Course description and objectives:
Most dictionaries define childhood as the period between birth and puberty, however that simple description does little to capture the many connotations of the concept. This course is designed to explore the meaning of childhood to people of differing times and of differing cultures. The content of the course will guide students through an exploration of the historical diversity in the ways in which childhood has been defined, and in the development and clarification of their own concept of the meaning of childhood. A second major course goal will be to investigate cultural variations in ideas about what constitutes childhood. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on assisting students to understand that there is no single set of ideas about what childhood is. A third focus will be the impact on children's development and on society of the beliefs held by adults about childhood.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Describe concepts of childhood from a variety of perspectives (e.g., cultural, historical, psychological, philosophical);
2. Discuss the effect of differing concepts on childhood on the experiences of children;
3. Clearly articulate their own views on the concept of childhood.
Course prerequisites:
This course meets the Advance GE requirement for area V. Consequently, enrollment requires the passage of the WST, upper division standing and completion of the CORE GE.
Course orientation meeting:
There will be an orientation meeting for the Spring 2006 online ChAD106 course. The orientation will take place on Friday, January 27th from 10:00-12:00 in SH431. We will be reviewing WebCT, going over the syllabus, and beginning work on some of the initial assignments. Enrolled students are highly encouraged to attend the session!
The course shell will be accessible to enrolled students once the spring semester starts on January 25th.
Instructor contact information:
If you are interested in contacting the instructor for this course -- you can reach Dr. Robin Love at her email address, which is robinlovecd@cs.com.
Help desk contact information:
Students having technical difficulties (accessing the course shell, etc.) should contact the Student Help Desk at (408) 924-2377
