Module Directory

The study of emotions in the social sciences was a once relatively neglected field and now is one burgeoning with a huge diversity of different perspectives, approaches, and priorities. This module will explore how such understandings of emotions as social, developmental, individual, unconscious, discursive, and collective are applied to the study of childhood and to children's experiences.

Within this module students will be introduced to the historical study of emotions in sociology and consider how children`s emotional development is framed in developmental psychology, psychoanalytic studies and neuroscience perspectives. The module will explicitly propose and consider the benefits of a psychosocial approach to understanding children's emotions and apply such perspectives to a range of topical issues in relation to children`s emotional experiences, wellbeing, and mental health.

The aims of this module are: 

• Develop a critical approach to the multidisciplinary study of emotions


• Consider how emotions are individual and social phenomena


• Recognise the changing perspectives and attitudes to emotion in childhood across time


• Evaluate a range of ways of understanding emotions in the social worlds of children

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

1. Demonstrate knowledge and critical understanding of the different disciplinary and theoretical approaches to the study of emotions in childhood studies and psychosocial studies


2. Recognise the changing perspectives and attitudes to emotion in childhood over historical time


3. Critically explore the emotional development of children from a range of perspectives


4. Deploy relevant theoretical perspectives to critically consider contemporary issues shaping children’s emotional experiences and wellbeing.


5. Utilise a capacity to describe and apply a psychosocial approach to the study of emotion in childhood

Week 1: What is emotion?

The first module session introduces students, irrespective of academic or professional background to the exploration of emotions in the social sciences. While feelings are often constructed as natural or inevitable psychoanalytic studies and sociology have sought to understand how they are manifest and experienced by the subject and indeed societies as a whole, both internally and externally.

Week 2: A history of emotions in society – becoming civilised and navigating `feeling rules`

This week will provide a sketch of the history of emotions in contemporary western post-enlightenment theorising with a focus on the regulation of emotions as part of Elias` civilising process and Foucault`s exploration of governmentality and repression.

Week 3: Children`s emotional development and experiences – developmental psychology

Having considered the exploration of emotions in the social sciences more broadly, this week we turn to considering how emotions, and in particular the articulation and management of emotional experience develops through childhood (in not necessarily linear ways). This week introduces perspectives from developmental psychology.

Week 4, 5 and 6: Children`s emotional development and experiences – psychoanalytic studies

Students will be introduced to the central tenets of exploring children`s emotional development and experiences from a range of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic perspectives, including Anna Freud, Klein, Bowlby, Bion, and Winnicott.

Week 7: Children`s emotional development and experiences – neuroscientific approaches

Continuing our exploration of different approaches to emotional experience and development, today we bring forward what neuroscience can offer to supplement understandings gained in sociology, developmental psychology and the psychoanalysis of children's emotions.

Weeks 8 and 9: A psychosocial approach to emotions and subjectivity

Concluding our weeks on different perspectives, today we consider the unique offering of a psychosocial approach for understanding children's emotional experiences. Here we will consider what it can offer us to better understand children's emotional development but also broader concepts of affect and the subject. These weeks offer the opportunity to consider contemporary issues in the psychosocial study of emotions and childhood for example touch in a socially distanced world or emotions as a collective experience.

Week 10: Plenary and Reflection

This week provides an opportunity for reflection on the emotional explorations that have characterised this modules journey. There is the opportunity for Q&A and assessment support here – as well as throughout the module – and a chance to actively consider and reflect upon ways in which this module has informed students` understanding here, in other modules, in their workplace, and in thinking through potential approaches to their dissertation.

This module will be delivered via:

• 10 x 2 hour seminars.

The learning and teaching methods for this module reflect its postgraduate positioning and rely significantly on student participation. Sessions will contain some `lecture style material` but will largely be dialogue based including discussion and debate, creative exercises, reflections and paired/small group work. Students will be encouraged to evaluate perspectives, draw critically on relevant theoretical frameworks and engage in critical, respectful discussion.