Glocal and Cultural Issues in Social Work: Social Work and Loss, Death and Dying over a Lifespan (5cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Objective

After completion of the course the student is able to
- recognize social work as a global, glocal and local profession and discipline that crosses boundaries
- outline cultural and ethnic diversity and phenomena related to it on the societal, community and individual levels
- outline basic concepts related to multicultural social work
- obtain knowledge needed in professional encounters in culturally diverse working environments.

Execution methods

Active participation and assigned activities.

Accomplishment methods

Participation in the Summer School and its activities. Online meetings, reflective assignments, lectures, panel discussions, student panels and group dialogues during the lecture week, and optional excursions.

Content

In the course, the students will be orientated to glocal and cultural issues in social work. They will be familiarized with phenomena related to these glocal and cultural issues and ways of conceptualizing them, and with how social work is shaped in the glocal environment.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Hylätty: Suoritus on erittäin puutteellinen tai virheellinen, tai sisältää huomattavia väärinkäsityksiä.

Välttävä ja tyydyttävä (1-2): Suoritus on suppea, pintapuolinen tai vastaa heikosti tehtävänantoa. Asiat jäävät suorituksessa irrallisiksi tai niitä käsitellään yksipuolisesti. Suoritus voi sisältää virheitä tai epäselvyyksiä.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Hyvä ja kiitettävä (3-4): Suoritus vastaa tehtävänantoa, osoittaa ymmärtämistä sekä taitoa analysoida ja perustella. Asiasta muodotuu kokonaiskuva, mutta suorituksessa sattaa olla puutteita.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Erinomainen (5): Suorituksessa hahmotetaan laaja kokonaisuus ja tietoa osataan soveltaa moniulotteisesti tai sijoittaa eri konteksteihin. Suoritus osoittaa itsenäistä otetta ja oivallusta. Suoritus on hyvin kirjoitettu tai toteutettu.

Assessment criteria, approved/failed

Pass
Performance corresponds to the assignment, manifesting comprehension and a skill to analyse and justify.

Fail
Performance is highly deficient or erroneous. The work may be based on serious misunderstandings.

Qualifications

SSOS0100 Sosiaalityön perusopinnot

Further information

*****HOX! Register to this course *by e-mail to enni.mikkonen@ulapland.fi* - some problems came up with Peppi registration! More information in Moodle.********


Guest lectures by Johanna Hefel: Social Work and Loss, death and dying over a lifespan

By active participation in the lectures + Lecture Diary you can compensate one of the courses:
- SSOS1206 Sosiaalityön glokaalit ja kulttuuriset kysymykset (Glocal and cultural questions of social work) (5 ECTS)
OR
- SSOS1223 Sosiaaliset ongelmat eri elämänvaiheissa (Social problems in different life-stages) (5 ECTS)

Altogether max. 20 students will be accepted to the course (including both course codes). The students will be accepted in chronological order and you will be informed after the registration deadline if you are accepted.

Time: 18.-21.01.2022
- Tuesday, Jan 18th at 09:00-12:00: LS13
- Wednesday, Jan 19th at 09:00-12:00: F2059
- Friday, Jan 21st at 09:00-12:00: LS13
- On Thursday, Jan 20th, students will work at the University, they receive an assignment for a group work from 09:00 am to 12:00 am.

Description of the lecture:

Undoubtedly loss, bereavement, death and dying identify themselves collectively as a subject matter for social work in a variety of settings: as a part of everyone’s life, in end-of-life care, and supporting bereaved service users who have lost family and friends in various ways. The power and influence of religious authorities and traditions are diminishing, whereas the financial and economic paradigms are becoming increasingly meaningful and partly replace religious ones. The commodification and medicalization of death and dying are of vital significance within the conflicting fields of help, control, power and politics. As a result of intersecting factors some groups of service users have limited or no access to adequate support or end-of-life care, are excluded from benefits and receive little empathic understanding.

Reticence to talk about loss, grief and death can lead to a lack of understanding about these complex issues, on-going stigma and ultimately a less empathic approach towards service users. In terms of social justice, it is essential to think more widely about loss, grief, bereavement and death. Furthermore, we have to take into account the diversity of service users. It is vitally important that, through expanding teaching around these issues, we gain a deeper understanding of loss in various forms, and give permission to talk about it in order to help to remove some of those barriers.

In the seminar I will give an overview about these issues but also, we will work together with knowledge, experiences and questions of the students. The lack of infusion of diversity themes around loss and death within social work education is highlighted through readings and discussion.

Another aim is to introduce students to autoethnography, a qualitive research method. Autoethnography is writing about a significant personal topic or incidence in life. This includes reflection on meaning-making, on the social-cultural background. Autoethnography explores meanings of self and others in the present in order to gain deeper understanding. The seminar consists of a variety of creative methods, students are involved as experts of their own life.

Instructions for the participation and the lecture diary are found in Moodle.