Social Studies of Childhood: Key Concepts and Issues

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor and tutor: Professor Karen Wells
• Assessment: a 3000-word critical annotated bibliography (30%) and a 5000-word essay (70%)

What difference does age make to a person’s experience of social inequality? How does social inequality shape the way that children come to think about themselves as belonging to a group? This module will give you a critical understanding of the key concepts and perspectives in the multidisciplinary field of the social studies of childhood. The module explores how children and childhood have been studied in history, geography, sociology and anthropology to enable you to develop your theoretical understanding of childhood as a site of social inequalities that are produced by racism, sexism and class discrimination. 

Student comments

• ‘One of the best lecturers I have had.’
• ‘The lectures were incredibly interesting and informative and Karen communicated the topics and theories really well.’
• ‘Great course, great lecturer.’