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Module Specifications..

Current Academic Year 2023 - 2024

Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title Child and Adolescent in Society
Module Code NS104
School 38
Module Co-ordinatorSemester 1: Carol Barron
Semester 2: Carol Barron
Autumn: Carol Barron
Module TeachersCarol Barron
NFQ level 6 Credit Rating 5
Pre-requisite None
Co-requisite None
Compatibles None
Incompatibles None
Coursework Only
Description

This module will draw upon research linked to Youth Studies, Sociology, Children’s Rights and Anthropology. The core aim is to provide students with a broad, research-based understanding of children and adolescents within Irish society. The course will focus on key theoretical approaches to understanding the social and cultural construction of childhood and adolescents and will consider a range of substantive issues and areas within contemporary research which are specifically underpinned by a Children’s Rights perspective; including the health needs of children and adolescents within society, the importance of play, recreation and education in the lives of young people growing up in Ireland. Varying approaches to the study of children and adolescents will be reviewed and we will explore how culture, the media, and other social forces have influenced societal understanding of children, childhood and adolescents

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand the differing theoretical perspectives which examine how children, childhood and adolescents are socially and culturally constructed
2. Be familiar with competing perspectives on children’s rights, focusing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and how it is applied in an Irish context
3. Appreciate the importance of play, recreation and education in the lives of children and adolescents nationally and globally
4. Examine the prominent health issues facing children and adolescents growing up in Ireland today e.g Risk taking behaviors in adolescents, childhood obesity, mental health issues, bullying



Workload Full-time hours per semester
Type Hours Description
Lecture24No Description
Tutorial8No Description
Fieldwork5No Description
Directed learning20Students will receive guidance in relation to differing educational resources to achieve the various module learning outcomes
Independent Study68No Description
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Social and cultural construction of childhood and adolescents

Legal and popular discourse on Children's Rights in Ireland

Health care - Risk taking behaviours, bullying, childhood obesity

The role and function of play, recreation and education

Role of the Ombudsman for Children

The importance of the peer group in childhood and adolescents

The role and function of modern Irish family structures for children

Current discourse on childhood and adolescents within Irish society

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment100% Examination Weight0%
Course Work Breakdown
TypeDescription% of totalAssessment Date
EssayStudents will complete a 2,000 word essay100%n/a
Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories;
1 = A resit is available for all components of the module
2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module
3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1
Indicative Reading List

  • Furlong, A.: 2013, Youth Studies: An Introduction, Routledge, Abingdon,
  • Lalor, K., deRoiste, A. & Devlin, M: 2007, Young People in Contemporary Ireland, Gill and Macmillan, Dublin,
  • Qvortrup, J,. Corsaro, W.and Honig, M.: 2009, The Palgrave Handbook of Childhood Studies, Palgrave, Basingstoke, UK,
  • Stephens, S: 1995, Children and the Politics of Culture. Princeton Studies in Culture/Power/History, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ,
  • Aries, P: 1973, Centuries of childhood, Penguin Books., Harmondsworth, Middlesex,
Other Resources

62193, Report, UNCRC, 1989, Convention on the Rights of the Child, Geneva, UNCRC, http://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx, 62194, Report, Minister for Health and Children, 2009, Growing Up in Ireland. National Longitudinal Study of Children The Lives of 9 Year olds Child Cohort, Dublin, The Stationery Office, http://www.growingup.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/1st_Report/Barcode_Growing_Up_in_Ireland_-_The_Lives_of_9-Year-Olds_Main_Report.pdf, 62195, Report, Minister for Health and Children, 2012, How families matter for social and emotional outcomes of 9 year old children, Dublin, The Stationery Office, http://www.growingup.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Second_Child_Cohort_Reports/Growing_Up_in_Ireland_-_How_Families_Matter_for_Social_and_Emotional_Outcomes_of_9-Year-Old_Children.pdf, 62196, Report, Office of the Minister for Children, 2008, A Study on the Quality of Life Tool KIDSCREEN for children and adolescents in Ireland Results of the KIDSCREEN National Survey 2005, Dublin, The Stationery Office,
Programme or List of Programmes
BHSBachelor of Science in Health & Society
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