MD575/675: Children and Culture (4 units)
Desiree
Segura-April, Assistant Professor of Children at Risk
Spring 2008
DESCRIPTION:
This course examines variables that influence the
way children are seen, treated, listened to, parented and discipled as they
grow up in contemporary societies. It draws from anthropological,
sociological and theological perspectives. It explores cross-cultural
communication with children, multi-cultural child development, listening and
relating to children, cultural stories of children and childhood, and social
and political sanctions that affect child development, behavior and
relationships.
LEARNING
OUTCOMES:
1. Analyze
children and childhood from anthropological, sociological, and theological
perspectives
2. Gain understanding from a variety of
perspectives on children and childhood held by influential theologians and
Christian movements throughout church history
3. Become familiar with issues related
to the following: child participation; listening to children; children’s
rights; research with children; social and educational policies related to
children; socialization practices within families, communities and educational
settings; and ministry within the church and among children at risk
4. Develop an in-depth understanding of
the expression(s) of childhood within one particular context chosen by the
student
COURSE
FORMAT:
This course will meet twice a week for two-hour
sessions throughout the quarter. Students will learn via lectures/presentations, media clips, discussion of reading
materials, case study analysis, student presentations and small group
exercises.
REQUIRED
1. Bunge,
Marcia J., ed. The child in Christian
thought.
2. Corsaro, William A. The sociology of childhood. 2nd ed.
3. May, Scottie, Beth Posterski, Catherine
Stonehouse, and Linda Cannell. Children
matter: Celebrating their
place in the church, family, and community.
4. Levine, Robert A. and Rebecca S. New,
eds. Anthropology and Child Development:
A Cross-Cultural Reader. Wiley-Blackwell. 2008.
5. Montgomery, Heather, Rachel Burr, and
Martin Woodhead, eds. Changing
childhoods: Local and global.
Selections from the following books will be placed on reserve:
1. Gielen,
Uwe P., and Jaipaul L. Roopnarine, eds. Childhood
and adolescence: Cross-cultural perspectives and applications.
2. Montgomery, Heather, and Martin
Woodhead, eds. Understanding childhood:
An interdisciplinary
approach.
3. Qvortrup, Jens, ed. Studies in modern childhood: Society,
agency, culture.
RECOMMENDED
1. Edwards,
Rosalind, ed. Children, home and school:
Autonomy, connection or regulation?
2. Heywood, Colin. A history of childhood: Children and childhood in the West from medieval
to modern times.
3. James, Allison, and Alan Prout, eds. Constructing and reconstructing childhood:
Contemporary issues in the
sociological study of childhood. Second ed.
4. Kehily, Mary Jane, and Joan Swann,
eds. Children's cultural worlds.
Ltd in association with The Open University. 2003.
5. Maybin, Janet, Martin Woodhead, eds. Childhoods in context.
association with The Open University, 2003.
6. Prout, Alan. The future of childhood: Towards the interdisciplinary study of
children.
RoutledgeFalmer. 2005.
ASSIGNMENTS**:
1. Three
4-MAT papers according to the format described in syllabus (1,000 words each)
2. A small-group theological class
presentation including a 500-word written summary from each student
3. A final integration/research paper or
project focusing on children and childhood in a particular context and
including implications for mission (2,500 words with an annotated bibliography
and EndNote library file)
** Students are advised that the details of these assignments are subject to
change.
PREREQUISITES:
None. It is highly recommended that students have taken MD543.
RELATION
TO CURRICULUM: Elective in SIS.
FINAL
EXAM: No.