SOWK29005 - Social Work Theories and the Practice Context

General Information

Unit Synopsis

In this unit you will identify and analyse theories and methods for social work practice. You will explore the competing macro-level philosophical and theoretical frameworks for defining the purpose and place of social work. You will examine the role and function of social work in human service organisations where there are inherent tensions in maintaining confidentiality of clients and cost effective service delivery that sometimes conflict with public concerns about the right to information and accountability for funding allocations. You will also examine a range of practice theories and methods, traditional and emerging, and critique their relevance and applicability with diverse client populations across different practice settings. You will draw on theories and frameworks from related disciplines, in particular psychology and sociology, to describe and explain human behaviour and relationships and to contextualise these through an exploration of macro-level social structures and processes.

Details

Level Postgraduate
Unit Level 9
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Pre-requisite:

SOWK28005 Social Work Field Education 1

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

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Residential School Compulsory Residential School
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Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

There are no availabilities for this unit on or after Term 3 - 2024

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Report 20%
2. Written Assessment 40%
3. Case Study 40%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Describe and explain social work theories and methods and their application to practice contexts
  2. Critically analyse the different assumptions on which social work theories are based and how this influences the practice context
  3. Integrate theories and methods with practice strategies in contemporary and diverse contexts.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Report •
2 - Written Assessment •
3 - Case Study •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Knowledge • • •
2 - Communication •
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills • •
4 - Research • •
5 - Self-management • •
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Professional Level
• Advanced Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 - Report • • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Case Study • • • •