The lectures at the summer school will focus on issues such as intercultural social work, status of sex workers in Austria, the role of ethics in social works decision-making, and rural social work. The lectures will be held between 20 and 26 May at the University of Lapland, and they are open to all students and personnel of the University.

For example the following researchers, teachers, and postgraduate students of social work will be heard at the summer school: Professor Stanley L. Witkin from the University of Vermont, U.S.; Professor Johanna Hefel from Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, Austria; Professor Vivian Lou from the University of Hong Kong; and university teachers Liisa Hokkanen and Arja Kilpeläinen from the University of Lapland.

After the week of lectures, the summer school participants will take a field trip to Utsjoki and Helsinki. In Utsjoki, they will learn about Northern culture and lifestyle as well as the challenges faced by social workers and social services in the North. In addition to lectures, the trip will involve visits to places such as the Sámi cultural centre Sajos, Siida, and the municipalities of Lapland. In Helsinki participants will visit social services organizations.

This spring, the International Summer School in Social Work will be attended by 100 participants from around the world, including the United States, Germany, Austria, Pakistan, and Hong Kong. It is organized by the unit of Social Work at the University of Lapland in cooperation with the University of Vermont. The teachers-in-charge are Liisa Hokkanen from the University of Lapland and Stanley L. Witkin from the University of Vermont. The summer school has been arranged at the University of Lapland since 1998. The arrangements are supported by University’s International Relations Office.


Further information:

Sanna-Mari Juopperi
Study coordinator 
tel. +358 40 484 4241
sanna-mari.juopperi(at)ulapland.fi

The web pages of the International Summer School of Social Work 2015