Childhood and Youth Studies BA (Hons)

You’ll learn how to carry out research ethically when working with communities and organisations to address real-world issues.

You’ll develop your own research proposal with expert guidance - from forming questions to methodology design.

Build transferable research skills you’ll use throughout your degree, from reflective practice to clear communication of your findings.

You'll explore key theories and research on the ways children and young people develop, including physical, cognitive, social and emotional growth.

By the end of the module, you'll have a better understanding of how to support children's wellbeing and development.

On this module, you’ll explores a myriad of educational contexts including education's development over time, different types of educational establishments in both the private and public sectors, how children learn, the curriculum and assessment, adult, higher, special, alternative and community education and inequalities in education.

You’ll get an overview of British education from earliest time to the present day, comparing this to education in other parts of the world over time.

You’ll identify social issues and build your own understanding of rights and responsibilities, focusing on moral, legal, political rights, freedoms and equalities.

Relating this back to your degree, you’ll explore how to navigate the professional fields you’re likely to enter after graduation, within the areas of social pedagogy, early childhood and youth studies.

You’ll develop skills in independent thinking, teamwork, problem-solving and project work, and get to grips with academic writing, referencing procedures, and the use of technology to enhance your skills.

You’ll also begin developing your ePortfolio, a personal collection documenting your learning journey.

You’ll look at the factors that shape childhood and the challenges children face, including the development, differences and successes of different education systems and the impact that has on children, teachers, and communities.

You’ll explore the relationships between education and social understandings with a specific focus on identities, inequality, and constructions of childhood.

By the end of the module, you’ll have developed a critical understanding of the complexities that shape childhood around the world.

You’ll complete your practical placement in an educational or community setting serving children and youth, shadowing experienced professionals to help address learner needs across academic, social-emotional and behavioural domains.

You'll gain essential employability skills demanded by the industry, enabling you to explore theoretical concepts related to professional practice in the context of children and young people.

You'll also reflect on your own practice to understand personal, ethical and professional behaviour, and how you collaborate with other professionals.

Using existing studies as an example, you'll examine the key issues to think about, such as ethics, protection of the children involved, and data protection. You'll learn how to carry out ethical, meaningful research with children and young people, including quantitative and qualitative research methods that put children first, from observation and focus groups to surveys.

You'll think about how to choose a research area to investigate, and how to design and carry out a research project with children and young people – essential skills that will help you prepare for your dissertation.

You’ll take a historical perspective to compare and contrast various strategies used in different historical and social circumstances.

You’ll examine the role of young people in social change and the extent to which we should become involved in supporting young people in this role.

You’ll also look at a variety of forms of activism, including how we can work within organisations to ensure they remain relevant to young people's needs.

On this module, you'll explore the magical world of children's literature, analysing storytelling techniques and illustrations, moral themes and literary devices. You’ll look at stories for children of all ages, ranging from picture books to young adult (YA) novels.

You'll think not only about the key ideas and concepts that have been published around children's literature, but the role of the child reader too – how they respond to books they read and find meaning within them.

As well as writing and discussion, you'll express your learning through creative activities like art and roleplay.

You‘ll explore how gender, race and other social markers play out within educational settings, practices and outcomes.

By evaluating persisting biases alongside growing diversity, you’ll understand what has to change to create educational environments where all individuals can thrive.

You’ll get familiar with the big issues and contemporary debates in education studies as well as the role and expectations of a teacher.

You’ll develops fundamental knowledge and skills that teachers require, as well as your capability to structure and critique a lesson plan.

On this module, you'll explore the vital role of play in the lives of babies and children up to the age of 12, examining theoretical perspectives and research on the subject.

You'll discover how a child’s age and their individual needs shape the kind of play they engage in. You'll learn how important it is that adults working with children support and join in with them in play, and how to design enriching play environments.

You'll finish the module understanding the cognitive, social and emotional benefits of play, ready to nurture children's growth through purposeful play experiences.

You’ll delve into the interplay of technology, media, peer networks, subcultures and counterculture movements in shaping youth identity expression, from music to activism and more.

You’ll explore pressing issues facing today’s youth, and evaluate innovative youth work initiatives supporting young people’s wellbeing and development.

Deep dive into critical matters like bullying, inclusion and resilience. You'll get insight into Transition Theory and how social factors form perspectives, and have the chance to direct your own learning, with a choice of essay topics and the opportunity to engage in dialogues with special guests.

This combo of theory and personal focus builds essential knowledge of the forces forming children's social development

You'll also apply the ideas and concepts you learn directly to working with young people, and reflect on your own experiences and approaches to learning.

With a minimum 80-hour commitment, you’ll apply what you’ve learned so far on your degree to real-world professional settings within our community of local businesses, social enterprises, and third-sector organisations.

You’ll have support from interactive workshops, tutorials, and guest speaker events, encouraging you to set achievable professional goals and evolve your professional identity.

On this module, you’ll explore the sociological significance of education.

Moving beyond the classroom, you’ll explore how schooling shapes identities and uphold society - for better or worse.

Through iconic texts, you’ll interrogate big ideas around inequality, control and reform, and form your own views taking into account pressing issues like class, gender and race.

You'll examine key theories and research methodologies for understanding personal life, relationships, sexuality and generational change.

You'll have the opportunity to pursue topics matching your interests, whether that's shifts in dating cultures, new family forms, LGBTQ identities, or issues like consent, respect and ethics.

The module develops critical thinking skills by evaluating different frameworks and perspectives on contemporary intimacy and relationships. There is an emphasis on inclusivity, diversity, and social justice throughout.

In this module, you’ll explore European colonisation of Africa, asking questions like - how did they justify colonial rule, and how did African peoples respond to these colonisers?

You’ll learn how, after World War II, colonial rule was increasingly challenged from both within the empire, by growing African demands for political rights, and in the international arena, with the global trend towards trusteeship, development and self-determination.

You’ll also explore European relations with Africa in the post-colonial era, looking at themes which may include ideas about civilisation, universalism and race, modern attempts to 'rehabilitate' empire in the media, and the legacies of colonialism in Britain, Europe and Africa.

You’ll collaborate with students on other courses to explore and address societal and environmental challenges faced by local and global communities. You’ll choose projects from a range of topic areas aligned with the university's Civic Strategy.

With input from local organisations, you’ll think about your topic from multiple perspectives, developing your interdisciplinary thinking and ability to work with others.

You’ll analyse the essence of security, exploring how security needs are addressed around the world and on a national level, down to a community and even an individual basis.

You’ll explore different forms of societal risk and insecurity, and approaches to dealing with security threats, taking into account the nature and impact of economic and political developments.

You'll learn how to think critically about the key concepts that link language, culture and communication, considering the benefits and limitations of these ideas.

You'll explore the different ways in which communication intersects with culture across themes such as identity, education, gender, and the media.

Alongside what you learn, you'll improve your skills in analysis, research and intercultural awareness.

You'll learn about consumer behaviour and brand strategy, and spend time examining real-world marketing campaigns. You'll also think about how social, political and technological forces can affect the way businesses approach marketing their products and services.

Skills you'll develop include carrying out market research and learning how to use what you learn, crafting targeted messaging across different marketing channels, and presenting your ideas verbally and in writing.

You'll learn about major economic, political and cultural changes in Western Europe over the nineteenth century, and how these affected the rest of the world as time went on.

You'll explore the big ideas that have shaped the modern world, and weigh up the benefits and perils of globalisation. Skills you'll develop on this module include independent research, critical thinking and effective communication.

You'll also learn to understand the opportunities and challenges of today's world from an informed, global perspective.

You’ll look critically ideas of nationalism historically and today with a focus on the everyday, intimate and embodied boundaries of nation-states and how these shape our lives, including those of us living in the most privileged parts of the world.

You’ll explore real-world cases to understand the individual and societal impacts on human lives, developing your analytical skills and imagining more compassionate alternatives.

You’ll unpack the language of tabloids, broadsheets and online news, analysing how journalists shape public understanding of current events.

Develop your critical thinking by confronting moral panics and polarised politics in reporting.

Create your own news stories and gain real insight into mass communication in a rapidly changing landscape.

You'll analyse major cases of economic crime and weigh up their wider societal implications.

You'll also learn how to recognise disciplinary perspectives, become familiar with the key investigating organisations, identify investigative techniques, and gather and analyse real case information.

You’ll analyse American texts against the backdrop of intellectual, social and political change, evaluating how writers grappled with emerging ideas around national identity, race, gender and more.

By honing skills for contextual analysis and independent thought, you’ll form your own interpretations of iconic works that reflect the American experience.

You’ll analyse diverse transitional justice approaches balancing community healing and judicial accountability after mass atrocities.

Comparing mechanisms like war crimes tribunals, truth commissions and reparations programmes, you’ll evaluate effectiveness in restoring dignity and preventing recurrence.

With case studies from Europe to Africa, from Latin America to Asia, you'll examine tensions between western models and local cultural perspectives, assessing what ‘justice’ means to vulnerable peoples.

Throughout, you'll trace incremental human rights legislation advances, assessing global institutions’ roles protecting civilians from authoritarian regimes and wartime abuses.

Through interactive lectures with academics, speakers and professionals, you'll discuss, debate and complete practical exercises exploring wildlife crime alongside your classmates.

You'll spend time examining wildlife crimes and the factors behind them, as well as environmental justice and sustainability.

You'll examine the key theories and ideas behind helping children who develop challenging behaviours, and learn how to weigh up and deal with complex situations effectively and compassionately.

You'll also think about the possible causes behind children's challenging behaviour, and how understanding these causes can help us better support children and help them thrive.

You'll evaluate contemporary support themes, analyse young people's relationships, and learn how theory relates to practical social work.

This module prepares you for the complexity of helping young people with more advanced needs.

It's up to you what your dissertation or project is about – this will be your chance to showcase your passion for childhood studies by choosing a subject area or topic that most interests you.

You'll draw on everything you’ve learned so far to investigate, analyse, craft and refine your dissertation or project, using existing texts, sources and artefacts to support your arguments and give them context. You'll have the support of a dedicated dissertation tutor to guide you throughout this module.

This real-world, project-based module lets you address an identified need or gap by designing an innovative product, service or resource.

With support from university staff and external partners, you'll demonstrate critical thinking, ethical awareness and project management abilities.

Your final project and presentation will showcase your employability and capacity for high-impact solutions.

You’ll get familiar with the big issues and contemporary debates in education studies as well as the role and expectations of a teacher.

You’ll develops fundamental knowledge and skills that teachers require, as well as your capability to structure and critique a lesson plan.

You’ll focus on the role of the environment and adults, assessing how these factors support young learners to become confident and capable.

You’ll reflect on the impact of your previous experiences and how they have shaped personal values and beliefs, recognising how these can shape your practice.

Focusing on childhood and child development, you'l cover ethics in practice with children and young people. You'll also apply psychological theory to the lived experiences children, families and young people. This module will help you bring together core concepts within health and education-based approaches which encompass psychological theory.

You’ll evaluate how personal experiences shape your values and biases within professional educational roles.

You’ll reflect on your emerging role as a leader and manager and think about the forms these may take in your future career, making sure you’re ready for leadership and management when working in people centred environments.

You’ll reflect on your experiences in the outdoors and how these experiences shape our approaches to education.

You’ll learn how to carry out effective risk benefit analyses and how to frame your approach to risk as enabling children, young people and adults.

You’ll also take part in debate about the ecological challenges facing us and how we might shape educational practice and policy as a step to action.

With a minimum 80-hour commitment, you'll apply what you've learned so far on your degree to real-world professional settings within our community of local businesses, social enterprises, and third-sector organisations.

You'll have support from interactive workshops, tutorials, and guest speaker events, encouraging you to set achievable professional goals and evolve your professional identity.

They may appear isolated, anxious and fearful, or they may seem unhappy or disturbed. As part of this module, you’ll look at the characteristics of these problems, as well as some of the explanations that have been offered about how these problems arise.

We will also be discussing ways in which we can support children and young people facing mental health difficulties across a variety of settings.

You'll gain insight into current care policies and trauma theories while evaluating approaches that are most successful for meeting the needs of children in care.

With compassion and understanding, you can help create the nurturing environments these children need to heal and thrive.