Students choose to minor in Childhood Studies for a variety of reasons: Biology or English majors who may wish to become teachers someday, Criminal Justice or Sociology majors who want to focus on youth services, Nursing students with an eye on pediatrics or adolescent medicine, or Business majors who would like to contribute to foundations, non-profits or organizations that serve children and youth.
The minor draws on many disciplines including Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, Criminal Justice, English, History, Religion, Economics and Biology. Childhood Studies provides instruction and information to those directly responsible for ministering to children’s needs and formulating policies affecting their lives and futures and equips individuals to make informed decisions concerning children and youth.
All are welcome to explore this minor that offers students maximal flexibility within our interdisciplinary program.
Declaring a Childhood Studies Minor
Students may declare themselves as a minor in Childhood Studies by going to the Office of the Registrar (bottom floor (basement), Armitage Hall Building) and indicating their choice. Once declared, new minors should review the department’s Advising page and contact their faculty advisor to set up an appointment.
Core Program Requirements (18 credits)
Required Course (3 credits)
50:163:101 Introduction to Childhood Studies (3) – This course provides students with an understanding of childhood as an historical and social phenomenon and addresses various, contemporary issues such as children’s rights, morality, child labor, consumerism and children and the internet.
Elective Courses (15 credits, with a minimum of 6 credits in Childhood Studies)
Any Childhood Studies (163) course that is not being counted toward course requirements above may count as an elective. You may also choose to take courses related to children and childhood offered in other programs and departments. Note: At least 6 of your elective credits must come from Childhood Studies (courses with a 163 number). Below is a comprehensive, but not exhaustive, list of approved elective course offerings. If you find a course that you believe fits the criteria for the minor, please discuss it with your advisor and seek approval before you take the class. Courses are 3 credits unless otherwise noted.
- Childhood in Global Cinema (163:240)
- Child Health and Disparities (163:250)
- Pediatric Medicine (163:255)
- Children’s Rights (163:260)
- Childhood and Disabilities (163:270)
- Children and War (163:275)
- Childhood and Play: Theories and Practices (163:280)
- Childhood and Violence (163:285)
- History of Youth (163:320)
- Youth in a New Nation (163:325)
- Kids’ Media Cultures (163:350)
- Toy Design (163:351)
- Developing Minds and Bodies (163:352)
- Childrens Books and Illustration (163:360)
- Young Adult Literature (163:361)
- Children’s Literacies (163:362)
- Childhood and Migration (163:370)
- Global Childhoods (163:371)
- Ethnographies of Childhood (163:372)
- Special Topics in Childhood Studies (163:380)
- Special Topics in Childhood Studies (163:381)
- Urban Education (163:382)
- Youth Identities and Urban Ecology (163:383)
- Gender and Education (163:384)
- Special Topics in Childhood Studies: Health Disparities in Children(163:386)
- Special Topics in Childhood Studies (163:387)
- Children’s Geographies (163:388)
- Directed Readings (163:400)
- Understanding Childhood Through Statistics (163:460)
- Child Wellbeing (163:481) (4 credits)
- Service Learning in Childhood Studies 2 (163:491)
- Advanced Research (163:495)
- Juvenile Justice (202:322)
- Family Ethics (840:340)
- Sociology of the Family (920:306)
- Psychology of Childhood (830:226)
- Psychology of Adolescence (830:326)
- Childhood and Culture (070:308)
- Sociology of Childhood and Adolescence (920:323)
- Educational Psychology (830:301)
- Family and Gender in Historical Perspectives (512:371)
- American Child in Literature (352:347)
- Literary Constructions of Childhood (350:361)
- Children’s Literature in Print and Film (350:362)
- Education in America (512:230)
- Digital Youth Cultures (209:240)
Questions
For questions pertaining to the Childhood Studies major or minor, call the Department of Childhood Studies at (856) 225-6741 for an advisor.