Child and Family Studies Minor (Bryn Mawr)
The Child and Family Studies (CFS) minor provides a curricular mechanism for interdisciplinary work focused on the contributions of biological, familial, psychological, socioeconomic, political, and educational factors to child and family well-being. The minor not only addresses the life stages and cultural contexts of infancy through adolescence but also includes issues of parenting; child and family well-being; gender; schooling and informal education; risk and resilience; and the place, representation, and voice of children in society and culture.
Curriculum & Courses
Students may complete a Child and Family Studies minor as an adjunct to any major at Bryn Mawr, Haverford or Swarthmore pending approval of the student’s coursework plan by the Director of Child and Family Studies, Leslie Rescorla.
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Minor Requirements
The minor comprises six courses: one gateway course (PSYC B206: Developmental Psychology; PSYC B203: Educational Psychology; EDUC B200/EDUC H200: Critical Issues in Education; or SOCL B201: Study of Gender in Society), plus five additional courses, at least two of which must be outside of the major department and at least one of which must be at the 300 level. Advanced Haverford and Swarthmore courses typically taken by juniors and seniors that are more specific than introductory and survey courses will count as 300-level courses. Only two CFS courses may be double-counted with any major, minor, or other degree credential.
Students craft a pathway in the minor as they engage in course selection through ongoing discussions with the CFS Director. Sample pathways might include: political science/child and family law; sociology/educational policy; child and family mental health; depictions of children/families in literature and film; child and family public health issues; social work/child welfare; anthropology/cross-cultural child and family issues; gender issues affecting children and families; social justice/diversity issues affecting children and families; or economic factors affecting children and families.
The minor also requires participation in at least one semester or summer of volunteer, practicum, praxis, community-based work study, or internship experience related to Child and Family Studies. Students are expected to discuss their placement choices with the CFS Director.
To foster the interdisciplinary nature of Child and Family Studies, students enrolled in the minor must also complete the following requirements:
- Attendance at periodic CFS evening meetings for discussion sessions, guest speakers, “minor information sessions”, etc..
- Participation during senior year in an annual CFS Poster Session during which students will share highlights of their CFS campus and field-based experiences.
(Note: it is important to check the Trico course guide for updated course information as not every course is taught every year. In some cases, courses relevant to the CFS minor will have changed, or been added. Students should explore freely and consult with their advisor on curricular choices).
Courses that can be counted toward the Child and Family Studies Minor
Bryn Mawr College Courses and Seminars
Course List Code Title Credits ANTH B102 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology 1.0 ANTH B268 Cultural Perspectives on Marriage and Family 1.0 ANTH B279 1.0 ARTW B269 Writing for Children 1.0 EDUC B200 Community Learning Collaborative: Practicing Partnership 1.0 EDUC B210 Perspectives on Special Education 1.0 EDUC B260 Reconceptualizing Power in Education 1.0 EDUC B266 Geographies of School and Learning: Urban Education Reconsidered 1.0 EDUC B311 Fieldwork Seminar 1.0 ENGL B247 Shakespeare’s Teenagers 1.0 ENGL B270 American Girl: Childhood in U.S. Literatures, 1690-1935 1.0 ENGL B271 1.0 POLS B375 Gender, Work and Family 1.0 PSYC B203 Educational Psychology 1.0 PSYC B206 1.0 PSYC B209 Clinical Psychology 1.0 PSYC B250 1.0 PSYC B303 0.5 PSYC B322 1.0 PSYC B340 Women’s Mental Health 1.0 PSYC B346 Pediatric Psychology 1.0 PSYC B350 Developmental Cognitive Disorders 1.0 PSYC B351 Developmental Psychopathology 1.0 PSYC B375 1.0 SOCL B102 Society, Culture, and the Individual 1.0 SOCL B201 1.0 SOCL B205 Social Inequality 1.0 SOCL B217 The Family in Social Context 1.0 SOCL B225 Women in Society 1.0 SOCL B229 1.0 SOCL B235 Mexican-American Communities 1.0 SOCL B258 Sociology of Education 1.0 SOCL B266 Schools in American Cities 1.0 SOWK B552 Perspectives on Inequality 1.0 SOWK B554 Social Determinants of Health 1.0 SOWK B571 Education Law for Social Workers 1.0 SOWK B574 Child Welfare Policy, Practice, and Research 1.0 SOWK B575 Global Public Health 1.0 Haverford College Courses and Seminars
Course List Code Title Credits ANTH H103 Introduction to Anthropology 1.0 ANTH H209 Anthropology of Education 1.0 ANTH B263 Anthropology of Space: Housing and Societ 1.0 EDUC H200 Community Learning Collaborative: Practicing Partnership 1.0 EDUC H275 Emergent Multilingual Learners in U.S. Schools 1.0 PSYC H215 Personality Psychology 1.0 PSYC H223 Psychology of Human Sexuality 1.0 PSYC H335 Narrative Identity 1.0 SOCL H204 Medical Sociology 1.0 SOCL H226 Sociology of Gender 1.0 Swarthmore College Courses and Seminars
Course List Code Title Credits EDUC S014 Introduction to Education 1.0 EDUC/PSYC S021 Educational Psychology 1.0 EDUC/PSYC S023 Adolescence 1.0 EDUC S023A Adolescents and Special Education 1.0 EDUC/PSYC S026 Special Education 1.0 EDUC S042 Teaching Diverse Young Learners 1.0 EDUC S045 Literacies and Social Identities 1.0 EDUC S053 Language Minority Education 1.0 EDUC S064 Comparative Education 1.0 EDUC S068 Urban Education 1.0 EDUC S070 Outreach Practicum 1.0 EDUC S121 Psychology and Practice Honors Seminar 1.0 EDUC S131 Social and Cultural Perspectives Honors Seminar 1.0 EDUC S151 Literacies Research Honors Seminar 1.0 EDUC S167 Identities and Education Honors Seminar 1.0 PSYC S034 Psychology of Language 1.0 PSYC S035 Social Psychology 1.0 PSYC S039 Developmental Psychology 1.0 PSYC S041 Children at Risk 1.0 PSYC S050 Developmental Psychopathology 1.0 PSYC S055 Family Systems Theory and Psychological Change 1.0 PSYC S135 Advanced Topics in Social and Cultural Psychology 1.0
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