Community-Oriented Social Work (4cr)

Objective

Students recognize the meaning of social engagement, empowerment and social capital from the perspectives of citizens' welfare, function of society and ecosocial sustainability. Students are able to describe the principles of community social work and the theory of critical pedagogy, social pedagogic activation and encouragement. They become familiar with methods and international models used in community social work. Students learn to know social service agencies that have chosen to base their work on promoting the sense of community. Students are able to assess communities’ resources and needs for community activation. Using community work methods, students know how to launch, implement and evaluate professional action that promotes the sense of community and empowerment..

Content

- the concepts of social capital
- social pedagogic activation, social engagement
- empowering perspective and critical pedagogy
- community activation, deliberative methods in decision making
- starting, implementing and evaluation community activity
- community-oriented ideology in practice

Materials

Yhteisöt ja sosiaalityö (2008). Toim. Roivainen ym. PS-kustannus
Yhteisöllisyys liikkeessä (2009). Toim. Filander & Vanhalakka-Ruoho. Aikuiskasvatuksen 48. vuosikirja.
Asiakkaat toimijoina sosiaalityössä (2013). Toim. Laitinen & Niskala. Vastapaino.
Sosiaalityön yhteisöllisyyttä etsimässä (2015). Toim. Väyrynen ym.

Teaching methods

Lectures, independent studying at Moodle, essay and study visit.

Employer connections

Does not include training.

Completion alternatives

Possibility to take and exam.

Student workload

106h

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Students
- recognize the meaning of citizen's engagement, empowerment and social capital in promoting citizens' welfare, the function of society and ecosocial sustainability
- are able to describe the principles of community social work and the theory of critical pedagogy, social pedagogic activation and encouragement
- know how to assess communities’ resources and needs for community activation
- have competence to apply community work methods to create and evaluate a community activation process
- recognise methods and international models used in community social work and field agencies which apply these methods

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Students
- are able to evaluate the meaning of citizens’ engagement, empowerment and social capital in promoting citizens' welfare, the function of society and ecosocial sustainability
- are able to describe the principles of community social work and the theory of critical pedagogy, social pedagogic activation and encouragement
- have ability to interpret communities’ resources and needs for community activation
- have competence to apply community work methods to create, evaluate and argue for a community activation process
- know how to compare methods and international models used in community social work and, based on sound reasoning, categorise field agencies which apply these methods

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Students
- have competence to argue for the meaning of citizens’ engagement, empowerment and social capital in promoting of citizens' well-being, the function of society and ecosocial sustainability
- are able to compare principles of community social work and the theory of critical pedagogy, social pedagogic activation and encouragement
- have ability to interpret community's resources and needs for community activation based on sound reasoning
- have competence to extensively apply various community work methods to create and evaluate a community activation process
- critically evaluate various methods and international models used in community social work and, based on sound reasoning, analyse field agencies which apply these methods

Qualifications

most part of the basic studies of the degree programme