IUC

INTER-UNIVERSITY CENTRE DUBROVNIK
SCHOOL OF
SOCIAL WORK THEORY AND PRACTICE

Dubrovnik, June 2003/2004

Course Description:

We serve and teach in the midst of war, the complexity of poverty in a global economy and rapid changes in society. This course seeks to expand our knowledge of the diverse philosophical, humanistic and spiritual resources which guide us in our attempt to create a more just and peaceful communities. Participants explore the spiritual, ethical, cultural and professional values, which inform our thinking and direct service. Special attention is given to issues of conflict resolution, inclusion vs. exclusion, reconciliation and nonviolence, and to deepening our understanding of human spirituality as concerns for social work education and practice. The 2004 Symposium will continue to search for the common elements as we explore meta-ethics as a concept, as well as a practiced tool. By selecting this title, we intend to follow up on our work from the previous years. Part of what we have done in the past is published on our website: www.spirituality-and-social-work.com & www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/publications/social_work_journal

Course Description:

In examining the development of social work throughout the world, it is necessary to broaden our horizon of inquiry beyond one of comparing models of appropriate practices that occur in different countries. Differences in the development of social work in various countries are also responses to how competing traditions of thought and knowledge have affected social work as a whole. The aim of the new course is therefore to present and discuss theories about, for and of social work on several levels and to evaluate and compare all kinds of strategies that are meant to be successful in achieving the purpose of social work within the given context. The course aims to attract social work teachers, researchers, students and practitioners. We will discuss the professional status of social work in modern societies, which is extremely difficult and very vague. Where there are some countries in which social work is constructed as a highly profiled profession, there are others where social work hasn’t yet reached any academic status. Within the 2003 Symposium different ways of constructing professional identity through theory, research and methodology will be presented and discussed amongst practitioners, researchers and lecturers coming from different regions of the world. Thus the course will identify important issues to be discussed more intensively within the next few years.

Course Description:

Participants examine implementation of the UN convention of the rights of children and all other relevant documents in the various regions in the world, but in particular in the countries represented in the course. Equal attention is given to all age subgroups, with special reference to policy and planning, as well as to different facets of social work theory and practice. Each year the Course focuses on a slightly different specific issue with a plan to cover all relevant components of the overall field of the "child and family welfare". The 2003 Symposium will explore “working children of the world”. This complex phenomena will be analyzed from different perspectives. We plan to examine similarities and differences among the regions of the world as related to the contributing facets of the problem as well as positive examples – from “crisis mode” to primary prevention and effective long-term solutions.

Course Description:

Participants will examine contemporary trends and issues in the development of neighborhood and community work in the context of "thinking globally, acting locally". In particular, issues of power, oppression and resistance, as well as the role of social movements, user groups, activists and professionals will be addressed through theory, case examples and testimony. Consideration is given to the strategies and alliances available to social and community workers to strengthen supportive neighborhood networks. This course defines the notion of civic disability broadly to encompass social groups who are or feel themselves to be excluded and/or marginalized from important areas of society. Given groups may consider themselves excluded/marginalized on grounds such as social and economic status, ethnicity, gender, age, physical disability, mental disability, etc. The course aims to encourage participants to explore the causes and effects of civic disability/social exclusion. It will also examine the mechanisms through which civic disability becomes institutionalized. An equally important aim of the course is to motivate participants to explore the role of the caring professions, including social work, in tackling civic disabilities.

Course Description:

Social work develops both theory and practice in a given context. Changes in systems, needs, expectations, paradigms and welfare models all influence discussions and directions chosen for the growth and improvement of social work. In this course the interaction between social work and social policies is discussed and problematized. Presentations have a theoretical as well as an empirical base. Each year a special topic is chosen for examination. For the year 2003 the choice is the rather ambiguous phenomenon of self-reliance as it relates to clients and social workers, and the conditions given to self-reliance in the discipline of social work and in social policies in different societies.

Course Description:

The 2003 Symposium will focus on the role of critical thinking and alternative practice in social work with juvenile offenders. Equal attention is given to the juvenile justice system in different countries and recent developments. Another aspect will be the UN Convention on Children’s Rights in terms of legal safeguards regarding juvenile offenders and the role of imprisonment and other institutional confinement.

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Inter-University Centre for Post-Graduate Studies (IUC), Dubrovnik, Croatia, organizes academic programs composed of international and multidisciplinary courses and conferences. Courses were offered during the war despite the fact the IUC building was bombed and almost completely destroyed in 1991. The IUC has survived due to the persistent backing and support of many member universities, several organizations, and long-time friends of the IUC and Dubrovnik. The IUC will become increasingly relevant in bringing together scholars and students from different backgrounds and cultures to both discuss scientific progress, and persevere in promoting dialogue and understanding and contributing to the creation of a culture of peace.

The School of Social Work Theory and Practice was initiated by Dr. Burt Galaway and Dr. Dada M. Maglajlic´. The school offers five courses, each for five days. Courses are offered at a post-graduate level. The language of the School is English. IUC offers a certificate of attendance. Those interested in taking any of the courses may register with the IUC Secretariat, School Organizing Director, Course Organizing Director, and/or any of the Course Directors; please provide name, address, academic standing, and - if you are an undergraduate student - a recommendation from one of your professors.

Fee per course/symposium:

• USD 250 for the ICU non-members
• USD 150 for the ICU passive members
• USD 40 for the ICU active members
  annual fee paid by the member institution)

Participation by researchers, university professors, graduate students, advanced undergraduate students and practitioners is welcomed. Accommodations are available in Dubrovnik hotels from USD 35. Information regarding travel and accommodation can be found at the ICU web-site: www.iuc.hr

If you have previously participated in our program, we welcome you again. Please share this information with your colleagues. We will also be happy to have you with us if you are joining us for the first time. We appreciate suggestions and proposals to help create programs that will meet your professional interests. If you would like to serve as a Resource Person for any of the five courses, if you would like to register, or if you have any questions, please let us know. We look forward to hearing from you!

IUC Dubrovnik School of Social Work Theory and Practice 2004 Schedule

June 6 - 12, 2004
Social Work with Children and Youth
Social Work Theories and Methodologies

June 13 - 19, 2004
Developing Neighborhood & Community Support Systems
Social Work and Spirituality

June 20 - 26, 2004
Social Work and Social Policies
Social Work With Juvenile Offenders

2003 Resource Persons

Please visit our websites at:
www.bemidjistate.edu/academics/publications/social_work_journal &
www.spirituality-and-social-work.com