STEP1000 CRN 13129What is Childhood?

**Please note: This class has ENGL 1010-30A (TR, 1:20-2:35) as a co-requisite.** When did you know you were no longer a child? This class asks students to critically examine what it means to be a child in the 21st century. We will ask the following questions: How is childhood marked and/or celebrated? What defines childhood and how might these definitions differ when one considers gender, race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, education, etc.? In what ways has childhood changed over the past several decades and how might it continue to evolve? We will consider theories of childhood that are concerned with the history of childhood as a concept, the nature of childhood, and how childhood might be used in society. We will also consider the paradox of how today, young people are often seen as growing up too fast or conversely, not growing up at all (i.e., having an extended adolescence). Students will also have the opportunity to reflect on how their own childhood has shaped their behavior as a human and their experiences as adults.