SOSV3220 Social Work in a Global Context Course description

The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of the historical and contemporary context in which social work has been developed and is practised. The course will critically consider the Western, power-based knowledge and theoretical perspectives that inform and are reinforced in social work, and the influence this has globally. This will be considered through focus on decolonial history, intersectional perspectives and globalisation processes.

The course will also focus on how social work has been developed within specific contexts of practice. We will demonstrate how theory is connected to practice within social work. We use a case-based approach in which we explore social work, as practised in Norway and other countries, to demonstrate the importance of contextualisation as a framework for understanding social work theories and practice. Through an investigation of cases, we will also explore the ways in which practice reaffirms certain theories as ‘normal’ and ‘natural’.

The student must have passed all exams in the first and second year of the programme.

Knowledge

The student has knowledge of

• the ways in which perspectives in social work are shaped within specific social and normative contexts and how the field of social work also shapes our understandings of the contexts within which we practice

• the history and development of social work and its influence on contemporary understandings of social work globally
• hegemonic knowledge production in social work, contemporary social problems, social inequalities and systems of oppression for social work in an international context

Skills 

The student can

• identify different perspectives and apply knowledge about how these perspectives are shaped within specific contexts

• critically reflect on how specific conceptualisations shape social work understandings, how context-based and power-based perspectives shape social work practice and how social work practices reinforce these perspectives
• understand how context is key to understanding how social work practice and services are developed and delivered, with reference to values, ethics and anti-oppressive practice

General competence

The student can

• identify and communicate knowledge concerning different, global perspectives on key issues taken up in the field of social work
• exchange knowledge about how dominant norms within social work function to set the premises for models applied and for the meaning this has at the social and individual levels

The course is based on lectures, class exercises, homework assignments and assigned literature. Students are expected to read the course literature and to actively participate in the course meetings, with an emphasis on dialogue.

If no students from abroad are registered for the course, teaching and discussions will alternate between Norwegian and English, as appropriate.

Students are expected to have the following learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge

On successful completion of the course, the students have:

• an overview on different perspectives, history and future of AI and Computational Intelligence (CI) fields.
• familiarity with the essential terminologies, concepts, ideas, elements and principles in the three pillar fields of CI.
• an in-depth understanding of state-of-the-art CI methods (fuzzy systems, neural networks, evolutionary computation, deep learning, and hybrid AI techniques).
• knowledge and understanding of open problems and future challenges and opportunities in the AI and CI field.

Skills

On successful completion of the course, the students can:

• determine when to use and deploy the CI methods learned for real-world applications.
• apply appropriate CI models and algorithms to address modeling and optimization problems in real-world applications.
• analyze complex and uncertain datasets with CI algorithms.

General competence

On successful completion of the course, the students can:

• program the CI models/algorithms.
• deploy CI systems/models in real-world applications.
• solve complex search, optimization or decision-making problems using evolutionary algorithms.

The course consists of lectures (theory), labs (practical exercises and computer simulations/experiments), group discussions, Q&As, as well as group projects. The group projects will be assigned from a list of the suggested topics/areas. The students will work in groups and finally submit the project report as well as the code.

Practical exercises: Lab and Q&A sessions.

The final exam consists of two parts:

• Part 1 - Group project report with code: A group (2-4 students) project implementation, including a project report (5000 - 7000 words, excluding references) and code as an appendix (counts 50% towards the final grade). Both the code and the report will be evaluated. The comprehensiveness of the code is evaluated under the assumption that each member of the group has worked on the project for 60 hours.
• Part 2 - Individual written exam: An individual, closed-book, written exam (3 hours) (counts 50% towards the final grade)

Both parts must be passed in order to pass the course (i.e., if a student fails in one part, he or she would automatically fail the course).

The exam results can be appealed.

New/postponed exam

In case of failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable time span following the regular exam. The student is responsible for registering for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.

All aids are permitted for the group project, provided the rules for plagiarism and source referencing are complied with (Exam - Part 1).

For the closed-book, individual written exam (Exam - Part 2), students will work on a computer in an exam room (with invigilators), can use pen and a simple, non-programmable calculator, but will not have access to Internet, books, notes or other aids.

Grade scale: A-F.

Two examiners. External examiner is used periodically.