Рецензенты

MA (Honours) Languages (Interpreting and Translating),

British Council Language Assistant (Tomsk)

Gemma Tracey

Старший преподаватель кафедры общих и гуманитарных наук

Сибирского филиала Российского государственного университета

инновационных технологий и предпринимательства

М.В. Юрова

политехнического университета, 2007

TO THE STUDENT

Welcome to “Social Work: What is it?” This textbook was written for current or future professionals with an intermediate level of English, who need to develop communicative English skills for their job.

The textbook is primarily intended for classroom use, but we believe you will also find it useful for self-study. Each of the 9 units has authentic input texts and practice tasks and the activities require you to develop the language skills you need or will need in real life , beyond the classroom (e.g. taking part in meetings and discussions, making presentations, interpreting diagramsgraphs, writing reports etc.). Each task demands the use of one main skill (e.g. reading), which is, however, integrated with other skills (speaking, writing), just as in real-life communication. For example, while trying to extract the main ideas from a text that you are reading, you will have to complete a table, take notes, which you will later use to make oral presentations, take part in discussions or writing reports. At the end of each unit there are also key terms, answers to the exercises and evaluation questions.

We hope you will find these materials challenging and interesting. Work in pairs or groups (e.g. project work) will give you the chance to share your knowledge, opinions and feelings and a lot of opportunities to develop your English skills. We also hope you will find the activities which require you to use the Internet motivating and meaningful.

We believe this textbook will encourage you in developing your own learning styles and learning strategies.

We hope you enjoy learning with this textbook.

Good luck with your English and with your future job!


Unit 1	Social Work: What is it?
Unit 2	Social Workers Code of Ethics
Unit 3	Social Security Policy
Unit 4	Disability
Unit 5	Discrimination against Women – is it Really a Great Problem?
Unit 6	Family in the Modern World
Unit 7	Natural and Human Disasters and Disaster Relief
Unit 8	Charity
Unit 9	International Organizations Dealing with Social Problems
	Answer Keys
	Key Terms
	References

Social Work: What is it?

I hear - I know. I see - I remember. I do - I understand.

Confucius

(Chinese philosopher)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1 Look at this drawing. What associations do you have connected with the phrase “social work”? Work with a partner and complete the drawing with as many words as you can.

2 Compare your drawing with another pair’s. How many words are the same? Extend your diagram.

3 Come up with your own definition of ‘social work’ and write it down. Work in pairs and share your ideas with the partner.

4 Make comments on the quotation given at the beginning of the unit.