The foundation of the Social Work course in federal public universities in Rio Grande do Sul: contradictions, possibilities and challenges to local-regional development

This article intends to reflect on the creation of the first undergraduate courses in Social Work at the gaucho federal universities in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, more specifically at the Federal University of Pampa (Unipampa/São Borja Campus), the first public, federal and free course in the interior of the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the area of Social Work, and at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), third funded course. The article also discusses the possibilities of the expansion of higher education courses in Social Work in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, concerning local-regional development, bringing, furthermore, its contradictions and challenges to the way such courses were being implemented.