- Social Work in Different Contexts, 10 credits.
- Comparative Welfare Policy, 10 credits.
- Comparative research, design and methods, 10 credits.
- Master thesis 30 credits.

Academically responsible: Professor Johans Sandvin and Associated professor Siv Oltedal,
e-mail: Johans.Sandvin@hibo.no, siv.oltedal@hibo.no

Coordinator: Assistant Professor Carina Fjelldal.
e-mail: Carina.Fjelldal@hibo.no

Contact address:
Bodø University College
International Office, international@hibo.no or

Department of Social Sciences
Bodø University College
Bodø N-8048 Bodø
Norway

Web-site: www.hibo.no

Admission:
Masters students in social work and sociology at Bodø Regional University. Other students who hold a three year bachelor degree in social work, sociology or other social sciences.

Application deadline:
Masters students at Bodø University College have to sign up for this course by 15th of April. Other students who hold a three year bachelor degree in social sciences, have to send an application to Bodø University College. Application deadline: the 15th of April. Application deadline for foreign students who need a visa is March the 1st.

Application deadline:
1. December through the Norwegian Embassy for Norad scholarship students.
1. March for students who need a Visa or Quota students.
15. April for other Norwegian or foreign students.

Application requirements for Norad Fellows:

• Relevant professional experience of 2 years.
• Leave of absence from your job in your home country.
• The admission requirements are further specified in chapter 2,3 and 7 (www.siu.no).
• English language skills are documented by: either TOFEL test (min. 550 points or IELTS band 6.0).

Visa:
International students outside the EU will need a visa to study in Norway. Such students are urged to apply as soon as possible – at latest March 1^st . For visa procedures, please contact the International Office, international@hibo.no.

Scholarship:
Contact the international officer at your university or contact International Office, Bodø University College Telephone: + 47 75517200. Telefax:  + 47 75517457 or contact Jan.r.stoerkersen@hibo.no

 
 Objective:
The main objective of the master programme in Comparative Social Work is to provide social workers with the necessary tools to be capable of analysing, critical assessing and developing:

• Social work in dynamic interaction between welfare regimes and societies
• Competence in critical analysis of the welfare system, its institutions and delivery of services, in a global perspective
• Competence in comparative research design and to qualify for a PhD programme in social sciences

The courses will be taught in English and all curriculum literature will be in English. The different models of welfare regimes and their political and ethical foundation will be compared. The economic organisation and management of the welfare systems and services will be focused on. The same applies to the interaction between global economic and ideological trends, and national governance of the welfare services and the welfare state.

The social workers' different mandates and their role in implementing social policy will also be focused on. The course will study how social work in different countries is legitimised and compare how different countries comprehend and treat social problems, ethical issues, human rights, the relationship between social work and other welfare professions, voluntary and political work. An element of the course will be an analysis of the existence of differing professional boundaries between social work and other professional groups, leading to an exploration of different constructions of social work.

The students will have the opportunity to carry out comparative studies of social work and welfare systems in different countries. The course will explore the extent of comparative research in the field of social work, critically appraising comparative research methodologies to enable students to build skills that they might use in their home environment to develop a comparative approach to practice. Studies may also be directed at comparing phenomena in the student's home country for example between urban and rural social work and set in a historical perspective. The research is expected to include fieldwork.

Main issues:

• Different welfare systems.
• Changes in social policy in late modern society.
• Legitimisation and professionalization of social work.
• The dynamic interaction between social work, social problems and social policy.
• Comparative research design.
•  

Social Work in Different Contexts

ECTS Credits: 10.00
Responsible institution: Bodø Regional University, Faculty of Social Sciences
Academic contact address: Associate professor Siv Oltedal and associate professor Hans-Jørgen Wallin Weihe

Aims of the course: 
The aims of the course are to increase the awareness of:

• The authentic self and myself in different contexts
• My core values and how they relate to different contexts
• How do communities in different contexts relate to various problems as deviance or normality, individual or collective, private or public or family or public issues
• How do individuals in different contexts share various problems with significant other and/or larges communities
• Resilience work as a way of moving forward with a troubled past, present and future
• The questions we are asking, and what kind of information we then give away
• The stories we are telling about others and over selves and what they tell about us
• Human rights and how to interpret them in different contexts
• Possibilities and limitations with using human rights as a part of the value foundation in social work
• Work with vulnerable groups and awareness rising through community work
• The dynamic interaction between social work, social problems and social policy

Content:
In the course students from different countries and contexts will come together and enhance their understanding of each other and of their cultural heritage. How to reflect about ones own stories and the story of the “others” from another cultural context. In the course the students will move into the different themes as it is presented in the aim for the course.

Main isses:

• Short introduction to different welfare systems and current changes in social policy
• Legitimisation and professionalisation of social work and the dynamic interaction between social work, social problems and social policy
• Minorities and majority groups, gender issues and social work in a rural and an urban context

Organising:
This course starts with a three-week on-campus study at Bodø University College July19th – August 6^th. The course also includes off-campus e-learning study programme. Students must therefore have access to Internet.

Evaluation:
This exam is an essay. The students are going to write an essay on 8 – 12 pages on the theme: Reflections upon own identity in different contexts.
 

Comparative Welfare Policy 

ECTS Credits: 10.00
Responsible institution: Bodø University College, Faculty of Social Sciences
Semester: Autumn
Academic contact address: Professor Johans Samdvin and Lecturer Arne Grønningsæter
Email: Johans.Sandvin@hibo.no

Aims of the cource:
The aim of the course Comparative Welfare Policy is to build competence in critical analysis of welfare systems, its institutions and delivery services, in a global perspective by focusing on the following themes:

• Different welfare systems
• Welfare policy as part of nation building
• The impact of marked thinking on welfare policy in a global perspective
• Social capital and civil society
• Different citizenships as social, civil and political roles
• Gender perspective, power and political mobilization to make private trouble into public issues
• Variation in welfare services for minority and majority groups and between periphery and central areas
• The different models of welfare policies and their ethical and religious foundations
• Legitimisation, professionalization and different roles of social work
• The mixture of welfare services provided within the marked, the civil society and the state
• The stories we are telling about others and over selves and what they tell about us
• Human rights and how to interpret them in different contexts
• Possibilities and limitations with using human rights as a part of the value foundation in social work
• Work with vulnerable groups and awareness rising through community work
• The dynamic interaction between social work, social problems and social policy

Content:
In the course students from different countries and contexts will come together and enhance their understanding of each other and of their different welfare systems and especially on the differences in welfare mix between different countries. In the course the students will move into the different themes as it is presented in the aim for the course.  The student will get an introduction to different welfare systems and current changes in social policy.


Comparative Research design and method

ECTS Credits: 10 credits
Responsible institution: Bodø Regional University, Faculty of Social Sciences
Semester: Autumn
 Academic contact address: Associate professor Masudur Rahman
Email: masudur.rahman@hibo.no 

Aims of the cource:
Comparative Research design and method is to build competence in comparative research design by focusing on the following themes:

• What is comparative research?
• Getting familiar with different forms of qualitative research
• How to do case studies?
• How to plan and carry out a field study?
• How to prepare for and write a master thesis?

Content:
The students will have the opportunity to do comparative studies of social work and welfare systems in Norway and other countries. The course will explore the extent of comparative research about social work, critically appraising comparative research methodologies to enable students to build skills that they might use in their home environment to develop a comparative and contextual approach to practice. Studies may also be directed at comparing phenomena in the student’s home country for example between urban and rural social work and set in a historical perspective. The research will include fieldwork. The student may also evaluate an on-going development programme in their fieldwork.

10 credits of the course is focusing on methodology. In the other half of the course the student may choose his/her own literature. The student do also have the opportunity to choose the literature and themes that is being taught in the course "Comparative Welfare Policy"

Organising:
The course consists of both on-campus and off-campus study programme. Students must therefore have access to Internet. This course starts will start with an open-learning program. The students will have possibility to attend a PhD course in Comparative Micro studies in Bodø in week 46. In week 47 there will be an intensive preparation course on doing comparative fieldwork: The course is held at Bodø University College.

This course will include fieldwork. The students may when they are sending in their application give information regarding where they want to have their fieldwork. In their own land or in a foreign country. We are currently working toward fieldwork programmes in South-Africa, Cuba, Bangladesh, Russia and Australia. The Norwegian students who do have the opportunity to stay abroad for three or more months will get financial support from Bodø University College. 

Master thesis

ECTS-credits: 30
Responsible institution: Bodø Regional University, Faculty of Social Sciences
Semester: Autumn and spring
Academic contact address: Professor Johans Sandvin and Professor Steven Schardlow
Email: Johans.Sandvin@hibo.no Steven.Shardlow@hibo.no
 

The objective of the study

The objective with the master thesis is to give training in scientific work and thinking within the field of comparative social work.

Scientific and methodological approach

Each candidate will make her/his own choice of theme and problems addressed in the master thesis. The problems addressed can be either theoretical or empirical.

The thesis must have a clear way of presenting the problem addressed. The candidate should, through the thesis, show that he/she commands analytical perspectives and methods.

Empirically orientated thesis can be based upon data collected by the candidate’s own research or already collected material. In case the thesis is based upon material collected by other researchers the level of discussions and interpretations will have to be higher than if it is based upon material collected by the candidates themselves.

The thesis can also be based upon theoretical reflections of the candidates own work experience as social workers.

Fieldwork and comparative profile

The fieldwork part of the course is between 1 and 3 months.

Size

The thesis is 30 credits, however each candidate can apply to write a thesis of 60 credits. The demands that the academic review will place upon the thesis will vary according to the number of credits (normally 30 credits – after application 60 credits). Students on Norad Fellowship scholarship or on quota scholarship for 2004-2005, can normally only choose a 30 credits thesis.

Thesis of 60 credits will count for half of the final master awarding, while thesis of 30 credits will count for 25 %.

In number of pages a 60-credit thesis is required to be approximately 100 pages and 30 credits thesis is required to be between 50 and 70 pages. (Defined by 12 point Times New Roman, 1.5 distances between each typed line).

After application two students can work together with the same thesis. In case of co-operation the candidates will have to give an account of each individual candidates work. This can be done either i the preface and/or by the candidates being responsible for different chapters/sections in the thesis. In case of co-operation a 30-credit thesis should be a minimum of 100 pages and a 60-credit thesis a minimum of 200 pages.

Supervision

Each candidate has the right to receive supervision in addition to the tutoring done as part of the master seminar. Each candidate with a 30-credit thesis has a right to 20 hours of supervision. In case of two candidates co-operating about a master thesis they have a right to 30 hours of supervision. Candidates with a 60-credit thesis will have a right to 40 hours of supervision. The supervisor’s preparation and meeting with the student is included in supervision time.

Each candidate has the right to one main supervisor and one assisting supervisor. If the candidates wish an assisting supervisor not being part of the faculty of Bodø University College, he/she will have to suggest an assisting supervisor himself or herself. The total number of hours used for supervision will remain the same even if both a mains supervisor and an assisting supervisor are used.

Exam

The thesis and the course will be awarded marks and it will be stated in the diploma if the candidate has written a 30-credit thesis or a 60-credit thesis.