An introduction to studying social work, youth work and community work

This session will provide a taster of social work, social science, youth work and community work in the STaCS department at Goldsmiths. We will apply sociological theory to real-life events and explore together the implications for working as professionals with young people and communities.

The session will be of interest if you know what you want to work with people in one of the public and social professions. It will be of broader interest to those wanting to explore sociology and criminology and how these theoretical areas can be applied to current political and societal events and responses.

We will explore C. Wright Mills’ (1959) concept of the ‘sociological imagination’ and his theory that the individual cannot be viewed separately from the social context they inhabit. In particular, we will explore his idea that the problems people face can either be viewed as ‘private troubles’ or ‘public issues’. We will use this framework to debate whether the 2011 London riots represented problems with the individuals involved (private troubles) or were symptomatic of wider social problems (public issues).

We will consider whether politicians and the media frame social problems as private troubles or public issues, particularly in relation to young people. Particular ‘moral panics’ will be considered including ‘broken families’ and ‘teenage parents’. This session will expose how we may be led to view issues in a certain way that disguises inequalities and limits the ‘sociological imagination’, as well as how this affects policy and practice interventions for work with people.

The session will offer an introduction to the following BA programmes:
BA Social Science, Community Development and Youth Work
BA Social Work
BA Social and Community Work

The way we teach these programmes is dyamic and interactive, bringing the social sciences to life as you explore how they can be applied to understanding why people do what they do – and why society responds in certain ways.