The role of service users in problem formulation and technical aspects of social research

The importance of the practitioner-researcher relationship in problem formulation derives from the need for relevance to the issues faced by practitioners. This paper argues that if research is to be relevant to the issues faced by service users, they too must be involved in problem formulation. There is a substantial literature on the moral case for user involvement in research but relatively little about the technical benefits. The paper sets out some distinctions in the meaning of user involvement in different models of social research, and, drawing on examples of user-led and user-controlled research, suggests not only that problem formulation benefits from user involvement but that several other key technical aspects of social research may also be improved.     

In Memoriam

This article discusses the origin of social work education in Africa as an export of colonial powers. Social work or social work education has not been the product of a progressive social metamorphosis but rather that of foreign methodologies imposed on African societies. Consequently, the essence of social work education lacks relevance in terms of its philosophical, value and ideological base. Thus students who graduate from such a system of education tend to remain, to some extent, unfamiliar with indigenous knowledge systems and lack adequate knowledge in working with the people. The paper further argues that, while the origin of social work education is well known, its future direction, development and focus on the continent remain unknown, at worst haphazard, ad hoc and undirected with serious implications for the mission and vision of the profession. Social work in Africa has been without a platform to foster discourse on its nature, character and direction. Transformation of social work education from being Euro-centric to being Afro-centric has to be spearheaded by an organization that can provide a forum for dialogue, leadership and a contextual framework. The article therefore examines the need for such a forum and briefly discusses past efforts in this direction in an attempt to provide a direction for transformation.     

Gearing Up for Personalisation: Training Activities Commissioned in the English Pilot Individual Budgets Sites 2006–2008

The transformation of social care in England is taking place though changes affording greater choice and control for people using services. Individual budgets were one key element of these changes and were piloted in 13 local authorities in 2006–2008. This article reports on interviews with training leads in these local authorities that took place in 2008 as part of an independent evaluation of the individual budget pilots. The aims of the interviews were to explore the role of training as part of the processes of transformation, the use of resources and establishment of training strategies within the local authority. Participants revealed that the subject of training was acquiring higher profile within their authorities, although uncertainties remain about the extent of local authority responsibilities for training. Within local authorities, training resources were yet to be determined and models of training were not fully developed. The article concludes that training will remain a central issue when implementing personalised social care services and that models of training for such changes should be shared and evaluated over the long term.     

法学本科专业国际经济法课堂教学改革思路之梳理

我国法学本科教育应当以培养法官、检察官、律师等高层次的复合型、应用型法律职业人才为培养目标。在法律职业教育背景下的国际经济法课堂教学改革也应担当起重任。授课教师在正确认识理论教学与案例教学关系的基础上,应将互动式教学理念贯穿于课程始终,把国际关系理论引入相关教学内容,并有针对性地、适时地采用双语教学。不仅要丰富学生的法律专业知识,更要提高学生的法律专业素养。     

和谐社会实践中档案职业的角色意识

在构建社会主义和谐社会的进程中，社会对档案工作提出了新的要求。档案职业的角色意识，包括维护档案的历史真实性的使命感、责任感的意识，档案资政惠民服务功能的意识，勇于创新和开拓精神的意识。这是社会对档案职业的角色期望，是社会对档案职业这个岗位所要求的职责所在，也是档案职业者站在角色位置上要表现的符合角色行为的神圣使命。     

2010 Practice Analysis: Professional competencies and work categories in public relations today

Without question, the profession of public relations has changed greatly over the years, but the practice of that profession has remained unchanged in the last half century. The 2010 Practice Analysis conducted by the Universal Accreditation Board as a follow-up to its 2000 study examines professional competencies and work categories in current public relations practice. Results indicate that knowledge, skills, and abilities (i.e., professional competencies) for public relations practice in 2010 centered on general business skills, media relations, and theoretical knowledge. The strategic planning process of research, planning, implementation, and evaluation, as well as public relations ethics and legal issues, were connected to both general business skills and media relations. Four groupings of work categories in 2010 were public relations management, issues management, corporate communications, and media relations; each of these work category groupings reflected clear areas of extant public relations scholarship, suggesting that the theory and practice of public relations may be closer to each other than is commonly decried.     

石涛的“修行绘画”

石涛晚年作为"文人职业画家",在绘画理论与现实抉择上都体证了绘画的自主性。处身于明末清初"异业同道"所呈现的多元认同中,绘画不再只是文人抒情遣怀的余兴节目,而是与道德、事业并列,因其不同文化型态,展现"道"的全体。石涛自觉"书画非小道"、"笔墨资真性",视绘画"创作"为"超凡成圣"的修行,乃是即画业以成学,进而即画业以成圣。呼应于王龙溪"即业以成学"的思想,石涛的"修行绘画"是鲜明而深刻的实践个案。     

文献视野的《中国小说史略》考辨及其引申

文献资料是编写中国小说史的基础支撑。从文献资料的来源来讲,梳理现存历代官方藏书、民间藏书、考古发掘、域外汉籍等途径的文献资料对于重新认识和梳理古代小说史有着重大的意义。     

Vice Careers: The Changing Contours of Sex Work in New York City

In the mid-1990s, changes to law enforcement strategies in New York City pushed many women working in the sex trade off of the streets and into the indoors. Increasing numbers of women began advertising sexual services in bars, over the Internet, and in print media, and conducting their work in their homes, hotels, and brothels. This study uses in-depth interviews and participant observation to examine the impact of this change on the life and work of women working in New York’s indoor sex trade. A critical finding is that as women move their work indoors, they begin to conceive of sex work as a profession and a career, rather than just a short-term means of employment. This “professional and careerist orientation” may have significant implications for the length of women’s tenure in sex work and ultimately, for their ability to exit the trade completely.

从专业社会学角度评估我国社会工作的专业化

专业社会学是以专业现象为对象的社会学的分支学科,依据国内该领域的最新研究成果——专业化运动理论——对我国社会工作的专业化水平进行定性兼定量的测评,得出我国社会工作正处在专业化的初级阶段。专业化是社会工作发展的历史选择,对专业化水平进行评估是一个系统的反思过程,具有总结经验、发现不足和辨明道路的功能。