DEPARTMENTAL INFORMATION

SWK 295/699: Social Welfare and Social Work in China and Hong Kong

Course description:

Social welfare policy and social services are shaped by social, political, economic, and cultural forces within a society and among societies. This course focuses on the impact of these forces to develop cross cultural understanding of social development, social policy, social services, and social work issues in China and Hong Kong.

This course enables students to (a) reflect on their own perspectives, and (b)study and observe the social and cultural context of China/Hong Kong through esperience of the culture and working of both state as well as non-governmental social welfare agencies.

The course will provide a developmental context of China and Hong Kong and the society's ways of viewing social problems, social justice, and social service.

The travel component of the course will involve visits to the cities of Beijing, Zhuhai, and Hong Kong. Students will visit social service, educational, and community development organizations in the cities as well as sites of historical and cultural interest.

Students will participate in two pre-travel seminar sessions that will focus on:

• the Chinese/Hong Kong social, cultural, economic, political, and historical context
• concepts and tools for cross-societal comparison of social development, social policies, and social services
• some of the sites to be visited during the study tour
• information about travelling to and in China/Hong Kong