Youth studies major

Youth Studies is a major that allows you to learn about youth as an idea across time, place and community; about young people as they experience their everyday lives; and about youthwork or the various approaches and practices involved in working with young people.

Youth Studies is a transdisciplinary program that explores the social construction of youth and our responses to them. In the Youth Studies program you will …

• Learn a myriad of theories about young people including: cultural, political, sociological, phenomenological, biopsychological, and historical perspectives of youth
• Identify and interrogate the ideas and ask increasingly complicated questions about young people and what is known about them
• Reflect on your own experiences of being a young person and your own youthhood
• Engage and learn about the everyday lives of youth
• Leave prepared to imagine and engage in a range of youthwork practices and professional spaces
• Graduate with a background in designing innovative youth interventions and evaluation and research methods to explore what these create for young people and the communities they live in

How do we teach?

Our classes provide interactive spaces, reliant on action, dialogue, experience, and individual ang small group reflection. The curriculum has a strong field learning component and built-in opportunities for community-engaged learning. Learning doesn't just happen in the classroom and it isn’t a one-way street—you'll be in the community, putting what you've learned to work in projects ranging from collective action to action-research to evaluation of programs with and for youth.

If you are passionate about improving young lives, a major in Youth Studies will help you gain the knowledge and resources you need to reach your goals. As a Youth Studies major, you can start making a difference the moment you get to campus.