Rationale
Youth studies is a multidisciplinary subject and is approached mainly from the disciplines of sociology, education, social policy, criminology and political science. In more practical terms it may also be concerned with youth work. This module will introduce some of the key issues and debates in the academic study of young people. Different conceptions of youth will be placed in historical context with a focus upon representations and identities, and how they are characterised as Other and challenge the social order. This module introduces to a range of theoretical and philosophical perspectives on culture and subculture, resistance and citizenship in modernity and late modernity. You will be introduced to important conceptual tools such as discourse, risk, modernity and late modernity, and the key tenets of critical theory. The module will also provide an overview of the social position of young people in society and you will examine these through topics such as education, youth labour markets and issues of the transition to adulthood.