The purpose of the Social Work section in the Department of Social Work and Human Services in its undergraduate teaching is to seek to equip social work graduates with a sound general foundation for beginning social work practice. The Social Work section seeks to comply with, and where possible exceed, the minimum requirements established by the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) for social work educational courses leading to a first qualification in social work.
Objectives
The primary objective for a program of social work education, as defined by the AASW in the document Eligibility for membership of the AASW, is to produce social workers `with the ability of critical analysis, together with a commitment to the values of social justice and non-sexist, non-racist, non-discriminatory practice and a basic respect for human rights'. A detailed statement of objectives for the BSW program is included in the faculty information section of this handbook.
Entry into the course
The course is a two-plus-two course, ie two years of prerequisite studies at degree level, or a completed degree with specified subjects, followed by two years of study focusing on core social work subjects.
Prerequisites for admission to the course are the completion of a relevant first degree, or the first two years of a relevant degree.
`Relevant' in this instance has two uses and both are applicable: it means (i) that the subjects in the first Australian degree, or in the first two years of the degree must be deemed equivalent to similar subjects at Monash University, or (ii) relevant also means that the applicant will have studied in a past Monash or other Australian degree, or in the first two years of a degree deemed equivalent as per (i) above, subjects that are prescribed by the AASW.
The subjects prescribed by the AASW are:
* (b) subjects related to the individual in society (according to the AASW this should include the study of families and groups and should be based on the study of general and social psychology; there must be at least two semester units of study from disciplines such as personality development, abnormal psychology, human development, physical and mental health and illness, and theories of social and group behaviour);
* (a) the study of society (according to the AASW this will include subjects such as anthropology, economics, history, political science and sociology; at least two semester units of study in basic or general sociology or anthropology are essential).
Subjects offered
All subjects are compulsory.
Third-year level
First semester
* SWK3110 Social work I
* SWK3130 Social work perspectives on human development I
* SWK3150 Social work research I
* SWK3170 Fieldwork I
* SWK3190 Social policy and administration I
Second semester
* SWK3120 Social work II
* SWK3140 Social work perspectives on human development II
* SWK3160 Social work research II
* SWK3180 Fieldwork II
* SWK3200 Social policy and administration II
Fourth-year level
First semester
* SWK4510 Social work III
* SWK4530 Social and behavioural studies I
* SWK4550 Fieldwork III
* SWK4570 Social policy and administration III
* SWK4610 Community health I
Second semester
* SWK4520 Social work IV
* SWK4540 Social and behavioural studies II
* SWK4560 Fieldwork IV
* SWK4580 Social policy and administration IV
* SWK4620 Community health II