Advanced Topics in Macro Social Work

Entry into this course requires the permission of the instructor and the relevant permission form submitted to the School Registrar. Specific dates throughout the term should be discussed with the instructor.

This course will prepare students to develop advanced skills in peer mentoring and facilitation around socially just practices using a portfolio-based learning model. Students will serve as peer mentors and will explore different models for understanding ways to facilitate learning around social justice issues in social work practice.

The following is additional information from the instructor: Integrative/reflective/generative learning and related skills are important components for social justice practice. This mini-course is designed to teach frameworks and skills for integrative/reflective learning towards social justice goals (both personal and professional). These skills can assist students to… a) engage in mentoring and generative activities to facilitate the goals that follow b) become self-directed learners, guided by awareness of underlying values and explicit goals c) develop and integrate critical consciousness and critical structural thinking for social justice d) uncover and articulate tacit (as opposed to explicit) knowledge and skills e) develop adaptive expertise (apply knowledge/skills learned in one context in new situations), and f) identify and organize examples of professional values, skills and accomplishments.

The methods used in this mini-course assist students to articulate, document, integrate, and organize their learning and accomplishments across their educational, professional, and volunteer experiences. Particular emphasis will be paid to exploring the role tacit knowledge plays in the development of social workers as learners, leaders and professionals. Students will explore principles related to knowledge transfer and integrative learning and will learn to facilitate these principles with one another.

If interested, from these activities, students can create compelling portfolio "artifacts" to reflect their knowledge, skills and capacities for others, resulting in a professional portfolio that can be used to facilitate future employment or educational opportunities.

Students can elect this course from one to three credits in one of several formats. Proposed times are listed below, but other options may be possible depending on the schedules and preferences of those interested.

A) A multi-week seminars option (for 7 alternating weeks), with one to three course credits possible.

B) A workshop model, probably Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5 PM

C) If there is interest, we can mount some additional longer workshops, and some may want to opt to complete the work more independently, without the support of seminars or workshops.

D) Another option being discussed is in some format in which students and their field instructors would participate together.

                Credit Options

One credit hour requires approximately 45-55 hours of total time (including in-class time, preparation, writing, interviewing, etc). This is usually calculated as 13-14 hours of classroom time, with 2 to 4 hours of preparation for each classroom hour.

Expectations for one credit would be developed according to the goals of each participant, but could include the following: Attendance; completion of some readings; participation, engagement with in-class and out-of-class assessments, interviewing, and mentoring sessions; and development of drafts or completed artifacts and other steps towards generative learning.

Two or three credits would be all the above, with additional components according to one's goals. This might include co-facilitation of sessions, and more work in peer mentoring or other leadership activities.