Sociology of Childhood

Description

This course thoroughly explores children and childhood from a sociological perspective. The emphasis here is on the main social theories about childhood, the consideration of children and childhood under a historical and cultural perspective, children’s peer cultures from preschool through preadolescence, and the social problems of children. The course includes new research, information, and discussions on the latest social indicators regarding children in Greece and around the world.

The course is organized around three theoretical approaches:

• Historical Sociology of Childhood
• Socialization Theories,
• New Sociology of Childhood.

In the light of the theoretical and methodological principles of each approach, the consequences each entails on the general view of childhood, as well as on the social position of children, are discussed.

Learning outcomes

• The removal of students from the traditional interpretation of childhood on the sterile basis of the age spectrum.

• The critical approach (dephysics) of naturalized patterns of childhood

• The investigation of social identity and the social interpretation of the terms 'child' and 'childhood'

• Active participation in the modern debate on the theories of social construction of childhood

• The overall supervision of international literature on childhood studies and the new sociology of childhood

Assessment

Coursework (short length essays) and written exam

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures, discussions and critical analyses of texts focusing on childhood in the light of the new sociological paradigm of childhood.

Course material available at:https://eclass.uth.gr/courses/ECE_U_167/