Study Guide

Objective

Learning objectives:

You understand how civil society works and what is the role of civil society in democratic societies. You recognize what the main challenges and future possibilities are in terms of citizen and community participation. You understand the theory and practice of community work as part of social and educational work. You recognize the ways to support communities in terms of social justice, equity, and inclusion. You can utilize and apply participatory methods and community work practices.

Content

Content:
-The basics of community work and community development, especially in the context of civil society
- Community work as a socio-pedagogical practice
- The concept of inclusion is examined in relation to civil rights, active citizenship, communities, social justice, and equity
- The participatory and inclusive working methods as an essential part of the community work approach, both in theory and practice

Location and time

The course is conducted mainly online. The course includes two joint working sessions on campus.

The course starts in week 33 (from 12.8.) with self-study.
The course will include collaborative online work. Students can choose to participate in joint distance learning or to study the topics covered independently with the help of recordings and substitute assignments.
Joint learning sessions:
Week 34 wed 21st Aug (21.8.) 4h Orientation + visitors, Tikkarinne campus
Week 36, Wed 4th Sep (4.9.) 4 h online workshop (together with SSNS22 + Savonia students)
Week 38, Wed 18th Sep (18.9.) 4h online workshop (together with SSNS22 + Savonia students)
Week 40 Wed or Thu 2.-3.10. 4 h Community work forum, Tikkarinne campus

Materials

Course materials can be found in the Moodle e-learning platform of the course

Teaching methods

Dear students, Welcome to the Community Work Course which will take place during the first period of Autumn, between weeks 34-42. The course is predominantly self-study but will include some in person and online workshops and online tutoring as per the timetable.

The course covers the following topics in theory and practice:
- what is civil society and its role in community work
- the theory, objectives and meaning of community work and community social work in the social sector
- the role and methods of participation and empowerment at the community level
- Socio-cultural animation as an orientation for community work
- Methods and tools of community work for application in practice

During the course, you will be assigned a small community work task to be performed either individually or with a partner. You may choose to work with an association, educational institution or a social organization. The course will provide you with options and suggestions for carrying out your assignment. However, you may also choose to work with your workplace or network. Best of luck!

Employer connections

During the course, you will carry out a community outreach activity alone or with a partner. This activity can be carried out in various settings such as an organization, educational institution, or social work organization. While the course will provide you with helpful suggestions and options for completing the assignment, you are free to utilize your own workplace or personal networks to accomplish your task.

Additionally, the course will have visitors attending.

Exam schedules

Completion of the course requires studying the teaching material on the course platform and completing assignments.

The progression of the course is organised into smaller tasks. Such as small-scale Moodle exams and discussion board assignments.
A poster or other presentation will be prepared for the course's community outreach assignment, which will be presented in week 40 and returned in week 41.

International connections

The course supports internationalisation, especially at home. If agreed, the community outreach assignment can also be carried out as a study trip, if a suitable destination abroad can be found.

Completion alternatives

RPL procedure:
Previous education: it is possible to apply for substitution if you if you have completed a course in community work or community social work in higher education in English.
Work experience: You have more than one year of work experience in community work and/or development, with responsibilities for development work and strengthening community working practices. For example, you have implemented socio-cultural animation processes. An AHOT based on work experience requires a demonstration of competence.

If you feel that you have the competences described above, please contact the responsible teacher to assess the possibility of an AHOT.

Student workload

The course is worth 5 credits and it requires approximately 135 hours of work from students. It is structured in a way that progresses step by step at a certain pace. Therefore, it is important to consider this pace when planning your study schedule. The community outreach assignment is scheduled for September, so it is recommended that you allocate enough time in your schedule for its preparation and completion.

Further information

The course is instructed in English, but it is not a language course. The aim of the course is to support students in using English in professional settings with ease. For instance, during online lessons, students can receive guidance in Finnish if needed. Additionally, the course materials include essential Finnish vocabulary.

It's important to note that the course does not evaluate the participants' English language proficiency.

Evaluation scale

H-5

Assessment methods and criteria

The course is evaluated on a numerical scale of 0 to 5. The assessment takes into account the course content and technical aspects. The content assessment criteria are aligned with the course objectives, while the technical criteria are used to monitor student progress. These criteria include timely completion of assignments and access to course materials in Moodle.