1. This course is an EMI course and we will use English as the median to deliver class materials in about 80-85% of the time.
2. With social justice perspective and to improve interpretation better, the instructor designs this course with language flexibility, so students are allowed to speak/discuss class topics in their first language in about 15-20% of the time.
3. For example, we will use the last 30 minutes (from 11:40-12:10) of the class to debrief and clarify students’ experiences and thoughts in any languages they preferred. It could be Chinese, English, Taiwanese, or other languages as long as we can interpret them appropriately.
4. In small group discussion, English is optional so students are allowed to use their first language if they could find anyone who can talk to. The only request is that students need to use English as the median to deliver their collective thoughts and conclusion to the whole class.

Week

Goals

1

2/20

Introduction

• Introduction to the course
• Overview of course schedule & assignments
• Pre-course assessment

2

2/27

International social work: context and definition

• What’s International Social Work? Who can be international social workers?
• Why do we need International Social Work?
• How to do International Social Work?
• Group activities
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 30 mins)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 1
• Palattiyil et al. (2019). Reclaiming international social work in the context of the Global Agenda for Social Work and Social Development. International Social Work, 62(3), 1043–1054.

3

3/5

Globalization and Global social issues-1

• Theoretical foundation of International Social Work
• The impact of globalization and social issues based on such impact.
• What social workers can do to deal with the impact of globalization?
• Group activities-Monopoly
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 30 mins)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 2 &5
• Findlay & McCormack (2005). Globalisation and social work: A snapshot of Australian practitioners’ views. Australian Social Work, 58(3), 231-243.

4

3/12

Globalization and Global social issues-2

• Poverty, HIV/AIDS, human trafficking etc.
• Guest lecturer- Dr. Peter A. Newman (University of Toronto)
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 30 mins)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 2 &5

5

3/19

Development, sustainability and human rights in the global context

• Group activities-Mapping social issues in the global contexts
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 30 mins)
• One-page reflection assignment-1 for week 2-5 (due on March 26)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 3 & 4

6

3/26

Cultural competence, values and ethics -1

• What is culture? What is cultural competence?
• Why do international social workers emphasize cultural competence?
• Values and ethics for international social work
• Indigenous communities and international social work
• Student-led discussion-1
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 30 mins)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 10
• Nadan Y. (2017). Rethinking ‘cultural competence’ in international social work. International Social Work, 60(1), 74-83.

7

4/2

Cultural competence, values and ethics -2

• Indigenous community in the Canadian context
• Guest speaker- Joseph Jacques (former Indigenous Health Centre peer support worker)
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 30 mins)

8

4/9

Midterm presentation-Country focus

• In this midterm presentation, students are required to choose a country outside Taiwan to have a deeper review and understanding.
• The identification of the nation: historical, cultural, political and social contexts (include geographic information).
• Indicate current demographics (population, education, life expectancy, household income, major ethnic groups, and major languages)
• Current social, economic and political issues
• What are current local and foreign influences and their impact on a people’s way of life.

9

4/16

International exchange -1

• Student-led discussion-2
• Why social work education and practice require international exchange?
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 15 mins)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 14
• Jönsson, J. H., & Lian Flem, A. (2022). Global social work ethics and international field training: The experiences and practice dilemmas of Norwegian and Swedish social work students. International social work, 65(1), 38-51.

10

4/23

International exchange -2

• Let’s talk to international students!
• Interview guide:
  • Bingo map
  • Can you please briefly introduce your country to us?
  • Can you please tell us why do you want to do international exchange?
  • What social issues did you see in your country that can share with us?
  • How does your government have been done to deal with these social issues?
  • How social workers in general can further do to deal with these social issues?

11

4/30

Immigrants and refugees -1

• Student-led discussion-3
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 15 mins)

• One-page reflection assignment-2 for week 6-10 (due on May 7)

Required reading:

• Palattiyil, G., Sidhva, D., Seraphia Derr, A., & Macgowan, M. (2022). Global trends in forced migration: Policy, practice and research imperatives for social work. International Social Work, 65(6), 1111-1129.
• Nash, M., Wong, J., & Trlin, A. (2006). Civic and social integration: A new field of social work practice with immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. International Social Work, 49(3), 345-363.

12

5/7

Immigrants and refugees -2

• Guest speaker- Dr. Brendon Y.Y. Chen (University of Ottawa)
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 15 mins)

13

5/14

International social welfare organizations and their functions-1

• Student-led discussion-4
• International-Aid
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 15 mins)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 6
• Thi Thai Lan, N. (2021). International organizations and service professionalization for disadvantaged children in Vietnam. International Social Work, 64(6), 872-885.

14

5/21

International social welfare organizations and their functions-2

• Guest speaker: TBD
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 15 mins)

15

5/28

Localized global social work

• Group activities-how can we practice international social work locally?
• Peer-led presentation
• Debriefing in Chinese (in the last 15 mins)

Required reading:

• Healy & Thomas (2020). Chapter 12
• Lyons, K. (2006). Globalization and Social Work: International and Local Implications. The British Journal of Social Work, 36(3), 365–380. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23720931

16

6/4

Final presentation-Social issue focus

• Choose 1-2 particular social issues in your selected country, using class readings, country-specific literature and research, and statistics from appropriate international organizations and other sources. 
• Identify and describe those social issues, discuss prevalence, population most affected
• Examine local efforts to address the issue and the nature of these efforts
• Examine international assistance to address the issue

One-page reflection assignment-3 for week 11-15 and overall reflection (Due on June 11)