UGRD > YTHCTR

Youth Work Center

• YTHCTR 220  Understanding Youth: Youth Identity, Growth, Development

  Description:
  This course will examine the identity of youth along with theories and stages of youth growth and development. We will proceed from a variety of perspectives: historical, scientific, biological, psychological, sociological, political and personal. In addition, students will be expected to understand the global context of youth as an identity. The course is designed to first explore the knowledge of youth: youth as an age and as life stage, and the historical evolution of youth as a concept. The course will then move to using a bio-psycho-social, and then sociological framework of essentialist and constructionist theory to explore the marginalization of youth. Finally, the course will explore youth identity by examining youth cultures and subcultures social, political and economic. Course participation will require small and large group discussion, enhanced by readings and videos. Participants will be expected to share their own experience as adolescents and with adolescents both as individuals and in groups.   More Info
  
  Offered in:

  • 2013 Spring

• YTHCTR 320  Models of Practice in Youth Work: Models of Practice with Urban Youth

  Description:
  The youth work field is broad and multi-faceted. Youth workers are part of communities and are engaged in programs dealing with a multitude of issues including health, education, recreation and community organizing. Throughout the United States and abroad, there are numerous programs and systems representing different ways of understanding and addressing issues that impact youth and the communities in which they are located. As with any profession, it is an essential part of professional development for a youth worker to be familiar with the different models, tools, and strategies for youth issues in the context of the setting. This course requires students to explore and build on the large body of research and evaluation about different practices in youth work. There is also strong emphasis on understanding the value of different practices in relation to culturally diverse populations and identifying models that encourage both youth and community development Because this is a service-learning class, we focus on learning in context. Your community service experience, along with the readings, assignments, and class discussions, all promote learning. With the emphasis on reflection: what we did, why we did it, and what did we learn, this experience differs from work or a volunteer activity. Reading, processing the community sessions, and reflection play a large role in this endeavor. We build on the tenets of Positive Youth Development and Social Action as we develop a community service that builds on strengths, and helps to address the way young people in our program see themselves as learners. Students will focus on understanding the youth and the tutoring/mentoring process by looking at the context and intersections of community, developmental issues, and learning styles. Basic human service skills of engagement, developing trust, and relationship building will be included in our content as well.   More Info
  
  Offered in:

  • 2013 Fall

• YTHCTR 340  Analyzing a Youth Issue: Analyzing Issues of Urban Youth

  Description:
  This class is intended to foster your knowledge of yourself, issues facing urban youth and their community, and civic engagement. It builds upon, and fosters critical thinking, critical writing, and critical readings skills. Participation in the class will get you thinking about youth in communities and the issues they face. You will become more aware of the link between an individuals issues and the communities in which they live. You will be encouraged to think about how these issues relate to larger policy issues, economic and political factors both at the community and the larger society level, and about your role in addressing these issues in your community in the future. What is the role of ordinary people in contributing to the well being of youth in their communities? What needs to happen to ensure communities serve all their residents? How do we understand the concepts of social difference and structural inequality as they apply to communities, youth, and education? What do community members need to do, to make change happen? In what ways are youth issues social justice issues?   More Info
  
  Offered in:

  • TBA