Page 1 of 13 Angelo State University Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work SWK 3315: Social Welfare Policy and Practice II Course Dates, Time, and Location Spring Semester, 2017: January 17, 2017 - May 12, 2017 Tuesday & Thursday: 09:30 10:45 Academic Building A119 Instructor Contact Information Anne M. Scaggs, M.S.W., LCSW Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work Academic Building, office 104I Office Phone: 325-486-6135 E-Mail: anne.scaggs@angelo.edu Office Hours: MWF 8:00-11:00 TTR 8:00-9:00 Other office hours by appointment Course Description Provides the knowledge, skills, and values to apply social welfare policy and practice. Focuses on policy analysis, implementation of policy to achieve social and economic justice, and the impact of social policy on the social work profession. Prerequisite: SWK 2307, SWK 2317, and admission to the B.S.W. degree program. Course Introduction This course builds upon Social Welfare Policy and Practice I, and takes the student from understanding the history and philosophy of social welfare policy and practice to engaging and learning policy practice. Students will utilize the strategies discussed in the textbook to advance the values and principles of the social work profession through effective policy practice, by learning to evaluate policy, advocate for policy development or change, policy analysis, build coalitions, and understand and engage in the political influences on policy. The Council on
Page 2 of 13 Social Work Education states that social workers need to be aware of the influence of policy on service delivery and actively engage in policy practice. To this end, this course equips students with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully engage in policy practice. Student Learning Outcomes/Course Competencies: Social Work Knowledge, Values, and Skills EP 2.1.1 -- Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly. Students will continue to develop their knowledge of professional social work and what it means to be a professional social worker in relationship to social work roles, functions, ethical standards, professional demeanor, the importance of life-long learning, the use of supervision and consultation, self-correction, and professional development. Students will gain knowledge of the professional values of the social work profession and gain skill using social work values and ethics to guide professional activities. Students will build upon their existing skills necessary to identify as professional social worker and conduct themselves accordingly in their behavior, appearance, and communication (written and oral). EP 2.1.2 -- Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice. Students will build upon their existing knowledge of the NASW Code of Ethics (and other appropriate social work codes of ethics) and their importance in social work practice. Students will recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. Students will begin to learn the skills of applying their professional values to generalist social work practice. EP 2.1.3 -- Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments. Students will gain knowledge of what critical thinking is and how it can be applied. Students will learn the value of critical thinking as it relates to scientific inquiry, reasoned discernment, and its importance to competent social work practice. Students will practice their critical thinking skills in written class assignments and discussions. EP 2.1.4 -- Engage diversity and difference in practice. Students will gain knowledge of how culture, social organization, and personal values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or unjustly create power or privilege for certain groups. Students will recognize their own personal values and biases when working with diverse groups in efforts to respect the dignity and worth of every person and promote social justice in practice. Students will gain skills in recognizing and communicating differences between people. They will begin to gain skills in recognizing clients as informants regarding various areas of diversity. EP 2.1.5 -- Advance human rights and social and economic justice. Students will build knowledge of the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. Students will apply social work values to advocacy in efforts to promote social
Page 3 of 13 and economic justice. Students will learn skills to engage in generalist social work practice that advances social and economic justice. EP 2.1.6 -- Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. Students will build upon their knowledge of the social work literature (i.e., research) that can be used to inform generalist social work practice, and how practice can inform social work research. Students will build their skills, applying research to generalist social work practice and practice experience in scientific inquiry. Students will use social work values and ethics in their discussion of research informed practice and practice informed research. EP 2.1.8 -- Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services. Students will build upon their knowledge of social welfare policy and practice as it relates to generalist social work. Students learn skills to advocate for policies that advance the social and economic well-being of all people. Students will learn to use social work values to guide their application of policies in generalist social work practice. EP 2.1.9 -- Respond to contexts that shape practice. Students will gain knowledge of the dynamic nature of social work practice with groups including evolving organizational, community, and social contexts. Required Texts: American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. ISBN: 978-1-4338-0561-5 Barker, R. L. (2013). The social work dictionary (6th ed.). Washington, DC: NASW Press. ISBN: 978-0-87101-447-4 Martinez, D. (2009). Who Speaks for Hispanics?: Hispanic Interest Groups in Washington. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN-13: 978-0-7914-9358-8 Ritter, J. A. (2013). Social Work Policy Practice: Changing Our Community, Nation, and the World Plus MySearchLab -- Access Card Package. Boston, MA: Pearson. ISBN: 978-0-205-22307-7 Required Readings: NASW Code of Ethics Texas Board of Social Work Examiners webpage (Code of Conduct & Scope of Practice) NOTE: All assignments submitted in this course are to be written in strict accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6 th ed.).
Page 4 of 13 Grading Information Grading Scale: 90 100 = A 80 89 = B 70 79 = C 60 69 = D 59 or Below = F Point Values, Description of Assignments and Examinations, and Associated Practice Behaviors: Professional Performance 10% Quizzes 10% Debate 25% Examinations 30% Policy Analysis 25% Total 100% Professional Performance 10% Professional performance is evaluated by attendance; engaging in class activities, including frequency and quality; professional presentation; interactions with instructor or peers; preparation for class; group interactions; and any factors that would normally be evaluated in a professional social work setting. Essentially, ask yourself if what you are doing would be perceived as professional in an employment setting among social workers. Please note that I view absences from class in the same way as an employer and coworkers may see absence from work. An absence may be excused for academic purposes (medical issues, deaths, school sports, etc) as it might at work, but in a professional setting, to miss work, you must take PTO, and once you run out of PTO/sick leave, if you miss work, you do not get paid. Missing a certain number of days often results in a write up. Also, missing work often requires other staff to pick up the excess work; clients go without assistance, etc. PB1 Advocate for client access to the services of social work. PB2 Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development. PB3 Attend to professional roles and boundaries. PB4 Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication. PB7 Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. PB10 Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions.
Page 5 of 13 PB11 Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom. Quizzes 10% There will be a minimum of 5 quizzes worth 10 percent of your grade. Quizzes will cover readings, classroom activities, and discussions. Quizzes can take various forms and will most likely be unannounced. PB1 PB2 PB3 PB4 PB7 Advocate for client access to the services of social work. Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development. Attend to professional roles and boundaries. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication. Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. PB10 Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions. PB11 Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom. PB14 Recognize the extent to which a culture s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power. PB15 Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups. PB16 Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences. PB18 Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. PB19 Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice. PB20 Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice. PB21 Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry. PB22 Use research evidence to inform practice. PB25 Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being. PB26 Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action. PB27 Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services. PB28 Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services.
Page 6 of 13 Debate 25% Students will be divided into teams and debate a public policy related to social and economic justice in front of the class. The groups will consist of one that is Pro and one that is Con of the selected topic. Groups will be randomly assigned by instructor with sufficient time to prepare for the debate. Students will be asked to support their position using information from policy sources, as well as to locate and use scholarly resources (e.g., peer reviewed journal articles, governmental studies, think tank research, books, demographic research, creditable internet sources, census and statistical information, and so forth). An outline will be provided to the instructor (including references). Students are randomly assigned to groups and topics are randomly assigned to groups. Students are expected to engage in research without regard to their own personal beliefs about the topic. PB14 Recognize the extent to which a culture s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power. PB15 Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups. PB16 Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences. PB18 Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. PB19 Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice. PB20 Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice. PB25 Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being. PB26 Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action. PB27 Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services. PB28 Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services. Examinations 30% There will be three examinations in this course. Each of these examinations is worth 10% of your total course grade. Each examination will cover a portion of assigned readings, classroom lectures, group work, other assignments, the NASW Code of Ethics, the Texas Board of Social Work Examiners (TBSWE) Code of Conduct, and the TBSWE Scope of Practice. PB1 PB2 PB3 PB4 Advocate for client access to the services of social work. Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure continual professional development. Attend to professional roles and boundaries. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication.
Page 7 of 13 PB7 Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice. PB10 Apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions. PB11 Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom. PB14 Recognize the extent to which a culture s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power. PB15 Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups. PB16 Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences. PB18 Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. PB19 Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice. PB20 Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice. PB21 Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry. PB22 Use research evidence to inform practice. PB25 Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being. PB26 Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action. PB27 Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services. PB28 Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services. Policy Analysis 25% Students will select a social justice problem and identify the corresponding federal, state, local, and agency policies most relevant to that social justice problem. Students will subject those policies and the social justice problem to an analysis from a social work perspective. Efforts will be made not to duplicate the topics chosen by other students. For these exercises, students will be required to locate and use scholarly resources (e.g., peer reviewed journal articles, books, government studies, Census information, statistical research, think tank research, credible internet sources, and so forth). A minimum of 5 peer-reviewed Social Work journal articles will be used. The course text is not to be used as a source.
Page 8 of 13 Students will structure their paper according to the following outline: 1. Introduction to the issue or topic of the policy 2. Descriptives, demographics, statistics and other characteristics of the people affected by the problem or issue a. How many people are affected by this issue b. What are these people like in terms of demographics 3. Discussion of policy requirements and your analysis of the policy. What are the consequences of the policy as written? a. Federal policies b. Texas policies 4. Values addressed by policy in society at large and locally 5. Pertinent social work ethics and values related to policy 6. How have social welfare institutions (agencies and programs that provide social welfare assistance) responded to the needs of those utilizing the policy and implemented services? How have the policies affected social welfare agencies? 7. What are your recommendations or proposals, beyond the existing policy, to address the issue 8. Conclusion Appendix: Advocacy letter There will be a review process prior to submission of the final paper, in the following order: 1. Students will submit their paper to the writing center for review and assistance. 2. Students will work with the graduate assistant on APA formatting of the paper. 3. It is the student s responsibility to provide verification of this. 4. Papers that have not been previously reviewed according to these instructions will be deducted 10 points, in addition to any other deductions. 1 point will be deducted for each spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors, for a maximum of 10 points. 1 point will be deducted for each APA error, for a maximum of 10 points. This paper will conform to the standards of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6 th Edition (2010). The length of the papers may vary, and I don t want to read long papers simply for the sake of them being a certain length any more than you want to write a long paper simply to make it long. Your paper should address and answer each of the questions sufficiently. I suspect that this cannot be done in anything less than 8 pages, not including cover sheet, reference pages, or appendixes. Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else's information as though it were your own. If you use the words or ideas of another person; or if you use material from any source-- whether a book, journal, magazine, newspaper, business publication, broadcast, speech, electronic media, or any other source--you must acknowledge that source. Plagiarism on the term paper will result in the student not receiving credit for her/his term paper, among other consequences.
Page 9 of 13 PB11 Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom. PB12 Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation. PB13 Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues. PB14 Recognize the extent to which a culture s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power. PB15 Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups. PB16 Recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences. PB18 Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. PB19 Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice. PB20 Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice. PB21 Use practice experience to inform scientific inquiry. PB22 Use research evidence to inform practice. PB25 Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being. PB26 Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action. Course Policies Please ask questions that are relevant to the course and feel free to utilize my office hours. I am here to help you and I want you to succeed. Attendance Policy: An expectation of a professional social worker is that they are present in their practice setting. The expectation for students in a social work program is that they are motivated to learn and have evidenced dedication to their studies. There is no grade penalty for the first 3 absences (this is not an invite to miss class). any additional absence will result in a loss of 10 points off of your total grade. please refer to ASU policy regarding class attendance. being more than 5 minutes late for class will count as an absence. Late assignments are generally not accepted and are only accepted if the reason is preapproved by the course instructor. Any late assignment that the instructor agrees to accept will lose points at 10% per day that it is late. Any assignment submitted any time after the deadline is late. Any in-class exercise missed due to an absence will result in a zero for that exercise. Make-up examinations will be considered on a case by case basis and will only be allowed for university approved absences. All students are expected to follow the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
Page 10 of 13 Angelo State University expects its students to maintain complete honesty and integrity in their academic pursuits. Students are responsible for understanding the Academic Honor Code, which is available on the web at: http://www.angelo.edu/forms/pdf/honor_code.pdf Electronic Device Expectations: I recognize that you have other responsibilities & priorities. I do not have a problem with your electronic devices remaining powered on in class, given the following conditions: 1. the sound is turned off 2. it is not a distraction to me or other students 3. you take responsibility for your own distraction and the consequence on your professional performance grade 4. your use of your device is limited to absolutely necessary communication- no more than 3 texts throughout the duration of a class 5. under no circumstances will you access social networking sites or sites not relevant to the content of the course 6. if the use of electronic devices becomes a distraction, a problem, a nuisance, or in any way detracts from the educational environment, this policy will be modified and devices may be prohibited It is your responsibility to check your ASU email and Blackboard at least once daily. Assignments, clarifications, announcements, and quizzes will be communicated through email and blackboard. I encourage you to set up your mobile devices with the Blackboard app and to receive push alerts from your ASU email. Please see the course guidelines and expectations for additional information about what I expect of students. Persons with Disabilities Persons with disabilities which may warrant academic accommodations must contact the Student Life Office, Room 112 University Center, in order to request such accommodations prior to their being implemented. You are encouraged to make this request early in the semester so that appropriate arrangements can be made. Additional information can be found at: http://www.angelo.edu/services/student_life/disability.html
Page 11 of 13 Course Schedule Week/Dates Lecture/Discussion topic Assignment due Reading Week 1 1/17-1/20 Course Intro: Why is there poverty? Why does discrimination exist and who does it affect? Syllabus, course Expectations, Blackboard, NASW Code of Ethics, TBSWE Scope of Practice & Code of Conduct Week 2 Health care & policy Ritter ch 6 1/23-1/27 Week 3 Health care & policy Who speaks ch 1 1/30-2/3 Introduction about Who Speaks Policy analysis topic due Week 4 Mental Health & Policy Social welfare program 2/6-2/10 selected Ritter ch 7 Week 5 2/13-2/17 Mental Health Policies Hispanic Advocacy Agents of Change Who speaks ch 2 Week 6 From Civil Rights to Immigrant Rights Ritter ch 8 2/20-2/24 Exam 1 Ritter 6-7; Who Speaks 1-2
Page 12 of 13 Week 7 NCLR & LULAC Who speaks ch 3 2/27-3/3 Week 8 Child Welfare and Children's Rights Ritter ch 9 3/6-3/10 3/13-3/17 SPRING BREAK Week 9 Education Reform Efforts Who speaks ch 4 3/20-3/24 Week 10 Aging Policies and End of Life Policies Ritter ch 10 3/27-3/31 Week 11 Who speaks ch 5 4/3-4/7 Goal Formation on Charter Schools Exam 2 Ritter 8-10; Who Speaks 3-4 Week 12 Using Judicial System to Effect Change Ritter ch 11 4/10-4/14 Policy Analysis Due- 4/12 Week 13 Goal Formation on Immigration Reform Who speaks ch 6 4/17-4/21 Debates
Page 13 of 13 Week 14 The Politics of Economics Ritter ch 12 & 13 4/24-4/28 A Look to the Future Debates Week 15 Debates Who speaks ch 7 5/1-5/5 Dead Week Week 16 Final Exam- 5/8-5/12 Thursday, May 12, 8:00a-10:00a Finals Week Final covers Ritter 11-13; Who Speaks 5-7