SOWK - Social Work (SOWK)

This course introduces students to the nature and extent of social problems and governmental and not-for-profit programs that attempt to ameliorate, prevent, or eliminate these problems. This course is designed to further inform students of the history and operation of social welfare programs as responses to social problems. The course focuses on history within the contexts of politics, economics, and social values at respective points in time, up to the present. This course focuses upon learning about understanding social justice; advocacy for human rights; and advancing social and economic justice by means of learning about social welfare programs as a response to social problems.

This course analyzes major factors involved in social policies, programs and organizations. Presented using functional, structural and conflict perspectives. Examines how the interplay of politics, economics, social values and professionalism shapes the social welfare institution in the United States.

This course features the study of the interactions/transactions among human biological, psychological, social and spiritual systems and their transactions with environmental systems both social and physical. Individual and family’s interactions with the environment are emphasized during each phase of the life cycle: infancy and early childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, middle adulthood, and the later years.

This course provides an overview of the major human behavioral theories used to guide social work practice with individuals, families, small groups, and organizations. The course examines a different theoretical approach in each section, from its historical and conceptual origins to its relevance to social work and clinical applications. Each section draws on a theoretical approach to foster understanding of normative individual human development and the etiology of dysfunctional behavior, as well as to provide guidance in the application of social work intervention.

This course introduces and analyzes the helping process and provides theoretical and practical learning experiences for the comprehension and application of specific competencies of the helping process. This course is also designed to help students to understand and develop a professional identity, as they will analyze their personal values and assess their compatibility with social work values and principles. This course is a journey to further student’s “affective learning”- self-awareness and self- reflection- which are essential to professional development.

The purpose of the field practicum is to facilitate the integration of social work theories and specific skills that students will apply in the field practice experience. Students complete 400 hours under the supervision of a qualified Field Instructor. See Field manual for full details and expectations for Field placement. The seminar, which will run concurrently with the field practicum, will facilitate student’s understanding of the field/class learning experience utilizing critical reflection. It is also intended to provide guidance concerning practical issues that the student may encounter in the field experience. The discussion of experiences and situations students may come across during the different stages of the internship will help to maximize their learning experience. Required readings and assignments provide additional content on topics presented in the seminar.

The purpose of the field practicum is to facilitate the integration of social work theories and specific skills that students will apply in the field practice experience. Students complete 400 hours under the supervision of a qualified Field Instructor. See Field manual for full details and expectations for Field placement. The seminar, which will run concurrently with the field practicum, will facilitate student’s understanding of the field/class learning experience utilizing critical reflection. It is also intended to provide guidance concerning practical issues that the student may encounter in the field experience. The discussion of experiences and situations students may come across during the different stages of the internship will help to maximize their learning experience. Required readings and assignments provide additional content on topics presented in the seminar.

One purpose in this generalist practice course is to help students understand the interviewing process. Students will develop skills for interviewing persons who are similar and different from oneself in terms of value systems, ages, diverse racial/ethnic, age, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic and disability statuses. A second purpose is for students to learn the fundamental concepts and skills of the strengths and problem solving perspectives in terms of interviewing for assessment, data collection and bio-psychosocial recording.

This course introduces students to social work research. Topics include: working with human research subjects; problem selection and conceptualization; formulating research hypotheses; research design; sampling; survey instrument construction; collecting quantitative and qualitative data; data treatment and analysis procedures.

Course materials emphasize how the nature (function and structure) of the agency gives focus and direction to the process in which social workers and clients mutually engage in meeting identified needs. Issues of access to resources and social and economic justice as they impact on clients’ needs are addressed. Clinical assessment and intervention are taught from a bio-psychosocial perspective within the ecological/systemic conceptual framework and the NASW code of professional values and ethics.

This is a hybrid/blended course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. This course facilitates students’ transition from baccalaureate programs to the Advanced Standing MSW Program. The course will review and integrate selective core baccalaureate content in practice, human behavior, social policy and research. This seminar reflects the focus of the MSW curriculum which includes: Commitment to critical analysis of social work practice, theory, and research and self-directed learning/personal integration of prior learning.

This is an online course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. This practice course provides students with theories and skills needed for direct supervision of line workers, and middle and upper management skills in human service organizations. The course addresses relevant theories and models of supervision and administration as well as key skills needed to perform the functions of supervision and administration in complex organizations.

This online course will use assigned and student selected readings; instructor instructional comments (found under Content)); videos (found under Content or otherwise signaled herein); case studies, email communication; and Discussion Board Forums as the primary learning venues. The course is designed for learning about what the course title implies: mental health and psychopathology (also referred to in practice as mental health disorders; also contemporary nomenclature in practice typically uses the phrase “behavioral health”). This course covers a broad range of human behavior and feelings and presents information, theories, and diagnostics from the text, student and instructor provided learning materials, videos, and learning derived from required reading of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM5) that is the current classification and descriptive tool in use for psychotherapeutic assessments) and subsequently, application to models of intervention applicable to non-normative mental/behavioral health functioning. This course is designed such that all five dimensions of mental illness (organized dimensions of information), referred to in practice as “axes” are introduced and will lead to capabilities for assessing mental disorders and concomitant methodologies of treatment, that are linked to each of the specific axes.

This is an online course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. This course is will introduce students to the history of substance abuse and treatment and the basic physiology of substance abuse. The course will examine theories of chemical dependency, models of substance abuse therapy, and how the abuse of alcohol and other drugs affect the body with emphasis on the central nervous system, organ systems and general physical health. The physiological basis for the disease concept of addiction will be reviewed. Psychoactive drug categories will be explored in relation to the history of use, routes of administration and how the body processes licit and illicit substances. The effects of drugs and pharmacological interactions on metabolic processes and neuropsychological functioning will be discussed.

This is an online course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. This course is designed to introduce students to advanced level cultural competencies in cultural awareness, knowledge acquisition, and skills development. The course incorporates the knowledge, attitudes, and skills model of cultural competency as outlined by Lum (2011). Students will be introduced to knowledge, attitudes and skills for practice with diverse populations that are part of our communities: First Nation people, European Americans, African American, Latino American, Asian American, Muslim American, Women, People with disabilities, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender persons, and older adults. This course emphasizes cultural competence as dialogical process to assist students’ engagement in conversations aimed to increase self and others awareness, promote acceptance and understanding. In addition, students will have the opportunity to learn and practice skills necessary to advocate for social justice and client’s rights.

In this course students will learn the history of Forensic Social work, how to find and read legal cases and scholarly materials, the culture of the legal practice settings and the skills required to practice forensic social work in those settings. Students will also learn about inter-professional collaboration with other systems such as the legal profession, the courts, child welfare and corrections. The knowledge and skills gained in this course will be the basis for other topic specific forensic social work courses in the concentration.

This course will prepare the social work student for practicing within or collaborating with criminal courts, probation and parole services, victim services and correctional programs. Students will learn about the contributing a social can make to the administration of justice by working with and within the court systems, working with the accused and convicted offenders and assisting victims of crime.

This course will prepare the social work student for practicing within or collaborating with criminal courts, probation and parole services, victim services and correctional programs.

This course will prepare the social work student for practicing within or collaborating with criminal courts, probation and parole services, victim services and correctional programs.

The purpose of the field practicum is to facilitate the integration of social work theories and specific skills that students will apply in the field practice experience. Students complete 500 hours under the supervision of a qualified Field Instructor. See Field manual for full details and expectations for Field placement. The seminar, which will run concurrently with the field practicum, will facilitate student’s understanding of the field/class learning experience utilizing critical reflection. It is also intended to provide guidance concerning practical issues that the student may encounter in the field experience. The discussion of experiences and situations students may come across during the different stages of the internship will help to maximize their learning experience. Required readings and assignments provide additional content on topics presented in the seminar. Required readings and assignments provide additional content on topics presented in the seminar.

The purpose of the field practicum is to facilitate the integration of social work theories and specific skills that students will apply in the field practice experience. Students complete 500 hours under the supervision of a qualified Field Instructor. See Field manual for full details and expectations for Field placement. The seminar, which will run concurrently with the field practicum, will facilitate student’s understanding of the field/class learning experience utilizing critical reflection. It is also intended to provide guidance concerning practical issues that the student may encounter in the field experience. The discussion of experiences and situations students may come across during the different stages of the internship will help to maximize their learning experience. Required readings and assignments provide additional content on topics presented in the seminar. Required readings and assignments provide additional content on topics presented in the seminar.

This is an online course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. The course is a study of practice-outcome research. The course focuses on single case designs, needs assessment and program evaluation; recording methods; behavioral and standardized measures; and applications of evaluation methods to work with individuals, families, groups, programs, communities. The process of evidence-based practice is covered in this course.

This is an online course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. This course will provide students with a foundation in basic and advanced techniques of counseling the substance abuse population. Student will receive a comprehensive overview of chemical dependency treatment and explore various counselor intervention methods. The qualities and professional skills necessary for competent and effective practice will also be thoroughly examined, specifically focusing upon evidenced-based practices, including: motivational interviewing, Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA).

This is an online course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. This course will introduce students to the basic theories and principles of substance abuse prevention. The Social Development Model of human development, and its application through the Communities That Care prevention framework will be covered. The course also includes the impacts of substance abuse upon families and relapse prevention techniques.

This is an online course which will use Blackboard to access the online portion. This is an advanced social work class, and the material presented in this class is at an advanced level. This course will focus on current and emerging health behavior theory, research, and practice specific to a variety of health related settings and to populations diverse on gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation and health status. The content of the course will also include information about the major chronic diseases identified as the leading cause of death in the US. This course will examine disparities in health outcomes as a function of access to and quality of care for persons disadvantaged by income, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and other factors. Theories of behavior change will be related to research and practice across micro, mezzo, and macro practice arenas.