| 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 | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
What is a child? Childhood is a universal experience - we have all been children - yet our understanding of why a child is defined as a ‘child’ and not an ‘adult’ varies depending on time, space and place. This unit explores the construction of childhood through history. It aims to enable students to recognise that childhood is dynamic, fluid and culturally subjective. The unit explores different ways that children and young people have been conceptualised, understood and treated within historical and contemporary contexts.
Drawing on history, sociology, psychology and criminology, students on the unit will be encouraged to critically engage with and challenge narrow definitions of ‘childhood’. The unit explores a diverse range of childhood experiences and understandings of childhood through history. By drawing on a wide range of primary sources such as official documents, statistics, diaries, novels, artwork, and oral histories, different representations and experiences of childhood will be compared.
After completing this unit successful students will be able to:
This unit will be delivered through blended learning involving a combination of synchronous and asynchronous sessions, including weekly lectures, directed individual activities and synchronous seminars.
The assessment has two parts:
Part 1 - 3 x 500 words learning journal – student to nominate one of the three for marking (25%)
Part 2 - 1500 word essay (75%)
ILOs 2, 3, 4 assessed by learning journal and ILO 1, 2, 3 are assessed by 1500 words essay
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOL10023).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
