The artistic aspect of social work as a science and its relationship with cinema as an art

In this thesis, I have researched and interpreted the historical processes and contexts which caused social work to be considered in artistic terms. The fact that social work is addressed in connection with art implies that social work itself as a science, acknowledges the confines of science. This is also a critique of the attitude of the tradition of modern science that reduces human beings into a mechanical natural entity. The science of social work is similar to art in many ways such as purpose, function and duty. Yet it is observed that the most decisive criterion in establishing the relationship between art and social work as an applied science is the values. Acts shaped by ethical values lie at the heart of perception of life as art. Therefore it should be seen that the establishment of a relationship between the science of social work and art requires a philosophical context. This situation is further reinforced by the fact that an art and science devoid of values result in existentially devastating consequences for humanity. Thus, as long as the science of social work takes human as its measure in its practices, just like in art, it can realize the possibility of carrying humanity forward. The relationship between social work and art has been discussed within the framework of the social work's possibilities of benefiting from art. The relationship between cinema and social work as a science, as an applied science which carries the responsibility of understanding, comprehending and interfering the situation it comprehends has been studied in depth and in detail. In this way the significance, functions and value of art and the art of cinema, the movies in particular in terms of social work is presented. Within the framework of these aims, 30 movies have been selected by purposive sampling technique and reviewed with regard to the relationship between fundamental concepts and theories of social work and cinema, how social work education can make use of movies as well as the contributions which these movies can make to social work practices. The aim of this thesis is an in-depth analysis of the movie Orange and Sunshine (2011) which is based on true stories about child abuse as well as concretization of all the reviews regarding social work and cinema. In the movie review, the criteria which enable a philosophical evaluation are made use of to the extent possible so that the significance of movies can be revealed not only in terms of social work but also in terms of humanity in general. Keywords: Social Work, Science, Art, Ethics, Art of Cinema.