Understanding The Life Course

This subject introduces a life course approach to social issues. Life course research is a relatively new and innovative approach in the social sciences which has developed in recent decades. It brings back in a time dimension into social research and systematically links social changes on the macro level to individual experiences on the micro level. The aim of the subject is to give students a good understanding of how our life and our identities are shaped by social institutions and our experiences. The subject will introduce key concepts such as 'cumulative (dis)advantage', 'linked lives' and 'biographical action'. It will also demonstrate how a life course perspective can be used to advance our understanding of social issues.