The MA Education (Children and Young People) is an exciting and innovative course which offers inter-disciplinary perspectives and understandings of children and young people across different contexts, both national and international.
The cross discipline expertise within the team spans extensive professional practice in the arenas of social care, youth justice, and education, together with international research expertise which includes studies of childhood in Mexico and Romania.
At the core of this course is a belief in children and young people as agents of change and subjects of their own rights. As such, it combines challenging perspectives with theoretical concepts to encourage you to critically explore understandings of children and young people in the context of practice, policy and academic research.
It aims to foster and extend inter-disciplinary working as well as develop critical skills in research. Childhood and Youth is a relatively new and vibrant academic discipline, reflected in the range of core and optional courses, which encompass some of the key developments in this exciting field.
The full Masters award requires you to gain 180 credits, including an 18,000-20,000 research dissertation in a specialised area of your choice. Prior to a dissertation, students will complete four 30 credit modules. These will include:
· Children’s Rights and Participation (30 credits)
This module will examine the contemporary meaning of children's and young people's rights within society with a particular focus on children's services in the UK. It will critically analyse the concept of children’s participation and how participation is facilitated in practice. This will be set within the wider context of consideration of the inter-relationship between children, welfare and the state.
· Ideas of Childhood: Social, Cultural and Political Perspectives (30 credits)
Why are children labelled? What cultural, social and political values shape our ideas about children and young people? These are some of the questions we will address in this interdisciplinary module which will explore how current concepts of childhood and youth have been, and continue to be shaped by social, historical, cultural, and political dimensions. Using examples from international research, it will encourage students to challenge their own ideas about childhood, whilst engaging with theoretical and cross-cultural debates.
At the Postgraduate Diploma stage students complete a third specialist module from theme C and the core research methods module.
Students complete a third specialist module from the wider MA Education modules on offer and the core research methods module.
Fieldwork
Students should note that some modules require access to educational contexts in order to gain professional experience or enquiry and research visits that lead to the completion of assignments. In some modules, assignments are structured to enable students to complete through drawing on reflection, prior experience or literature research. If fieldwork goes beyond the students workplace and involves access to children a new CRB clearance will have to be completed.
Applicants require a good honours degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. social care, education, health, youth studies) or equivalent.
You will also need at least 6 months substantial experience of work in a setting within children’s and young people’s services, either paid or voluntary, within the last 5 years.
Please note that a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau is required for students where they are required to visit settings other than their own workplace and involves access to children.
In addition, overseas students will normally be required to have an IELTS score of 6.5 or equivalent qualification that meets the UK Border Agency requirements.
Childhood and Youth Studies links to the Faculty's five research centres, most particularly the Centre for Child, Family and Society and the Centre for International and Development Education. Current staff members’ research interests include children’s rights, young people’s use of technology, and cross-cultural perspectives on childhood.
The Faculty has a record of research and publications in children’s rights, youth participation and welfare, marginalised young people and family and society. Members of the teaching team are actively engaged in research and publication, and participate in childhood and youth Networks at both national and international levels.
A Masters in Education will allow you to enhance your personal interests, career specific opportunities and show potential for promotion to senior leadership. For practicing teachers it can be a good way to enhance your opportunities to move beyond threshold, or simply become an ‘outstanding’ practitioner.
Students completing the MA will also be well placed to go on to a doctorate (EdD or PhD) at Liverpool Hope.
