Sociology | Sociology of Childhood
S344 | 0604 | McCabe

This course is about childhood and youth in everyday life.  This
course explores central themes and features of children's preschool,
preadolescent, adolescent, and college peer cultures.  We will
discuss research methods for studying childhood and consider the
importance of family and peer experiences for children's social
development.  Among the questions we may explore are:  What does it
mean to be a child or adolescent in everyday life?  How are
experiences throughout childhood both different and similar for boys
and girls?  How does socioeconomic class shape children's
experiences?  What does it mean to be "popular" in elementary
school?  How do kids' lives change with the move to high school?
Where do parents fit into children's lives?  How does the media
influence children's experiences?  What role does culture (through
toys, games, books ,music, television ,movies, etc.)  play in
children's lives?  Although this course focuses primarily on
childhood in the United States and other Western societies, we will
also examine many of these topics from a multi-cultural or global
perspective.  Throughout the course students will be encouraged to
examine critically their own experiences and beliefs regarding these