Bulletin Number Two 1985

Departmental Profile Department of Social Work by John F. Jones The Department of Social Work is perhaps the largest Department in the Faculty of Social Science. It offers a Bachelor's of Social Science degree with a major in social work, a Master's degree and a postgraduate Diploma in Social Work. The student enrolment of the Department is approaching 500. This year (1984-85) it has approximately 300 full-time and 150 part-time students in its undergraduate programmes. Relatively speaking, its graduate programmes have a smaller student population. It has eleven students presently enrolled in its Master's programme and twenty-three students in its Diploma programme. The Department is served by a staff of thirty- three, including one Professor, four Senior Lecturers, ten Lecturers, six full-time and twelve part-time Field Instructors. Even though the number seems large, the Department is still very much under-staffed. The situation is expected to improve gradually in the coming triennium. Undergraduate Programmes The full-time Bachelor's programme is a four- year programme of two terms each year. The length of study of the part-time programme is longer but usually not more than six 3-term years. Both programmes have the same aims and share similar curriculum content but are designed for different types of student. The objective of the undergraduate programmes is the training of social workers capable of independent, professional practice in a changing society. The means to achieve this are: (1) the promotion of critical and analytical thinking, (2) the cultivation of professional values, (3) the provision of professional knowledge, (4) the training of basic skills in social intervention, and (5) the provision of practice training in local agencies. One of the Department's strengths is the emphasis on small-group teaching which is an effective means of teaching and learning. In spite of the manpower strain, the Department has successfully deployed staff in maintaining the operation of Student-Orientated Teaching, Field Laboratory and Field Instruction in small groups. Student-Orientated Teaching is closely related to the Social Work curriculum but not formally tied to any particular course. The main purposes are to help students to take initiative in their own learning through, active participation in library research, presentation of material, sharing of personal experience, and to contribute towards their own personal, intellectual, and professional development. Field Instruction is an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum. Beginning with the intake of students in 1984 ， Social Work majors in the full- time programme are required to undertake 90 hours of laboratory training and 800 hours of practice training in local agencies over their last two years. Students of the part-time undergraduate programme will have the same requirement in due course. The Field Laboratory is the first step towards practice training in local agencies. It teaches students, through a series of laboratory sessions, basic practice knowledge and skills essential for rendering service in agencies. The Graduate Programmes Recognizing the need for advance training for Social Work graduates who have had years of practice experience in local agencies, the Department established its Master's programme in 1977. The main objective is to give advanced training to experienced social workers in the profession so that when they graduate, they can move on to more responsible positions in the field. In 1981, the Department began to admit part-time students into its Master's programme. The full-time Master's programme is two years in length and consists of four semesters of graduate work, including a field practicum and dissertation. The length of the part-time programme is slightly longer, taking three years to complete. Otherwise, the two programmes are identical. In response to the Government's determination to recruit non-social work trained graduates to take up social work posts in the social welfare field, the Department established its fifth programme in September 1984. Admission into the postgraduate Diploma is less stringent than to the Master's. The programme is designed for non-social work trained graduates who are already employed in social agencies. It is a part-time course which lasts for two 3-term years. At the end of the Diploma course, some 10 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS