‘Echoes from the past’: Historical, cultural and community values influencing Tasmanian social work education

Title

‘Echoes from the past’: Historical, cultural and community values influencing Tasmanian social work education

Author(s)

Dr Sonya Stanford, Dr Margaret E Hughes

Presentation Goals

The session will enable critical appraisal of historical events and the geo-political contexts that converged to shape contemporary Tasmanian social work education. It will become apparent that significant cultural and professional disputes – at local and national levels – have intersected over time with attempts to rationalise higher education, creating turbulent environments for course restructuring and development. What emerges from this account is an understanding of the longevity of social justice values that have driven educational innovation in social work at UTAS. Distinctively, courses reflect local nuances whilst at the same time being responsive to national and international professional, educational and social issues.

Subtheme

Course Blends

Presentation Type

Poster

Keywords

social work education, local influences, global influences, distinctive experience, curriculum

Room

Stanley Burbury Lecture Theatre

Time

11.00-11.25

Abstract

While globalisation captures the imagination of the meaning and experience of interdependence, immediacy and common destinies on a mass scale, the 'local' continues to exert powerful forces of connectedness and impact.  This is particularly relevant for UTAS: it delivers the only accredited social work course in the state. The development of social work education in Tasmania is inextricably bound to its island topography and geo-cultural politics. We illustrate how our contemporary course reflects the legacy of significant past events that 'echo' in the present creating a distinctively, and nationally applauded, educational experience. By highlighting these elements we demonstrate the longevity and impact of the discipline's commitment to criticality and activism, reflectiveness, relationship-focused practice and social justice values. Importantly, we identify what has been historically silenced in the course – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives – and we present the discipline's recent responses to this omission. The poster demonstrates what can be learnt by listening to 'echoes of the past' that can inform responses to the next set of challenges facing university provided social work education.