Course introduction:

The course is based on a comparative study between Finland and France, within EU context. The study compares essentially young women's situation, but also reflects upon youth transition to adulthood in general. The course introduces students to research conducted in advanced societies on youth transition to adulthood and the supposed prolongation of youth. In the different lectures, the actual patterns and markers of transition to the stage of adulthood are examined, based on up-to-date studies. The lectures analyse the current phenomenon of youth extension and changes within the stage of transition itself. The course enlarges towards contemporary socio-economic restructuring and highlights the influence it bears upon young people's routes of integration within the wider social sphere.

Teaching methods:

Lectures on Mondays; time: 14-16, room 5026 (Linna building)

Seminars on Fridays; time: 12-14 (or 12-15), room 5026 (Linna building)

Exception: the seminar on Friday 17th April will be hold in room K110 (Linnan building, ground floor)

The teaching occurs via lectures (12 hours) and seminars (12 to 16 hours). The lectures provide theoretical knowledge on particular themes related to youth transition to adulthood. In the seminars, the themes are explored deeper during group discussions based on questions and/or reading material, and students will give presentations on a small project (and project results) they are required to carry out.

Attention! Depending on the number of students taking part in the course, on some Fridays, the seminars will last longer (3 hours instead of 2 hours), so that all students get the chance to present their project.

The very last seminar should take place on Thursday 30th April, as Friday 1st of May is a bank holiday. However, if most students cannot attend on 30.4 due to their participation in other courses, the date will be changed to Monday 4th of May.

Course assessment:

The final grade is based on the scale 1-5, on the following requirements:

- Attendance and participation: Lectures and seminars attendance, active participation in the discussions: 2 op. (Students can miss up to two classes maximum).

- Project + project presentation: 2 op.

- Project report: 1 op.

Project + project presentation: Students in groups of 2 to 4 are required to carry out a small project based on issues related to the course – some topics are provided, but students can also choose their own topic (as long as the theme is related to the course). Students are expected to investigate a particular question (linked to the lecture themes) and answer to it concretely, for instance by putting in practice some research methods, such as: short interviews (eg. interviewing fellow students, siblings, parents and/or grand-parents, etc…); making small questionnaires; comparing some statistics or an issue related to youth between one’s home country and another country; visual research methods (using photography and filming). It is also possible, for instance, to examine documentaries related to youth and show the key parts to the class (that implies, for instance: what does the documentary shows? What can we learn about the youth? How young people are portrayed?). Each group of students is free to explore the methods they want. Each group will then give a presentation (max. 30 min long) about their project and explain how they proceeded and show their results to the class.

Project report: Each group is required to write a 10-page long report on the development of their project, as a group (one report per group). They must explain why they chose a particular topic, which methods (and why) they used to enquire the question, the results they obtained, how the whole process developed, and what they learned. The report should also be connected to the reading material (provided in the course and/or own literature sources) so as to offer a richer analysis.

Length: 10-12 pages long.

Course content:

-Lecture 1:

Introduction to youth transition to adulthood and the phenomenon of the prolongation of youth, information about the course in general and the course assessment (conducting a small project based on the course, with the help of the course reading material & writing a report about it).

-Seminar 1:

Discussing existing theories on youth transition and course assessment.

-Lecture 2:

Youth extension in figures (what the statistics show) (figures based on European sources of data, and Finland and France); contextualising today's youth transition to adulthood (what are the societal conditions within which young people become adult today); discussion about the present socio-economic situation and socio-structural changes that affect youth transition to adulthood.

Invited speaker: Laura Neuvonen – discussing the case of Spain

-Seminar 2:

Presentations (based on small project); discussion on issues raised during the lecture

-Lecture 3:

1) Doing comparative research; general information about Finland and France (socio-economic and historical backgrounds)

2) Looking at the process of school-to-work transition, differences between university systems, and how this can affect integration into the labour market.

-Seminar 3:

Project presentations; discussing cross-country research and the process of school-to-work transition in different countries.

-Lecture 4:

Integrating the labour market (illustrated with the youth situation in Finland and France); young people's current expectations from working life; dilemmas regarding integration into working life, with a focus on young women (issue of discrimination).

-Seminar 4:

Project presentations; discussing young people's strategies of integration in the labour market and value given to work.

-Lecture 5:

1) Leaving the parental home; becoming independent (financially and residentially); possibilities and difficulties to reach a fully autonomous status; plans for family formation; women’s additional dilemmas when both willing to work and to have children.

2) Becoming an adult today; re-conceptualising concepts (youth and adulthood); young people's new perspectives on transition to adulthood and on being an adult; new pathways to adulthood.

-Seminar 5:

Project presentations; discussing today's young people's possibilities and attitudes towards living arrangements and settling down, and starting a family.

-Lecture 6:

An example of research-into-practice based on a new project that attempts to develop cooperation between youth researchers and youth workers. Bridges are indeed lacking between researchers and practitioners working on the field.

Invited speaker: Annina Kurki – the youth workers’ perspective on youth transition to adulthood

-Seminar 6:

Project presentations; discussing new patterns of transition and changes among social concepts; course conclusion.

Maximum 25 students.