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Children's Studies

Undergraduate Minor

The Children's Studies Minor is designed to compliment the Reading Endorsement in TCH.

The Children's Studies minor at Illinois State University was established in 2003 to educate future professionals who are interested in concepts of childhood and/or will be working with children. The program utilizes interdisciplinary approaches to understanding children and concepts of childhood. Core courses include child development and the history of the American family. Students also take courses in the Humanities/Fine Arts and the Social Sciences so that they can learn various approaches to both the study of childhood and how children are represented in and participate in the arts.

Course Requirements

  • A minimum of 21 hours, including FCS 112 or HIS 112 or SOC 112 and one of the following: FCS 101; PSY 301; TCH 210.
  • The remaining 15 hours must include a minimum of 2 courses from Group A and a minimum of 2 courses from Group B.
  • Group A-Humanities and Fine Arts: ART 204, 208; ENG 170, 271, 272, 370, 372, 373, 374, 375; HIS 261, 262, 330; MUS 277, 278, 371; DAN 229, 283; THE 281, 282.
  • Group B-Social Sciences: CJS 215; CSD 115, 175; FCS 231, 233, 250; POL 339; PSY 213, 215, 302, 346; SOC 262, 318; TCH 130.
  • With permission of the minor advisor the following categories of courses may be counted toward the minor; if arranged or offered through a department or school:
    • 3 hours of an internship with a child-related agency.
    • 3 hours of an independent study on a child-related topic.
    • 3 hours of a special topics course on a child-related topic.
  • NOTE: Students may count no more than 9 hours from their major’s department towards the completion of this minor.

Please note that these requirements are for the 2022-2023 course catalog. Students enrolled under prior catalogs should check with the minor's Academic Advisor for those requirements.

Contact Information

For questions about the minor in Children's Studies, please contact Dr. Gregory Braswell.

Learning Outcomes

The lead faculty in Children’s Studies have developed the following learning goals for students in the Children’s Studies minor:

Goal 1: Students will understand stages of childhood in the lifespan of human development.

Goal 2: Students will understand structures and issues involving childhood within families.

Goal 3: Students will understand various disciplinary strategies for thinking about childhood.

Goal 4: Students will recognize that childhood is a concept defined by both biological and cultural factors.

Goal 5: Students will demonstrate that they have studied childhood in applied and analytical ways that include the discourses of the humanities, fine arts, and social and cognitive sciences.

Advising

For academic advising in Children's Studies, please contact Rebecca Laible directly at rmbush1@ilstu.edu , (309) 438-7604; Office location: Fell Hall 340 (Reception).