Welcome to SWLF 1005!

1
Welcome to SWLF 1005!

• Two important thoughts as we begin
• Congratulations! You are one of those fortunate
  enough to make it to university.
• Did you always think you would be here? (More on
  this later)

2
Who is this guy?

• Name Prof. Joel D. Harden (Joel is preferred)
• Hails from Wakefield (Quebec)
• Why am I here? As your course director this
  year.
• Something interesting about me? I am secretly
  rooting for Finland tomorrow

3
Your turn for introductions

• Two tasks here
• With the markers provided (or using pens of your
  own), create a name placard for the rest of the
  year. You need to hand this placard back to me
  at the end of each class.
• 2. For a few minutes, strike up a conversation
  with the person on your immediate right. Get
  from them the same details I just provided to
  you. When we reconvene, you will introduce this
  person to the rest of the class.

4
Analysis of the course outline

• Assignments (my student friendly version)
• First paper (10), second paper (25), three
  quizzes (20), class participation (10), class
  presentation (10), final exam (30). There is
  some flexibility here.
• Weekly readings divided into five sections
  overall (I - Canadian social welfare in
  historical perspective II Key concepts III
  Social work in practice IV Criminal justice V
  Contemporary debates).

5
Analysis of the course outline (contd)

• Readings Steven Hick (2002 and 2004), Jeffrey
  Reiman (2004), Joel Andreas (2003), Maude Barlow
  and Tony Clarke (2003).
• The Barlow and Clarke text is available online
  from the Internet at www.canadians.org

6
Your responsibilities, or how can I get an A
in this course?

• GUIDING PRINCIPLES
• To hand in assignments on time, and observe the
  universitys policy for academic dishonesty.
• To be prepared to participate in tutorials and
  lectures. QWhat is meant by participation?
• To be respectful of others during class, this
  includes myself, guest speakers and fellow
  students.
• To challenge yourself by thinking critically
  about all you encounter in this course.

7
What is critical thinking?

• Best explained in practice, learned from
  experience.
• One clue The red pill approach
• Another clue from Albert Einstein That genius
  lies not in the answer, but the question. What
  do you think this means?

8
First in-lecture assignment

• In one paragraph (2-3 sentences), reflect on what
  you think social welfare is, and what motivated
  you to take this course.
• In one paragraph (again, 2-3 sentences), describe
  something an experience of critical thinking you
  have had. What made you re-evaluate what you had
  previously thought? How has this experience
  changed the way you view other related matters?

9
Questions for today

• What is social welfare? What does Hick (2002
  9-10 2004 11-14) think the term social welfare
  describes?
• What is the welfare state? What, according to
  Hick, does this term describe? (2004 12-13)
• What are the differences between social services
  and income security programs?

10
Questions for today (continued)

• What are tax expenditures? Why might these have
  to do with social welfare? (2004 13)
• What is a social welfare problem? What are
  different ways in which social welfare
  provision happens? (2004 15)

11
Questions for today (continued)

• For Hick, what do social workers do? (2002
  13-14)
• What are some of the different approaches in
  social work and social welfare? (2002 14-17
  2004 16-17)
• Why are income security programs often
  controversial? (2004 18-25)

12
Questions for today (continued)

• What is Canadian federalism? Why should
  students of social welfare care about it? (2004
  25-27)
• Hick briefly alludes to economic globalization.
  What do you think this term means? (27-28)

13
Themes for weeks 1-3 (contd)

• Why is the concept of income security important
  for Canadas social welfare system?
• How can we define the role of social work and
  social workers in Canadas social welfare system?
• How do specific income security programs actually
  work? What are their strengths and/or weaknesses?

14
Suggestions for Quiz 1 and your first written
assignment

• Keep on top of weekly readings!
• Research, take reading notes, create smaller
  reading notes, write, and edit, edit, edit, edit,
  edit (and edit still a little more)
• Come to tutorial and lecture prepared and ready
  to participate.
• Review lecture and tutorial notes at the end of
  each week.
• Create a study group to compare notes, ideas and
  strategies.

15
For next week

• Readings Weeks 1-2.
• Buy your textbooks, and get started on your first
  paper.
• Have fun, but rememberthink of Morpheuswhy you
  came here!