Diana Abraham Course Description for the Website Submitted

AP/SOWK 4130 3.0 F: Social Work with Immigrants and Refugees

Tuesdays 2.30 – 5.30 P.M.

Kinesman 1007

Course Instructor/Contact

Diana Abraham M.S.W.

Phone and Fax # 416 532 7569

Email address

Calendar Description:

This course analyzes Canadian immigration policy and demographics, explores experiences of refugees and immigrants and exposes students to practice skills and knowledge required for work with these populations. Students are asked to come to the first class prepared to discuss their particular areas of interest when working with immigrants and refuges

Prerequisite / Co-Requisite:

Prerequisite or co requisite for post-degree BSW Honours majors: AK/SOWK 2030 6.00. Prerequisites for direct entry BSW Honours majors: 42 credits in non-social work courses and AK/SOWK 1010 6.00, AK/SOWK 2030 6.00 and AK/SOWK 2050 6.00. Course credit exclusion: None.

Required Course Text / Readings

The TWO required Course Readings are available on-line through the York Library System i.e.

Negotiating Migrant Community Needs through Social Work Research A Finnish ExampleKris Clarke (2011) California State University, Fresno, USA in Qualitative Social Work March 2011; 10 (1): 8-27

Being a ‘Culturally Competent’ Social Worker: Making Sense of a Murky Concept in PracticeGail Harrison* and Rachel Turner (2011) in British Journal of Social Work (2011) 41, 333–350 doi: 10.1093/bjsw/bcq101 Advance Access publication September 21, 2010

In addition the following online resources are recommended for this course:

1. Citizenship and Immigration Canada at

-- the federal government department in charge of immigration policies and programs.
2. Metropolis at a research and academic site with several reports of Canadian immigrant studies.
3. Canada Council of Refugees at

-- the national organization that advocates for refugees.
4. UNHCR at United National Agency
5. International Organization of Migration: International organization with resources on international migration.

6. Immigration and Refugee Board Canada

7. Settlement Related Information for Newcomers to Ontario

8. The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants

Expanded Course Description

It is anticipated that at the completion of this .3 Course students will have

  • Increased their understanding of policies and practices at the 3 levels of government which are instrumental in the settlement of immigrants and refugees.
  • Expanded their knowledge on the some of the migration related issues which affect the well being of immigrant and refugee children, families, women, men and seniors who are late in life migrants.
  • Gained an overview of approaches to practice with immigrant and refugee populations and the network of community services dedicated to working with these populations.

Organization of the Course:

The course is structured around students’ completion of approved Primary Research Projects on which they will make presentations. There will also be lectures, and a high degree of student participation is expected in the discussion of issues.

Course Learning Objectives:

The content and approach of this course is one which aims to provide students with the ability to:

  1. Examine the legislation and policies which govern and impact the movement and settlement of immigrants and refugees in Canada.
  2. Identify and analyse the issues which come into play when working with immigrant and refugee children, adolescents, women, men and seniors.
  3. Identify some of the skills and community resources which enable effective practice with these populations.

Weighting of Course

EVALUATION

Course grading will be based on attendance, one class presentation and two written assignments.

Additional Information / Notes:

Students will adhere to the policies governing student codes of behaviour at York University and the School of Social Work. Respect of diverse points of view is required and attendance and class participation is strongly encouraged. This course will utilize a variety of teaching methods, including lectures, class discussions, assigned readings, student presentations and small group work. In order to integrate theory and practice, class discussions may draw on case examples from the instructor’s and students’ practice experience. In all instances, the presentation of case material will adhere to the Canadian Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics (CASW, 1994, Section 5.29 and 5.30). This means that students will be educated about what constitutes “confidential information” and about the necessity to protect clients’ confidentiality -- only non-identifying information can be presented and discussed. If it is not possible to conceal identifying information then the case will not be used. Students will be informed that the rules regarding confidentiality also apply to discussions outside of the classroom setting. If social work students use case examples from their field placement, cases will be presented in a non-identifying way.

If a student wishes to tape-record a lecture or classroom discussion, the instructor and all students in the class must be informed. Any student may request that the tape recorder be turned off when s/he speaks.