What Does a Social Work Lecturer Do?

A social work lecturer generally teaches courses in social work. These professionals may also lecture at other events, including community events or privately funded events, but most typically, they most often fall into the broader category of post-secondary or graduate instructors. A social work lecturer deals with the academic or theoretical applications of social work, rather than focusing on work out in the field. While some of these professionals may do field work, and many of them may have previous experience as case workers or in other field roles, as social work lecturers, they usually reside within an academic department.

The basic activities of many social work lecturers include conducting regular classes, as well as grading or evaluating work by students, and helping students to come up with self-study programs or high-level research papers. The social work lecturer will typically engage in activities like creating a syllabus for a class, attending regularly scheduled office hours, and helping with student recruitment or placement.

Outside of conducting social work classes, a social work lecturer will often be engaged in active research in the field. This research may be on topics such as child or adolescent mental health, social interventions, or family issues. These professionals may publish their work in professional journals or other venues. This gives their careers prominence, and also adds to the body of formal research on a given social work topic, which serves the entire field.

Another key role of these academics is to serve on committees that handle departmental issues. A social work lecturer may spend time helping out with community events that showcase the social work department or the school in various ways. Someone who is lecturing in a social work department may be involved in meeting with other academics to craft future curriculum and to figure out how to optimize the delivery of social work course content.

Other fundamental activities for these professionals include selecting and obtaining classroom materials, filing student paperwork, and creating lesson plans or social work courses. A social work lecturer will often be involved in creating research roles, including internships and paid positions, or in-depth research projects funded by an employer. This type of individual would generally be the go-to person for questions on how the social work department of a school can operate, either within the school or as part of the greater community.