Anthropology of Childhood, Youth and Education MSc was the first degree of its kind to be established and is still unique in its deep anthropological exploration on what it is to be a child or to be young.

As part of the course, you will look at historic perceptions of childhood in the West to the development of European rights of protection, compared to experiences of childhood in other parts of the world, like the street children of Brazil.

In a module on learning and education you will compare physical development stages, including how learning is acquired and universal patterns of play, to the range of ways children are prepared or educated to fit cultural expectations.

Entry Requirements

Are you eligible to apply?

Course Content

You will study a set of modules focussing on childhood, youth and education alongside foundational modules in social and cultural anthropology and on conducting anthropological research.

In your second term you have a choice of options from anthropology as well as from related disciplines such as globalisation and development.

You will also have the opportunity to conduct your own dissertation fieldwork anywhere in the world according to your anthropological interests.

Teaching and Learning

You will learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials as well as through your own reading. You will also be encouraged to attend the department’s calendar of lunchtime research meetings where guest speakers share insight from their own research and experience.

Anthropology of Childhood, Youth and Education is taught by a team of Brunel experts who have worked in many countries across the globe, including South, West and East Africa, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, as well as Britain.

Ethnographic Research Methods

This module will introduce you to the methods employed by anthropologists when undertaking ethnographic research in preparation for your own fieldwork research on which your dissertation will be based.

Dissertation in Childhood, Youth and Education

The opportunity to carry out a major research project in the anthropology of learning, childhood, youth or education based around your own fieldwork experience.

Understanding Childhood and Youth

This module will introduce you to the study of childhood and youth as they are constructed and practiced in different social, cultural and economic settings. The first section focuses on children, looking first at how ideas of childhood are constructed by adults, the second section is devoted to young people.

Anthropology of Education and Learning

Gain an appreciation of the key issues in the anthropology of education and learning and an understanding, ethnographically, of how culture shapes and informs the educational and learning process an and in turn impacts social and cultural practices.

Careers

In addition to providing a firm grounding for doctoral research on childhood and youth, this degree will enhance your professional development in many fields, including:

teaching
social work
counselling
educational
child psychology
health visiting
nursing and midwifery
paediatric specialisms
non-governmental agencies
international development

As you journey through the course, you will also develop a valuable set of analytical and research skills that can be used in a wide range of careers.