This paper critically examines social justice issues, principles and models of justice and of human rights in Aotearoa New Zealand. Students develop an understanding of the judicial system of Aotearoa New Zealand, and the legal, ethical and professional responsibilities of social workers.

SOCWK403 is taught through a combination of Moodle-based resources and workshops, with a field trip to the Tauranga District Court and a mock court exercise at the Tauranga Family Court. During the teaching weeks there are interactive face-to-face workshops to review learning material and explore the content of the paper through lessons, presentations, case study analysis, discussion and skill development. This paper is supported through Moodle. Students will need to engage with Moodle to access lessons, readings, reports, other items of interest and submit assignment work. Students are expected to complete the required activities and readings in order to be prepared to actively participate in the workshop discussions and learning exercises.

• Students are strongly advised to attempt and submit all items of internal assessment for this paper as these assessments contribute to your demonstration of having met the SWRB core competence standards.
• The assignments are structured to assess the paper learning outcomes. The assignments are designed to determine your ability to apply social work concepts and theoretical frameworks, and to further develop critical thinking and knowledge retention, through essays, oral presentations and a series of critical reflections.
  

Moodle will be used as an online learning and communication platform for this paper. Moodle can be accessed from elearn.waikato.ac.nz. All course related communication will be managed through Moodle. Students can contact the lecturer via email or using the message function on Moodle. Students are encouraged to use the ‘Ask your lecturer’ forum available on Moodle if you think that your enquiry could be useful for other students as well.

PowerPoint notes may not be available on Moodle before the workshops; however students can download PowerPoint notes from Moodle within 24 hours of the workshop. Students are advised that reading these notes is not a substitute for attending workshops and taking one’s own notes. The provision of any materials from guest speakers is at the discretion of the speaker.

Readings or a link to the reading sources will be available on Moodle or the SOCWK403 Reading List. Students are expected to read the prescribed weekly readings before each class to prepare for the workshop.

• The expected workload for this paper is 300 hours (30 points). This includes 34 hours of class contact time (3 hrs/week).
• Successful completion of the course will require approximately 264 hours of study and assignment preparation. This means students may need to spend at least 22 hours per week working in addition to attending weekly workshops. These figures are only approximations as students vary in both the amount of effort required and the level of grades they wish to achieve.
• The three hours in class each week will normally review PowerPoint material, weekly required readings, skills learning, guest speakers, some videos and discussion. Breaks and activities will be dispersed throughout the time in class.
• Students are expected to attend all workshops, the visit to the Tauranga District Court, participate in the Mock Court exercise at the Tauranga Family Court, and actively participate in classroom activities.
• Students are expected to complete the weekly in order to come prepared for class discussion on the readings.
• The classroom will be open from 8.50am.
• NB: The Mock Court exercise and the oral presentations on the final day of the workshops may require additional teaching time on the days those activities are scheduled.