Childhood & Youth
 Childhood Youth (Major).jpg)
UCAS Code: Combined honours only - see Combinations tab|Duration: 3 years|Full Time|Hope Park
UCAS Campus Code: L46
Work placement opportunities|International students can apply|Study Abroad opportunities
About the course
Childhood & 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, politics, history, social policy and cultural studies, the degree examines important questions about children and young people and the social contexts in which they live.
Topics studied include: how children and young people’s place in society has changed over time; how social class, poverty, gender, ethnicity, disability, social policy and so on impact children and young people’s lives; the role of risk and risk-taking in children and young people’s everyday lives and; how children and young people make sense of and help to shape their social worlds. In exploring such issues you will also look at 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 critical social scientists who value their role within the academic community at Hope and who, as graduates, will be able to use their skills and knowledge to the benefit of their local community and society more broadly.
Course structure
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 meetings with your personal tutor.
For the 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.
Assessment and feedback
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.
Year One
Your first year introduces you to a range of issues and debates providing you with a solid grounding in the field of Childhood and Youth. The course is organised around the following themes:
Contemporary Issues in Childhood and Youth
You will study current issues affecting children and young people today such as: child poverty, social media, health and wellbeing, drug-use and violent crime, and climate change. These topics will be linked to wider debates about the nature of childhood and youth in today’s society.
Social Construction of Childhood and Youth
You will explore the meanings of childhood and youth and how these vary over time and between cultures. You will explore case studies that show how childhood and youth have changed, and explore the impact this has on how we view, treat, and work with, children and young people in today’s society.
Understanding Children and Young People’s Everyday Lives
You will be introduced to research methods that are concerned with exploring children and young people’s everyday lives. You will examine research studies that show how research on, with and by children and young people, can help us to better understand their everyday lives, and can help to shape social policy and practice.
Year Two
In your second year you will revisit several of the themes introduced at first year, examining these in greater detail, and developing more in-depth knowledge and understanding. This year is organised around the following themes:
Social Theory and Childhood and Youth
You will explore important issues such as: risk and crime, educational attainment, health and wellbeing, young people with a disability, and becoming adult. These will be examined using relevant theoretical approaches with an emphasis on understanding how they connect to social inequalitiy and social justice.
Investigating Children and Young People’s Social Worlds
You will deepen your knowledge and understanding of research on, with, and by children and young people. You will learn about a range of research methods, including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and visual methods. You will also learn about research ethics and how to design and undertake your own research project.
Children and Young People’s Rights in Context
You will learn about children’s rights and how these are used in practice. Using case studies from the UK and other countries, you will examine the tensions between different rights, and how these inform the work we do with children and young people.
Year Three
In your third year you will develop a critical and in-depth knowledge and understanding of the field by studying the following themes:
Children, Young People and Social Identities: Issues and Debates
You will examine a range of issues relating to children and young people’s social identities. In particular, you will look at issues of power, prejudice, discrimination, and social exclusion as they relate to, for example, poverty, gender and sexuality, ‘race’ and ethnicity, disability and age, as well as the inter-connections between these.
Adversities in Childhood and Youth
You will explore research and debates related to various challenges faced by children and young people in their everyday lives, including topics such as: Adverse Childhood Experiences, relationship and domestic violence and abuse, austerity and poverty, mental ill-health, and child trafficking and modern slavery.
In addition, you will study two Advanced Research Courses chosen from a programme provided by the School of Social Science, and you will undertake either an independent Research Project or Dissertation.
Entry requirements
2024 Entry
Clearing is now open, over this period we can offer some flexibility on our entry requirements for courses that still have vacancies.
We are also offering a Foundation Year on many of our courses for students who have the ability and enthusiasm to study for a degree, but do not yet have the qualification level to enter directly into our degree programmes.
Whether you already have your results or are waiting for them please call us to discuss the options available to you: 0151 291 3636
Careers
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.
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.
Enhancement opportunities
SALA
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.
Study Abroad
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.
Tuition fees
The tuition fees for the 2024/25 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.
Additional costs
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.
Scholarships
We have a range of scholarships to help with the cost of your studies. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.
International tuition fees
The International Tuition fees for 2024/25 are £13,000.
Visit our International fees page for more information.
Course combinations
This course is also available as a Combined Honours degree with the following subjects: