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.
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.
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:
(a) 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);
(b) 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).
These requirements may change by 1998. Please contact the department for further information.
Course coordinator: Professor Thea Brown
Students enrol for honours at the end of their fourth year of the Bachelor of Social Work, and must have obtained at least credit grades in BSW subjects to the value of not less than sixteen credit points at fourth-year level and an additional eight points at third-year or fourth-year level.
Honours is undertaken over two semesters and entails the completion of two twelve-point subjects, one taken in each semester, and a dissertation valued at twenty-four points.
Mid-year entry is not offered by this department.
Departments may grant an extension of time for submission of the honours thesis or for final coursework up to the last day of the examination period of the semester in which the work is due. Applications for extensions beyond this date must be made to the Committee for Undergraduate Studies.
Combined honours is not offered by this department.
All subjects are compulsory.