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:

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

 

 

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