1. Home
  2. Social Work Theory and Practice 4: Activism and Social Change [SWK4121]

School: Arts and Humanities

This unit information may be updated and amended immediately prior to semester. To ensure you have the correct outline, please check it again at the beginning of semester.

  • Unit Title

    Social Work Theory and Practice 4: Activism and Social Change

  • Unit Code

    SWK4121

  • Year

    2026

  • Enrolment Period

    1

  • Version

    2

  • Credit Points

    15

  • Full Year Unit

     N

  • Mode of Delivery

    On Campus

  • Unit Coordinator

    Dr Obed ADONTENG-KISSI

Description

This unit explores social work activism by an analysis of social change as expressed through social movements for justice and peace. The unit considers the many ways in which social workers may intervene and respond at both a local individual and community level and at a global level. It presents a holistic model of social change premised on structural and post structural theorising which allows social workers to intervene across the broad spectrum of fields of practice in ways which enhance peoples well-being and contribute to their struggles for justice, human rights and sustainable development. It has a strong focus on social work practice as being progressive and activist oriented enacting a social change agenda, and working in partnership with disadvantaged communities both locally and internationally.

Non Standard Timetable Requirements

This unit is delivered in 5-day Block format on the Bunbury campus or Mount Lawley Campus. Students undertaking this unit must attend 5-day Block classes on the Bunbury campus or Mount Lawley Campus.

Prerequisite Rule

Students must pass 2 units from SWK4111, SWK4115 or SWK4116.

Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit students should be able to:

  1. Analyse the social work professions commitment to activism, and, more broadly, to social change.
  2. Evaluate various models of social change.
  3. Formulate their own practice framework.
  4. Generate a self-care plan.
  5. Outline significant social movements and their impact on social work.

Unit Content

  1. Approaches to self care.
  2. Frameworks of knowledge for social work practice.
  3. Models for social change.
  4. Principles, strategies and tactics for activists.
  5. Social change and the social work profession.

Learning Experience

Students will attend on campus classes as well as engage in learning activities through ECU's LMS

City CampusJoondalupSouth West (Bunbury)
Term 4Not Offered5 x 7 hour seminar5 x 7 hour seminar

For more information see the Semester Timetable

Additional Learning Experience Information

Teaching will include interactive lectures and tutorials, student discussions groups and video/DVD resources.

Assessment

GS1 GRADING SCHEMA 1 Used for standard coursework units

ON CAMPUS
TypeDescriptionValue
PresentationConcept Map and Oral Presentation50%
AssignmentPractice Framework paper50%

Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005)

For the purposes of considering a request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), inherent requirements for this subject are articulated in the Unit Description, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the support for students with disabilities or medical conditions can be found at the Access and Inclusion website.

Assessment

Students please note: The marks and grades received by students on assessments may be subject to further moderation. Informal vivas may be conducted as part of an assessment task, where staff require further information to confirm the learning outcomes have been met. All marks and grades are to be considered provisional until endorsed by the relevant School Progression Panel.

Academic Integrity

Integrity is a core value at Edith Cowan University, and it is expected that ECU students complete their assessment tasks honestly and with acknowledgement of other people's work as well as any generative artificial intelligence tools that may have been used. This means that assessment tasks must be completed individually (unless it is an authorised group assessment task) and any sources used must be referenced.

Breaches of academic integrity can include:

  • Plagiarism: Copying the words, ideas or creative works of other people or generative artificial intelligence tools, without referencing in accordance with stated University requirements. Students need to seek approval from the Unit Coordinator within the first week of study if they intend to use some of their previous work in an assessment task (self-plagiarism).
  • Unauthorised collaboration (collusion): Working with other students and submitting the same or substantially similar work or portions of work when an individual submission was required. This includes students knowingly providing others with copies of their own work to use in the same or similar assessment task(s).
  • Contract cheating: Organising a friend, a family member, another student or an external person or organisation (e.g. through an online website) to complete or substantially edit or refine part or all of an assessment task(s) on their behalf.
  • Cheating in an exam: Using or having access to unauthorised materials in an exam or test.

Serious outcomes may be imposed if a student is found to have committed one of these breaches, up to and including expulsion from the University for repeated or serious acts.

ECU's policies and more information about academic integrity can be found on the student academic integrity website.

All commencing ECU students are required to complete the Academic Integrity Module.

Assessment Extension

In some circumstances, Students may apply to their Unit Coordinator to extend the due date of their Assessment Task(s) in accordance with ECU's Assessment Procedure - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000001386.

Special Consideration

Students may apply for Special Consideration in respect of a final unit grade, where their achievement was affected by Exceptional Circumstances as set out in the Assessment Procedure - for more information visit https://askus2.ecu.edu.au/s/article/000003318.

SWK4121|2|1