 2,000 words | 40% |
|
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
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.
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
-
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).
Content
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:
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What is a child?
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The family
-
The peer group
-
Children's rights
-
Children in popular culture
Reading Lists
Books
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
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
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 4