What will I learn?

Childhood Studies (Master's Programme)

What will you learn?

Are you interested in children’s everyday lives and childhood as a social and cultural phenomenon? Would you like to know about children’s perspectives, experiences, and rights in diverse contexts? What about changing conditions of childhood in the context of development and globalization? If so, the international master’s program in Childhood Studies is suitable for you.

The programme provides students with an understanding of the relationship between childhood and culture as well as the dynamics between economic, social and political conditions and children's livelihoods and welfare in different contexts, that is family-life, day-care and schools, local communities etc. The programme covers the state of childhood(s) in the western world and in countries in the South. The approach is multi-disciplinary, with particular emphasis on perspectives drawn from disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, geography, and history.

Examples of topics for the master's thesis include:

Children's experiences of joint custody
Rural children's livelihoods
Childhood and community services
Children's rights and citizenship
Family mediation
Child care and intergenerational relationships
Street children and health
Children, obesity and television advertisement
Children and education

UN Sustainable Development Goals

The taught and research components of MPhil in Childhood Studies encourage students to engage with the UN 2030 agenda on sustainable development. These include:

Sustainable development goals 1. Illustration. SDG 1 on childhood poverty

Sustainable development goals 2. Illustration. SDG 2 on hunger and food security

Sustainable development goals 3. Illustration. SDG 3 on healthy life and wellbeing

Sustainable development goals 4. Illustration. SDG 4 on quality education and lifelong learning

Sustainable development goals 5. Illustration. SDG 5 on gender equality and empowerment of girls and women

Sustainable development goals 8. Illustration. SDG 8 on worst forms of child labour, and decent livelihood for young men and women

studyprogramme-info-portlet

Learning outcome

A candidate who has completed his or her qualification should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

has acquired knowledge on contemporary conceptual, theoretical, and methodological debates in childhood studies
has knowledge on how childhoods and children's lives vary and are shaped by historical, social, cultural, political, economic and everyday life contexts
has knowledge on international and regional conventions on children's rights and how they might be used to improve children's well-being

Skills

familiar with a variety of research methods and their application in fieldwork with children
can design and carry out scientific, child-focused and ethical research that respects children's skills and capacities in ways that empower them
can undertake independent research on children's lives and on childhood as a social and cultural phenomenon
has the skill of promoting children's views and perspectives in public services

General competencies

has been given practical training in various steps of planning and carrying out project work and research on children's lifeworld in different social settings, and global context
has knowledge and experience of multicultural environments through being an active student in the programme
has academic communication skills (writing and verbal) and reflexivity in contexts in which several parties are involved
has acquired skills to advocate for children's rights and wellbeing

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What will I learn - Childhood Studies (Master's Programme)