MA01 Social Change and Innovation

Description

Social change presents new challenges for social work. Social problems evolve, and previous ways of addressing and managing social issues may prove inadequate. Social work must develop the ability, based on an analysis of social change and societal responses, to establish criteria for identifying relevant social problems at different analytical levels—individual, community, society. The concept of social innovation offers an important analytical toolkit to shape individual and organizational learning and development processes. Against this background, the module (a) engages with current social development dynamics and key societal changes; (b) develops important sociological foundations regarding social change and associated exclusion mechanisms; and (c) classifies and discusses these developments concerning organizational innovation requirements. Special attention is given to the transformation of social problems and social welfare arrangements.