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.”

Australian International Education Conference 2007 www.idp.com/aiec 8

Thank Thank youyou