Childhood & Youth and Politics

Childhood and youth studies and politics is a combination that brings two fields with deep natural connections into explicit dialogue. Childhood and youth studies examines the lives, rights, and social contexts of children and young people, drawing on sociology, history, social policy, and cultural studies to understand how societies understand and treat their youngest members. Politics examines how power is organised, contested, and exercised, and how policy decisions shape the conditions in which people live.

Children and young people sit at the centre of some of the most significant political debates in any society, from education policy and welfare provision to the rights of young people to participate in democratic life.

At Liverpool Hope this three-year full-time BA brings both disciplines together in a programme that develops your understanding of children's and young people's experiences alongside your analytical knowledge of political systems, institutions, and processes. You will examine the issues and challenges that children and young people face today, both in the UK and internationally, and develop the political and social science tools to analyse the policy responses and their consequences. The degree encourages an international perspective, recognising that childhood is shaped by global forces as much as national ones.

A sandwich year, a year abroad, and work placement experience are all available within the programme, giving you the opportunity to develop professional skills, international experience, and a practical portfolio alongside your studies.

Graduates pursue careers in youth work, social care, policy, advocacy, children's charities, government, community development, education, journalism, and international organisations concerned with children's rights. Many go on to postgraduate study in social policy, politics, social work, or youth and community work, or to professional training in teaching or social work.