Program Overview

CHILDHOOD & YOUTH

Childhood & Youth is an exciting, multidisciplinary subject in which you will explore a range of issues and challenges faced by children and young people in contemporary society, both here in the UK and on a global level. Drawing on key ideas from sociology, politics, history, social policy and cultural studies, the degree examines important questions about children and young people and the social contexts in which they live.

Topics studied include: how children and young people’s place in society has changed over time; how social class, poverty, gender, ethnicity, disability, social policy and so on impact children and young people’s lives; the role of risk and risk-taking in children and young people’s everyday lives and; how children and young people make sense of and help to shape their social worlds. In exploring such issues you will also look at various political debates and policy initiatives, as well as learning about various ways of researching with children and young people that aim to help them overcome the many challenges that they face.

With its strong emphasis on social justice and welfare, the degree will enable you to develop as critical social scientists who value their role within the academic community at Hope and who, as graduates, will be able to use their skills and knowledge to the benefit of their local community and society more broadly.

THEOLOGY

Across 2,000 years, the Christian tradition has provoked an immense wealth of theological ideas, has adapted itself to many cultural forms and has shaped human minds and events. This degree offers you the opportunity to study Christianity from a number of perspectives – historical, doctrinal, pastoral and contextual – so that you will acquire expertise in finding your way through this complex and rich field of study.

The degree includes the academic study of the Christian Bible and embodies our commitment to take faith seriously, whilst at the same time to be intellectually stretching, stimulating and challenging. The teaching staff in the Department represent a broad range of Christian traditions, and are all published experts in their own particular fields. We have an extensive library collection in theology and religion, amounting to well over 100,000 volumes in total, and we are investing significantly in enhancing this even further, particularly with electronic resources.

By exploring the textual, historical, political and philosophical aspects of theology, our provision in this area provides you with a holistic and in-depth appreciation of the subject.