Department of Social Work

The Social Work Department was established as a professional and scientific need in 2014. The Department offers services in various sectors of society, which are all supported by a scientific, professional, ethical, and practical background, with the purpose of increasing the level of life quality, especially for those with special needs and those who feel powerless and vulnerable.

Generally, the essential characteristics of the Social Work department can be summarized in the following points below:

1. Being Practical: Most of the lectures that are taught are based on current social needs and foundations.
2. Being scientific and professional, the department works on the skill and identity of social work and has its own professional limitations.
3. Being ethical: The Social Work Department differs from other departments as it works on ethics and ethical codes with students, clients, and social foundations.
4. Being current and realistic: The department works on the essential and current necessities of Kurdish society.

According to the department, the humanities and social sciences play a practical role in reducing the suffering of individuals, families, and societies and in improving the social foundations. The lectures in this department are also composed on the same principle, meaning they have a humanitarian viewpoint for family and social problems. Despite its practicality, it is also professional and academic; in other words, it intends to present its offers based on a scientific and professional principle, emphasizing practical aspects and avoiding the practice of unrealistic theoretical views that do not take into account the needs and realities of the individual, family, and society. To fill the gap in the humanities, the department of social work has begun to provide services based on quality and academic competence in order to become a true advocate for the rights of minorities and people who seek help, such as the poor, girls, women, people with disabilities, etc.

The strategy and policy of the department depend on the academic aspect and its implementation in society. The objectives of establishing the department are to demonstrate the practical role of science in problem solving and community development, which can be explained in the following points:

• Preparing and training students through the development of knowledge, skills, and work ethics in a way that would be in line with contemporary civic actions.
• Practical training and supervision of students in various foundations such as jurisdiction, social reformatory, schools, social care, consultant centers, shelters, and local and international organizations concerning humanitarian issues are necessary in order to prepare them practically for their professions.
• Providing counseling and social services to the society, especially for those who currently need these services.
• Establish links with local and international organizations, universities, and local and international institutions to conduct various activities (seminars, workshops, trainings, providing courses, etc.) in order to raise the awareness and professional level of teachers and students of social work for professional life after graduation.
• Trying to formulate public social policies and develop different sectors of society, especially the education sector.
• Identifying and directing research areas towards the current needs and problems of Kurdish society, taking into account regional and global changes, especially in terms of social work.
• Participating in programs and activities related to social work through the participation of teachers in the creation and design of programs such as research, practice, and counseling in social institutions in both the public and private spheres.
• Activating and developing education through the opening of master’s and doctoral courses in higher education.
• Social development through creating various links between the Social Work Department and social offices and institutions in both the public and private sectors through bridging programs and curricula to the current and long-term needs of society.

• Training students scientifically and academically to practice social work in society at the individual, group, and community levels.
• Training students on the basis of professionalism to be able to work on all three dimensions of prevention, treatment, and development.
• Linking theoretical aspects to practice. Moreover, linking learning categories such as cognitive, skills, and attitudes.
• Prepare a professional individual to properly provide the best social services in all affairs related to social work in the public, private, and organizational sectors.
• Social work as a scientific institute has its own administrative and professional structure to play its role academically and professionally in all governmental and non-governmental institutions of society. In order to, first, provide humanitarian and professional assistance to individuals, groups, and communities of any age and in any area of life through social welfare institutions, health institutions, and educational institutions. Second, to enhance the quality of life and achieve social welfare, which is a difficult process today.
• Graduates of the Department of Social Work will acquire a number of skills and competencies such as case management, teamwork, communication, advocacy, counseling, creative thinking, critical thinking, time management, problem solving, purposeful listening, interpersonal skills, etc.
• Graduates of this department can work in fields such as: family, kindergartens, public and private schools, social rehabilitation institutions, family counselors, courts, orphanages, the health sector and hospitals, the environment, gender, people with disabilities, international and local organizations in the fields of social welfare and development institutions, management of social institutions, planning, combating violence, etc.
• Due to the skills and knowledge they acquire, graduates of this department will be able to work with different strata of society, including men, women, children, adolescents, young people, adults, old people, and so on.
• Develop the student’s ability to conduct research by applying new research approaches.

The Department of Social Work, given that it goes parallel with contemporary methods of learning and teaching, emphasizes student-centeredness in the learning. The main objective of teaching is to create an active doer through practical learning instead of a passive listener. For this purpose, teachers use various methods of learning and teaching and emphasize competency-based education as one of the most important pillars of the new pedagogy. The methods used are as follows:

1. Group discussion
2. Role playing
3. Field visits and traineeships
4.  Seminars and projects
5. Internship
6. Pre-study training through classrooms.
7. Participation and dialogue Open
8. Providing joint lessons through the exchange of students and sending them to foreign universities.
9. Inviting guest teachers according to the needs of the lessons.
10.  Exam and evaluation process

The language of instruction at the department is Kurdish for all courses, with the exception of some models in each semester that are taught in English.

The duration of study at the department of Social Work is 4 academic years, divided into 8 semesters, and students receive an average of 15 hours of contact time per week.