Course Coordinator:Dimitra Lattas (dlattas@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society
UniSC Sunshine CoastUniSC Moreton BayUniSC CabooltureUniSC Fraser CoastUniSC Gympie |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Online |
Online | You can do this course without coming onto campus. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
This course provides you with an introduction to a range of theories which inform social work practice. You will develop an understanding of social work theory to develop skills in applying theory to understand and intervene with individuals, communities and society. You will further extend your practice philosophy and skills within these theoretical frameworks. You will be challenged to integrate your own personal perspective and societal influences when applying theoretical concepts to specific practice contexts and understand the implications of these for practices.
Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
Blended learning | |||
Learning materials – online learning materials | 1hr | Week 1 | 11 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly tutorials | 2hrs | Week 1 | 11 times |
Online | |||
Learning materials – 11 weeks of online learning materials | 1hr | Week 1 | 11 times |
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly online (Zoom) tutorials | 2hrs | Week 1 | 11 times |
Social theories, models and perspectives
Micro and macro theories of practices
Application of theory to practice
[Mature content across all topics]
100 Level (Introductory)
12 units
Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Australian Association of Social Workers | |
1 | Engage with the process of self-reflection and describe how your own environment, beliefs, values and worldviews your role as a social worker. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Ethical Engaged |
5, 6 |
2 | Apply theoretical concepts to specific practice contexts and are able to adopt or adapt innovations in practice on the basis of a critical assessment of evidence |
Empowered Engaged |
1, 5, 6 |
3 | Apply your knowledge of theory to a particular case study. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Ethical |
1, 5, 6, 7 |
4 | Make professional decisions on the basis of a holistic assessment of the needs. strengths, goals and preferences of clients |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Ethical Problem solving |
|
5 | Demonstrate emerging professional communication skills |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Empowered Ethical Engaged |
1, 9 |
CODE | COMPETENCY |
Australian Association of Social Workers | |
1 | Practice Standard 1: AASW Code of Ethics |
5 | Practice Standard 5: Critical thinking in practice |
6 | Practice Standard 6: Exercising professional judgement |
7 | Practice Standard 7: Professional identity |
9 | Practice Standard 9: Professional growth |
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Not applicable
Standard Grading (GRD)
High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
The annotated bibliography will be used to provide early feedback on the understanding of course content.
Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
All | 1 | Written Piece | Individual | 15% | A minimum of 5 peer-reviewed articles |
Week 3 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All | 2 | Written Piece | Individual | 40% | 1,250 words |
Week 7 | Online Submission |
All | 3 | Case Study | Individual | 45% | 2000 words |
Week 12 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
All - Assessment Task 1:Annotated Bibliography | |||||||||||||
Goal: | The goal of this assessment task is to develop students’ abilities to critically engage with current research by compiling an annotated bibliography of recent studies on a chosen social work topic. Students will summarise key findings and evaluate the practical relevance of each article, enhancing their skills in literature review, critical appraisal, and connecting evidence to social work practice. |
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Product: | Written Piece | ||||||||||||
Format: | This task will be submitted on Turnitin via a Word doc. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Organisation, Information literacy |
All - Assessment Task 2:Systems Analysis of Justice Issues | |||||||||||||
Goal: | The goal of this assessment task is to apply systems theory and an ecological lens to critically analyse a contemporary justice issue, demonstrating an understanding of how individual experiences are shaped by intersecting systems at micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono levels. Students will engage in structural thinking, identify systemic barriers, and reflect on the implications for ethical and culturally responsive social work practice. |
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Product: | Written Piece | ||||||||||||
Format: | This task will be in Word doc or pdf. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy |
All - Assessment Task 3:Case study | |||||||||||||||||||
Goal: | The goal of this task is for you to apply your cumulative understanding of various theories and the multidimensional nature of human behaviour to analyse the behaviour of a case study. |
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Product: | Case Study | ||||||||||||||||||
Format: | You will compare and contrast two different theories in relation to the understanding of a selected case study and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each theory. |
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Criteria: |
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Generic Skills: | Communication, Problem solving |
Programme Delivery Mode | Assessment Type | Title | Competency | Teaching Methods |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS) | ||||
All delivery modes | Case Study | Case study | 1 | Taught, Practiced, Assessed |
5 | Taught, Practiced, Assessed | |||
6 | Taught, Practiced, Assessed | |||
Written Piece | Systems Analysis of Justice Issues | 1 | Taught, Practiced, Assessed | |
5 | Taught, Practiced, Assessed | |||
6 | Taught, Practiced, Assessed | |||
7 | Taught, Practiced, Assessed |
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Information regarding prescribed texts or other associated resources will be made available on the Canvas site prior to commencement of study.
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment
Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale
Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty
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