module specification

Introduction to Sociology of Youth is an interdisciplinary module designed for Sociology and Youth Sstudies students who want to develop a critical understanding of young people’s lives within their wider social, economic and political contexts. Throughout the module, you will explore how “youth” is socially constructed and how young people’s experiences are shaped by power, inequality and social change.

You will be introduced to key classical and contemporary sociological theories of youth, enabling you to analyse how structures such as class, gender, race, ethnicity, disability and sexuality shape young people’s identities, opportunities and lived experiences. You will examine how these factors intersect, producing uneven outcomes and reinforcing patterns of advantage and disadvantage across different groups of young people.

A core focus of the module is understanding the root causes of issues commonly affecting young people and a range of communities. You will critically explore topics such as inequality, unemployment and precarious work, mental health, housing insecurity and experiences of marginalisation. Rather than locating these issues at the level of individual behaviour, you will develop a structural perspective that highlights the role of social institutions, public policy and dominant cultural narratives.

The module also incorporates principles of anti-oppressive practice. You will be encouraged to reflect on power, privilege and discrimination, and to consider how sociological knowledge can be used to challenge oppression and promote social justice in work with and alongside young people. You will engage with examples of youth agency, resistance and collective action, recognising young people as active social actors.

By the end of the module, you will have developed strong critical and analytical skills and a solid sociological foundation for further study or practice in youth work, education, social policy and related fields.

Aims of the module:

• to develop a sociological understanding of youth by enabling you to critically examine how “youth” is socially constructed and shaped by wider social, economic and political “forces;”
• to build knowledge of inequality and social structures by helping you analyse how class, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality and their intersections influence young people’s identities, life chances and experiences;
• to enable critical analysis of contemporary issues affecting young people by encouraging you to identify and evaluate the structural and institutional root causes of issues such as educational inequality, precarity, criminalisation, mental health and housing insecurity;
• to develop skills in anti-oppressive and socially just thinking by supporting you to critically reflect on power, privilege and discrimination, and to apply sociological insights to challenge oppressive practices and narratives about young people; and,
• to strengthen analytical, reflective and applied skills by enabling you to use sociological theory and evidence to understand youth agency, resistance and collective action, and to inform future study or practice in youth work, education, social policy and related fields.

None

Available for Study Abroad? YES

Learning Outcome 1

Explain and critically evaluate sociological conceptions of youth.

Indicative readings:

• Wyn, J. & Woodman, D. (2015) Youth and Generation: Rethinking Change and Inequality in the Lives of Young People. London: Sage.
• France, A. (2016) Understanding Youth in Late Modernity (2nd ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press.
• Griffin, C. (1993) Representations of Youth. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Additional readings (Open Access) and websites:

• Blackman, Shane & Kempson, Michelle. (2021). The Subcultural Imagination: Critically Negotiating the Co-Production of ‘Subcultural Subjects’ through the Lens of C. Wright Mills. Sociological Research Online. 28. 136078042110061. 10.1177/13607804211006112.
• In Defence of Youth Work (IDYW) – essays critiquing deficit models of youth

Learning Outcome 2

Analyse how social inequalities shape young people’s lives.

Indicative readings:

• Threadgold, S. (2020) Youth, Class and Everyday Struggles. London: Routledge.
• Phoenix, J. (2019) Young People, Inequality and Youth Work Practice. Bristol: Policy Press.
• Crenshaw, K. (1991) ‘Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Colour’, Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp. 1241–1299.
• Reay, D. (2017) ‘Miseducation’ [access to chapters via London Met library].

Reports (Open Access):

• The Sutton Trust (annual reports on youth, education and inequality).
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation (youth poverty evidence briefings).
• No More Exclusion: racial justice and school exclusions

Videos and alternative media content:

• Runnymede Trust
  Videos on race, youth inequality and structural racism in the UK
• BBC Ideas
  Short, accessible videos on class, gender and social inequality, including the following playlists: ‘GENDER & IDENTITY;’ ‘FEMINISM AND FIGHTING SEXISM;’ ‘WHAT'S BEHIND PREJUDICE?’

Learning Outcome 3

Critically assess the structural root causes of key issues affecting young people.

Indicative readings:

• MacDonald, R. & Marsh, J. (2005) Disconnected Youth? Growing Up in Britain’s Poor Neighbourhoods. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Shildrick, T. et al. (2012) Poverty and Insecurity: Life in Low‑Pay, No‑Pay Britain. Bristol: Policy Press.
• Muncie, J. (2009) Youth and Crime (3rd ed.). London: Sage.

Videos and alternative media content:

• The Resolution Foundation: videos on youth employment, precarity and austerity 
• The Guardian: young people and society
• Channel 4 News: Youth & Mental Health features

Learning Outcome 4

Apply principles of anti‑oppressive practice to sociological analyses of youth.

Indicative readings:

• Dominelli, L. (2012) Anti‑Oppressive Social Work Theory and Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Thompson, N. (2016) Anti‑Discriminatory Practice (6th ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Jeffs, T. & Smith, M.K. (2010) Youth Work Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Sapin, K. (2013). Essential Skills for Youth Work Practice: 2nd Edition. (2 ed.) Sage Publications Ltd. Available at: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/textbooksProdDesc.nav?prodId=Book230531&. [There are also copies in London Met library.]

Open Access readings, videos and practice‑led UK sources:

• Burke, B. & Harrison, P.(2015) ‘Anti‑oppressive practice’, in: Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M. (2002) Anti-Oppressive Practice, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan Ltd: 227–236.
• Empowerment and anti-oppressive practice. Open Learn: Open University.
• In Defence of Youth Work (IDYW) position papers on oppression, austerity and youth work.
• Youth & Policy journal (increasingly OA, UK‑based).
• bell hooks Lectures (available via various channels)
  Power, pedagogy and resistance (theoretical grounding)

Learning Outcome 5

Use sociological theory to interpret youth agency, resistance and collective action.

Indicative readings:

• Hall, S. & Jefferson, T. (eds.) (2006 [1976]) Resistance Through Rituals. London: Routledge.
• Pickard, S. (2019) Politics, Protest and Young People. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. [Here is a review.]

Open Access readings and reports:

• Harris, A., Wyn, J. & Younes, S. (2010) ‘Beyond Apathetic or Activist Youth’, Young, 18(1), pp. 9–32.
• Elster et al. (2025) Understanding youth social action: project report. Project Report. Centre for Applied Research in Empowering Society, London, UK.
• Runnymede Trust – youth, race and resistance publications.
• Novara Media – youth activism, protest and political engagement

Learning and teaching on this module are designed to support the development of critical sociological knowledge, reflective skills and anti‑oppressive thinking through a blended, student‑centred approach. You will engage with a combination of interactive lectures, seminars and independent learning activities that encourage active participation and critical dialogue.

Lectures introduce key sociological concepts, theories and debates related to youth, inequality and social structure, using contemporary UK‑based examples to ground theory in everyday experience. These sessions are interactive and regularly incorporate tools such as Mentimeter to prompt anonymous polling, short quizzes and word‑cloud activities. This enables you to reflect on your own assumptions about young people, explore diverse viewpoints within the cohort, and connect personal perspectives to sociological analysis in a supportive learning environment.

Seminars provide opportunities for deeper exploration of module themes through discussion, small‑group activities and case‑study analysis. You will work with Open Access academic articles, policy reports, media texts and videos to analyse structural explanations of issues affecting young people. Reflective learning is embedded through guided tasks that invite you to consider power, privilege and positionality, and to relate sociological ideas to practice contexts relevant to youth work, education and social policy.

Blended learning activities support learning beyond the classroom. These include short online videos, directed readings, formative discussion board posts and reflective prompts that encourage you to synthesise theory and evidence. Together, these learning and teaching activities, all available via Weblearn, aim to develop your critical, analytical and reflective skills while fostering an inclusive, participatory learning environment consistent with the module’s anti‑oppressive ethos.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. explain and critically evaluate sociological conceptions of youth as a social category, drawing on key classical and contemporary theories;
2. analyse how social inequalities shape young people’s lives by applying sociological concepts related to class, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexuality and intersectionality;
3. critically assess the structural and institutional root causes of key issues affecting young people and different communities, including education, employment, mental health and housing;
4. apply principles of anti-oppressive practice to sociological analyses of youth, demonstrating an understanding of power, privilege, discrimination and social justice; and,
5. use sociological theory and evidence to interpret youth experiences, agency and resistance, communicating informed arguments relevant to further academic study or youth‑related practice contexts.

The reading list for this module can be found here.