Childhood Studies BA
University of Essex
Key Information
Campus location
Colchester, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
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Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
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Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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Introduction
Childhood Studies BA
Are you fascinated by children’s behaviour? What drives their development, what informs their behaviour and shapes their identity? Do you want to help children with emotional, social, behavioural and education difficulties? Why do some children falter through life’s ups and downs, whilst others seem to thrive in adversity and are more resilient? Do you want to make a difference to children’s lives? If so, this course is for you.
Children today face a wide range of new and challenging experiences, including unprecedented access to media, wider cultural diversity, online bullying and larger school numbers. Their early experiences of childhood affect them for the rest of their lives. You can make a positive contribution to these formative years.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available, please visit the university website for more information.
Curriculum
Year 1
- Introduction to Childhood Studies
- Perspectives in Child Development
- Placement Based Observation Skills and Reflective Practice
- Assignment and Research Writing for Psychoanalytic Studies
- Understanding Individuals Groups and Organisations : An Introduction to Psychodynamic Concepts
Year 2
- Professional Practice in Careers with Children
- Wild Things: Literature, Childhood, Psychoanalysis
- Infant Observation
- Developmental Trauma, Autism and ADHD
- The Social History of Childhood
- Safeguarding and Ethical Practice
- Psychoanalysis and the Child
Final Year
- Counselling Skills for Therapeutic Work
- Childhood Inc.: Disney and the Globalization of Childhood
- Childhood Wellbeing: Play, Socialisation and Resilience
- Teaching and Learning with Children: A Psychosocial Approach
- Dissertation (Childhood Studies)
- Children and Young People: Criminological Approaches - Current Debates
Program Outcome
Childhood studies is a vibrant and exciting field which has expanded in recent years to include knowledge from psychology, sociology and psychoanalysis. This course lays the foundations for a career working with infants and children, whether in education, health care or children’s services. You gain a solid understanding of child development, the ecology of childhood (the place of children in different societies) and consider the way our concepts of childhood shape and condition children’s lives. You will also learn about the direct work with children through undertaking a placement in each year of study where you can begin to make links between theory and practice. Assessment is mainly by course work.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Whether you want to work with infants in the nursery, children with emotional and behavioural difficulties in children’s homes, support those with learning difficulties, or go on into teaching, our course prepares you to make a difference to children’s lives. Put theory into practice by carrying out reflective practice through infant observation, and a work placement. These give you invaluable experience within your chosen sector.
We help you to explore and understand the kind of role you’re preparing for so you graduate with a valuable balance of theoretical understanding and useful practical experience – rare qualities giving you the edge needed to successfully gain employment upon graduation. There are a range of jobs directly related to this degree including early years teachers, family support workers, learning support workers, primary and secondary teacher, special needs teachers and social workers.
After taking this degree you can also enter further study or training to become a:
- Child psychotherapist
- Children’s nurse
- Community development worker
- Counsellor
- Arts Therapist
- Educational psychologist
- Speech and language therapist
Program delivery
Childhood Studies BA: 3 years
Childhood Studies BA (Including Year Abroad): 4 years
Childhood Studies BA (Including Placement Year): 4 years
- Teaching takes place through lectures and seminars often in relatively small groups, with a focus on group interaction and discussion
- Discussion in seminars includes discussing theoretical ideas, how these might apply to practice and discussing your own experiences and observation on placement
- You will also participate in skills based workshops, debates, observation seminars, reflective groups and teach others through presentation of theoretical readings and practice case examples