Childhood and Youth is an exciting, multidisciplinary subject in which you will explore a range of issues and challenges faced by children and young people in contemporary society, both here in the UK and on a global level. Drawing on key ideas from sociology, psychology, politics, history and geography, the degree examines important questions about children and young people’s development, their life chances and their opportunities for participation in wider society.
Topics studied include how social class, poverty, gender and ethnicity impact upon young people’s lives; how the media influence how children and young people are perceived by adults, and how they view themselves; and why young people take part in risky activities. In examining such questions, you will also explore various political debates and policy initiatives, as well as learning about various ways of researching with children and young people that aim to help them overcome the many challenges that they face.
With its strong emphasis on social justice and welfare, the degree will enable you to develop as a critical social scientist who values your role within the academic community at Hope and who, as a graduate, will be able to use your skills and knowledge to the benefit of your local community and society more broadly.
Teaching on this degree is structured into lectures, where all students are taught together, seminars of smaller groups of around 15-20 students, and tutorials which typically have no more than 10 students. You will also have the opportunity to have a one-to-one meeting with your tutor each week.
For the Applied Childhood & Youth part of your Combined Honours degree, in the first year of study there are approximately 6 teaching hours each week, which reduces to approximately 5 teaching hours in your second and third years. On top of teaching hours, you are also expected to spend a number of hours studying independently each week, as well as studying in groups to prepare for any group assessments that you may have.
In each year of study, you will have a number of essays and end of year exams. You may also be asked to give a presentation, present an academic poster and produce a portfolio. In your second year, you will be required to submit a research proposal in preparation for a research project or dissertation in your final year.
You will be given written feedback on your assessments, and you will have the opportunity to discuss this with your tutor in more detail.
The Foundation Year is a great opportunity if you have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualifications required to enter directly onto our degree programmes. A significant part of the Foundation Year focuses upon core skills such as academic writing at HE level, becoming an independent learner, structuring academic work, critical thinking, time management and note taking.
Successful completion of the Foundation Year will enable you to progress into the first year (Level C) of your chosen honours degree. Further details can be found here.
Your first year will be spent examining the concept of childhood and how this varies across different historical periods and cultures. This is followed by looking at different approaches to child development, focusing on the question of whether this is down to biology or social influences. Attention then shifts to childhood and youth today where you will examine a wide range of issues such as cyber-bullying, exam pressures, drinking, drug-use and gang-related crime. Such topics will be explored in light of the question: ‘Is childhood and youth in crisis?
Key topics studied include:
In your second year, you will examine social theory and research methods as they apply to childhood and youth. You will develop a range of research skills including research design, research methods and ethical issues. Theoretical approaches and debates that shed light on different aspects of children and young people’s everyday lives such as education, health and well-being, risk-taking practices, social media and the process of becoming adult will also be examined. You will also examine children’s rights and safe-guarding, exploring what these mean for children and practitioners.
Key topics studied include:
The final year of your degree invites you to think critically about key contemporary issues facing children and young people. The topics covered may include: gender and sexuality, child poverty, racism, trauma and mental health, domestic violence, the care system, alcohol and substance misuse and youth work. Throughout the year, we consider children's and young people’s lived experiences in relation to such topics and question to what extent the responses of society are helpful or harmful. You will also have the opportunity to do an independent research project on a topic of your choosing.
Key topics studied include:
With a degree in Childhood and Youth, you will be able to enter a number of careers, including youth and community work, local government, housing, health or educational sectors and the criminal justice and legal system as researchers, administrators or managers.
The School of Social Sciences also works closely with Person Shaped Support (PSS), one of the largest voluntary sector organisations on Merseyside. This partnership creates opportunities for you to hear directly from frontline practitioners and gives you the opportunity to undertake voluntary placements in relevant work areas.
Successful graduates will also be able to study for postgraduate degrees that give them a specific expertise in a field of Childhood and Youth. Childhood and Youth graduates will also be particularly well qualified to apply for MA in Social Work.
The Service and Leadership Award (SALA) is offered as an extra-curricular programme involving service-based experiences, development of leadership potential and equipping you for a career in a rapidly changing world. It enhances your degree, it is something which is complimentary but different and which has a distinct ‘value-added’ component. Find out more on our Service and Leadership Award page.
As part of your degree, you can choose to spend either a semester or a full year of study at one of our partner universities as part of our Study Abroad programme. Find out more on our Study Abroad page.
The tuition fees for the 2020/21 academic year are £9,250 for full-time undergraduate courses.
If you are a student from the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, your tuition fees will also be £9,250.
The University reserves the right to increase Home and EU Undergraduate and PGCE tuition fees in line with any inflationary or other increase authorised by the Secretary of State for future years of study.
Along with your tuition fees, you also need to consider the cost of any core textbooks that you need. This will be approximately £200. The School currently pays for any fieldtrips, but you may be required to pay a small, refunded deposit of £5 to secure your place on a trip. If there are any fieldtrips which would require you to pay, you would be notified of this well in advance.
You will also need to consider the cost of your accommodation whilst you study at university. Visit our accommodation pages for further details about our Halls of Residence.
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
The International tuition fees for the 2020/21 academic year are £11,400 (provisional) per year for full-time undergraduate courses.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
With Foundation year, this degree is only available to study as a Single Honours course.
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