IUPUI Campus Bulletin 2012-2014

Bachelor of Social Work

The following course listing includes B.S.W. required courses and selected elective courses.

• SWK-S 100 Understanding Diversity in a Pluralistic Society (3 cr.) Theories and models that enhance understanding of our diverse society. This course provides content about differences and similarities in the experiences, needs, and beliefs of selected minority groups and their relation to the majority group.

• SWK-S 141 Introduction to Social Work (3 cr.) Examination of characteristics, function, and requirements of social work as a profession. Emphasis on ideological perspectives of the profession and the nature of professional function and interaction.

• SWK-S 180 Exploring Child Welfare in Indiana (3 cr.) Provides a comprehensive overview of the child welfare system, with special emphasis on current child protection and child welfare services in Indiana. Students have the opportunity to explore careers working with children and families in the child welfare system. This course is a service learning course with a required component of a minimum of twenty hours of volunteer work in an identified social service agency in the child welfare system.

• SWK-S 200 Introduction to Case Management (3 cr.) Explores current models of case management. It addresses emerging case manager's functions and roles within the contemporary network of human services. This is a required course to fulfill requirements for the Certificate on Case Management. It may also be taken as an elective.

• SWK-S 221 Human Behavior and Social Environment I: Individual Functioning (3 cr.) P: S141 or consent of instructor. Understanding of human behavior and the social environment as a basis for social work practice. Focuses on understanding the interaction between person and environment. Coverage of major theories of individual functioning, life cycle development, and the family context. Exploration of inequality, discrimination, and differential access to opportunities for diverse populations.

• SWK-S 231 Generalist Social Work Practice I: Theory and Skills (3 cr.) P or C: S221. Development of a critical understanding of social work practice. It focuses on the beginning phase of the helping process and related skills. Topics include the nature of the helping relationship, NASW Code of Ethics, practice as it relates to oppressed groups, assessment, and practice evaluations.

• SWK-S 251 Emergence of Social Services (3 cr.) P: S141 or consent of the instructor. Examination of the evolution of social services in response to human needs and social problems as related to economic, political, and social conditions.

• SWK-S 280 Introduction to Field Experience (1-3 cr.) P: consent of the instructor. Introductory field experience for testing interest in a social work career. It is also required for non-social work students pursuing the Case Management Certificate.

• SWK-S 300 Computer Technology for Social Workers (3 cr.) Broad overview of computer software applications and Internet and World Wide Web, with an emphasis on their utilization in the social work profession. Ethical and social implications of computer technology for the social work profession, highlighting considerations specific to at-risk populations. Students may use this course to fulfill the computer course requirement or they may take it as an elective.

• SWK-S 300 Crisis Intervention (3 cr.) Focuses on the increasing number of complex and painful personal, couple, family, and community crisis situations human service providers encounter in the course of service delivery. This is a required course to fulfill requirements for the Certificate on Case Management. It may also be taken as an elective.

• SWK-S 300 Developmental Issues for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People (3 cr.) Gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GL&B) people constitute an important presence in American society. They are denied full participation in a wide range of social institutions including family life, religion, education, employment, recreation, the military and many others. Serious issues related to lack of legal protection, violence, and limited political representation is analyzed.

• SWK-S 300 Statistical Reasoning in Social Work Practice (3 cr.) Introductory statistics course is designed for students who wish to master some very important tools used by contemporary social work practitioners to better understand the world of practice. The primary purpose of the course is to enable students to gain an understanding of the basic principles that guide statistical reasoning, especially as they relate to making informed decisions about the quantitative aspects of their practice. Students will learn how to collect and organize data, examine it for patterns and relationships, and analyze it for purposes of drawing plausible and defensible conclusions.

• SWK-S 300 Global Society: Human, Economic, Social, and Political Issues (3 cr.) The purpose of this course is to examine a range of issues including human rights, distribution of wealth, ethnic diversity, and social development, within the context of global interdependence. Problems of global poverty, social injustice, and inequality will receive special attention. These areas will be examined utilizing empowerment, strengths, and multicultural perspectives.

• SWK-S 300 Working with Families (3 cr.) Exploration of family relationships and roles in the twenty-first century. Examination of challenges encountered by families across the family life cycle. This is a required course to fulfill requirements for the Certificate in Family Life Education. It may also be taken as an elective. Also available online at IUPUI.

• SWK-S 300 Family Life Education (3 cr.) An understanding of the general philosophy and broad principles of family life education in conjunction with the ability to plan, implement, and evaluate such educational programs. This is a required course to fulfill requirements for the Certificate in Family Life Education. It may also be taken as an elective.

• SWK-S 300 Sel Topics in Social Work (3 cr.)

• SWK-S 322 Human Behavior and Social Environment II: Small Group Functioning (3 cr.) P: S221. Examination of the significance of the small group as context and means for social development of individuals and as agent of change in the social environment. Discussion of the individual as a member of a variety of groups, including the family. The course considers the formal organization as a composite of groups.

• SWK-S 323 Organization Behavior and Practice within a Generalist Perspective (3 cr.) P or C: S322. This course provides a theoretical and conceptual foundation on community and formal organizations necessary to social work practice. Topics include conceptual approaches for understanding communities and organizations; community research; institutional discrimination; distribution of community resources; and power and control as they relate to oppressed groups.

• SWK-S 332 Generalist Social Work Practice II: Theory and Skills (3 cr.) P: S231and S251; P or C: S352; C: S381. Examination of middle and ending phases of the helping process and related skills. Topics include the helping relationship with various client system sizes; impact of agency policies and procedures upon practice and resolution of clients' problems; and practice evaluation.

• SWK-S 352 Social Service Delivery Systems (3 cr.) P: S251. Examination of policies, structures, and programs of service delivery systems at local, regional, and national levels with emphasis on relations among such systems as formal organizations. Students acquire knowledge of the policy development process, which helps them establish beginning capacity for policy analysis and policy practice.

• SWK-S 371 Social Work Research (3 cr.) P: junior standing. Examination of basic research methods in social work, the relevance of research for social work practice, and the selection of knowledge for use in social work.

• SWK-S 381 Social Work Practicum I (4 cr.) P: S231 and S251; P or C: S352; C: S332. Guided field practice experience (12 hours per week) for application of generalist practice concepts and principles and the development of basic practice skills. Students are to intern in a human service organization for a minimum of 240 clock hours, which includes a bimonthly seminar.

• SWK-S 400 Developmental Issues for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People (3 cr.) Gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GL&B) people constitute an important presence in American society. They are denied full participation in a wide range of social institutions including family life, religion, education, employment, recreation, the military and many others. Serious issues related to lack of legal protection, violence, and limited political representation is analyzed.

• SWK-S 400 Global Society: Human, Economic, Social, and Political Issues (3 cr.) The purpose of this course is to examine a range of issues including human rights, distribution of wealth, ethnic diversity, and social development, within the context of global interdependence. Problems of global poverty, social injustice, and inequality will receive special attention. These areas will be examined utilizing empowerment, strengths, and multicultural perspectives.

• SWK-S 400 Family Life Education (3 cr.) An understanding of the general philosophy and broad principles of family life education in conjunction with the ability to plan, implement, and evaluate such educational programs. This is a required course to fulfill requirements for the Certificate in Family Life Education. It may also be taken as an elective.

• SWK-S 400 Practicum Seminar (1 cr.) P: all junior-level social work courses. C: S433, S472, and S482. Discussion of practice issues as experienced in S482.

• SWK-S 400 Special Tpcs in Fields of Prac (1-6 cr.)

• SWK-S 433 Community Behavior and Practice within a Generalist Perspective (3 cr.) P: all junior-level social work courses. C: S400, S472, and S482. This course provides the theoretical foundation about community functioning and behavior and the knowledge and skills of community interventions geared to mitigate social, political, and economic injustice and bring social change.

• SWK-S 442 Practice-Policy Seminar in Fields of Practice (3 cr.) 2 courses required P: S433, S472, and S482. Addresses practice and policy issues in specific fields of practice such as child and family, aging, addictions, and developmental disabilities.

• SWK-S 472 Practice Evaluation (3 cr.) P: S371 and all other junior-level social work courses. C: S433 and S482. Develops the knowledge and skills necessary for students to evaluate their own practice with individuals, groups, communities, and organizations. The use of selected software is explored.

• SWK-S 482 Social Work Practicum II (5 cr.) P: all junior-level social work courses. C: S433 and S472. Guided field practice experience (20 hours per week) for application of concepts and principles and development of skills for generalist practice with selected social systems. Students are to practice in a human service organization for a minimum of 320 clock hours.

• SWK-S 490 Independent Study (1-6 cr.) P: permission of instructor. An opportunity to engage in a self-directed study of an area related to the school's curriculum in which no formal course is available.

Labor Studies

Advanced Courses

• LSTU-L 314 Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace (3 cr.) This courses explores the ethical decision-making and behavior in a unionized workplace, based on the values and social justice mission of unions. Students will examine what constitutes ethical standards on issues such as affirmative action, transparency, membership involvement, and democratic procedures. This includes the philosophical and theoretical bases for ethics and discussions on the relationship between law and ethics in dealing with workplace conflict.

• LSTU-L 315 The Organization of Work (3 cr.) This course examines how work is organized and how jobs are evaluated, measured, and controlled. It explores social and technical elements of work through theories of scientific management, the human relations school of management, and contemporary labor process literature.

• LSTU-L 320 Grievance Arbitration (3 cr.) P: Recommended only after L220 or with permission of instructor. This course explores the legal and practical context of grievance arbitration, and its limitations and advantages in resolving workplace problems. Varieties of arbitration clauses and the status of awards are also explored. Students analyze research, prepare, and present cases in mock arbitration hearings.

• LSTU-L 330 Global Compars: Exples 3 Conts (3 cr.)

• LSTU-L 350 Issues in Collective Bargaining (3 cr.) This course includes readings and discussions on selected problems. A research paper is usually required.

• LSTU-L 360 Union Administration and Development (1-3 cr.) This is course covers practical and theoretical perspectives on strategic planning, budgeting, and organizational decision making. It addresses the needs and problems of union leaders by studying organizational change, staff development, and cohesiveness within a diverse workforce. This course may be repeated for up to 3 credits with department approval.

• LSTU-L 370 Labor and Religion (3 cr.) This course examines the relationship between religion and the labor movement as it has developed in the United States over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Students will analyze the approach taken by religious institutions concerning workers' issues and assess the tradition in which workers of faith connect to more secular concerns for social and economic justice.

• LSTU-L 380 Theories of the Labor Movement (3 cr.) This course examines various perspectives on the origin, development, and goals of organized labor. Theories include those that view the labor movement as a business union institution, an agent for social reform, a revolutionary force, a psychological reaction to industrialization, a moral force, and an unnecessary intrusion.

• LSTU-L 385 Class, Race, Gender, and Work (3 cr.) This course provides a historical overview of the impact and interplay of class, race, and gender on shaping U.S. labor markets, organizations, and policies. It examines union responses and strategies for addressing class, race, and gender issues.

• LSTU-L 390 Topics in Labor Studies (3 cr.)

• LSTU-L 420 Labor Studies Internship (1-6 cr.) This course applies classroom knowledge in the field. L420 may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

• LSTU-L 430 Labor Research Methods (3 cr.) This course focuses on the study of research design, methods, techniques, and procedures applicable to research problems in labor studies.

• LSTU-L 480 Senior Seminar or Readings (3 cr.) This course can be used as a classroom seminar or directed reading course. It addresses current issues, historical developments, and other labor-related concerns. Topics may vary each semester.

• LSTU-L 490 Topics in Labor Studies (1-3 cr.) This is a variable-title course. L490 can be repeated for credit with different subjects. The transcript will show a different subtitle each time the course is taken. Some courses focus on contemporary or special areas of labor studies. Others are directed toward specific categories of employees and labor organizations. Inquire at Labor Studies offices.

• LSTU-L 495 Directed Labor Study (1-6 cr.) This is a variable credit course. L495 may be repeated for a maximum of 6 credit hours. Students arrange to study with an individual labor studies faculty member, designing a course of study to suit their individual and varied needs and interests. The contract might include reading, directed application of prior course work, tutorials, or internships. Competencies are assessed through written papers, projects, reports, or interviews.

• LSTU-L 499 Self-Acquired Competency in Labor Studies (1-15 cr.) See description in this bulletin for a description of self-acquired competency.

Core Courses

The courses are divided between core courses (all 100- and 200-level courses, except L199, L290, and L299) and advanced courses (300-400 level).

• LSTU-L 100 Survey of Unions and Collective Bargaining (3 cr.) This course includes coverage of historical development, labor law basics, and contemporary issues. It also discusses a survey of labor unions in the United States; focusing on their organization and their representational, economic, and political activities.

• LSTU-L 101 American Labor History (3 cr.) This course explores the struggles of working people to achieve dignity and security from social, economic, and political perspectives. It also explores a survey of the origin and development of unions and the labor movement from colonial times to the present.

• LSTU-L 104 Labor History (3 cr.) This course serves as an orientation for the study of labor history. It explores both critical and historical methodologies based on primary and secondary sources, biases, and interpretations. Discussions focus on selective questions and events.

• LSTU-L 110 Introduction to Labor Studies: Labor and Society (3 cr.) This course introduces students to the interdisciplinary and advocacy approach of labor studies. Exploring labor's role in society, the class will look at how unions have changed the lives of working people and contributed to better social policies. Discussions will highlight the relationship of our work lives to our non-work lives and will look at U.S. labor relations in a comparative framework.

• LSTU-L 190 The Labor Studies Degree (1 cr.) Required for all Labor Studies program majors.  This course provides an introduction to the Labor Studies degree and to the knowledge and skills needed by students to progress toward a degree in a reasonable time frame.  Students will learn how to build a plan of study that takes advantage of both credit for prior learning and new learning opportunities.

• LSTU-L 199 Portfolio Development Workshop (1 cr.) Emphasis for this course is placed on developing learning portfolios as foundation documents for academic self-assessment and planning and as applications for self-acquired competency (SAC) credit. This course applies only as elective credit to labor studies degrees.

• LSTU-L 200 Survey of Employment Law (3 cr.) This course explores statutes and common-law actions protecting income, working conditions, and rights of workers. Topics include workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, fair labor standards, Social Security, retirement income protection, and privacy and other rights.

• LSTU-L 201 Labor Law (3 cr.) This course reviews a survey of the law governing labor-management relations. Topics include the legal framework of collective bargaining, problems in the administration and enforcement of agreements, and protection of individual employee rights.

• LSTU-L 203 Labor and the Political System (3 cr.) This course examines federal, state, and local governmental effects on workers, unions, and labor-management relations; political goals; influences on union choices of strategies and modes of political participation, past and present; relationships with community and other groups.

• LSTU-L 205 Contemporary Labor Problems (3 cr.) This course examines some of the major problems confronting society, workers, and the labor movement. Topics may include automation, unemployment, international trade, environmental problems, minority and women's rights, community relations, and changing government policies.

• LSTU-L 210 Workplace Discrimination and Fair Employment (3 cr.) This course examines policies and practices that contribute to workplace discrimination and those designed to eliminate it. It explores effects of job discrimination and occupational segregation. It analyzes Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related topics in relation to broader strategies for addressing discrimination.

• LSTU-L 220 Grievance Representation (3 cr.) This course looks at union representation in the workplace. It evaluates uses of grievance procedures to address problems and administer the collective bargaining agreement. It also explores analyses of relevant labor law and the logic applied by arbitrators to grievance decisions. Students learn about the identification, research, presentation, and writing of grievance cases.

• LSTU-L 230 Labor and the Economy (3 cr.) This course analyses aspects of the political economy of labor and the role of organized labor within it. It emphases the effect on workers, unions, collective bargaining of unemployment, investment policy, changes in technology and corporate structure. It also explores patterns of union political and bargaining responses.

• LSTU-L 240 Occupational Health and Safety (3 cr.) This course reviews elements and issues of occupational health and safety. It emphases the union's role in the implementation of workplace health and safety programs, worker and union rights, hazard recognition techniques, and negotiated and statutory remedies-in particular the OSHA Act of 1970.

• LSTU-L 250 Collective Bargaining (3 cr.) This course emphasizes development and organization of collective bargaining in the United States, including union preparation for negotiations; bargaining patterns and practices; strategy and tactics; economic and legal considerations.

• LSTU-L 251 Collective Bargaining Laboratory (1-3 cr.) This course provides collective bargaining simulations and other participatory experiences in conjunction with L250. L250 is either a prerequisite or a corequisite.

• LSTU-L 255 Unions in State and Local Government (3 cr.) This course explores union organization and representation of state and municipal government employees, including patterns in union structure, collective bargaining, grievance representation, and applicable law.

• LSTU-L 260 Leadership and Representation (3 cr.) This course evaluates organizational leadership issues for union, community, and other advocate organizations. It analyzes leadership styles, membership recruitment, and leadership development. It examines the role of leaders in internal governance and external affairs, including committee building, delegation, negotiations, and coalition building.

• LSTU-L 270 Union Government and Organization (3 cr.) This course provides an analysis of the growth, composition, structure, behavior, and governmental processes of U.S. labor organizations, from the local to the national federation level. It considers the influence on unions of industrial and political environments; to organizational behavior in different types of unions; and to problems in union democracy.

• LSTU-L 280 Union Organizing (3 cr.) This course explores various approaches and problems in private- and public-sector organizing. Traditional approaches are evaluated in light of structural changes in labor markets and workforce demographics. Topics range from targeting and assessments to committee building and leadership development.

• LSTU-L 285 Assessment Project (1 cr.) This is a capstone experience for associate degree students.

• LSTU-L 290 Topics in Labor Studies (1-3 cr.) This is a variable-title course. L290 can be repeated for credit with different subjects. The transcript will show a different subtitle each time the course is taken. Some courses focus on contemporary or special areas of labor studies. Others are directed toward specific categories of employees and labor organizations. Inquire at Labor Studies offices.

• LSTU-L 299 Self-Acquired Competency in Labor Studies (1-15 cr.) See this bulletin for a description of Self-Acquired Competency.

M.S.W. Courses

• SWK-S 501 Professional Social Work at the Master's Level: An Immersion (3 cr.) This foundation course provides an overview of social work, including the definition, scope, history, ethics, and values of the profession. This course will provide basic orientation to the available resources and expectations of graduate education in general and the M.S.W. Program, in particular, all within the framework of the adult learner model. Students will develop basic communication, self-assessment, and reflection skills necessary for success in the M.S.W. Program. Students will have an opportunity to survey various fields of practice and will begin to identify personal learning goals for their M.S.W. education as well as develop a commitment to lifelong learning as a part of professional practice.

• SWK-S 502 Research I (3 cr.) This foundation research course assists students in developing the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of social work practice. Emphasis is placed on knowledge of qualitative and quantitative designs, methodologies, and techniques that inform students of best practices in social work. Students will recognize the impact of ethnicity, gender, age, and sexual orientation on the research process and be able to critically review published studies with attention to researcher bias.

• SWK-S 503 Human Behavior in the Social Environment I (3 cr.) This course provides content on the reciprocal relationships between human behavior and social environments. It includes empirically based theories and knowledge that focus on the interactions between and within diverse populations of individuals, groups, families, organizations, communities, societal institutions, and global systems. Knowledge of biological, psychological, sociological, cultural, and spiritual development across the lifespan is included. Students learn to analyze critically micro and macro theories and explore ways in which theories can be used to structure professional activities. Concepts such as person-in-environment are used to examine the ways in which social systems promote or deter human well-being and social and economic justice.

• SWK-S 504 Professional Practice Skills I (3 cr.) This foundation practice course focuses on basic generalist theory and skills that are necessary when working with a wide variety of client systems: individuals, families, small groups, communities, and organizations. Students are expected to demonstrate competent use of the following skills: attending, establishing rapport, reflecting, summarizing, exploring, questioning, contracting, and establishing clear well-formed goals. In this course students will have opportunities to continue learning about themselves and will examine their personal values and any conflict between personal and professional values so the professional practice standards can be upheld.

• SWK-S 505 Social Policy Analysis and Practice (3 cr.) This foundation policy course will focus on using several policy analysis frameworks to analyze current social policies and programs both at the state and federal levels and to develop policies that increase social and economic justice. Students will be expected to develop a range of policy practice skills to influence policy development within legislative, administrative, community, political, and economic arenas.

• SWK-S 513 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II (3 cr.) This course builds upon S503 and focuses on developing further knowledge of human behavior theories and their application to practice. Students will link course content to the concentration that the student has selected.

• SWK-S 514 Practice with Individuals, Families and Groups I (3 cr.) This course builds on the practice theories, principles, and skills introduced in S504 to prepare students for competent social work practice with individuals and families. A strengths perspective will be emphasized, and students will be introduced to the fundamental components of the task-centered and solution-focused approaches to practice. The transtheoretical model of change will be presented, and students will develop skills that will empower individuals and families to engage in the process of change. Students will be prepared to complete assessments and to use intervention skills that will serve diverse populations with specific attention to gender, class, race, and ethnicity.

• SWK-S 515 Social Policy and Services II (3 cr.) A group of courses covering topics or content including social problems, special populations, particular social service delivery areas, and social indicators that predict areas of future social policy transformations.

• SWK-S 516 Practice with Organizations, Communities, and Societies II (3 cr.) This course is concerned with helping communities and other social units to empower themselves and eradicate oppressive situations and practices through networking, political participation, leadership development, mobilization, utilization of resources, and other strategies and techniques.

• SWK-S 517 Assessment in Mental Health and Addictions (3 cr.) Recognizing the social, political, legal, and ethical implications of assessment, students enrolled in this course critically examine various conceptual frameworks and apply bio-psychosocial and strengths perspectives to understand its multidimensional aspects. Students learn to conduct sophisticated mental status and lethality risk interviews, engage in strengths and assets discovery, and apply the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association and other classification schemes in formulating assessment hypotheses. They gain an understanding of the application of several relevant assessment instruments and learn to evaluate their relevance for service to at-risk populations, including persons affected by mental health and addictions issues. Students learn to collaborate with a diverse range of consumers and other professionals in developing meaningful assessments upon which to plan goals, intervention strategies, and means for evaluation.

• SWK-S 555 Social Work Practicum I (3 cr.) The M.S.W. Social Work Practicum I is an educationally directed practice experience under the direct supervision of an approved field instructor. The assigned faculty liaison oversees the practicum to ensure that course objectives have been met. The practicum provides opportunities for the application and integration of classroom concepts and principles for the development of core skills in generalist social work practice with selected social systems using a strengths perspective. It builds upon the knowledge and skills learned and developed during the immersion and intermediate course work of the program. Learning opportunities emphasize the values and ethics of the profession, foster the integration of empirical and practice-based knowledge, and promote the development of professional competence. Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated on the basis of criteria by which students demonstrate the achievement of program objectives. The Field Practice Seminar is designed to assist students in integrating classroom learning with the experience of an internship. Students will also be introduced to assessment systems including the DSM and SWOT. The seminar provides a supportive setting for students to discuss practice issues raised in the field placement related to their Learning Agreement and field experience. This involves recognizing/exploring professional and personal biases, discussing ethical dilemmas and supervisory issues, and increasing cross-cultural competencies.

• SWK-S 600 Elective (3 cr.) Electives Vary in subject matter. Scheduling of these courses will be announced prior to semester registration.

• SWK-S 616 Social Work Practice in Schools (3 cr.) This advanced level practice course is designed to provide students with an overview of contemporary social work practice in school settings. Specific topical areas include the historical and contemporary contexts of social work service in school settings, legal mandates for social work practice in schools, social policies and trends in education affecting school settings and social work practice in schools, preventive and intervention methods and roles applicable to diverse populations in school settings, research issues and practice effectiveness, and multiculturalism and diversity issues in social work practice in schools.

• SWK-S 618 Social Policy and Services (3 cr.) A group of courses covering topics or content including social problems, special populations, particular social service delivery areas, and social indicators that predict areas of future social policy transformations.

• SWK-S 619 Social Work Practice with Children and Adolescents (3 cr.) This course is designed to develop and broaden student knowledge and skill in direct practice with children and adolescents. Social work practice will be examined within the context of meta-frameworks that include developmental stages/tasks, sexual development and orientation, gender issues, family context, culture, larger environmental systems, discrimination/oppression, and legal rights and responsibilities. Emphasis will be placed on practice methods including assessment, interviewing, comparative treatment models, and practice with special populations.

• SWK-S 623 Practice Research Integrative Seminar I (3 cr.) This course furthers the knowledge, skills, and values students develop in the foundation-year research course. Students will apply their knowledge and skills in research to evaluate practice or program effectiveness in their concentrations, using research methods that are sensitive to consumers' needs and clients' race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and additional aspects important to effective and ethnicity research.

• SWK-S 632 Child Welfare Practice I: Working with Children Impacted by Violence in the Family (3 cr.) This course is designed to provide practice skills for students working with children and families impacted by abuse, neglect, or family violence. The course is designed to cover the scope, causes, and consequences of child physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect and applications of this knowledge in a wide range of settings that deal with children and families as well as formal child protection services. Students will learn about the dynamics and indicators of maltreatments, etiology of child abuse and neglect, assessing risk, the continuum of intervention from prevention through intervention and future planning, out-of-home placement considerations, and the issues impacting particular oppressed and underserved populations. The focus of this course will be on how to work effectively with clients to achieve the goals of safety, permanency, and well-being.

• SWK-S 633 Child Welfare Practice II: Working with Diverse and Transitioning Families (3 cr.) This course will focus on the experiences of children and families in the child welfare system. Content will include interventions with families through all stages of change including preparation for change, separation and loss, the changed family system, reintegration as children transition into a family, and adolescents transitioning into independent living. Content will include the impact on families when the natural cycle of family development is disrupted. Special consideration will be given to various family types including adoptive, foster care, kinship, extended, single parent, multigenerational, and homosexual families. Practice content will emphasize strengths based and family-centered approaches and include knowledge and skill development to help children and families work through their family and personal crisis and grief in a timely manner to achieve permanency for children in safe and nurturing environments within 12 months after separation.

• SWK-S 634 Community-Based Practice with Children and Families (3 cr.) This course will examine the development and implementation of a wide range of prevention and intervention strategies provided at the community level. Special attention will be given to the philosophy of empowerment-oriented and client-driven service models. The course will explore the community as a resource and discuss strategies of collaboration and advocacy to enhance the well-being of children and families. Issues explored will include services for families and children to prevent out-of-home placement or involvement in other formal child protection/juvenile justice services, such as models of community-building, youth development, and family group conferencing/restorative justice. This course will also provide content on mutual aid and self-help groups to support and educate children and families on issues such as parenting, domestic violence, and abuse.

• SWK-S 651 Concentration Practicum II (4 cr.) Taken with S652, Practicum III. These courses together provide an in-depth practicum experience for M.S.W. Concentration students under the guidance and supervision of an approved field instructor. A faculty field liaison oversees the practica. Students complete both courses in the same agency although the students may use multiple departments or programs as sites for learning experiences. Practicum II and III build upon and deepen the practicum experiences and classroom knowledge gained in the intermediate year. The practicum courses provide students with experiences in the aforementioned curricular emphasis areas, which support the processes of synthesis, application, critical analysis, and evaluation of knowledge using a strengths perspective. The field practice seminar integrates concentration classroom learning with the experience of an internship. Students have the opportunity to apply their basic knowledge of group process as well as practice group leadership skills. This seminar will assist students in the identification and examination of significant practice and professional issues that occur in the last phase of the M.S.W. Program. A major instructional goal of the practicum is to increase students' competence in understanding and dealing with cross-cultural issues. Information and resources on diversity are discussed and applied in seminar and field placement, and students are encouraged to further explore and increase their own competence in dealing with cross-cultural issues. It is expected that students will develop an awareness of their own privilege in relationship to their client systems. Further, students are expected to use advocacy skills in a cultural context and carry these skills into action in their agencies and the wider community.

• SWK-S 652 Practicum III (5 cr.) Taken with S651, Concentration Practicum II. These courses together provide an in-depth practicum experience for M.S.W. Concentration students under the guidance and supervision of an approved field instructor. A faculty field liaison oversees the practica. Students complete both courses in the same agency although the students may use multiple departments or programs as sites for learning experiences. Practicum II and III build upon and deepen the practicum experiences and classroom knowledge gained in the intermediate year. The practicum courses provide students with experiences in the aforementioned curricular emphasis areas, which support the processes of synthesis, application, critical analysis, and evaluation of knowledge using a strengths perspective. The field practice seminar integrates concentration classroom learning with the experience of an internship. Students have the opportunity to apply their basic knowledge of group process as well as practice group leadership skills. This seminar will assist students in the identification and examination of significant practice and professional issues that occur in the last phase of the M.S.W. Program. A major instructional goal of the practicum is to increase students' competence in understanding and dealing with cross-cultural issues. Information and resources on diversity are discussed and applied in seminar and field placement, and students are encouraged to further explore and increase their own competence in dealing with cross-cultural issues. It is expected that students will develop an awareness of their own privilege in relationship to their client systems. Further, students are expected to use advocacy skills in a cultural context and carry these skills into action in their agencies and the wider community.

• SWK-S 661 Executive Leadership Practice (3 cr.) This course addresses administrative, management, leadership, and supervisory skills necessary for leadership practice. Included are staff hiring, supervision, evaluation, and termination; working with boards and volunteers, leadership styles, strategic planning, and current best practices in administration.

• SWK-S 662 Fiscal Management, Marketing, and Resource Development (3 cr.) This course consists of three modules designed to develop core skills in fiscal management (including issues of budgeting, understanding balance sheets, audits, and theories of accounting); resource development (including fund raising, grant writing, and personnel policies), and marketing for social work leaders.

• SWK-S 663 Leveraging Organizations, Communities, and Political Systems (3 cr.) This course focuses on the knowledge and skills essential for understanding, analyzing, and application in organizations, communities, and political arenas. Such knowledge and skills include, but are not limited to organizational theories, structures, and processes; examination and application of rural, urban, and virtual community models, themes and practices; and understanding and involvement in political, social action, and social change interventions and empowerment practices.

• SWK-S 664 Designing Transformational Programs (3 cr.) This course focuses on alternative, transformational models of strategic, community, and program planning. Featured development models center on collaboration, cultural competence, empowerment, and social justice. The course will address advanced grant writing, identification of funding and other resources, and philanthropic trends within a variety of social service delivery systems. It will move beyond a focus on the technology of program development, to examine planning as a vehicle for designing organizational, community, and social change.

• SWK-S 672 Families, Theories, and Culture (3 cr.) This course is designed to enhance student ability to assess and intervene with families in a culturally sensitive way from a strengths-oriented perspective. It examines the cultural context of families from a multidimensional perspective including race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, education, economics, and regional background. This course overviews the major theories of family intervention and discusses how students can apply family theory into practice situations.

• SWK-S 673 Couples and Families Interventions I (3 cr.) This course provides in-depth discussion of ways to intervene with individuals on family-of-origin issues, couples at different stages of family development, parents with children at different ages, and the family as part of a larger social context utilizing a strengths perspective.

• SWK-S 674 Couples and Family Interventions II (3 cr.) This course emphasizes family interventions on a variety of family challenges often seen in family agencies (substance abuse, violence, physical illness, mental illness, family life cycle disruption, etc.). The course reviews assessment and intervention strategies and how to build skills with a variety of family issues.

• SWK-S 680 Special Social Work Practicum (1-9 cr.) An educationally directed field experience in addition to the required practicum courses.

• SWK-S 682 Assessment in Mental Health and Addictions (3 cr.) Recognizing the social, political, legal, and ethical implications of assessment, students enrolled in this course critically examine various conceptual frameworks and apply bio-psychosocial and strengths perspectives to understand its multidimensional aspects. Students learn to conduct sophisticated mental status and lethality risk interviews, engage in strengths and assets discovery, and apply the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association and other classification schemes in formulating assessment hypotheses. They gain an understanding of the application of several relevant assessment instruments and learn to evaluate their relevance for service to at-risk populations, including persons affected by mental health and addictions issues. Students learn to collaborate with a diverse range of consumers and other professionals in developing meaningful assessments upon which to plan goals, intervention strategies, and means for evaluation.

• SWK-S 683 Community-Based Practice in Mental Health and Addiction (3 cr.) Students enrolled in this course examine a wide range of community-based services provided for people with severe mental illness and/or severe addiction problems. Special attention is given to strength-based, client-driven, and evidence-based practice models. Content includes community-based services in areas of case management, employment, housing, illness management, family, dual disorder treatment, and consumer self-help. Students also examine a variety of issues involved in the provision of community-based services such as ethical and legal issues, quality and continuity of care, cultural competency, organizational and financial factors, and other relevant policy and practice issues.

• SWK-S 685 Mental Health and Addictions Practice with Individuals and Families (3 cr.) Students enrolled in this course develop knowledge, values and ethics, skills, and judgment necessary for competent application of selected evidence-based, best practice approaches for service for children, youth, adults, and families affected by mental health and addictions issues. Students explore topics such as risk and resilience, recovery, and relapse prevention, and consider implications of current social and policy factors affecting service delivery to persons affected by mental health and addictions issues. Students learn to discover, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate evidence of practice effectiveness and apply that knowledge in communication, strengths discovery and assessment, hypothesis formation, contracting, intervention and prevention planning, service delivery, and evaluation. Students develop professional understanding and expertise in the application of at least one evidence-based approach for service to individuals and families affected by at least one specific mental health or addictions issues.

• SWK-S 686 Social Work Practice: Addictions (3 cr.) The purpose of this course is to provide learners with knowledge and skills relevant to various aspects of social work practice in prevention, intervention, and treatment of selected addictions. Students draw upon previous and concurrent learning experiences and integrate values, knowledge, and skills acquired in other social work courses with the values, knowledge, and skills characteristic of addictions practice. The course assists students to develop a multidimensional understanding of prevention, intervention, and treatment needs of diverse populations and associated social work practice principles, methods, and skills. Students explore the relationships between and among addiction and socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical and mental ability, and other socio-environmental factors of vulnerability. Consistent with strengths and ecosystems perspectives, students consider the impact of social environments, physical settings, community contexts, and political realities that support or inhibit the emergence of addiction problems.

• SWK-S 687 Mental Health and Addiction Practice with Groups (3 cr.) Students enrolled in this course develop professional knowledge and skills for group work services to persons affected by mental health and addictions issues. The phases of group development and intervention during the various group work stages provide a conceptual framework for the course experience. Students learn to serve children, youth, adults, and families in groups that are therapeutic, growth producing, and life enhancing. Students examine a number of theoretical perspectives, including cognitive behavioral, communications, behavioral, and interpersonal approaches.

• SWK-S 690 Independent Study (1-6 cr.) An opportunity to engage in a self-directed study of an area related to the school's curriculum in which no formal course is available. (In order to enroll in S690, approval from an academic advisor and the director of the M.S.W. Program is required.)

• SWK-S 692 Health Care Practice I (3 cr.) This course will focus on the role of the social worker in a health care setting. Issues such as team building, professional identity, patient advocacy, ethics, and managed care will be addressed. Also, the impact of health care payment sources and health care choices for patients will be explored.

• SWK-S 693 Health Care Practice II (3 cr.) This course will examine the psychosocial impact of illnesses. Areas such as coping with chronic illness, caregiver stress, grieving and loss, medical ethics, and violence as a health care issue will be examined. The needs of at-risk populations (i.e., children, survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, frail elderly, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, etc.) will be addressed.

Ph.D. Courses

In addition to the required courses listed below, all students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours outside the School of Social Work related to their area of specialization. All students enroll for 6 elective credits, which may be taken within or outside the School of Social Work with the approval of the student’s advisory committee.

• SWK-G 901 Advanced Research (6 cr.)

• SWK-S 700 Integrative Seminar (3 cr.) P: completion of specialization requirements, or consent of instructor. This seminar is scheduled at the conclusion of the didactic component of the program and is intended to provide an opportunity for students to examine within the context of a social work perspective the relevant research and practice issues that have emerged as a consequence of having participated in an educational program that includes content taken both within and outside the School of Social Work.

• SWK-S 710 Social Work Theories of Human and Social Behavior (3 cr.) This seminar focuses on the converging forces that have shaped the development, dissemination, and utilization of the human behavior knowledge base of social work. It specifically examines the social and behavioral science theory and research that provide the foundation for social work practice across a variety of system levels.

• SWK-S 718 Intermediate Statistics for Social Work (3 cr.) Students will learn selected parametric and non-parametric statistics to examine research problems. Included in the learning process are hand computations of statistics, development of skills in using a comprehensive computer statistics package, and selection of statistical techniques based on levels of measurement and analyses of the assumptions of statistics.

• SWK-S 720 Philosophy of Science and Social Work (3 cr.) This course examines the nature and sources of social work knowledge and considers a range of epistemological issues involved in the selection, development, evaluation, and use of knowledge for social work.

• SWK-S 721 Preparing to Publish: Seminar in Advanced Scholarship Skills (3 cr.) This course prepares doctoral students for academic scholarship. Topics include expectations and standards for scholarly discourse, critical and analytic thinking skills, logical argument, scholarly writing publication, and the development of a research agenda. Web-based peer and instructor review of successive drafts of writing assignments culminate in a synthesized review of literature.

• SWK-S 724 Theory, Practice, and Assessment of Social Work Teaching (3 cr.) This course prepares doctoral students to effectively and competently teach social work courses. Content includes teaching philosophies; curriculum and syllabus development; teaching methods; technology related to teaching; assessment, testing, and evaluation of students; and research related to teaching.

• SWK-S 725 Social Work Research Internship (6 cr.) P: S720, S721, a foundation statistics course, and at least one of the following: S710, S730, or S740. This supervised field internship provides practical experience in conducting research relevant to social work practice. Students participate in a new or ongoing faculty-supervised research project involving the design and implementation of a study, including the collection and analysis of data and the development of appropriate research reports. May be registered for up to three times.

• SWK-S 726 Advanced Social Work Research: Qualitative Methods (3 cr.) This course provides an opportunity for students to initiate a research project using qualitative research methods. Topics covered will include developing the research question, exploring the literature, writing an interview guide, interviewing, analyzing data, computer analysis, writing reports, subjectivity and bias, ethics, role of theory, trustworthiness, and audits.

• SWK-S 727 Advanced Social Work Research: Quantitative Methods (3 cr.) This course on quantitative research explores the similarities and differences in the various research methods and provides an opportunity to formulate and test a research question. Students will formulate and refine a research question based on interest and a thorough review of the literature. They will learn how to choose an appropriate design for answering testable problems, questions, or hypotheses. The role of theory, fundamentals of sampling, the role of informants, and steps of preparatory work will be explored. Students will generate, test, and refine interview questions or instruments appropriate to their chosen design. They will identify potential funding opportunities and current research through online data searches. Computer demonstrations and experiential computer exercises will expose students to research software and available databases. At the conclusion of the semester, students will have developed a research proposal and field tested their data collection instruments.

• SWK-S 728 Advanced Statistics for Social Work (3 cr.) Students in this course learn how to evaluate statistical assumptions and select, compute, and substantively interpret a variety of multivariate statistics, using SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) to analyze actual social work research data. Online resources, Web-based materials, and model applications of the statistics support students' learning.

• SWK-S 730 Pro-seminar on Social Work Policy Analysis (3 cr.) This seminar focuses on the development and application of analytical tools necessary to critically examine and evaluate social policy theory and research germane to social work, including the values and ideologies that under gird social problem construction, social policy creation, and social program design. Specific attention is devoted to the application of this schema for diverse populations.

• SWK-S 740 Social Work Practice: Theory and Research (3 cr.) This seminar provides students opportunities to refine the knowledge, skill, and judgment necessary for competent analysis and evaluation of various aspects of social work practice. During the seminar, students conduct an intensive analysis of the effectiveness of practice services to a distinct at-risk population affected by a contemporary social problem.

• SWK-S 790 Special Topics in Social Work Practice, Theory, and Research (1-3 cr.) P: approval by appropriate instructor. This course provides students with an opportunity to engage in focused study of a substantive area of social work practice directly related to the student's identified area of theoretical and research interest. It is completed with the approval and under the guidance of a member of the Ph.D. faculty.

• SWK-S 791 Integrative Seminar I (1.5 cr.) This course acquaints incoming doctoral students with campus resources for graduate students and with the expectations for doctoral education, including the policies, procedures, and academic standards of the Graduate School and of the School of Social Work. Students register for this seminar in their first semester.

• SWK-S 800 Ph.D. Dissertation Research (12 cr.) Students must be continually registered for dissertation credits every Fall and Spring semester once they are admitted to candidacy up to a total of 12 credits of S800. Students do not need to register for dissertation credits in the summer unless they graduate in the summer. You are considered graduated when you deposit your final bound dissertation with the Graduate School.