Social Work
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS*
124 Aging
(3 s.h.) Introduction to dynamics of aging, including biopsycho-socio aspects and special needs of aged persons. Participants will examine society’s provisions for the aged and methods used in working with their problems.
153 Introduction to Social Work
(3 s.h.) Explores career opportunities in social work. Special emphasis on the profession as it relates to practice with children, families, and other persons who experience problems with adjustment to their social environment. Participants will study philosophies, values, and attitudes that form a base for professional practice.
156 Interviewing in Human Service Professions
(3 s.h.) Helps students acquire knowledge and develop skills for effective communication in helping individuals and families in planning change. Emphasis on development of interviewing skills. Class activities include role playing and interviews with individuals and groups.
235 Human Behavior and Social Environment 1
(3 s.h.) Provides basic framework for creating and organizing knowledge of human behavior and social environment. Social systems, life-span and strengths approaches to understanding HBSE introduced. Focus on individuals and families and impact of larger environment on these systems. *Prerequisites: SOC 100, PSYC 111, and either BIOL 151 or BIOL/WS 252.
251 Child Welfare Services
(3 s.h.) Study of adoption, foster care, child care, protective, juvenile court, and other child welfare services for children in need of protection. We study the well-being of children and attitudes and values that define parents’ and society’s responsibilities to children.
275 Social Welfare Policy
(3 s.h.) Describes and analyzes policies and services rendered by local, state, regional, national, and international agencies and policy implications for social work practice. Students prepare to advocate for social policy changes designed to improve social conditions, promote social justice, and empower at risk populations. *Prerequisite: POLS 100.
287/387 Social Work Field Observation
(3 s.h.) Through affiliation with a social service agency, students observe the nature of the client-worker relationship. Perceptual orientation and descriptive skills are emphasized through varied levels of observation. Internship requires placement for a minimum of 120 contact hours on a scheduled basis. Group supervision is also required. *Prerequisites: SOWK 153 and SOWK 156.
307 School Social Work
(3 s.h.) Teaches students the skills and knowledge needed to work in a school setting as a social worker. With an emphasis on planning, assessment and successful interventions, students learn theoretical framework as applied in a school setting. Students also learn the value of interdisciplinary team planning, models of service delivery, program planning and the value of community resources.
317 Social Work Research
(3 s.h.) Designed to increase knowledge of research as a tool for social work practice. Students acquire basic skills and knowledge to utilize existing social research for practice-related decision making and the capacity to carry out systematic methods of inquiry in their practice setting. *Prerequisite: INT 222.
335 Human Behavior and Social Environment II
(3 s.h.) Provides basic framework for creating and organizing knowledge of human behavior and social environment, along with social systems, life span and strengths approaches acquired in HBSE I, to understand group organizational and community systems. Special attention given to the impact of human diversity, discrimination, and oppression in the context of groups, organizations, and communities.
353 Social Work with Diverse Populations
(3 s.h.) Provides understanding of and sensitization toward cultural diversity, racism, gender issues, and heterosexism in the context of social work practice and policy. Personal values toward racial, cultural, gender, and heterosexism are explored and discussed in the context of social work values and practice.
355 Social Work Practice I
(3 s.h.) Assists students in developing knowledge and skills to work with individuals. Experiential techniques are employed to aid in integration of theory and practice. Many of the videotapes, class exercises, case studies, and role plays focus on the implications of cultural diversity and include application to vulnerable populations.
365 Social Work Practice II
(3 s.h.) Assists students in developing knowledge and skills to work with families and groups. Experiential techniques are employed to aid in integration of theory and practice. Many of the videotapes, class exercises, case studies, and role plays focus on the many implications of cultural diversity and include application to vulnerable populations.
375 Social Work Practice III
(3 s.h.) Assists students in developing the knowledge base necessary for understanding the contemporary American community, its structure, politics, its growth and/or decline, and roles and functions of various human service agencies and organizations within the community. Additional focus on how people can empower themselves for the purpose of improving the overall quality of life in communities.
387 Social Work Field Observation
(3 s.h.) For course description, see SOWK 287/387.
400 Field Instruction in Social Work
(15 s.h.) Supervised field instruction in a social service agency provides seniors opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills in social work practice. The field work requires a semester block placement, five days a week, 8 hours per day, for a minimum of 450 contact hours on a scheduled basis. An integrating seminar is also required. *Prerequisites: Completion of all social work and general education required curriculum with a minimum grade of ‘C’ in each social work course.
*A minimum grade of “C” must be earned in each required social work major course.
