Course description
This course explores how practitioners respond to and influence change within the community. Students will have an opportunity to explore, at an advanced level, issues of diversity, collaboration, idealism, ethics and advocacy in the expression of their personal model of professional practice.
Course content
The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:
- Recognition and appreciation of diversity is fundamental for the development of a strong community. All individuals are respected and viewed with equal status because of the belief that the community is strengthened by the gifts, talents and abilities of all of its citizens.
- Cooperation and collaboration provide a firm base for personal and social change.
- People who nurture commitment and connectedness in their personal lives, on the job and in the community maintain their enthusiasm, creativity and energy.
- Believing in personal power and understanding its source is the basis of change.
- Practitioners who actively keep abreast of, reflect on, and apply trends in their field of practice and who can articulate and apply a personalized model of professional practice are able to sustain and renew themselves in their work.
- Practitioners can positively affect their field of practice by understanding systems and how power operates in organizations and communities.
- Professional practice requires critical thinking and the application of ethical principles in making decisions and taking action.
- A practitioner must know how to effectively use and refer others to a myriad of informal and formal community resources.
- Human services are a secondary medium for helping people. The primary medium of support in our community is social networks. Understanding the limitations of professional intervention improves professional accountability.
Learning activities
- Lecture
- Group Work
- Student Presentations
- Guest Speakers
- Audio—visual Presentations
Means of assessment
This course will conform to Douglas College policy regarding the number and weighting of evaluations.
- Written Research Paper
- Group Presentations
- Self and Peer Assessment
- Classroom Activity Participation
- Other
CFCS faculty require this as one of several courses where all students demonstrate diploma exit level skills, knowledge and attitudes.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Apply critical thinking skills and ethical decision making approaches to personal professional experiences.
- Describes an ethical situation objectively
- Describes own initial feelings related to the ethical situation
- Discusses critical thinking and ethical decision making processes used to explore/resolve the issue
- Articulates own learning from the process
- Self-assesses learning from the decision-making process including analyzing the pros/cons of the eventual solution in terms of the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of the critical thinking and ethical approaches utilized
- Investigate through personal contact with different individuals, groups or organizations, perspectives on social justice or related professional issues.
- Works with a group or team to coordinate information gathering/li>
- Describes accurately and clearly the issue to others
- Gathers information from others
- Summarizes learning from contacts made while exploring perspectives and solutions (e.g., who was contacted, the relevance of this contact to the issue, advocacy approaches used by and strategies and solutions suggested by each person or group)
- Describes the relevance of this issue to future field of practice
- Describes ethical dilemmas that emerged during investigations
- States own perspective on solutions and strategies for resolving this issue
- Reflects on own interactions with member of the community
- Produce and deliver, as a member of a team, a comprehensive presentation on a social justice or related professional issue, to a group of peers
- Works effectively as a member of a group or team
- Gathers from relevant sources information about the meaning of social issues, as well as, perspectives on possible solutions
- Organizes material, according to perspective represented, for clarity
- Uses a range of opinions to critically think about own perspective
- Presents information, as part of a team, comprehensively and in a way that maintains interest
- Summarizes in writing information related to the presentation, including a discussion of the current controversy, current government (federal or provincial) policy on this issue, community response, proposed solution, and ethical dilemmas or implications.