ISW Conference 2007
Friday, March 9th
Registration
4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Welcome: Katherine Kendall
5:30 to 5:45 p.m. Katherine Kendall
Keynote: “Social Work in a Globalizing World: Challenges and Opportunities”
5:45 to 6:30 p.m. Keynote: Jim Midgley
In this keynote address, James Midgley discusses the different ways the concept of globalization has been conceptualized in the social sciences. Because of social work’s historic engagement in international activities, he argues that the profession is well placed to advocate for a cosmopolitan view of globalization that affirms the importance of cooperation and mutuality in international affairs. However, this requires that international social work exchanges also reflect these ideals. The challenges and opportunities of enhancing mutuality and reciprocity among social worker practitioners and educators in different parts of the world are discussed and illustrated with examples of successful reciprocal and mutually beneficial exchanges.
Reception
7 to 9 p.m. Boston College Club, 100 Federal Street, 36th Floor, Boston.
Saturday, March 10th
Breakfast
8 to 9 a.m.
Conference Introduction
9 to 9:15 a.m. Kay Davidson and Alberto Godenzi
Plenary Session I: International Social Work: Global Contribution or Academic Tourism?
9:15 to 10:30 a.m. Moderator: Julia Watkins, Panelists: Gary Bailey, Rosemary Barbera, Denise Gammonley, Karen Sowers
This plenary panel will explore the significant questions and issues that suggest the purposes to be accomplished through multiple mechanisms of long-term engagement in international environments, how they become “mainstreamed” within our academic institutions, and how they may emerge from serendipitous events of academic tourism as well as from well planned strategic considerations.
Break
10:30 to 11 a.m.
Roundtables to discuss Session I
11 to 12:15 p.m.
Lunch on your own
12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
Parallel sessions: Faculty engaged in ISW
1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Goutham Menon and Narda Razack
This session will present data from a national survey conducted on international activities of US based faculty. The presentation will highlight the types of activities being initiated and the location of the same. The session will also address issues that are needed to prepare faculty and students to move towards global competence.
Transgressions and omissions: recognizing the disparate voices when teaching international social work.
Many university classrooms consist of students who have origins in countries from all corners of the globe. Internationalization is an increasing trend in universities and courses focusing on international social work are being incorporated into the curriculum in many schools. The scholarship on this topic focuses on cross national activities, international research, exchanges and development. There are also course outlines and texts which relate the history of international social work and case examples to engage in discussion on various topics. In developing and teaching the course, International Social Work over the past two years, I observe the struggles and contradictions which ensue when we discuss global issues. Classroom debates produce tensions because the voices of those who originate from Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle Eastern countries and also those who suffered through ethnic cleansing and other forms of abuses, oftentimes contradict other students who espouse Northern interpretations of social justice and human rights. This paper highlights the pedagogical struggles and challenges teaching International Social by illustrating how the western/indigenous debates unfold and how the universal and local interface. The course allowed for ways to promote discussions to make voices more accountable in the process and connect experiences to the broader historical, socio-political and economic realities. I will describe some of these classroom contestations through the lens of postcolonial and critical race theory to provide a framework for decolonizing the contested spaces in the classroom. Implications for international work will be discussed.
Parallel sessions: Definitions, concepts, and goals
1:30 to 2:45 p.m. Bill Rowe and Karen Sowers
This session provides an introduction to the definitions, concepts and goals of international social work. More specifically, the global perspective of social work is described, international organizations are briefly reviewed and global definitions of social work practice are explicated. Global standards and the values and ethics of global social work are highlighted At the close of the session participants will (1) understand the development of the global perspective of social work (2) identify and describe the two major international organizations providing leadership for the globalization of social work (3) describe the global definition of social work practice (4) identify the major global standards and values and ethics of global social work
Break
2:45 to 3:15 p.m.
Parallel sessions: International field education opportunities
3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Pat Lager, Helane Leta, and Mark Rodgers
The level of interest in international social work has increased rapidly in recent years. Concurrent with this is a substantial increase in efforts on the part of social work programs to develop international field placements for students. Given the growing climate of interest on the part of social work students to study and intern abroad, combined with the problems associated with the development of international placements, this session will focus on the results of data gathered from social work programs on the present “state of the art” in designing, developing, and implementing overseas field placements. In addition, the session will highlight strengths and barriers to consider in establishing these placements. The varying terminology used to international internships, study abroad, international volunteer experiences, service learning projects abroad, etc., will also be discussed. The ultimate goal will be to provide helpful information for social work programs to consider when developing international placements for their students based on best practice and CSWE standards.
Objectives:
• To provide substantive information on the varying models and structures of international field placements
• To inform participants of the strengths and barriers of establishing internships abroad
• To assist in the development of a taxonomy on international field education opportunities
• To identify best practice procedures and guidelines in the development of international field placements that are consistent with CSWE standards
• To address important issues relating to the sustainability of international internships
Parallel sessions: U.S. based students studying abroad
3:15 to 4:30 p.m. Ginny Majewski and Michàlle Mor Barak
This session will focus on designing international learning experiences that enrich the education of U.S. based social work students. The objectives are to: (1) examine issues to consider in promoting student opportunities, such as student preparedness, cultural sensitivity and language, financial considerations and travel and housing; (2) provide practical examples; and, (3) discuss challenges and opportunities for students. We will include practical examples from the experiences of faculty members who have led U.S. based students on international learning experiences.
Sunday, March 11th
Breakfast with multimedia presentation of international placements
8 to 9 a.m. We will hear from the Boston College Global Practice interns from the field
Parallel sessions: International students studying in the U.S.
9 to 10:15 a.m. Penny Alexander and Leslie Bozeman
This session will provide a brief overview of the literature regarding international students studying in the United States as it applies to schools of social work, illustrate the experience of international students studying specifically in the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, and offer general recommendations for how to integrate international students into American schools of social work and improve the experience of a school of social work’s existing international population
Parallel sessions: Infusion of international content into curricula
9 to 10:15 a.m. Kofi Danso, Lynne Healy, and Rosemary Link
Students of social work now expect to practice with people of different cultures and national origin. Integrating international content is part of our local concern to combat discrimination and support human rights. In panel dialogue and group discussion, this presentation:
1) Identifies the impact of global issues on the profession and the conceptual basis for internationalizing curriculum;
2) demonstrates with case examples why understanding international issues is integral to our curriculum;
3) reviews the language and expectations of EPAS;
4) presents a framework for analysis and integration of content in courses, including examples of how to approach integration in assignments and case studies for presentations.
Break
10:15 to 10:45 a.m.
Parallel sessions: Funding opportunities for ISW
10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mizan Miah and Mark Rodgers.
This workshop will report the findings of information gathered from Schools of Social Work in the United States regarding their efforts to successfully acquire funding for International Social Work Activities. Using data collected from a survey sent to all accredited social work programs (n=37), the workshop will present the results relative to the type of programs seeking international funding, the focus of the projects, the type of international partnerships that resulted as well as the source of funding. Finally, the workshop presenters will share information about funding sources for programs considering international activities in the future.
Parallel sessions: Alliances with international partners
10:45 a.m. to 12 p.m Kofi Danso, Jim Decker, Lydia Hall, and Martha Merrill
There is an urgent need for developing and establishing graduate social work education in International settings. Topics to be discussed will be program management, developing priorities, how to promote strategies that ensure successful enrollment, progression and graduation, types of programs, field education and placements, interdisciplinary initiatives, collaboration, mentoring, faculty and student exchange, community partnerships, strategic plans, developing relationships within the university, developing external funding with stakeholders at the US and International levels. And how to develop mission, goals and objectives for these new programs that support these new emerging nations in areas of social development.
Networking luncheon
12 to 1 p.m.
Plenary Session II: Lessons from International Social Work
1 to 2:15 p.m Moderator: Kay Davidson, Panelists: Dick Edwards, Lynne Healy, Frank Raymond, and Cudore Snell
NADD Task Force report & International Clearinghouse Project
2:15 to 3 p.m. Alberto Godenzi & Nicole Malec Kenyon
This session concludes the ISW conference. The presenters will summarize what has been accomplished and lay out potential venues to further enhance global collaboration. One of the key features to facilitate and bolster the cause of the conference will be a new initiative called the “International Social Work Clearinghouse Project.” This online resource will include a searchable archive of items such as the conference proceedings and other documents related to best practices in international social work. The goal of the clearinghouse will be to accept submissions of electronic resources and information (both scholarly and practical) for international social work educators.