INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEECONSULTATION REPORT 215，February，2009

In Responding To
Revision of Curriculum of the Social Welfare Course at Doshisha
University Graduate School, December 2008

Prepared byDr. Per Gunnar Edebalk
Professor, Lund University, Sweden

Dr. Daniel B. Lee
Professor, Loyola University Chicago, USA

11. Comments on developments at Doshisha Education andResearch CenterWe are very pleased to learn about the developments at the Center sinceNovember 2007. Six international conferences, two special lectures andworkshops and two case conferences and supervisor training courses have beenhold.
Seven research projects are going on and they represent the core of the Centerand the broad competences among the Professors. Students take part in theprojects and this is a good way of learning about research in realistic settingsand getting material for thesis work. Having students in the projects is laudable.
Students are also taking part in discussions about revisions of curriculum.
Students are of course important stakeholders and letting them have a say inrevisions is in line with international trends.
In addition, the Center has an ambitious publication policy with four Newsletter
publications as yet.
In short, we are impressed by the developments during this quite short period
the Center has existed. We also appreciate the ambitious plans for the 2009
School Year.

2. Comments on Revision of Curriculum
Our comments here follow the points in the paper Revision of curriculum basedon the Report of January 19 2008, III Proposals for Current Issues.
1) Adoption of a system of compulsory subjects
A compulsory system will not be adopted this time. Instead the subjects in thecurriculum will be divided into four groups and a system of “electivecompulsory subjects” will be implemented in which students will be required toearn four or more credits from each group.
We like this idea as it complies with the broad definition you have of “SocialWelfare”.
But in our opinion “practical training” should be compulsory as one of youraims is to train highly specialized professionals. Other subjects could also becompulsory, first of all research methods. This is important when the students2are planning the Master`s thesis. Which tools can be used? Knowledge ofresearch methods is also of importance for professional social workers if theywant to work evidence-based, communicate with researchers or read scientificjournals and reports.
2) Field work will become diversified and be compulsory
A compulsory system will not be adopted this time. Instead, a lecture class“Social Welfare Survey Methods” will be established.
If field work will not be compulsory such a lecture class could be some kind ofsubstitute. In our opinion this lecture class should be compulsory and givecredits.
If in the future field work would be compulsory, it could be categorized as a newsubject e.g. called “practical training”.
Overseas practical training can be important for some students and could also be
categorized as “practical training”. Credits will not be given this time but we donot see the difficulties in giving credits. Credits could provide the students withincentives to do field work abroad.
3) Regarding the principal supervisor system
Deciding the principal supervisor during the autumn of the first year seems to bean appropriate decision. We guess that the old system tended to delay the start ofthe students` research towards writing their Master`s thesis.
4) Regarding seminars
Classes will now be established in which full-time teachers will provide
guidance for Master`s thesis and time will be provided for students to receive
thorough individual guidance.
Group-supervision can be beneficial for learning as the students are supposed tohave similar research-questions and perhaps similar theories or methods. And sothey can learn from each other.
At our universities it is natural that most guidance for the student`s master`sthesis is given outside classroom hours. Guidance normally takes place in thesupervisor`s office and supervisors are often not teaching the students in theclass-room. Supervisors are normally appointed as being some kind of expert in
the field of the thesis-work.
35) Regarding case conferences and supervisor workshops
We are not sure that we understand the meaning of “case conference” and“supervisor workshop”. If it is a kind of seminars, where students makepresentations or discuss their experiences from field-work, it is very good. Ifcredits are given, students have incentives to attend these seminars.
6) Regarding undergraduate subjects and subjects from other courses
Students from faculties outside those related to welfare studies will be instructed
to take subjects in the Department of Social Welfare but they will not earn anycredits. We agree but a more radical solution would be to make it compulsory
for students without a Bachelor degree in Social Welfare to take certain basic
undergraduate subjects without getting credits. This is important for keeping ahigh academic level in the Master course.
Having passed such basic subjects could perhaps be part of the admission
requirements.
Students should be actively encouraged to take subjects of other Graduate
Schools. Up to ten credits can be earned in two years.
We agree with this proposal. There are a lot of possible subjects to be studied
here e.g. psychology, management, sociology, statistics etc.

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