Analysis of Childhood and Adolescence in Relation to Development and Transition into Adulthood

Demonstrating Knowledge and Understanding of Dominant Discourses of Development, Culture, and Identity Affecting Children and Young People

1Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding

Knowledge, understanding and evaluation of dominant discourses of development, culture and identity affecting children and young people.

2Demonstrate the following skills and abilities

Develop a considered position on the application of rights and responsibilities to practice scenarios using key concepts to develop an informed and balanced stance on international and national perceptions and discourses of children and youth rights and responsibilities.

What am I required to do in this assignment?

You should submit an essay of  (there is no plus or minus 10%) in which you analyse how a child’s life is socially constructed in terms of their development and transition into adulthood.  This should be discussed with particular regard to the ways that essentialist (that childhood has fixed attributes) and deterministic (outside of free will) perspectives impact this transition. These should be considered in relation to one or two (maximum) issues such as ethnicity, gender, sexuality etc.

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

·Compare and contrast differing and conflicting concepts of childhood and adolescence

·Articulate links between these concepts and the expectations placed on children and young people in terms of behaviour and the responses to said behaviour from society.  

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

As the student completing this assignment you will complete this section in the session in which the assignment is introduced. Please do bring a hard copy or a way to work digitally to do this.

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

The assignment will require students to draw on material covered in lectures and seminars. This will include reading and discussion of autobiographical accounts of childhood experiences which may be drawn upon as examples to illustrate points made in the essay.

How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.

You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.

Some evidence of specific knowledge and understanding of differing discourses of childhood, and relevant theory. May demonstrate limited understanding of the impact of these on children’s lived experience.