Monash University Handbook 2010 Undergraduate - Unit

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Offered	Caulfield Second semester 2010 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2010 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Kate Cregan

Synopsis

The unit introduces key concepts related to children and childhood from fields including sociology, anthropology, critical legal studies, postcolonial and development studies, and rights literature. Students are invited to apply these concepts to problems and issues related to children and childhood in global contexts. Topics include: appraisal of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child; limitations of universalised conceptions of childhood and rights with respect to the lives of children globally; child poverty in a global context; child labour and the economic value of children in comparative contexts; children as objects, subjects and agents; and the 'future' of childhood.

Objectives

Students successfully completing this subject should have developed:

1. An understanding of key issues, debates and approaches in the interdisciplinary study of children and childhood in a contemporary, global context
2. Working familiarity with key literature in the contemporary study of children and childhood in a global context
3. Library-based research skills and a working knowledge of the major data-bases relevant to the study of children's rights, welfare and mobility
4. The ability to think critically and analytically, and to be able to articulate ideas and arguments to a high standard of written and oral expression
5. A focus upon the production of scholarly research as the end point of a process of reading, reflection, discussion, drafting and debate
6. The ability to work independently as scholars, to give and receive critical feedback and to participate actively in group research activities.

Third-year students successfully completing this unit will have developed all of the above to a higher level of critical and analytical sophistication than second-year students.

Assessment

Short exercise: (1000 words): 30%
Assignment (2000 words): 50%
Tutorial attendance and participation: 20%

Contact hours

One 2-hour lecture/workshop per week

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Sociology
International studies

Prerequisites

Any first year sequence

Prohibitions

INT3190