HSW221 - Social Work Research in Ethical and Political Contexts
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Waterfront (Geelong), Warrnambool, Online, Community Based Delivery (CBD)* |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: James Lucas |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 2 hour lecture per week supported by weekly online independent and collaborative learning activities. |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | Online independent and collaborative learning activities will support learning across the trimester. NIKERI-CBD students only: Online independent and collaborative learning activities including online practical experiences (workshops). |
| In-person attendance requirements: | Campus students only: 1 x 2 hour lecture per week. Campus students are required to attend at least 9 out of the 11 lectures. NIKERI-CBD students only: there are compulsory intensives for all students at the National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus. These intensives are arranged by year-level. Please contact the NIKERI Social Work Course Team for more information on 1800 063 383. |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Note:*National Indigenous Knowledges, Education, Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute students only. | |
Content
This unit aims to demystify social research by showing how it is a formal process of social inquiry which builds on the ways in which we daily inquire into social events and construct everyday knowledge about what we need to know. The approach taken is that there are different ways of knowing, which influence how we understand social problems and formulate research questions. Students will be introduced to the basics of research design for social work practice. This includes an overview of a range of research methods and approaches. The unit also shows how ‘research’ is an important part of the relationship between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’, in all its forms: as direct service, policy and program development and evaluation. The unit provides a basis for HSW322.
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Differentiate between anecdotes, blogs, personal opinions and scholarly research in undertaking search strategies on a research topic of one's choice online and via the library website. | GLO3: Digital literacy |
| ULO2 | Discuss the social, political and ethical contexts in which social work research occurs. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Critically analyse and evaluate the different approaches to research methodology and research design in terms of their application to social work research. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO4 | Critically evaluate social work research in terms of coherence of research methodology and design. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO5 | Critically evaluate the research literature on a topic relevant to social work practice and develop a research question which references a particular research methodology | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
Assessment
Trimester 1:| Assessment description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Critical reflection on key issues in social work research practice | 1000 words | 30% |
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| Assessment 2: Literature review planning exercise | 1000 words | 30% |
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| Assessment 3: Literature review presentation with infographic | 2000 words | 40% |
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The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for HSW221 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.