Teaching Social Problems in the Social Work: Perspectives from India and China

In-depth interviews were conducted with social work educators and postgraduate students at three Chinese universities (N = 28) and three Indian universities (N = 29). The aim of the study was to understand how social work students were taught about social problems, particularly the origin and solution to social problems, in two different social, political, and economic contexts. Results of the study found that both in India and China, getting students to understand social problems form a major part of the social work curriculum, whereas in Chinese schools of Social Work, solutions to social problems are taught more comprehensively than in Indian schools of Social work. Based on the results emanating from the study, implications for social work education and curriculum in both India and China are outlined.