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 youth work or the various approaches and practices involved in working with young people.
Youth Studies is a interdisciplinary 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 youthIdentify 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 curiosity, action, dialogue, experience, critical reflection and collaboration. We believe that learning happens inside and outside of the classroom and that learning isn’t a one-way street. In the Youth Studies program, you will be in communities and communities will be in the classroom; you will be putting what you've learned to work in projects like: community-engaged learning, university-community professional development partnerships, and 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.
Questions about applying? You can schedule a one-on-one appointment with Academic Advisor, Rae Dillon.
Students in a youth studies class.
Students, in experiential learning class, canoeing on Bde Mka Ska.
Students participating in a theater class.
Teach with Youth Studies!
The Youth Studies degree is also a pathway to becoming a licensed 5-12 Social Studies teacher through the DirecTrack to Teaching program. For questions please contact Jehanne Beaton, DirecTrack to Education Coordinator or Rae Dillon, Youth Studies Academic Advisor.