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Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 1
Achieving an ethical Achieving an ethical AustralianAustralian--Indian Indian
relationship through relationship through a reciprocal student a reciprocal student
mobility program mobility program in in
social worksocial work
Melbourne 9-12 October 2007
Assoc Prof Frank TesorieroAssoc Prof Frank TesorieroAssoc Prof Adrian Vicary Assoc Prof Adrian Vicary
OutlineOutline1. History and context of the program2. Challenging dominance and neo colonialist practice3. Principles underlying the program
i. Internationalismii. Reciprocity and mutual benefitiii. Commitment to social values and human rights4. Balancing student learning and community
benefit5. Reconciling different expectations across
cultures6. Disseminating the learning7. Scaling up/sustainability8. Lessons learned9. Conclusion
Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 2
History and context of the programHistory and context of the programHistory with Rural Unit for Health and Social Affairs –12 year relationship
Over 80 UniSA students undertook placements/ practicums at RUHSA
Increasing sophistication in approach to international activities over this time
Movement from one bilateral partnership to a multilateral and multinational partnership
Main focus of this paper on the developments within the bilateral relationship with RUHSA
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesChallenging dominance and Challenging dominance and neo colonialist practiceneo colonialist practiceHE context of economic drivers of international activities
Context increases inequities, commodifies education with little acknowledgement of education as a right
Schools of social work/human services are both part of HE and advocates for social values
There are tensions and opportunities – to engage in major international issues facing humanity
SWP activities have developed with a commitment to particular principles to guide them; and to enable reflective practice
SWP has harnessed wider university support for an ethical, social value approach
Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 3
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesInternationalismInternationalism
A broad perspective
A moral imperative
Constituting an overall organisationalcultureLearning as an intersubjective construction of knowledge
Relates broadly to teaching practices, staff and school values, teaching in a globalised world
Aims to prepare students for their moral participation in a multicultural world
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesReciprocity and mutual benefitReciprocity and mutual benefit
Asking “who benefits?” and “Whose interests are being served?”
UniSA – students, SWP and the university derive benefits
RUHSA – staff exchange, adding resources, community outcomes, dissemination/promotion/ publication of RUHSA work
11 professional development placements in Australia
Abundant funding and human capital support
Students undertake preparation before departure to ensure they have a community focus
All projects (some 30) have been documented, printed and utilised by RUHSA
Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 4
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesCommitment to social values and Commitment to social values and human rightshuman rights
Social rather than economic underpinning
Contributing to UniSAgraduate qualities –international perspective
Deepening student appreciation of structural contributors to oppression, violations of human rights, disadvantage
‘Human rights’ perspective to students’ work
Social values to inform daily practice
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesBalancing student learning and Balancing student learning and community benefitcommunity benefit
Use of Bennett’s (1993) model of intercultural sensitivity to ensure learning is other-culture centred
Ethoncentricstages
Denial Isolation Separation
Defence DenigrationSuperiorityReversal
Minimisation Physical universalismTranscendent universalism
Ethnorelativestages
Acceptance Respect for behavioural differenceRespect for value difference
Adaptation EmpathyPluralism
Integration Contextual evaluationConstructive marginality
Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 5
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesBalancing student learning and Balancing student learning and community benefitcommunity benefit
Reflective practice enables students to discover diversity and unravel issues of power and oppression
“What is ‘community’?”
“What is ‘Indian culture’?”
Working both ethically and strategically with diverse agenda
Appreciating difference as a positive resource
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesReconciling different Reconciling different expectations across culturesexpectations across cultures
Building supportive environments for learners
Mutual respect
Collaborative negotiations of differences, tensions, conflicts
Acknowledging differences and managing them through processes of dialogue
Building trust
Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 6
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesDisseminating the learningDisseminating the learning
How to broaden the reach of outcome beyond the direct participants in the international activities?
How to build a stronger international culture in the SWP?
Possible strategies – both curricula and extra curricula?
How to develop, given other competing demands, such as staff workloads, students in paid work etc?
Many ad hoc opportunities, both formal and informal, but not systematic
Principles, Issues and challengesPrinciples, Issues and challengesScaling up/sustainabilityScaling up/sustainability
Moving from an international bilateral partnership to a multilateral, multinational partnership (India, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, USA, Netherlands)
The development of the relationship with Department of Social Work, Madras Christian College, University of Madras
MCC’s systematisation of its international relationships through establishment of the Centre for International Social Work (CISW)
CISW: clear mission, objectives and strategic directions – staff exchange, student exchange, collaborative research, knowledge dissemination
Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 7
Lessons learnedLessons learned
Strong social values in a context of globalisation as a moral voice and to evaluate international activity
Relationships as organic based on human and social capital, not paper agreements
Building a supportive culture of internationalism to support particular activities
Intercultural sensitivity and openness to learning and negotiating differences
Strong capacity in multilateral, multi-national partnerships
ConclusionConclusion
“The process of developing international activities has been an ethical and moral journey, one of balancing tensions and
modifying pathways in a cyclical process of action-reflection-action.
Alongside this, being open to opportunities as they arise has enabled the last eleven years to be dynamic and flexible,
yielding developments that have strengthened a moral internationalism.
The new multilateral partnership, the Centre for International Social Work is not the end of the journey, but simply another
milestone in a journey that will not end, but continue to evolve and develop, maintaining strong social values
but within a dynamic and ever-changing context.”