Week 10: Constructing childhood (on screen)
Revisiting the idea of childhood as an idea, focusing this time on childhood as represented in films.
Set reading:
Hanson, S. (2000) ‘Children in Film’, Chapter 8 in Childhood Studies: A Reading in perspectives of childhood. J Mills and R. Mills (eds). London: Routledge Pages 145-160
Additional resources, week by week
Week 1
Key concepts in Childhood Studies – Additional resources
Cook, D.T (2009) ‘Editorial: When a child is not a child, and other conceptual hazards of childhood studies’ in Childhood February 2009 vol. 16 no. 1 5-10 Accessed Oct 2011 http://chd.sagepub.com/content/16/1/5.short?rss=1&%3bssource=mfr
Hendrick, H. (1997) ‘Construction and Reconstruction of British Childhood: an Interpretive Survey, 1800 to Present’ in Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood, A. James and A.Prout (eds) London: Famer Press Pages 34-62
Jenks, C. (2005) Childhood. London: Routledge
Kehily, M.J. (ed.) (2004/2009) An Introduction to Childhood Studies. Maidenhead: Open University Press
Mills, R (2000) ‘Chapter 1: Perspectives of Childhood’, in J Mills and R. Mills (eds) Childhood Studies: A Reader in Perspectives of Childhood, New York: Routledge Pages 7-38
Qvortrup, J. (2005) ‘Varieties of Childhood’, in Qvortrup, J. (ed.) Studies in Modern Childhood, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian
Week 2
Childhood as a ‘social construction’- Additional resources
Burr, V. (1995), Introduction and chapter 1 of An Introduction to Social Constructionism, London: Routledge
Butler, U.M. (2009) ‘Freedom, Revolt and `Citizenship’ Three pillars of identity for youngsters living on the streets of Rio de Janeiro’ in Childhood February 2009 vol. 16 no. 1 Pages 11-29 Accessed Oct 2011 http://chd.sagepub.com/content/16/1/11.full.pdf+html
James, A. (2009) ‘Agency’ in The Palgrave Handbook of Childhood Studies, Qvortrup, J., Corsaro, W.A, and Honig, M.S (eds.) Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Pages 34-45
Nind, M., Flewitt, R. and Payler, J. (2011), Social Constructions of Young Children in ‘Special’, ‘Inclusive’ and Home Environments. Children & Society, 25: Pages 359–370
Accessed Oct 2011 at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2009.00281.x/full
Qvortrup, J. (2009) ‘Childhood as a Structural Form’ in The Palgrave Handbook of Childhood Studies, Qvortrup, J., Corsaro, W.A, and Honig, M.S (eds.) Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, Pages 21-33
Sreenivas, D (2011) ‘Telling different tales: Possible childhoods in children’s literature’ in Childhood 2011 18: Pages 316-332, Accessed Oct 2011 http://chd.sagepub.com/content/18/3/316.refs
The website for BBCi TV and Radio can be searched for recently broadcast documentaries on childhood and children, such as their Hip, Skip and Jump series on childhood play.
Visit the ‘Representing Childhood’ project website produced by the University of Pittsburgh (2005). Explore the various sections and take the ‘Did you know?’ quiz. Accessed Nov 2010, at
http://www.representingchildhood.pitt.edu/didyouknow.htm
The BBC and Open University’s website about ‘The Invention of Childhood’ is worth a look. Accessed Nov 2010, at http://www.open2.net/theinventionofchildhood/index.html
Week 3
‘Doing boy / doing girl’ – researching gender, additional resources
Ahn, J. (2010) ‘I’m Not Scared of Anything’: Emotion as social power in children’s worlds Childhood February 1, 2010 17: 94-112, Accessed Oct 2011 at http://chd.sagepub.com/content/17/1/94.full.pdf+html
Arnot, M., Mac an Ghaill, M. (eds) (2006) The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Gender and Education. London: Routledge
Francis, B., Skelton, C. (eds) (2001) Investigating Gender: Contemporary perspectives in education. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Hey, V. (1997) The Company She Keeps: An ethnography of girls’ friendships. Maidenhead: Open University Press
Karsten, L. (2003) ‘Children’s Use of Public Space: The Gendered World of the Playground’ Childhood November 2003 10: 457-473 Accessed Oct 2011 http://chd.sagepub.com/content/10/4/457.full.pdf+html
Kehily, M.J., and Nayak, A. (1997) ‘‘Lads and Laugher’: Humour and the production of heterosexual hierarchies’ Gender and Education, Vol 9, No 1 Pages 69-88. Accessed Oct 2011 at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540259721466 (This paper makes an interesting contrast to the Frosh et.al paper set for week 5, but be warned – it does contain some very strong language).
Sreenivas, D. (2010), ‘Forging new communities: Gendered childhood through the lens of caste’ in Feminist Theory 2010; 11 (3) 267-28. Accessed Nov 2010
http://fty.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/3/267
Walkerdine, V., Lucey, H., Melody, J. (2001). Growing up girl: Psycho-social explorations of gender and class. London, UK: Palgrave
Week 4
Child development and Childhood Studies. Additional resources
Henriques, J., Hollway, W., Urwin,C., Venn, C., Walkerdine V (1984) Changing the Subject: Psychology, Social Regulation and Subjectivity London: Routledge / Methuen
Woodhead, M. (1997) ‘Psychology and the Social Construction of Children’s needs’ Chapter 4 in Constructing and Reconstructing Childhood. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
Woodhead, M. (2009) ‘Child Development and the Development of Childhood’, in Qvortrup, J., Corsaro W.A. and Honig, M-S. (eds.) The Palgrave Handbook of Childhood Studies, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan
Week 5
Bullies and bullying, additional resources:
Ringrose, J. and Renold, E. (2010) ‘Normative cruelties and gender deviants: The performative effects of bully discourses for girls and boys in school’, British Educational Research Journal Accessed Oct 2011 online at
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01411920903018117
Smith, P., Cowie, H., Blades, M. (2003) Understanding Children’s Development Oxford: Blackwell
Svahn, J., Evaldsson, A.C. (2011) ‘‘You could just ignore me’: Situating peer exclusion within the contingencies of girls’ everyday interactional practices’ in Childhood, September 2011, Accessed Oct 2011
http://chd.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/09/08/0907568211402859.full.pdf+html
Sweeting, H., West, P (2010) ‘Being different: correlates of the experience of teasing and bullying at age 11’ , in Research Papers in Education Vol. 16, Issue. 3,
Accessed Oct 2011, online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02671520110058679
Yoneyama, S., Naito, A. ‘Problems with the Paradigm: The School as a Factor in Understanding Bullying (With Special Reference to Japan)’ British Journal of Sociology of Education
Vol. 24, No. 3 (Jul., 2003), pp. 315-330 Accessed Oct 2011 at http://www.jstor.org/stable/3593327
Children and Society: The International Journal of Childhood and Children’s Services
See the special issue on bullying -http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.2011.25.issue-4/issuetoc
Week 6
Hoodies, brats and little angels. Additional resources
Brown, J. (2007), Time, Space and Gender: Understanding ‘Problem’ Behaviour in Young Children. Children & Society, 21: Pages 98–110
Accessed Oct 2011 at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2006.00035.x/pdf
Fung, H. (1999) ‘Becoming a Moral Child: The Socialization of Shame among Young Chinese Children’. Ethos, 27: Pages 180–209,
Accessed Oct 2011 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1525/eth.1999.27.2.180/pdf
Griffin, C (2004) ‘Good Girls, Bad Girls: Anglocentrism and Diversity in the Constitution of Contemporary Girlhood’ in All About the Girl: culture, power and identity. A. Harris (ed.) New York: Routledge, Pages 29 – 44
Levey, H. (2009) ‘Pageant Princesses and Math Whizzes: Understanding children’s activities as a form of children’s work’ Childhood May 2009, Pages 195-212 Accessed Oct 2011 http://chd.sagepub.com/content/16/2/195.full.pdf+html
Pearson, G. (2006) ‘Disturbing continuities:’peaky blinders’ to ‘hoodies’’Criminal Justice Matters, No 65, Autumn 2006, accessed Oct 2011 at http://www.crimeandjustice.org.uk/opus185/cjm65-pearson.pdf, Pages 64-65
Thornberg, R. (2008), ‘It’s Not Fair!’—Voicing Pupils’ Criticisms of School Rules. Children & Society, 22: Pages 418–428.
Accessed Oct 2011 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2007.00121.x/abstract
Week 7
Difference and disability. Additional resources:
Blume, H (undated) ‘”Autism & The Internet” or “It’s The Wiring, Stupid”’ MIT Communications Forum. Go to:
http://web.mit.edu/comm-forum/papers/blume.html
Cole, B.A (2005), ‘Good Faith and Effort?’ Perspectives on educational inclusion, in Disability & Society, 20 (3) Pages 331–344. Accessed Oct 2011 at: http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/3440/1/Cole2005Good331.pdf
Ellis, S., Tod, J., Graham-Matheson, L. (2008) Special Educational Needs and Inclusion: Reflection and Renewal. A report for NASUWT, Birmingham 2008. Published by NASUWT. Accessed Nov 2011 http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/consum/groups/public/@education/documents/nas_download/nasuwt_000619.pdf
Linton, S (1998) Disability Studies/Not Disability Studies, Disability and Society, 13: 4, Pages 525-539
Accessed Oct 2011 at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599826588
Liasidou, A. (2010), ‘Special educational needs: a public issue’, in International Studies in Sociology of Education, 20 (3) 225 – 239. Accessed Oct 2011 at
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09620214.2010.516118
Silverman, C (2008), ‘Fieldwork on Another Planet: Social Science Perspectives on the Autism Spectrum’, in Biosocieties vol 3 issue 3 Pages 325-341. Cambridge University Press. Accessed Oct 2011 at
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=2201840
The British Film Institute has an online resource that features a useful introduction to disability theory, and to the representation of disability in media.
Accessed Nov 2012 http://www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/disability/?q=disablingimagery
Week 8
Consumer culture and childhood. Additional resources:
Buckingham, D. (2009) The Impact of the Commercial World on Children’s Wellbeing: Report of an Independent Assessment, commissioned and published by the Department of Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Accessed Oct 2011
Cook, D. and Kaiser, S. (2004), ‘Betwixt and Be Tween: Age ambiguity and the sexualization of the female consuming subject’ in Journal of Consumer Culture. 4 (2) Pages 203-227
Darbyshire, P. (2007) `Childhood’: are reports of its death greatly exaggerated? Journal of Child Health Care June 1, 2007 11: Pages 85-97. Accessed Oct 2011 http://chc.sagepub.com/content/11/2/85.full.pdf+html
Kapur, J (2003) ‘Free market, branded imagination — Harry Potter and the commercialization of children’s culture’ in Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media No. 46. Accessed Nov 2010 at
http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc46.2003/kapur.potter/index.html
Kenway, J. and Bullen E. (2001), ‘Inventing the young consumer’, in Consuming Children: Education-entertainment-advertising. Milton Keynes: Open University Press
Ringrose, J. (2011) ‘Are you sexy, flirty or a slut? Exploring ‘sexualisation’ and how teen girls perform/negotiate digital sexual identity on social networking sites’ In R. Gill and C. Scharff (eds.), New Femininities: Postfeminism, Neoliberalism and Identity. London: Palgrave.
Walkerdine, V. (1997) Daddy’s Girl: Young Girls and Popular Culture. London: Macmillan
Week 9
Media, new technology and childhood. Additional resources
Ashman, T. (2010), ‘Lessons for digital natives’. Published at http://www.guardian.co.uk.on 1 November 2010. Accessed Nov 10 at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/classroom-innovation/lessons-for-digital-natives
Bayne, S and Ross, J (2007), ‘The ‘digital native’ and ‘digital immigrant’: a dangerous opposition’. Presented at the Annual Conference of the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) December 2007. Accessed Nov 2010 at
Click to access natives_final.pdf
Buckingham, D. (2005) The Media Literacy of Children and Young People; A review of the research literature on behalf of Ofcom. Accessed Nov 2011 http://www.mediasmart.org.uk/pdfs/MedLitChildrenYoungPeople.pdf
Goldstein, J. (2005), ‘Violent Video Games’, in Handbook of Computer Game Studies, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Pages 341-358
Prensky, M. (2001), ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’ in On the Horizon (MCB University Press, 9 (5) Accessed Nov 2011
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf (if you wish to refer to this article, please ensure that you also read the above Bayne and Ross paper).
Week 10
Constructing childhood (on screen) Additional resources:
Lebeau, V. (2008) Childhood and the Cinema Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Lury, K. (2010) The Child in Film, London: I.B.Tauras
McClintock, A. (1995), ‘Soap and commodity spectacle’ extract reprinted (pages 280-282) in Hall, S. (ed.), Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices, London: Sage. 1997
Mills, R. (2000) ‘Perspectives of childhood’, Chapter 1 of Childhood Studies: A Reader in perspectives of childhood. New York: Routledge Pages 7-38
Wojcik-Andrews, I. (2000) Children’s Films New York: Garland Publishing
There are articles on children and film at Jump Cut – for instance on the films Spirited Away, Hoop Dreams, or ET. Search the Jump Cut archive here: http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/index.html
Morrison, D., (undated) ‘Children on Film’, BFI’s Screenonline, (this is an online resource with links to film descriptions and outlines). Accessed Nov 2011 http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/446281/index.html
Examples of online journals relevant to this course:
Childhoods Today: An online journal for childhood studies
http://www.childhoodstoday.org/pastissues.php
Children and Society: The International Journal of Childhood and Children’s Services
This journal has a whole special issue on bullying, see:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/chso.2011.25.issue-4/issuetoc
Gender and Education – See, for instance, a list of the ‘most cited articles’ here: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/showMostCitedArticles?journalCode=cgee20
playhouse.wordpress.com 