YOST3001: Introduction to History & Philosophy of Youthwork

This course exposes students to a depth of perspectives on young people and youth work. Exploring various historic and philosophical origins of “normal” childhood, we unveil the way our modern understandings of child, youth, and adolescent draw upon a rich history of sexist, colonialist, and racist science. To do so we explore Indigenous, early European, Middle-Class, and W.E.I.R.D. (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) notions of childhood. We explore how these ideas are operationalized into practices on youth/youth work. We explore how contemporary organizations of American youth work and youth development, then took up and applied these ideas thus naturalizing modern norms and expectations of child and youth. This course covers the philosophical and historical foundations of youth work in a critical and interactive way through a review of youth, youth work, and youth organizations set in the context of the past 500 years. The course is designed to encourage students to examine their familial histories, timelines, and geographies and through collaborative and interactive learning, begin to explore how these histories, combined with others, helped to shape the ways that we think about youth and how this thinking collectively shapes youth policy, practice, and the institutions within which we meet and work with young people. All of this with the goal of becoming more effective and thoughtful when working with young people in youth-work settings. Whether you choose to work in youth-work settings or in other human service organization or agency, developing a sense of cultural humility and skills to understand historical data, philosophical frames, and current practices will be critical to your success in professional arenas. Prior completion of YOST 2xxx is highly recommended.

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