MA Childhood Studies

Year 1

(Award available for year: Master of Arts)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the programme Master’s students should have shown evidence of being able to:
- Understand different approaches and critically evaluate paradigms and frameworks in the multi-disciplinary and international study of children and young people’s everyday lives and education;
- Demonstrate systematic theoretical understanding and critical awareness of current local and international debates and issues within the social study of childhood and youth in a diverse range of social, cultural and material contexts;
- Understand and devise appropriate research strategies; develop study design and use of innovative methods and techniques in academic research, professional practice and consultations with children and young people;
- Critically analyse original empirical material and conceptual frameworks in order to develop a critical and informed practice;
- Apply understanding of concepts, existing empirical research and research methodology to formulating a specific research problem, and design, carry out and write up a research project that addresses it.

Transferable (key) skills

Masters (Taught) students will have had the opportunity to acquire the following abilities as defined in the modules specified for the programme:
- Written communication: skills developed in preparing assignments requiring an analytical argument, critical evaluation and mobilization of evidence and use the standard conventions (such as referencing) consistently and correctly;
- Oral communication skills: developed through group work and giving presentations;
- Information technology: through the use of literature search databases and the internet as a learning and research resource in the preparation of assignments;
- Numeracy: through the critical appreciation of statistics within a research context;
- Enhanced research skills: in critically understanding research design and data production methods, and sustaining their application to a research question by carrying this through to a practical research project and the completion of a research-based dissertation.

Assessment

Achievement for the degree of Master (taught programme) will be assessed assessed by written assignments in accordance with the learning outcomes of the programme: three essays of 6,000 words (Theorizing Childhood and Youth, and two option modules); a research methods report of 6,000 words; a research-based dissertation of 12,000 words. This will involve the achievement of the students in:
- drawing on a range of perspectives in the study of children,
- constructing and formulating of an analytical argument;
- demonstrating an understanding of range of research literatures and sources;
- critically evaluating and interpreting evidence;
- applying understanding of a research design and method to a specific problem and evaluating its strengths and weaknesses in practice;
- sustaining research in practice by carrying out a research project and completing a research-based dissertation;
- using the conventions of academic/research report writing in a consistent and correct way.