PREFACE


The publication of this volume reflects a fundamental change that is occurring
in American social work education, i.e., the shift toward a more international
view of the profession and its potential leadership role in promoting
international social development.  

     The shift toward a more international perspective in social work is 
reflected in the themes, topics of debate, and the reorganized institutional 
structures of the profession's major national and international organizations.  
This trend is also reflected in the profession's response to the more
culturally diverse, often foreign, populations that social workers and their 
agencies are being called upon to serve.  Within social work education, the
trend toward increased internationalization of curricula is reflected in the 
growing numbers of international courses, international field placement
opportunities, and international faculty members that are now located in 
social work's nearly 500 programs of professional education.  

     Further, the expected inclusion of an accreditation standard relating 
to international education in the Council on Social Work Education's new
Curriculum Policy Statement (1992) attests to the importance that a majority 
of social work educators now attach to the preparation of students for
practice in a more global context.  

     Also, the almost simultaneous publication with this volume of two other 
monographs on different aspects of international social work education (1)
attests to the considerable interest that exits in the profession
concerning the international dimensions of its work.  This volume builds
consciously on the considerable past efforts of other social work
educators who also labored toward the goal of fostering a more
international perspective in social work (2); my debt to each of those persons
is considerable.


                                           Richard J. Estes
                                           University of Pennsylvania   
							   		
________________________

    1. Dorothy van Soest. 1992. Incorporating Peace and Social Justice Into 
the Social Work Curriculum (Washington:  Office of Peace and International
Affairs of the NASW); Lynne M. Healy. 1992. Introducing International Content 
in the Social Work Curriculum (Washington: NASW in cooperation with the CSWE).
   
   2.) I include on this list such preeminent social work "internationalists"
as Werner Boehm, Gerson David, M. "Terry" Hokenstad, John Jones, David
Hollister, Katherine Kendall, Ezra Kohn, Roland Meinert, James Midgley, Frank 
Paiva, Rama Pandey, Dan Sanders, Herman Stein, Tom Walz, among many others.
See the references at the end of Chapter 1 for a partial listing of the
written contributions of these persons toward internationalizing social work 
education.



Excerpted from Richard J. Estes (1992) Internationalizing Social Work 
Education:  A Guide to Resources for a New Century (Philadelphia: 
University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work).

Permission is granted to disseminate this document so long as proper
credit has been given to the source.