Course content

The course provides opportunities for students to develop systematic knowledge on how young people are impacted by and respond to various development processes (e.g. national and global policies, structural adjustment programs, trade etc). Specific topics covered include overview of development theories and childhood theories; young people and socio-cultural change; meanings and values of children; children in difficult circumstances (e.g. street children, refugee children); child labour/children's work; education for boys and girls; children, migration and social change; childhood poverty; impacts of HIV/AIDS on children; politics of orphanhood; children and armed conflicts; youth, participation and political activism.

Learning outcome

* To familiarize students with how children in diverse social, economic, cultural and political contexts of the global South fare in their lives.
* To promote an interdisciplinary understanding of the complex interrelationship between development processes and young people's every day lives.
* To critically evaluate current research and scholarship in the field of children and socio-economic and cultural change.

Learning methods and activities

Total lecture hours: 20 hours, total seminar hours: up to 12 hours. The course consists of: (1) A common introduction with lectures. (2) A seminar with presentation and discussion of the individual students' term papers. Each student will be required to comment on another student's term paper.

Compulsory assignments

• Oral presentation

Recommended previous knowledge

See required previous knowledge.

Required previous knowledge

Admittance to the course requires a bachelor’s degree in a social science or humanities discipline, or equivalent.

Course materials

Information will be given at the beginning of the semester.