HIST 275 - Childhood and Children in the World

3 Credit Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Laboratory Hours

This course offers students a unique, child-centric perspective on the past and present. They learn to historicize the idea of childhood and see our current, Western understanding of what it means to be a child in its proper context. On the basis of this new understanding, students examine a numbr of international issues, putting children at their center. We study children in wartime, as they are vitimized in genocide and attacks on civilians, or actively participate in conflicts as child soldiers. We also explore how children and young people participate in political activities and affect change on issues ranging from education and child labor to children’s rights A special focus of this class is on children crossing international borders: in international adoptions, as victims of trafficking, and as migrants.

Prerequisites: COMP 131.