Teaching sustainable development to an international class of social work masters students

We aim to present the design of a module on sustainable development for an Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme in social work, Advanced Development in Social Work (ADVANCES). The Programme receives social work students from... [ view full abstract ]

We aim to present the design of a module on sustainable development for an Erasmus Mundus Masters Programme in social work, Advanced Development in Social Work (ADVANCES). The Programme receives social work students from around the world and seeks to develop practitioner’s skills and leadership in order to correspond confidently to the increasing vulnerabilities and uncertainties facing societies across the world.
Sustainable development and particularly natural environment issues are progressively entering social work practice and theory, and they are central topics if social work is to continue to be a relevant profession for the future. The ADVANCES Programme has an international perspective and sustainability is a global and international problem by definition. Raising the student’s awareness and consciousness for sustainable development practice, as well as their knowledge base and skills to assess sustainability needs and to develop sustainable development projects, were fundamental aims for integrating this module in the programme.
We will present and discuss the options taken in relation to the module syllabus and assessment assignments. We will also discuss the student’s ideas for sustainability implementation, which will be one of the assessment elements, connecting class learning, their previous practice and future professional plans.