Diversity, dialogue, and identity in designing globally relevant social work education

ABSTRACT

This article reflects on how to design social work education for internationally diverse cohorts of students. It draws on insights from a Master program for social work practitioners from around the world that has been delivered by a partnership of five European universities since 2013. Three particular issues are explored: developing curricula that achieve a local–global balance and emphasize the significance of context sensitivity in social work; the need for teaching approaches that promote dialogue, critical analysis, and student well-being; the importance of providing students with a strong identity, value base, and connection to the global social work profession. The article is targeted at social work educators involved in international and cross-country teaching as well as scholars interested in debates about the balance of local–global dimensions in social work.

KEYWORDS:

• International social work education
• critical analysis
• professional identity
• global–local
• Curriculum development
• Pedagogies

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The Erasmus Mundus ADVANCES Master programme has been funded with support from the European Commission under Grant [FPA 2013-0242] with the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. [FPA 2013-0242].

Notes on contributors

Michael Rasell

Michael Rasell is Senior Lecturer in Health & Social Care at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom.  His research examines disability and social service development in Russia and Eastern Europe and he has a specialist teaching focus in international social work.

Helene Join-Lambert

Helene Join-Lambert is Head of the Department of Educational Sciences at Paris Nanterre University, France. Her research examines support for at-risk youth and children in state care and their parents, including comparisons of child welfare systems across Europe.

Agnieszka Naumiuk

Agnieszka Naumiuk is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, University of Warsaw, Poland.  She specializes in community work, social inclusion and third sector development.

Carla Pinto

Carla Pinto is Associate Professor and Assistant Coordinator of the Social Work and Social Policy Unit, Institute for Social and Political Sciences, University of Lisbon, Portugal.  Her research and teaching interests are empowerment, practitioner use of theory and ecological approaches in social work.

Lars Uggerhoj

Lars Uggerhoj is Professor of Social Work at Aalborg University, Denmark. His work focuses on practice research and the participation of citizens in social work research and social services.

Janet Walker

Janet Walker is Deputy Head, School of Health & Social Care at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom. She has substantial experience of international practice and education projects in social work and is the United Kingdom representative on the board of the International Association of Schools of Social Work.