Introduction to Childhood and Youth Studies

In this introductory seminar, we will consider changing concepts of childhood and adolescence from a variety of cultures and historical periods. What do we mean by "childhood" or "adolescence" and what is at stake in these definitions? Drawing on literary, cinematic and philosophical texts, we examine various historical models of childhood, including the romantic child, the developing child, and the child as radically other. As we do so, we will examine how our shifting - and often contradictory - conceptions of childhood both align and clash with the way children actually live. After considering key moments in the history of childhood, we will look at the ways in which age intersects with other dimensions of social experience: sex/gender, race, class, nation, and religion. In addition, we consider what young people do, how they live their lives and imagine their futures, as illustrative of the ongoing development of society, including practices of professionals working with them. Finally we will look at childhood experiences that challenge the historically recent notion of a "protected" and "innocent" childhood: child sex, child labor, child soldiers and child criminals.

Offer as needed

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