Human Development Education for Social Workers in Multicultural Societies

In many countries, social workers are faced with the challenge of tailoring their practice to the diverse needs of children and families in multicultural realities. Our training and teaching practices, however, lag behind in their readiness to face this challenge. Attempts to reconcile cultural perspectives and postmodernism with the traditional goals of human development education are generally premised on the following assumptions: (a) postmodernist education fosters the ability to think critically and question assumptions underlying claims to knowledge; (b) theories should be evaluated for their usefulness and applicability to a more equitable society; and (c) a dialogic model of education in human development highlights the ‘inherently polysemous’ nature of human existence rather than transmitting a codified body of knowledge. The paper calls attention to the challenges of cross‐cultural psychology, indigenous psychology and postmodern critique and offers the means of confronting these challenges. Examples are based on teaching experiences in Israel and the US.     

Evaluation of a Distance Learning,Post Graduate Advanced Award in Social Work Programme for Child and Family Social Work Supervisors and Mentors

This paper discusses open and distance learning and supervision in child and family social work, and presents the results of an evaluation by students of a distance learning, post graduate certificate programme for first‐line managers and supervisors in child and family social work. The programme also leads to an Advanced Award in Social Work. Eighteen students returned a postal questionnaire designed to gain their experiences of studying on the programme and their views about its different elements and its outcomes for themselves, their work, their organisations and service users. Most respondents thought that there were more advantages than disadvantages to studying by distance learning and to studying part‐time while working full‐time, but that self‐discipline is required and that workload constraints and difficulties in taking study time away from work impinged on their studies. More than half rated as good or very good the support provided by their mentors. Reported outcomes of studying on the programme included increased self‐confidence, enhanced supervisory practice, greater involvement of service users in service provision, and increased attention to gaining service user feedback. Key messages regarding the organisation of distance learning programmes are outlined, and pedagogical issues in post qualifying social work education are discussed, including the role of the mentor and the training needs of experienced staff or those working in specialised roles.     

Experiences of Post‐Qualifying Study in Social Work

This article is based on a research project to explore the experiences of past and current candidates for post‐qualifying awards in social work in England. Also included in the study are the Leads of the post‐qualifying consortia in England. The study used questionnaire survey and nominal group techniques to gather data, which were coded and categorised into themes. The main findings relate to the perceived purposes of post‐qualifying study, motivations for undertaking post‐qualifying study, the factors that sustain and hinder study, the advice that those who have or who are experiencing post‐qualifying study would give to those about to start and future plans and hopes in this area.

Post‐qualifying study is generally valued, especially in relation to the opportunities it provides for professional development. The support of a mentor who has direct experience of the candidate's programme is highly prized, as are clear and consistent guidance from the programme and meaningful study time and workload relief from employers. There are also frustrations for some candidates who do not feel that their post‐qualifying study has stretched them beyond qualifying standards or who experience the teaching as divorced from the realities of daily practice. The appetite for a wider choice of post‐qualifying modules suggests that providers of post‐qualifying study will need to collaborate within and across regions in order to achieve a critical mass of candidates for more specialist or focused learning. The study suggests a need for further research to understand the impact of post‐qualifying study on candidates' social work practice.

The article concludes with two checklists of questions, one for individual candidates and another for agencies and programmes. These questions arise from the findings in the research.     

Military Veterans Sharing First‐Person Stories of War and Homecoming: A Pathway to Social Engagement,Personal Healing,and Public Understanding of Veterans' Issues

What power, meaning and value may exist within a soldier's first‐person war story? Former Marine captain Tyler Boudreau, quoted below, suggests that constructing a personal narrative of the traumas of war and homecoming, then “asking questions” of the story, can provide a veteran with a “chart.” If this is so, can that chart help one along the road to healing from those traumas, especially when that story is shared with others? Could there be dangerous turns or pitfalls on the journey? How can a public sharing of narratives of wartime experiences help audiences to better respond to those veterans and families who must cope with a difficult transition from the battlefield to home? What guidelines can be used effectively to train and prepare storytellers for their role? In this collaborative article, strengthened by the clinical wisdom of various consulting clinicians, we examine these questions through the lenses of two programs that provide veterans opportunities to share their war stories publicly. They include the Veterans Education Project (VEP) and the “100 Faces of War Experience” project (100 Faces).     

后殖民主义与法治的“普世价值”话语

在区分后殖民主义与帝国主义、殖民主义、新殖民主义的概念的基础上,介绍了西方近年来的后殖民主义法律论述。通过比较研究,认为中国的法治理论要把“普世价值”作为一种启示而不是模式,要寻找中国的法治经验;应把“人权”、“主权”置于各自论域,摒弃人权、主权“高于”对方的争论。     

后奥运时期我国体育产业发展研究

北京奥运,既给我国体育产业的发展带来前所未有的契机,同时我们也将面临严峻的挑战。如何以科学的发展观为指导,采取正确合理的措施加以引导,有效地抓住发展机遇,并化解奥运经济之后可能出现的奥运后遗症风险和“奥运低谷效应”,充分利用奥运契机实现我国体育产业的快速发展,采取正确有效的措施都至关重要。     

从马克思的“物象化”理论到后现代主义的“拟象化”理论

马克思创立科学历史观、超越人本主义哲学视野之后 ,提出了一种不同于其早期异化理论的物象化理论。“物象化”并不是近代以来唯心主义哲学所理解的那种意识的外化、物化 ,那种主客观转化意义上的“物化”或者“异化” ;“物象化”并不是主体性的东西直接变成了物的存在 ,而是说 ,人与人之间的社会关系恰好像物与物之间的关系一样 ,被误看成是具有物体形象性质的东西 ,实质上这仅仅是一种假象。当代西方许多思想家都自觉地接受了马克思这一思想 ,或者从自己的角度对当代资本主义社会文化的物象化特征作出了反思与批判     

广义人文主义架构中的现代派小说（下）

1985年后的部分现代派作品,已经由对表现手法的借鉴发展到作品内涵上现代意识的传达,从而使中国当代现代派文学具有了一般意义上的现代主义含义.     

论作为一种思维方式的后现代主义

本文通过阐述后现代思维方式的转变及物理学背景 ,揭示后现代思维方式与现代思维方式的不同及实现后现代思维方式转变的现实意义     

浅谈现代艺术与后现代艺术的区别和理解

现代与后现代艺术思潮源于西方,对当代各艺术领域有着广泛而深刻的影响。本文通过对现代艺术与后现代艺术的主要精神的简要分析,从内容表达、作品的持久性、艺术标准这三方面来论析了这两个时期艺术的区别。