Childhood and Youth: Applied Perspectives MA

• Study and evaluate relevant research and practice, synthesise information from a range of sources, and work with a high level of autonomy and self-direction
• Explore the cultural and social constructions of childhood and youth, and the impact they have on the everyday lives of children and young people
• Develop an integrated and critically aware understanding of childhood and youth studies, and cultivate an analytical approach to contemporary methodological theories and developments
• Gain an advanced knowledge and understanding of the complexities surrounding the relationship between children’s rights, the ideologies and responsibilities for welfare, and the application of these elements in the experiences that effect children’s and young peoples’ lives.
• Benefit from enhanced career prospects by applying your new learning and expertise in professional contexts.

This MA is designed to allow you to build upon your knowledge and critically consider the theoretical underpinning of societal responses to a range of needs, through policy development and service delivery across children and young people’s sectors in a globalised context.

The majority of units are designed and taught by colleagues within the Department of Applied Social Studies or the Institute of Applied Social Research, winners of the Queen’s Anniversary prize for outstanding achievement and excellence in UK universities and colleges. The departments are recognised for their contribution to policy and practice.

This high quality context is coupled with the opportunities and added value of our extensive professional networks. Partnerships from across private, public and voluntary sectors provide input to courses, as well as research opportunities, practice teachers, placement opportunities and voluntary work experience, making it truly ‘applied’. Semester 1 – two core units (2 x credits)

• Dimensions of Childhood and Youth ( credits)
• Models and methods of social enquiry ( credits)

• Conceptual Frameworks: Theories Shaping Public Policy for Children and Young People’s Services ( credits)

• The Sexual Exploitation of Children and Young People
• The participation of children and young people in research, policy and service delivery
• Critical issues in the design, delivery and evaluation of services to children, young people and their families
• Disability, Children and Young People
• Gypsies, Roma and Traveller Cultures and Communities: Oppression and Inequality
• Early Years
• Young people, group offending and violent crime
• Complexities of Forced Migration: Human Displacement, Trafficking and Refuge