This course aims, first, to provide an overview and a critical examination of key themes, concepts, theories and issues in youth studies. Central issues such as inequality, underachievement, crime and deviant behaviours, political and civic (dis)engagements will be examined and they are discussed under the weekly thematic focus of class, race/ethnicity, gender & sexuality, governmentality, political and civic (dis)engagements, values and beliefs, and (sub)cultures and lifestyles. Existing theories and literature about youth transitions and youth cultures tend to take the “Western” experiences that are based on the global North for granted. Living in an ever-more interconnected age, it is not only encouraged but also urgent to think and engage with cross-national and comparative youth research. The second aim of this course is to inspire students to think beyond traditional national boundaries and to understand youth studies from different geo-political localities and cross-cultural comparative perspectives. The course seeks to diversify and broaden our understanding of youth issues by bringing in empirical examples from a wide array of countries of different socio-, cultural and political settings, ranging from countries in Europe to Africa, and from Asia to Australia.