Program PhDact
Program of each session
Morning session (plenary)
09.30 - 09.45 - Welcome and introduction
09.45 - 10.30 - First lecture
10.30 – 11.00 - Break
11.00 - 11.45 - Second lecture
11.45 - 12.30 - Questions and debate
Afternoon session (only for enrolled PhD students)
13.30 – 16.30: Interactive seminar with the students and lecturers (with 30 minutes break)
Dates and topics
Session 1: January 27, 2023
Historical perspectives in social work research
Lecturers: Prof. Lieselot De Wilde (Ghent University, Belgium) and Prof. Stefan Kongeter (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST)
In this first session, we discuss the value and relevance of historical research in social work. In addition, a variety of historical methods will be presented, including their characteristics and how their application in social work research can illuminate the effect of past developments on current social work practices and policies.
Session 2: March 17, 2023
Ethnographic approaches in social work research
Lecturers: Robin Vandevoordt (Ghent University, Belgium) and Prof. Sarah Murru (KU Leuven, Belgium)
Ethnographic research enhances a contextualized understanding of peoples' perspectives and experiences, which is necessary for social work practice and policy. It can also go so far as to bring about explications of larger structural, or institutional, forms of ruling and oppression. There are a wide variety of ways in which to engage with ethnographic research. In this session, we will discuss different methods and illustrative cases of the opportunities of ethnography in social work. More specific, we will elaborate on institutional ethnography and ethnographic research in migration studies.
Session 3: April 28, 2023
Oppressed voices in social work research
Lecturers: Prof. Urban Nothdurfter (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy) and Prof. Florin Lazar (University of Bucharest, Romania)
In the third session, we discuss the challenge in social work to include “oppressed voices”. We will focus on the choices that researchers need to make in relation to bringing in these voices in research, with examples regarding the development of social work practice with lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people and the HIV stigma.
Session 4: May 12, 2023
A social-spatial approach to social work research
Lecturers: Prof. Griet Roets (Ghent University, Belgium) and Prof. Christian Reutlinger (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST))
In the fourth session, socio-spatial approaches and their relevance for theory and practice of social work will be discussed. As a ‘spatial turn’ has been introduced into social work research, associated with different methods of data collection, we will elaborate on the potential of socio-spatial research and their connectedness to spatial relations of power.
