Last modified: 01 Aug 2023 11:46
With young people comprising a third of Scotland’s population in 1900, it is right that they have received growing attention from historians in recent years. Adopting a thematic approach, this course uses subjects such as labour, education, and war to explore concepts of childhood and children’s lived experiences. By drawing on a variety of sources (including memoirs, magazines, and portraits) it considers both how far we can access children’s voices and what they may reveal about Scottish society.
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | First Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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How have ideas about children and childhood changed over time? In what ways have shifting concepts about youth, agency, and citizenship had an impact on the treatment of children and young people within families and in Scottish society more widely? In recent years historians working in the areas of economic, education, gender, religious, and social history have uncovered the important contribution that children (and adult ideas about children) have made to society. Adopting a thematic approach, this course uses broad subjects including labour, education, and welfare to explore concepts of childhood as well as children’s lived experiences. Although focusing primarily on Scotland, it explores broader global and colonial contexts through content on empire, migration, and war.
Over the course we will seek to uncover the agency and voices of historical children, thereby providing a child-centred understanding of Scotland’s past. Commencing with an overview of the methodological challenges historians interested in children face, students will consider subjects such as the creation of childhood, emerging ideas of the adolescent as deviant, and the child as symbol of national wellbeing. Students will explore the impact of key historical developments that shaped both ideas about childhood and children’s experiences, such as the 1872 Education Act, the formation of the NSPCC, and the implementation of Operation Pied Piper in 1939.
The readings for each week introduce students to both historical scholarship and primary source material. Students taking this course will engage with a range of different sources, including ego-documents (autobiographies, diaries, letters), promotional literature (magazines and pamphlets), institutional material (annual reports and committee minutes), and images (photographs and portraits). By including a diverse range of primary material, students are encouraged to ask questions regarding the accessibility of the child’s voice and to interrogate the uses and value of different kinds of historical sources.
Assessment is comprised of an end of term exam (40%), class essay (30%), blog post (20%), and participation (10%).
Students will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback on their first source analysis as well as on an essay plan.
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will have the option of either choosing an essay question from a set list or constructing their own question in consultation with the Course Coordinator. Students will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback on an essay plan (up to one side of A4) either in-person or over email ahead of submitting the final assignment. Feedback on their essay will be provided online through MyAberdeen. |
Word Count | 2000 | |
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to construct and sustain arguments using a variety of primary and secondary material. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Demonstrate a command of and the ability to engage critically with scholarly literature in the field. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Show an understanding of how ideas about children, as well as experiences of childhood, have changed or endured over time. |
| Factual | Understand | Be aware of key legal, social, and religious developments that shaped children’s place in society and reflect upon the implications for young people today. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to work with and analyse a variety of different sources, recognising their usefulness and potential limitations. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will be graded on their participation in class and contribution to class discussion. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to construct and sustain arguments using a variety of primary and secondary material. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to work with and analyse a variety of different sources, recognising their usefulness and potential limitations. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will answer essay-style questions and undertake a source analysis. The take-home exam will take place during the agreed departmental/School open period. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to construct and sustain arguments using a variety of primary and secondary material. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Demonstrate a command of and the ability to engage critically with scholarly literature in the field. |
| Conceptual | Understand | Show an understanding of how ideas about children, as well as experiences of childhood, have changed or endured over time. |
| Factual | Understand | Be aware of key legal, social, and religious developments that shaped children’s place in society and reflect upon the implications for young people today. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to work with and analyse a variety of different sources, recognising their usefulness and potential limitations. |
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will submit a 750-word source analysis in a blog format; students will choose a week to blog during the first class. This activity is intended to encourage students to reflect upon the usefulness and possible limitations of a chosen source. Sources may be selected either from the allocated weekly pack or from appropriate online repositories. Feedback will be available on MyAberdeen |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to construct and sustain arguments using a variety of primary and secondary material. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to work with and analyse a variety of different sources, recognising their usefulness and potential limitations. |
There are no assessments for this course.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | Feedback Weeks | |||
| Feedback |
Students will answer essay-style questions and undertake a source analysis. The take-home exam will take place during the agreed departmental/School open period. |
|||
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Conceptual | Understand | Show an understanding of how ideas about children, as well as experiences of childhood, have changed or endured over time. |
| Conceptual | Evaluate | Demonstrate a command of and the ability to engage critically with scholarly literature in the field. |
| Procedural | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to work with and analyse a variety of different sources, recognising their usefulness and potential limitations. |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Demonstrate an ability to construct and sustain arguments using a variety of primary and secondary material. |
| Factual | Understand | Be aware of key legal, social, and religious developments that shaped children’s place in society and reflect upon the implications for young people today. |
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