Dr Avery Calhoun

Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Social Work Pedagogy for a Globalizing World

Abstract

In the context of the ascendance of neoliberal globalism, universities are calling for 'globalization,' and have articulated institutional principles purportedly aimed at 'internationalizing' education. Faculties of social work are uniquely situated to enact this new mandate. As social work faculty members in a large research university, we struggle to operationalize the mandates of our employer and our profession. Two approaches present themselves: the first involves adapting course content to include material on international issues; the second involves changing the way courses are delivered to students. Implicit in the second option is the recognition that teaching is inherently political and has the potential to either perpetuate or challenge oppressive structures and practices. While the second option is in keeping with the ethical underpinnings of the social work profession, it requires adopting teaching strategies that challenge the power-based hierarchy of mainstream universities. This paper describes our attempts to negotiate the contradiction between professional and institutional pressures. Student responses to a range of teaching strategies are included to highlight the issues involved.

Bionotes

Avery Calhoun brings a post-modern feminist perspective to her work as a teacher, social work clinician, and program evaluator. She has particular interests in the areas of interpersonal violence and restorative justice. In her current role as Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work, Avery teaches clinical and research method courses.

Presentation Type
30 min. Paper

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Country
Canada