ASOK05182U Towards a Sociology of Early Childhood

Young children are increasingly being recognised as major investments by European welfare states. This course will explore how different disciplines such as biology, psychology and history are currently being used to explain young children’s social and emotional development. We will argue that a sociological, developmental perspective is vital for developing an integrated, multi-disciplinary model of early childhood, one that explains some of the important longer-term changes in the relation between adulthood and childhood.  

Situating Early Childhood – Theoretical and Disciplinary Orientations

Why is early childhood so important? We will present an overview of the key concepts and themes in Early Childhood.

Sociological and historical theories of childhood

Is early childhood merely a social construction? We will critically examine some of the dominant social constructionist perspectives on childhood, exploring some of the historical roots in the relation between adulthood and childhood.

Biological roots of attachment

This session will mainly focus on the work of John Bowlby, focusing on how we can understand the early bonds of attachment between carers and young children.

The language development of young children

Why do young babies and children need to communicate? We will investigate the work of the developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky, suggesting that his theoretical framework provides a strong foundation for integrating the different social and cultural levels of development.

Towards a sociological perspective of early childhood?

We will present a sociological perspective of young children, integrating major findings from academic disciplines in a developmental, historical model.