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Syllabus:

Internationalisation and Social Work, 7.5 Credits

Swedish name: Internationalisering och socialt arbete

This syllabus is valid: 2022-01-17 and until further notice

Course code: 2SA203

Credit points: 7.5

Education level: Second cycle

Main Field of Study and progress level: Social Work: Second cycle, has only first-cycle course/s as entry requirements

Grading scale: Three-grade scale

Responsible department: Department of Social Work

Established by: Head of Department of Social Work, 2021-10-28

Contents

This course aims at critical exploration of current issues in social work in an international context. The course involves learning about global processes shaping social work practices as well as the nature of social issues. It explores various global (or cross-cultural) social work theories and discourses on social issues, vulnerability and social work interventions and critically scrutinizes the effects of cross-national theoretical and practical applications.

It includes learning about social work in global socio-political contexts, mapping the structures, cultures and ideologies behind the variety of ways of organising social work and its professional development. Ideologies such as individualism, collectivism, liberalism, are discussed as elements shaping social work. Various social work models are discussed and contextualized, like casework and community work. Other theoretical perspectives that can contribute to an ability to critically reflect on international social work practice include the globalization of social problems, social justice, oppression, social development, empowerment and anti-discriminatory practice. Challenges to social work education are considered as well. It also includes learning about common international standards as well as diversifications of social work and discusses if there are, or should be, universally applicable sets of values (reflected, or not, in the current ethics documents) for social work. Cultural relativity  and multicultural practice are reflected on in relation to social work.

Expected learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to demonstrate:

Upon completing the course, the student shall have the knowledge and understanding:
1)    of the key factors that shape international social work as well as impact Swedish social work and welfare
2)    about different welfare regimes and the implications of these structures and ideologies for the practice of social work
3)    of the concept of social citizenship in relation to international policies and conventions governing human rights

Upon completing the course, the student shall have the competence and skills to:
4)    apply and explain how welfare state typologies (regimes) shape and organise social work

Upon completing the course students should be able to critically assess and describe approaches to:
5)    critically reflecting on consequences of  globalisation in relation to social work and vulnerable populations
6)    critically reflecting on cross national and cross cultural theories of  social work practice

Required Knowledge

A minimum of 90 ECTS within the social sciences education in the following subjects: social work, sociology, Psychology, Peace and conflict studies, pedagogic, Gender Studies and social geography, Political science, Law/legal Science or in other courses that are considered equal to thus above, including an individual essay carrying at least 15 credits or 90 ECTS within nursing including an individual essay carrying at least 15 credits. In addition, English is required for basic eligibility for higher education.

Form of instruction

It is a web-based course using an internet-based platform for communication and teaching.
The course consists of digitally distributed lectures, seminars, group work and individual studies. Emphasis is placed on combining theoretical perspectives with practical exercises in terms of understanding theory in relation to practical assignments. This is done through various exercises and group work presented at seminars. Seminars will be developed around topics arising from readings. The seminars are mandatory.

Internet-based teaching methods will be used during this course, which means that the student must have access to a computer with a web camera, a headset and high-speed internet access.

Examination modes

The course is examined through seminar presentations, participation in online discussion forums and an advanced level written assignment. The seminars are mandatory.

Students are required to conduct a library search of databases (Social Work Abstracts, PsychInfo, Medline etc.) that has to be connected to a specific issue that are related to a, by the student, chosen topic of interest.

There will be separate marks for seminar presentations, and written work. On seminars the grades are either fail or pass. On the written assignments the grades are either fail, pass or pass with distinction. To receive pass with distinction for the course, the final assignment must be graded pass with distinction and all seminars must have been attended.

The written assignments should be in accordance with academically accepted forms and must be of a good academic- and acceptable linguistic standard.

If the student has a certificate of special pedagogical support, the examiner has the right to decide on an adjusted form of examination.

A student who doesn´t fulfil the goals for an examination but is close to the cut off for a passing grade can, after a decision from the examining instructor be offered the opportunity to a completion of the exam in order to meet the criteria for a passing grade. The completion should be individually adapted based on the goals which were not met by the student and should take place within two weeks after the student receives their initial grade but prior to the next examination moment. It is only allowed to complete an exam from a failing to a passing grade, completions in order to achieve a higher grade are not allowed. If the student wishes, they have a right to do over the examination and thereby receive a higher grade than passing.

Literature

Valid from: 2022 week 3

This course requires that students read a broad variety of texts from textbooks to reports and articles to online material. We will use material from at least some of the following texts - available in the bookshop on campus and also in the library:

During the course the students will choose additional readings related to their topic of interest. Recommended:

Ahmadi N
Globalisation of consciousness and new challenges for international social work. International Journal of Social welfare, 2003:12, pp. 14-23.
International Journal of Social welfare : 2003 :
Mandatory

Alphonse, M., George, P. & Moffat, K.
Redefining social work standards in the context of globalisation. International Social Work, 51(2), pp. 145-158.
International Social Work : 2008 :
Mandatory

Dominelli Lena
International social work education at the crossroads
Social Work and Society, Vol. 2, Issue 1. : 2012 :
Mandatory

Duffy Simon
The Citizenship Theory of social justice: Exploring the meaning of personalisation for social workers
Journal of Social Work Practice 2010;24(3):253-67 : 2010 :
Mandatory

Haug E
Critical reflections on the emerging discourse of international social work. International Social Work, 48(2), pp. 126-135.
International Social Work : 2005 :
Mandatory

International Social Work: A retrospective in the 50th year. International Social Work, 50(5), pp. 581-596.
Healy L.M, Thomas R.L
International Social Work : 2007 :
Mandatory

Handbook of international social work : human rights, development, and the global profession
Healy Lynne M., Link Rosemary J.
New York : Oxford University Press : cop. 2012 : 534 s. :
ISBN: 0-19-533361-6 (inb.)
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue

Healy L.M
Universalism and cultural relativism in social work ethics. International Social Work, 50(1), pp. 11-26.
International Social Work : 2007 :
Mandatory

Knei-Paz C
The Central Role of the Therapeutic Bond in a Social Agency Setting: Clients’ and Social Workers’ Perceptions. Journal of Social Work, 9(2), pp. 178-198.
Journal of Social Work : 2009 :
Mandatory

Lorenz W
Towards a European model of social work
Australian Social Work, 61(1), 7-24 : 2008 :
Mandatory

Lyons Karen.
The SAGE handbook of international social work
London : SAGE : 2012. : 540 s. :
ISBN: 0-85702-333-0 ¹95.00
Mandatory
Search the University Library catalogue

Mohan B
Rethinking international social work. International Social Work, 51 (1), pp. 11-24
International Social Work : 2008 :
Mandatory

Dilemmas in international and cross-cultural social work education
Nagy G, Falk D.S
International Social Work, 43 (1), pp. 49-60 : 2000 :
Mandatory

A Comparataive Welfare Regime Approach to Global Social Policy
Wood Geof, Gough Ian
World Development : 2006 :
http://DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-07306-0_18
Mandatory

Reference literature

Andersson B
Us and them?: The dangerous politics of immigration control
OUP Oxford : 2013 :
https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199691593.001.0001/acprof-9780199691593

Internationalizing professional practices: The place of social work in the international arena
Brown Marion, Strauss Helle, Dominelli Lena
International Social Work, 57(3), 258-267 : 2014 :

Multiculturalism and social work education
George J.E., Rahul S
International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies, 7(3), 264-274. : 2020 :

Indigenous people with disability: intersectionality of identity from the experience of Indigenous people in Australia, Sweden, Canada and USA
Gilroy J, Uttjek M, Lovern L, Ward J
Disability and the Global South, 8(2), 2071-2093. ISSN 2050-7364 : 2021 :
https://disabilityglobalsouth.files.wordpress.com/2021/07/dgs_08_02_04-4.pdf

The borders of punishment : migration, citizenship, and social exclusion
Aas Katja Franko, Bosworth Mary
Oxford : Oxford University Press : 2013. : 1 online resource :
Table of Contents / Abstracts
ISBN: 9780191748752 (ebook)
Search the University Library catalogue

Stretmo Live
Governing the unaccompanied child : media, policy and practice
Gothenburg : Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg : 2014 : 330 s. :
http://hdl.handle.net/2077/36106
ISBN: 9789187876004
Search the University Library catalogue

Standing Guy
Precariat : The New Dangerous Class. Huntingdon
GBR: Bloomsbury Academic, 2011. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 6 November 2014. Copyright © 2011. Bloomsbury Academic. All rights reserved. : 2011 :

Wikström Eva
The Swedish Welfare-State's unnoticed helpers-Local support to Asian Seasonal Migrant Berry-pickers in distress
Arbeit, Migration und Soziale Arbeit / [ed] T. Geisen, M. Ottersbach, Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 2015, 395-413 : 2015 :