International Erasmus+ Project
In the framework of Erasmus+ programme is
for the master students of our universities possible, visit other participating
universities for the study of two modules below.
Prerequisites:
BA in social work or other helping
professions.
Study of Master in Social Work or other
helping professions.
Minimum B1/B2 level in English
Module Spirituality in Social Work:
The module deals with the possibilities and
limits of using spirituality in social work in the context of Europe, spiritual
assessment in assessing the client’s life situation included. Thus, the focus
of attention will be not primarily foreign cultures but our own culture as a
specific way of life that generates particular problems, questions, and issues.
In this sense, foreign cultures, religions, and spiritualities should be
studied only secondarily. Therefore, the subject of interest is questions about
how Western culture and its conception of man were formed and developed, the
continuity of meanings that anthropology absorbs, processes and establishes
throughout history, and how its own contents can be thematised with different
emphasis between individual religious traditions. Module methodically develops
the ability to distinguish, and they intend to bring students to differentiated
knowledge. Without this quality, interpersonal communication, work with people
or service to others is not conceivable.
Thus, the starting point of spirituality in social work is the assumption that spirituality is an anthropological constant, i.e. each person has a certain spirituality, which is the source of values and motivations. In the process of social work, the client’s values and motivations can both support the search for a solution to a life situation and lead to its deterioration. Therefore, the spiritual assessment as a part of the social worker´s assessment of the client´s life situation allows the social worker to identify the main elements of the client’s spirituality and assess its impact on the particular life situation. It can be used as a “support system” to solve it or is risky for the client and threatens to solve life situations. Spiritual assessment is in no way conditioned by the degree of spirituality and religiosity in society. Nevertheless, due to the specific context of religiosity and spirituality in the European environment, i.e. believing without belonging, emphasis will be placed on such concepts of spiritual assessment, which focus on postmodern spirituality and diffuse religiosity and/or spirituality, which are often referred to as spirituality of the holistic spectrum.
Thus, the module will deal with such concepts of spiritual assessment, which use elements of ethnographic methodological approaches. The assessment of the client’s life situation is closely connected with the intervention of the social worker. Therefore, even within the subject, the spiritual assessment will be understood as closely connected with the subsequent intervention, which will be based on it.
Module Social Ethics in Social Work:
The module aims to familiarise the students with basic philosophical and ethical approaches and the basis of Christianity, other religions, and cultures and those essential conditions for an erudite and complex understanding of the meaning of ethical questions in the social work practice.
The module will be a more profound introduction to contemporary ethical theories and their application and social work application. Also will be discussed the problem of constructivism and objectivism and relates issues like natural law, virtue ethics, etc. Discussed will also be the relation to the applied level of social work. The lectures focus not only on an overview of current approaches but also on their relationships and historical background. The education will base on various directions of contemporary ethics and its historical sources. The students are apprised with the ethos of the world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) and the eastern religions (Buddhism, Hinduism). Then will be the students advised of the ethos of particular beliefs and their different approaches and ways out to individual and social ethics. Then will also be discussed the sense of institutions (Church, state) in ethical discourse and ethical paradigm variations. Deepen topics based on family, work and politics through the perspective of social ethics—future in fundamentals of modern human society, like friendly community, working community, political community.
The student will have a complex point of view on the topic and will be able to think and argue independently.
For more info, contact the particular universities please:
Participating universities:
Program description:
The program is, to the future, considered a joint degree, depending on particular countries’ accreditation rules and conditions. Meantime, it is proposing a collaborative study program. It is an entirely new concept of the doctoral study program. The program should serve the project’s suitability, i.e. for the future close collaboration among Universities from the consortium. The study will focus mainly on the knowledge of humanities and social sciences. The students will be preparing for involvement in various social and professional discourses competently and with pre-comprehension and, based on data, to use convincing arguments to communicate meaningfully about important issues related to the functional performance of social work and scientific research in the field of spirituality, ethics and social work.
The conception of the programme assumes an innovative approach to study in the form of seminars. It should be possible to attend these seminars according to the students´ professional interests at participating universities. The students will have one supervisor in one university and will perform particular seminars on different universities. However, the cotutelle as join supervision of dissertation of two supervisors will be possible, too. The student will choose the seminars primarily according to the specialisation on the study of spirituality in social work or ethics in social work. Second, the student decides seminar on the topic of his or her dissertation. Thirdly according to his or her professional interest.
Graduate profile:
The graduate is familiar with the international discourse of spirituality in social work or ethics in social work. The graduate is able to provide research and independent creative or conceptual-strategic and analytical activities focusing on issues related to spirituality or ethics. He or she, therefore, has professional prerequisites for research, creative and pedagogical work at universities, for creative and research work in research-oriented institutions, for pedagogical work at higher education institutions, for professional and strategic-conceptual work in social services, public administration and self-government and social policy, in consulting services and projects, or media outlets and publishers focusing on topics from the humanities and social sciences, especially ethics and spirituality.
Prerequisites:
MA in Social Work or a similar study program (e.g. social pedagogy, caritas/diaconia studies, psychology, etc.)
Study language is English.
For more info contact assoc. prof. Dr Michal Opatrný from USB, Czechia, mopatrny@tf.jcu.cz
Spirituality, ethics, and social work is the result of a two-year European project between university partners from Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Spain, and a Youth Organization from Ireland. The aim of this manual is to offer a guide and training tool for social workers and other helping professions dealing with clients in the dynamic European social, economic, political, cultural, and religious frame in the beginning of the 21st century.
The volume is designed as an open access training tool for postgraduate level, where teachers and trainers will find a general structure of the training goals (what you can get) with knowledge, skills and attitudes, a short introduction of the topic, and questions for self-reflection at the end, which can be used as tasks.