Social Work (B.A.)

Survey of the field of professional social work, including the roles, philosophy, values, skills, and knowledge base needed. Areas of practice and career expectations are explained.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

This course studies the historical development of social welfare policies, services, and institutions and addresses contemporary policy and service delivery. The social, political, and value systems that create policies are studied. A systems perspective focuses on the relationship between policy, services, and institutions at the local, state, and federal levels. International perspectives on social policy are discussed for comparative purposes. Primary areas of focus are public welfare, aging, and mental health. Policy implementation and change are discussed.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

A course to synthesize and examine the body of knowledge concerning how the individual, group, family, and community systems interrelate with each other and the larger social context from the lifespan stages of birth through adolescence. Content will be drawn from the biological, psychological, sociological, eco-political, and cultural-environmental systems. The importance of professional ethics in the assessment process is also examined.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

A course to synthesize and examine the body of knowledge concerning how the individual, group, family, and community systems interrelate with each other and the larger social context from the lifespan stages of early adulthood through aging and death. Content will be drawn from the biological, psychological, sociological, eco-political, and cultural-environmental systems. The importance of professional ethics in the assessment process is also examined.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

Emphasis on social work theory and practice skills. Study of communication patterns, empathic response and assessment of client situations. Experiential learning through role playing, observation, and discussion.
Prerequisite(s): SOCWK 1150 Introduction to Social Work and declared Social Work major.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

This course provides an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings as well as the practical applications of group work as a vehicle for social work. It also explores how and why groups function and develop skills and techniques of membership and leadership.
Prerequisite(s): SOCWK 1150 Introduction to Social Work and full admission to the social work program, or permission of the social work program director. (Normally offered each spring semester.)

An introductory course to the administration and planning of social service organizations. Major emphasis upon community, organization, and legislative analysis; management skills; program planning; and evaluation. A practice-oriented course including simulations, in-class projects, volunteer experience, and personal introspection.
Prerequisite(s): SOCWK 1150 Introduction to Social Work and SOCWK 2200 Social Welfare Policy, Services, and Delivery Systems and full admission to social work program, or permission of the social work program director.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

An introduction and overview of research methods used in generalist social work practice. Course content includes both quantitative and qualitative methods and emphasizes critiquing research, program evaluation, methods of data collection and analysis, single-subject design, ethical considerations, and the application of evidence-based practice to improve policy and social service delivery.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing, SOCWK 1150 Introduction to Social Work, full admission to social work program, and one of the following Statistics courses: SOC 2910 Social Statistics or PSYCH 2100 Psychological Statistics or ECON 2100/ BUSAD 2100 Business and Economic Statistics or MATH 1300 Statistics.
(Normally offered each semester.)

This course is an introduction to using the sociological perspective as a method of social inquiry. Students explore such basic concepts as culture, socialization, social structure, social interaction, and social change. They study and apply the theories and research methodologies used to investigate human social interaction. These concepts are applied to social topics such as race, class, gender, family, crime, population, environment, and others.
(Normally offered each semester.)

This course will examine the context, processes, institutions, and outcomes of the U.S. political system. Through writing, building, social science skills,and examining democratic principle, this course will introduce students to basic concepts and theories central to the study of political science. A special focus will be placed on the concept of civic engagement, and the importance of citizen participation to a robust democracy.

The emphasis of this class is understanding the way that the U.S. government and politics implements concepts and theories of democracy. This course will examine the context, processes, institutions, and outcomes of the U.S. political system. Through writing, building social science skills, and examining democratic principle, this course will introduce students to basic concepts and theories central to the study of political science. Students will engage in multiple forms of developing strong first year academic writing skills over the course of this class.

The Introduction to Psychological Science course will engage students in a learner-centered approach to the science of behavior and mental processes by synthesizing these areas of psychology: Scientific Inquiry, Biopsychology, Development, and Learning, Sociocultural Context, Individual Variations, and Applications of Psychological Science.
(Normally offered every fall and spring semester.)

In this course students are introduced to descriptive and inferential statistics and their applications to sociological research. Statistical procedures include central tendency measures, variability, t-test, one-way ANOVA, correlation, regression, and chi square. The course also includes specific training in using SPSS for analysis.
Prerequisite(s): SOC 1110 Introduction to Sociology.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)

See BUSAD 2100 Business and Economic Statistics.
 

An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics. Topics include gathering, organizing, interpreting, and presenting data with emphasis on hypothesis testing as a method for decision making in the fields of business and economics. Procedures include z-tests, t-tests, ANOVAs, correlation, and simple regression.
Cross listed with ECON 2100.
Prerequisite(s): Demonstrated proficiency in high school algebra or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each semester.)

An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics as decision-making guides in psychology and related fields. Topics include organization, analysis, presentation, and interpretation of data with emphasis on the hypothesis testing model of inference. Specific procedures include z-tests, t-tests, analysis of variance, and correlation. A laboratory section is required for computational experience.
Prerequisite(s): PSYCH 1010/PSYCH 1010FYW Introduction to Psychological Science and sophomore standing.
Recommended: College level mathematics course.
(Normally offered each semester.)

An introduction to statistics concepts with an emphasis on applications. Topics include descriptive statistics, discrete and continuous probability distributions, the central limit theorem, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and linear regression.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)

Supervised learning experiences in selected social work agencies. The experience introduces a variety of social work practice roles and enables the student to apply social work knowledge, skills, and values in a real practice situation. May be taken as block placement for 9 credit hours or as a concurrent placement over two semesters for a total of 9 credit hours.
Prerequisite(s): SOCWK 3080 Micro Practice, SOCWK 3090 Group Practice, SOCWK 3100 Macro Practice, and SOCWK 4650 Research Informed Practice with grades of "B-" or better, and approved Pre-Field Placement Consultation.