This program focuses on the subject of childhood from a range of different academic disciplines including, but not limited to: literature, history, psychology, sociology and religious studies. Topics such as the range of meanings of childhood, what competencies do children have, what rights and obligations do parents, educators, lawyers and journalists have to children and childhood are addressed within the program. Topics covered in the program include: history of families and childhood changing images of children and families changing family structures family interaction family formation and breakdown child development childhood socialization children's social worlds peer relations families and work family and child poverty families and communities politics and families families and the legal system family and childhood social policy

he CSI program will be of interest to people planning professional or academic careers in: family law social policy social program development (in either government or social service agencies) social work clinical work with families or children education journalism human resource management early childhood education or an academic career in a humanities or social science discipline with a emphasis on childhood and family studies.