SWRK 120: I Want to Help People
Students explore service to human beings as a profession, both vocation and avocation. Who needs help? Who helps? Where? How? What motivates people to help? Using the liberal arts as a foundation for helping people, students study opportunities in areas such as health care, social services, ministry, youth work, and the arts. The class includes lectures, discussions, speakers, and field visits. Offered periodically during January term. Does not count toward social work major.
SWRK 122: Global Challenges
Students explore seven major challenges affecting the world's people including population, resource management, economic integration, information, technology, conflict/security, and governance with an emphasis on their relation to global citizenship and human rights. This course examines issues from social science and global problem-solving perspectives with particular attention to how culture and place affect human experience. Students engage in discussions, forums, a global village activity, and an action project. Offered periodically during January term. Does not count toward social work major.
SWRK 221: Social Work and Social Welfare
Students study the progression of the U.S. social welfare "system" from English Poor Laws through the Social Security Act to contemporary reforms. They examine how its components (public, private, faith-based) interrelate to serve diverse individuals, families, and communities. The development of social work, its foundational knowledge, values, and skills, and its relationship to fields of social welfare are included. Students shadow a social worker for four hours. Offered each semester.
OLE Core Requirement: Global Histories and Societies; Writing Across the Curriculum.
SWRK 246: Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Humans relate to one another in diverse families, groups, organizations, and communities. Through traditional and alternative theoretical perspectives on human behavior, students apply prerequisite and advanced material from biology, sociology, psychology, and social work to assess situations encountered by social workers. Diverse examples are drawn from literature, social work research, and from students' autobiographies. Offered annually in the fall semester.
Prerequisites: SOAN 121, PSYCH 241, and BIO 123 or BIO 243; open to non-majors by permission of chair only.
SWRK 254: Inclusive Practice: Individuals and Families
Social work majors study the methods and skills of social work practice, particularly intercultural communication. They describe strengths and problems of diverse individuals and families; frame goals and plans for change utilizing the planned change process and the systems perspective; and use ethical decision-making, informed by the scientific method, grounded in the liberal arts, and concerned with social justice. Students demonstrate learning in recorded role playing and have an academic civic engagement experience. Offered annually in the fall semester.
Prerequisites: SWRK 221 and concurrent enrollment in SWRK 246.
SWRK 258: Social Policy
Social welfare policies exemplify how society's values and needs translate into policies and programs. Social workers create, implement, and evaluate policies in all areas of social policy. Students study policy formation and analysis that reflect interests and powers of diverse groups as well as economic and social realities of certain populations at risk of poverty and discrimination. The course emphasizes policy impact on women, people in poverty, people of color, and empowerment in policy practice. Offered annually in the spring semester.
OLE Core Requirement: Social Science.
SWRK 261: Inclusive Practice: Groups, Organizations and Communities
Social work majors continue to study the methods and skills of generalist practice. They assess strengths and problems of diverse groups, organizations, and communities and use the systems perspective to help client systems frame goals and plans for social change. Students assess macrosystems and develop plans for implementing change that are reflective, scientific, just, and grounded in the liberal arts. Offered annually in the spring semester.
Prerequisite: SWRK 254.
SWRK 274: Research Methods in Social Work
Social work majors study scientific philosophies and approaches to ethical knowledge building for social work practice. The course includes an overview of the research process using both quantitative and qualitative methods, with special attention to how research knowledge informs generalist social work practice. Open to non-majors by permission of instructor. Offered annually in the spring semester.
Prerequisite: social work major.
SWRK 294: Academic Internship
OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
SWRK 298: Independent Study
Independent work is guided by a faculty member. Students need to have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, before an independent project is approved. A student may not substitute an IS/IR course for a course regularly offered in a department or program. IS/IR culminates in at least one product (a paper, laboratory report, work of art, etc.). Normally, the student and faculty instructor are expected to meet at least once a week.
Prerequisites: at least second-year standing; at least 2 relevant courses for 298 (IS); approval from the faculty instructor, the academic advisor, and the department chair or program director. See catalog for more information under registration and course enrollment.
SWRK 373: Just Practice
This course immediately precedes SWRK 380. The course provides an overview of how structural oppression across cultural positions (e.g. race, sexuality, ability, class) may affect client systems. Students integrate awareness, knowledge, and skills for engaging in anti-oppressive, inclusive practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. This includes role plays assisting clients who are challenged by oppression as part of their presenting problems and brief immersions with diverse communities. Offered annually during fall semester.
Prerequisite: SWRK 261.
OLE Core Requirement: Power and Race.
SWRK 380: Field Practicum (3.0)
In this experience, social work majors complete at least 400 hours in a rural or urban agency with structured learning about generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities from diverse backgrounds. Students engage in professional responsibilities with careful guidance and supervision from the field supervisor and the field coordinator. Students attend a weekly evening seminar to integrate classroom learning, share experiences, and obtain support. Offered annually in the fall semester.
Prerequisite: majors who have satisfactorily completed PSYCH 241, SOAN 121, BIO 123 or BIO 243, and all required courses with numbers below 380.
OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
SWRK 381: Social Worker as Professional
This capstone course is for senior majors. Students begin a professional web presence to illustrate their readiness to begin practice as a generalist social worker. Classes emphasize auxiliary knowledge and skills in leadership. Students discuss emerging social work issues and provide peer assistance with professional development strategies. Evaluation includes oral presentation, ethics case analysis, professional development reflection assignments, and self-evaluation of achievement of program competencies. Also counts toward business and management studies concentration.
Prerequisite: SWRK 380.
OLE Core Requirement: Ethical Reasoning in Context.
SWRK 394: Academic Internship
OLE Core Requirement: OLE Experience in Practice.
SWRK 396: Directed Undergraduate Research
This course provides a comprehensive research opportunity, including an introduction to relevant background material, technical instruction, identification of a meaningful project, and data collection. The topic is determined by the faculty member in charge of the course and may relate to their research interests. Offered based on department decision. May be offered as a 1.00 credit course or .50 credit course.
Prerequisite: determined by individual instructor.
SWRK 398: Independent Research
Independent work is guided by a faculty member. Students need to have the necessary background, including appropriate coursework, before an independent project is approved. A student may not substitute an IS/IR course for a course regularly offered in a department or program. IS/IR culminates in at least one product (a paper, laboratory report, work of art, etc.). Normally, the student and faculty instructor are expected to meet at least once a week.
Prerequisites: at least second-year standing; at least 5 relevant courses for 398 (IR); approval from the faculty instructor, the academic advisor, and the department chair or program director.
