Contextual Social Work, 30 Credits

Contents

Introduction

This course seeks to improve the students’ understanding of the interaction between theory and practice and focuses on placing social work in a historical, ideological and spatial context. Throughout the course, there will be a focus on intersectionality; understood as a way to examine how various socially and culturally constructed categories such as gender, race, ethnicity, class, disability etc interact on multiple and often simultaneous levels, contributing to systematic social inequality.

Course structure

This course is divided in three subjects:

- Ethics in social work (5 ECTS)
- Welfare systems (5 ECTS)
- Social work theories (5 ECTS)
- Essay (15 ECTS)

Students can apply for the whole module, a written essay (15 ECTS) included.

Overview of the planning of each subject

Semester 1
Ethics in Social Work (5 ECTS)
Welfare systems (5 ECTS)

Semester 2
Social Work Theories (5 ECTS)

Essay 15 ECTS: workload in the first semester of  5 ECTS and in the second semester of 10 ECTS

Content and objectives

This course will focus on different theories in social work. The aim of the course is to enable participants through a comparative perspective to increase understanding of and strengthen the ability to act and reflect upon how social work develops within local, national and global contexts.
Content of the course is related to different themes:

• Different providers of welfare and the institutional construction of social work.
• Ethics in social work.
• Social work theories in context.
• Critical reflection in social work.

Expected learning outcomes

This course is competence based. The integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes, promote an approach that sustain the development of analytical and critical attitude when reflecting upon specific situations.

Competences

Analyse

This means the student is able to understand and demonstrate how to use theories and methods when reflecting upon critical incidents and social work practices. 

Professional Development

This means the student is able to manage, justify and control his/her own educational development.

Conduct an ethical discourse

This means that the student is able to set up an ethical discourse with teachers and students, related to social work theories and the way they give an answer to social work values like human rights and social injustice.

Expected learing outcomes

Knowledge on how social work develops in a historical, political and spatial context.

Reflection on the institutional construction of social work

Analytical skills in applying different theories and approaches into practice

Comparative skills on how social work develops in different structural and cultural contexts

Knowledge on ethics and human justice theories, and the ability to reflect upon ethical dilemma

Required Knowledge

The requirements are 180 ECTS including an undergraduate thesis of 15 ECTS. A minimum of 90 ECTS has to be within one of the following: Social Work, Sociology, Psychology or in other courses that are considered equal to thus above. Proficiency in English equivalent to Swedish upper secondary course English A/5.

Form of instruction

Lectures, seminars, group work and individual work – adapted to different modes of study. All students are expected to read the syllabus and participate in group discussions and thereby develop analytic reflections in a productive environment with fellow students. This will be done on and off campus and the course coordinator will facilitate a learning platform (Its learning) by use of internet. Therefore access to internet is necessary.

Examination modes

Assessment on the differens subjucts of the course

Students will be assessed by submission of a e-portfolio. During the course, students will obtain tasks for the different subjects. As part of the learning process students will receive feedback on their tasks during the course. As a result, students will have an opportunity to improve their initial presentations and deliver these tasks for a final assignment.

Assessment on the essay

The essay should be based upon experiences of importance for social work. The essay should be a personal discourse used in order to gain understanding and knowledge. The writer has to use relevant scholarly works that can be either theoretically or empirically based, and have importance for the topics/experiences that are being discussed. The student has to demonstrate the use of theory in the essay in a scholarly way.

Students will work both in group and individually with their assignments and will get feedback from the course leaders.

Formal demands: 7.500 words. At least two of the references in the essay have to be among the titles in the reading list. References have to be listed according to academic standards.

Weight of the different parts for students that participate for 30 ECTS

Students that participate for the full 30 ECTS will get one final mark. This will be for 40 % on the tasks in the different parts (counting each for 1/3rd )  and 60 % on the written essay.

Other regulations

These modules are part of master program on Social Work.  Master students have to inform themselves at their University about the possibilities to have the obtained credits recognized in their study programme.

Credits and Certificate

The student’s university issue a certificate with credits to students.