units

SWK4400

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

18 September 2017 22 December 2024
Monash University

Undergraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

LevelUndergraduate
FacultyFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational UnitDepartment of Social Work
OfferedCaulfield First semester 2015 (Day)
Caulfield First semester 2015 (Off-campus)
Coordinator(s)Dr Deborah Western

Synopsis

This unit requires students to work in groups, develop a relationship with a community organisation and develop a group based project. The unit has a focus on the theory and practice of groupwork, including the historical development of this social work method, planning and implementing a groupwork program, communication in groups, group leadership and facilitation and managing group dynamics. Students will also learn to establish and negotiate relationships with organisational personnel in the field, analyse and manage group processes and successfully complete a 'real-world' group project. The unit will introduce students to community engagement, processes of project management and practice challenges in the field.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. Apply the stages of group development to the student group project
  2. Analyse the impact of different group leadership styles and processes
  3. Demonstrate a beginning level of competence in group problem-solving strategies relevant to a range of social work contexts
  4. Critically analyse all aspects of their own group experience through engaging in critical reflection
  5. Engage effectively with professionals in a community group or organisation through the use of community engagement processes
  6. Articulate the features of an effective community engagement process
  7. Examine the group and project processes and outcomes through application of evaluation methods appropriate to a range of groupwork interventions.

Assessment

Group project report (1,500 words) (30%)
Group presentation (15%)
Critical reflection and analysis essay (2,500 words) (55%)

Students must pass critical reflection and analysis essay in order to pass the unit.

Workload requirements

The unit runs for 12 weeks. Students are expected to undertake 144 hours of study per semester. Students are expected to use their study time to attend on-campus lectures and workshops, undertake include set readings for each topic and complete the assessment tasks.

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Deborah Western

Off-campus attendance requirements

Mandatory attendance is required by off-campus students for a 2 day workshop which is held at the Caulfield campus during the semester break (date to be advised at the beginning of semester one).

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Social work

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at:

http://www.med.monash.edu.au/socialwork/