Social Work, Criativity and Innovation

Recommended Prerequisites

Knowledge of English language.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methodology combines lectures and interactive classes. Will be valued the debate in the classroom and the discussion around projects and innovative interventions and respective capabilities and limitations. For this purpose will be used audio-visual material and documentaries of such experiments, as well as oral reports of social professionals and analysts, that by providing examples of innovative practices or their critical discussion, will contribute to the development of instrumental skills and competencies of complex analysis and prospective and proactive thinking.

Learning Outcomes

The c.u. aims to promote the development of skills associated with creative thinking and a perspective of prospective renewal of intervention processes, resources and aggregates created and co-construction of change in a bottom-up perspective

At the end of c.u. the master’s student should be able to:

- understand social innovation as a process of action, not only based on creativity, but producer of social value and oriented by a prospective and strategic thinking;

- explain and argue the importance of social innovation for the reconstruction of social work practices most appropriate to the current contexts, then potentially more efficient and effective;

- identify and operationalize new forms and processes of participation and citizen involvement in development dynamics through alternative action strategies;

- outline proposals for intervention based on the cycle of innovation and evaluation of complex contexts, processes and outcomes of actions.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

I. Creativity and Innovation: Framing

a) Importance of creativity and innovation to contemporary SW

b) Political economic investment in the Europe of innovation

c) Theories of innovation and applicability to SW

d) Relationship and differentiation between innovation, creativity and quality

e) Social Innovation: assumptions, processes and innovation cycle

II. From creative approaches to effectiveness

a) "Intentional Creativity": from the goals of intervention to creative processes of involvement and empowerment

b) CPS - Creative Problem Solving

c) SI and the production of social value. The importance of strategic and prospective planning

d) Action and contexts: assessment tools

e) Procedures for scaling-up

III. Innovative processes and social practices

a) Innovation, change, social development

b) Processes and Innovative Social Practices in favor of alternative development:

-Art as a participatory resource

-"Self-sustaining" communities and upgrading of natural resources for inclusion

Head Lecturer(s)

Cristina Vanessa Coimbra Nunes

Assessment Methods

Continuous Assessment
Report of a seminar or field trip: 20.0%
Resolution Problems: 30.0%
Exam: 50.0%

Bibliography

Asamoah,Y.(1996).Innovations in delivering culturally sensitive social work services.Routledge.

Bates,S.M.(2012).The social innovation imperative.Create winning products, services and programs that solve society’s most pressing challenges.MacGraw Hill.

Baptista,M.V.(2000).Planeamento Social.Intencionalidade instrumentação.Cortez Ed.

Franz,H.W.et al(2012).Challenge social innovation. Springer(ebook).

Guerra,I.(2006).Participação e acção colectiva.Principia.

Grumbach,R.J.S.(1999).Prospectiva.Chave para o planejamento estratégico.Catau.

MacCallum,D. et al(2009).Social Innovation and territorial development. Ashgate.

Moulaert,F.et al(2013).The international handbook on social innovation.Collective action, social learning and transdisciplinary research.Edward Elgar Publish.Ltd.

Mozzicafredo,J. et al(orgs.)(2011).Projetos de Inovação na Gestão Pública. Mundos Sociais.

Schelkle,W(2000).Paradigms of social change.Modernization,development,transformation,evolution.Campus Verlag.