Part A: Course Overview
Course Title: Discourses of Care, Control and Protection
Credit Points: 12.00
Terms
Course Code |
Campus |
Career |
School |
Learning Mode |
Teaching Period(s) |
HWSS2211 |
City Campus |
Postgraduate |
365H Global, Urban and Social Studies |
Face-to-Face |
Sem 2 2017, Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020, Sem 2 2021, Sem 2 2022, Sem 2 2023, Sem 2 2024, Sem 2 2025 |
Course Coordinator: Dr Caroline Lambert
Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 8022
Course Coordinator Email: caroline.lambert@rmit.edu.au
Course Coordinator Location: Building 8. Floor 10. Room 38
Course Coordinator Availability: By appointment
Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities
None
Course Description
The course will focus on key discourses shaping contemporary social work and human services.
We will consider how and where these discourses intersect with practice, and what the consequences of these discourses are for people who are marginalised, oppressed, or otherwise in vulnerable positions.
We will look at the ways certain phenomena are constructed in the social work context, for example risk, vulnerability, responsibility and care, and how these discourses shape fields of practice, necessitating certain approaches and foreclosing others.
Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development
Program Learning Outcomes
This course contributes to the following MC150 program learning outcomes.
Program Learning Outcomes Statement
Upon successful completion of this program you will be able to:
• Apply specialist social work knowledge and skills to understanding and responding to contemporary social disadvantage, oppression and marginalisation, recognising the fundamentally political nature of social suffering
• Use appropriate research strategies to inform ethical professional social work practice and to broaden the scope of contemporary social work theory and practice
• Critically analyse theories informing social work practice and the contemporary policy context to develop an evidence base for ethical professional practice
• Apply advanced problem solving skills and techniques of intervention that bring together complex information transferable across different institutional and cultural contexts of practice, incorporating innovative interventions to effectively meet the needs of individuals, families, groups and communities
• Theorise and develop interventions that address the social structural and political levels through which poverty and inequality are generated and critically assess policies and programs developed to address disadvantage
• Apply research knowledge and skills to develop practice research based interventions and conduct independent research to contribute to the generation of specialist social work knowledge and skills
• Apply sophisticated oral and written communication skills to present complex information to individuals, organisations and professional and non-professional communities in accessible and culturally appropriate ways
• Apply critical analytical problem solving skills to develop innovative and creative policy and practice responses to contemporary social problems, and promote the fundamental social, economic and cultural rights of individuals, families, groups and communities
• Practice as an autonomous, ethical and critical social work practitioner with a commitment to lifelong learning
• Engage in practice which acknowledges the fundamentally multicultural nature of contemporary societies and acknowledges the unique position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, seeking to promote the rights of these groups
If you are taking this course as an option course or as part of a minor, this course will complement the learning outcomes you are developing in your program.
Course Learning Outcomes
- Appraise and reflect on dominant discourses and debates currently structuring social work practice.
- Identify and critically analyse the tensions and challenges in neoliberal social work contexts.
- Critically analyse the discursive construction of care, control and protection in social work practice and identify the implications for service users and practitioners.
- Critically assess the distinctive contribution of social workers to wellbeing in the community including attitudes and values, and knowledge and skills for social work practice.
Overview of Learning Activities
You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities such as workshops, lectorials, tutorials, class discussions, individual and group activities.
Delivery may be face-to-face, online or a mix of both.
Overview of Learning Resources
RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.
There are services and resources available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the RMIT student website.
Overview of Assessment
You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program learning outcomes.
Assessment Tasks
Assessment Task 1: Active learning assessment (in class), 20%, tutor observation (no submission), CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4
Assessment Task 2: Critical reflection, 40%, EWL 1500 words or 10-15 minute recorded presentation, CLOs 1 & 3
Assessment Task 3: Essay, 40%, EWL 2500 words, CLOs 1, 2, 3 & 4
Feedback will be given on all assessment tasks.
If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.
Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies, procedures and instructions.