Bachelor of Social Work -- course notices
SCWK4003 Issue Based Learning Unit 3
The document below contains essential information for all students enrolled in SCWK4003 Issue Based Learning Unit 3 in Semester One, 2009. Students involved in this course must download this document and follow the instructions before attending class.
SCWK4003 Issue Based Learning Unit 3 preliminary information
Timetables
The 2009 third-year and fourth-year draft timetables for the Bachelor of Social Work degree are available for download below:
Bachelor of Social Work Year 3 Timetable 2009 (Draft) (pdf)
Bachelor of Social Work Year 4 Timetable 2009 (Draft) (pdf)
To download a timetable of the Bachelor of Social Work degree, please visit the faculty's timetables page.
About Social Work
The following definition of social work was adopted by the International Federation of Social Workers in 2000:
The social work profession promotes social change, problem-solving in human relationships, and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.
About the BSW
The Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW) at the University of Sydney prepares graduates for professional practise as social workers. The BSW is accredited by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) and the qualification is widely accepted overseas.
The BSW has a '2x2’ course structure, that is, two years' study in Arts plus two years' of professional studies in social work and social policy. In first year, apart from compulsory studies in sociology, students can choose from an extensive range of units such as government, languages, philosophy, psychology and anthropology. Second year offers students some opportunity to pursue studies in areas of particular interest to them but also has compulsory units in sociology, psychology and Indigenous studies.
Third and fourth year each contain class work and field education. Class work includes the study of how the interaction of personal and professional values and ethics relates to social work and social policy. It also provides a framework of knowledge and skills to enable students to analyse and develop theories and research. The starting points for class-work learning are typical issues and debates encountered by professional social workers, either in the contexts of policy and practice, or in their dealings with particular social or cultural groups. These are brought together in Issue Based Learning units (IBL units). The field-education program provides a practice context for this learning.
Field education
Information about the field-education component of the Bachelor of Social Work, is available from the Field Education page.