SOCWORK 426 : Practice with Communities

Education and Social Work

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

An introduction to change-oriented social work practice with communities, with particular emphasis on diverse and indigenous communities and critical analysis of current and historical factors shaping community well-being. Building their own theories of change, students learn models and skills for integrating partnerships with communities into their practice, including engagement, capacity building, community development, organising, activism, and policy advocacy.

Course Overview

This course is a broad brush introduction to macro generalist practice with communities. Taking part in this course will give you an understanding of how you might practice with communities in a variety of settings and draw from community development theories to assess social justice goals and values of the community to create action. Practitioner perspectives and case examples used throughout the course will enable you to identify and analyse how to work with communities in sustainable and engaging ways. The primary goal is to understand a community's background and their needs to propose how you would work in partnership to strengthen the community. Throughout the semester, you will navigate how community development activities might be incorporated into your social work practice and might even inspire you to pursue community practice qualifications in the future! 

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: Any 60 points passed at Stage III Restriction: SOCWORK 356, 726

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Social Work

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Navigate how community practice and development concepts (i.e., models, approaches, core concepts and engagement activities) can be incorporated into your social work practice. (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 5.1 and 5.2)
  2. Develop skills to prepare a 'theory of change'--processes which you can adapt and adopt when planning future community development projects (Capability 5.1, 5.2, 8.1 and 8.2)
  3. Identify and analyse practises for working with communities in sustainable and engaging ways (Capability 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1 and 5.2)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Needs Assessment Activity 25% Group & Individual Coursework
Community Practice Project Presentation 30% Group & Individual Coursework
Theory of Change Workshops 45% Group & Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3
Needs Assessment Activity
Community Practice Project Presentation
Theory of Change Workshops

Students must complete and submit all components for each of the assessment tasks for this course - students must achieve at least 50% mark to pass the course.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures and a 1-hour required workshop each week.  Spending time in the workshop means that you can get the bulk of your proposed community project sections drafted in that time. 2.5 hours of reading and thinking about the content and 2.5 hours of work on individual and group assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including weekly workshops for 1 hour after the lecture in order to complete components of the course. Lectures will not be available as recordings. Other learning activities including workshops will not be available as recordings.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Required readings are assigned each week in the reading list and are available electronically from the UoA library. 

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Feedback will be taken into account regarding course delivery and assessments. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 29/11/2023 09:58 a.m.