Children's Geographies

Description
This module focuses on the geography of children, youth and families. In particular, it explores the everyday experiences of children and youth at/in local, national and global contexts. It begins with an analysis of the social construction of childhood and how childhood has changed through time. Particular attention is placed on how children experience everyday ‘traditional’ spaces such as play spaces, the school and the street. Using the school as a spatial lense, we assess the: representation of minority children in the classroom in the school curriculum at primary school: boundaries within schools and the prevalence of bullying in schools and on the street; gender and subject choice in schools; and Traveller children and early school leaving in Ireland. In relation to teenagers, we analyse their experience and use of public spaces and how they are perceived in such spaces from the perspective of youth and street-skating and youth and alcohol consumption. At a global level, we analyse the ‘non-traditional’ sites for children, with a particular emphasis on inequality and social justice.

Learning Outcomes
1. Analyse key ideas associated with the social construction of childhood
2. Recognise children’s geographies in the ‘traditional’ spaces of school and play
3. Profile the different types of minority children in Irish society
4. Assess the impacts of bullying on children in school and on the street
5. Delineate teenage geographies from the perspective of their use and experience of public spaces
6. Debate the ‘non-traditional’ sites for children (for example working children), with a particular emphasis on human rights, inequality and social justice