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Jordan Carruthers

Social Sciences (International Childhood)

Social Sciences (International Childhood) student, Jordan Carruthers

We visited Lithuania where we investigated their education system, level of inclusion, feminism, identity and politics. This was all through seminars at the Vytautas Magnus University.

Whilst on my undergraduate degree, one of the modules was based heavily around international childhood. This provided me with an opportunity to look at childhood outside of the typical UK setting. From here, I was surprised to see that Edge Hill offered the postgraduate degree MA Social Sciences (International Childhood) which focused primarily on this area and so I applied for the postgraduate degree.

The application process was really easy. Looking at the course in greater detail and the perks of what already being an Edge Hill student had to offer, I choose Edge Hill to do my postgraduate degree but decided to live in Liverpool and commute in which was a great experience as Liverpool is a city that has loads to offer. In terms of the application process and interviews, both went smoothly, and I heard back within a short amount of time.

The course is comprised of seven modules, one being your dissertation and another being an international field trip. The five key modules cover a range of topics, including: migration, children’s rights, anthropology, politics, culture, children’s health, methodologies and social theory.

For my dissertation I have chosen to focus on the masculine and heterosexual norms that can be found within sex education. I’ll be particularly exploring how we can learn from Sweden’s model of education to better adapt our understanding.

In terms of the field trip, we visited Lithuania where we investigated their education system, level of inclusion, feminism, identity and politics. This was all through seminars at the Vytautas Magnus University. Outside of the seminars we were able to explore the city of Kaunas and visit the capital city of Vilnius, both of which offered a broad range of opportunities to immerse ourselves into the local culture.

Although you may not be on the University campus as much as you would be carrying out an undergraduate degree, the workload is equally if not of greater scale. It requires a greater level of communication between you and the lecturers, it also requires a greater level of autonomy and independence. The size of the group is much smaller as well.

For my undergraduate degree I had at least 30 people on my course and for the postgraduate degree there were 6 of us. This was something I really enjoyed as we all became great friends and felt a greater sense of confidence when discussing and debating topics.

If possible, try and get involved with the University through your interests or a part-time job if you have the opportunity. This ensures that you still feel a sense of belonging within the University community, and still have connections to a broader range of people outside of your course.

I am now currently carrying out my PGCE in Primary Education, so I would like to be a primary school teacher. However, at the moment I do feel I want to take on a less permanent role before dedicating myself into a career.

Working at the University, I have found an interest working within higher education, and with carrying out my master’s degree my opportunities are much greater now. I feel with my undergraduate, postgraduate and soon to come PGCE, I could be equipped to work within education at an international level, or work with children in various international situations.