Curious about studying Childhood Studies - BA (Hons)at University of Essex? We've gathered all the key details—entry requirements, modules, fees, and more. Hear from real students by checking out reviews, or take the next step by booking an open day to explore it for yourself.
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
University of Essex
Full Time
Oct 2026
3 Year
Are you fascinated by children’s behaviour? What drives their development, what informs their behaviour and shapes their identity? Do you want to help children with emotional, social, behavioural and education difficulties? Why do some children falter through life’s ups and downs, whilst others seem to thrive in adversity and are more resilient? Do you want to make a difference to children’s lives? If so, this course is for you. Children today face a wide range of new and challenging experiences, including unprecedented access to media, wider cultural diversity, online bullying and larger school numbers. Their early experiences of childhood affect them for the rest of their lives. You can make a positive contribution to these formative years. Childhood studies is a vibrant and exciting field which has expanded in recent years to include knowledge from psychology, sociology and psychoanalysis. This course lays the foundations for a career working with infants and children, whether in education, health care or children’s services. You gain a solid understanding of child development, the ecology of childhood (the place of children in different societies) and consider the way our concepts of childhood shape and condition children’s lives. You will also learn about the direct work with children through undertaking a placement in each year of study where you can begin to make links between theory and practice. Assessment is mainly by course work. Topics include: - Psychosocial approaches - Child development - Attachment theory - ADHD, developmental trauma and Autism - Criminological approaches - Play and infant observation - The social history of childhood - Children in literature - Therapeutic work in groups - Wellbeing and resilience - Psychodynamics of teaching, learning - Therapeutic work groups
In this module you will explore childhood from a local and a global perspective. You will discover a broad range of topics related to children and childhood, including psychology, sociology, history, media, law and education.
How do unconscious dynamics work in individuals, groups and organisations? How can psychodynamic insight be applied to this? Explore how individuals affect one another, how institutions affect those who work there and vice versa. Understand key concepts in psychodynamic thinking and how to apply this to individuals, groups and workplaces.
What skills are involved in psychodynamic observation? How do you apply psychodynamic theory to everyday events? Gain a theoretical and practice-based understanding of psychodynamic observation. Develop your psychodynamic approach to reflective practice. Undertake your own observations, in the community and on placement, and present your findings in seminars.
Want guidance in understanding your course? Know how your academic skills will transfer to the world of work? Develop your abilities to undertake independent research. Learn to read critically and to write clearly. Build the employability skills that will help you during your studies and after graduation.
This first-year module will inspire you to build a meaningful philosophy of life. As an interdisciplinary module within the fields of Psychoanalytic and Psychosocial Studies, Childhood Studies, therapeutic and clinical practice, Happiness Studies, the Sociology of Health and Medical Humanities, it will enable you to reflect on what we think we need to be happy and what a good and meaningful life entails for individuals and societies. You will also be encouraged to explore how small changes in our ways of thinking may help us to live better lives. A key question for this module is how we can find space for happiness, wellness, and mindfulness in a globalised world shaped by climate crises, war and violence, pandemics, oppression and inequality and the biopolitical organisation of our lives. Through reflective activities and class discussions you will be encouraged to use theoretical ideas to research your own lives, your established ways of thinking and your current perspective on life. As such, the module will motivate you to invest in developing an individual philosophy of life, and reflect on how a pragmatic and realistically optimistic outlook for life can be pursued, both at an individual, as well as a social level.
In this module you will learn about child development, focusing on infancy. You will have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in observing the early developments of an infant, within a family setting or in the nursery setting. You will learn the unfolding of the infant’s awareness of self and others and the developing of personality and identity within the context in which it is happening. You will also be learning about the role of the observer. Understanding and developing how this role supports the development of skills and sensitivity around role management and boundaries in preparation for professional life – where working therapeutically or with ordinary children or other settings.
What are the frameworks around therapeutic work? How do you ensure responsible practice? Examine professional conduct and ethical considerations. Build your psychodynamic understanding of the issues and dynamics involved. Gain knowledge of your wider responsibilities to your organisation, discipline, clients and yourself.
In this module you will develop your understanding of childhood studies and childcare practice and explore employability and career options within this field. You will have the opportunity to think about your future career aspirations and learn about the graduate employment market.
Consider the ways in which childhood has changed throughout history. In this module you will explore how the concept of childhood has developed particularly from eighteenth century onwards. This module covers a variety of aspects including religion, education, rights and policies, culture, gender and sexuality.
Explore children’s well-being through play, socialisation and resilience. Discover how well-being can vary across cultures, both nationally and globally. In this module you will also learn about current issues facing children today such as technology, internet and the effects that this may have on well-being.
Understand what facilitates education and the factors that can also hinder learning. You will explore all areas that can affect a child’s ability to learn, from anxiety to new experiences. You will learn the aspects of learning through a sociological and psycho-social perspective.
Throughout the year students will be pursuing a research project based on a subject of their choice. There will be an introductory workshop to help with choosing the project, followed by a series of lectures and workshops and three 30-minute supervision meetings with a named member of staff to monitor progress and offer support. Students will draw on the theory from the three years of the course and apply these to a subject of their choice, exploring the conscious and unconscious dynamics involved.
How does diversity impact children? How is childhood constructed differently based on differences in race, gender, class, sexuality, nationality, religion, or disability? How do children themselves navigate the larger inequalities of society and eventually internalize an understanding of their own diverse identities? This module emphasizes the importance of diversity and identity for understanding childhood and offers a critical introduction to some of the main identity categories that impact children's everyday lives. Taking a topical, week-by-week approach, this module considers, for instance, how children navigate racial identities in a landscape of social inequality and how gender differently affects children's development of relational qualities like confidence and caring.
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