Ateneo - UPO

This course aims to provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary to analyzeand understand social services from an organizational perspective. It will introduce bothindividual and collective actors involved in the structure of social and healthcare systems,the basic concepts of organizational analysis, and different welfare models, with particularattention to how these models influence the organization and planning of social andhealthcare services. It will also examine the recent transformations in the field of socialservices, with a particular focus on the Italian context. Special emphasis will be placed onkey concepts such as participatory social planning and evaluation, co-programming and co-design, and the integration of policies, services, and interventions in the social andhealthcare sectors.

None. Professor will provide handouts and materials through the DIR - Didattica InRete platform.

The course, combining both theoretical insights and empirical approaches—including the analysis of practical case studies—will provide students with the knowledge and tools necessary for a critical understanding of the social services system from an organizational perspective. In particular, students will learn to: 1) Identify the key actors involved in the provision of social services; 2) Recognize how different welfare models influence the structures and processes within the social services system; 3) Identify and interpret the consequences of recent changes in the social services system, with a particular focus on the Italian context; 4) Understand and apply the concepts of participatory social planning and evaluation, as well as co-programming and co-planning; 5) Identify and assess various models of integration among policies, services, and interventions in the health and social care sector.

Sociology: the origins of the discipline; its social and theoretical context; the concepts of the individual and society; major sociological paradigms; social and gender inequalities; deviance and social control. Principles and Foundations of Social Work: the role of the social worker; welfare systems; the principles underpinning the social work profession. Prerequisites as specified in Article 18 of the Degree Programme Regulations.

The professor favours an interactive teaching style that encourages active student engagement. This method builds on learners’ existing knowledge and fosters the development of critical awareness of the theoretical categories explored throughout the seminar. The approach is supported by seminar-style sessions, practical exercises, and simulation activities.

Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), or Special Educational Needs (SEN) may request dedicated services and support tools by contacting the Career Development and Student Services Coordination Staff and consulting the dedicated page on the University website: https://uniupo.it/it/servizi/servizi-studenti-disabili-e-dsa Additionally, students with disabilities, SLD, or SEN are encouraged to contact the course teacher to clarify or define the specific exam arrangements.

Assessment will consist of an oral examination and will be based on the materials and handouts available on the DIR – Didattica in Rete platform. During the exam, students will be invited to refer to the theories and analytical tools acquired during the course in order to frame and address practical issues and situations commonly encountered in the organization of social services.

To achieve the knowledge and competences corresponding to the minimum passing level (18–21/30), by the end of the course students should have acquired the following: - Knowledge: knowledge of some fundamental concepts of organisational theory and analysis; knowledge of some key features of the Italian social services system and of some of the changes it has undergone over time, particularly in terms of organisational structures and characteristics. - Competences: ability to analyse the organisational structures and arrangements of social and healthcare systems; ability to understand some of the fundamental issues associated with organisational problems and dilemmas as applied to social and healthcare systems. - Skills: ability to produce basic organisational analyses at the macro, meso and micro levels; ability to read and interpret basic empirical data relating to the key dimensions and variables of social and healthcare systems. To achieve the knowledge and competences corresponding to the intermediate level (24–26/30), by the end of the course students should have acquired the following: - Knowledge: knowledge of the main concepts and approaches in organisational theory and analysis; knowledge of the main characteristics of the Italian social and healthcare services system and of the principal changes it has undergone over time, particularly with regard to organisational structures, arrangements and processes; knowledge of the main factors influencing the functioning of organisations and social and healthcare systems. - Competences: ability to analyse and relate organisational structures, arrangements and processes within social and healthcare systems; ability to apply the main concepts and approaches of organisational analysis to the understanding of organisational problems and dilemmas; ability to identify the relationships between organisational, institutional and professional dimensions in the functioning of social and healthcare systems. - Skills: ability to produce articulated organisational analyses at the macro, meso and micro levels, relating the different levels of analysis to one another; ability to read, interpret and use basic empirical data relating to the main dimensions and variables of social and healthcare systems; ability to substantiate analyses through the appropriate use of concepts and categories of organisational analysis. For the achievement of an advanced/excellent level (28–30 and honours), students should demonstrate: - Knowledge: thorough mastery of the main concepts, approaches and categories of organisational theory and analysis; an articulated understanding of the development and characteristics of the Italian social and healthcare services system, including its organisational, institutional and professional implications; ability to identify and relate the different factors that shape the functioning and transformation of organisations and social and healthcare systems. - Competences: ability to apply different concepts and approaches from organisational analysis independently and appropriately to the interpretation of structures, arrangements, processes, problems and dilemmas within social and healthcare systems; ability to integrate macro, meso and micro levels in the analysis of organisational phenomena; ability to formulate articulated interpretations based on the relationships between organisational, institutional, professional and territorial dimensions. - Skills: ability to develop independent, articulated and critically argued organisational analyses; ability to interpret and use empirical data by relating different dimensions and variables of social and healthcare systems; ability to critically compare different interpretations of organisational phenomena and substantiate arguments through a rigorous and informed use of the