In this generalist practice course students will explore and apply theories of human behavior and the social environment, the strengths perspective, and person-in-environment perspective when working with individuals. Role plays, as a form of experiential learning, will be used to help students practice basic attending skills, empathic responses, and apply the generalist intervention model when working with individuals from diverse backgrounds. Students will learn how to practice in alignment with the social work professional values and ethics. In addition to role plays, students will observe, discuss, and provide feedback to each other about the application of micro-practice skills as an integral aspect of learning throughout the course. Students will develop skills in inter-professional collaboration to achieve beneficial practice outcomes for their clients and constituencies. Finally, students will examine how a person's lived experiences is often an intersection of multiple factors. Self-reflection and evaluation of the student's own life experiences and their impact on their work with individuals will facilitate this understanding.
Prerequisite(s): SOCWK 5000 History and Philosophy of Social Work in the United States, SOCWK 5010 Human Behavior In Social Environment.
SOCWK 5000 History and Philosophy of Social Work in the United States (3 hours)
In this course, students will develop an understanding of the social work profession by learning diverse perspectives around the values, ethics, and goals that the profession entails along with the National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics. Students will also learn about the history of social work as a profession, including the important people who have shaped the practices that social workers have used over time. Students will also identify the ways that the social and political environments bear on the problems faced by individuals and families, and communities in the United States and influence the environment has on social work practice. Finally, students will actively consider how the historical context of the social work profession and the values that the profession has adopted relate to their own personal and professional values and goals.
SOCWK 5010 Human Behavior In Social Environment (3 hours)
In this generalist course, students with 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 from birth through adolescence, adulthood, 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.
