University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Social Work Bachelor of Social Work Program. Pre-req: none Office phone: (501)

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1 University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Social Work Bachelor of Social Work Program Course Info Course title: Introduction to Social Work Course #: 1301 (01) (3 credits) Instructor Info Instructor: Dr. Catherine Crisp Office: ROSS 401G Pre-req: none Office phone: (501) Semester: Spring 2014 Time & place: T & TH 1:40-2:55 pm Ross clcrisp@ualr.edu Office hours: Thursday 12:15 1:15 & by appt COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to Social Work focuses on major concepts and principles of professional social work, including: the development of social welfare; the history of social work; the knowledge, skills, and value base of social work; models of social work methods; and current social work practice applications. The course also looks at the basis of knowledge from which the theories of social justice and diversity spring and lays a foundation for social workers' professional entry into both public and private arenas. COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the completion of the course, students will be able to: 1. Describe the development of social work and social welfare and the relationship of these fields. (practice behavior a for competency #9). 2. Describe the generalist framework for social work practice. (practice behavior d for competency #1). 3. Demonstrate awareness of values and ethics of the social work profession. (practice behavior a for competency #2). 4. Analyze contemporary social problems in our society and explain current social services designed to meet these problems. (practice behavior a for competency #5) and (practice behavior a for competency #9). 5. Discuss gaps and controversial issues in current service areas. (practice behavior a for competency #5) and (practice behavior a for competency #9).

2 2 UNITS, CONTENT, AND REQUIRED READING ASSIGNMENTS:* Date Topic Assigned Reading Due January 14 Introduction to class Syllabus January 16 Introduction to APA Style APA Mini Guide PART ONE: THE PROFESSION OF SOCIAL WORK January 21 Introduction to the profession of social work January 23 SW: Who, what, & why Ch 1 January 28 Overview & evolution Ch 2 of SW January 30 Theories & practice Ch 3 methods February 4 Social service delivery Ch 4 system February 6 Wrapping up Part I PART TWO: SOCIAL WORK PERSPECTIVES February 11 NASW Code of Ethics NASW Code of Ethics February 13 Values & ethics Ch 5 February 18 Social justice Ch 6 February 20 Diversity issues Ch 7 SLE agency must be approved by instructor February 25 February 27 Wrap up Part II Q & A for Exam 1 -- Must have started SLE hours by February 27 March 4 EXAM 1 PART THREE: GENERALIST SOCIAL WORK March 6 Empowerment practice Ch 8 March 11 SW functions & roles Ch 9 March 13 Social policy Ch 10 SLE Introductory Paper March 18 Wrap up Part III March 20 Update on SLE March 25 & 27 SPRING BREAK April 1 & 3 PART FOUR: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN FIELDS OF PRACTICE SW, Poverty, Ch 11 Homelessness, Unemployment, & CJ April 8 & 10 Health, MH, & SA Ch 12 April 15 & 17 Families & Youth Ch 13 April 22 Adult & Aging Ch 14 April 24 Wrap up Part IV Course evaluations Interview with SW (April 1) SLE hours must be completed April 29 Q & A for Exam 2 SLE final paper May 1 EXAM 2 *The instructor reserves the right to change the schedule based on the needs of the students, instructor, and course content.

3 3 TECHNIQUES OF INSTRUCTION: Students are expected to read the assigned readings prior to class and to be on time for class. If you can t be on time, be early. Learning methods used in this course include full-class and small-group discussion, in-class learning activities, videos, and lecture. Audiovisual materials and guest lecturers may be used. In-class discussions and written assignments will follow the guidelines of non-biased, non-sexist language. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS: DuBois, B. & Miley, K. K. (2014). Social work: An empowering profession (8 th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. ASSIGNMENTS: Assignment Due date % of Grade SLE agency approval February 20 SLE hours started February 27 Exam 1 March 4 35 SLE Introductory Paper March 13 5 Verbal update on SLE March 20 Interview with a social worker April 1 10 SLE hours completed April 24 SLE Final Paper April Exam 2 May 1 35 Class attendance & participation Ongoing 5 All assignments MUST be submitted in accordance with the above timeframe in order to pass the class. Failure to submit any assignment within 7 days of the due date will result in a failing grade for the course. There are no exceptions to this policy. Extra credit will be given for any one of the following: Volunteer work that is not something you would ordinarily do and is not part of your SLE. This work must be at least 4 hours and is not prorated. Membership in a professional or SW organization (NASW, BSW club, other professional organization, etc) in which you are actively involved. Donating blood and bringing in proof that you did so. Attendance or participation in something not noted above but discussed with and approved by the instructor in advance. This may include NASW and other social work events. Reading a book about social work issues that has been pre-approved by the instructor and writing a 2 page summary of it. A maximum of 0.5% will be added to your final grade for participation or attendance in any of the above. In order to receive credit, you have to provide documentation of your participation and write a brief (1-2 paragraph) description of the event and why you chose to participate in it. In addition, if I think it s something the class may benefit from knowing about, I may ask you to

4 4 share about it in class. All extra credit must be turned in by April 29, If you are unclear about what will or won t count for extra credit, talk to me about it. METHODS OF EVALUATION: Papers must be turned in no later than 30 minutes after the start of class on the date in which they are due. If assignments are not submitted on time, the following penalties will apply: Time late Highest grade 24 hours (1 day) hours (2 days) hours (3 days) hours (4 days) hours (5 days) hours (6 days) hours (7 days) 64 After 7 days Paper not accepted All assignments MUST be submitted in accordance with the above timeframe in order to pass the class. Failure to submit any assignment within 7 days of the due date will result in a failing grade for the course. There are no exceptions to this policy. Students who, for whatever reason, need additional time to complete assignments must meet with the instructor at least one class session prior to the assignment due date to make arrangements to discuss the accommodations that need to be made. It is the student s responsibility to request this meeting. Requests to submit late papers are granted at the instructor s discretion. Students will not be allowed to take make up exams after the original exam has been given. If you cannot take the exam on the required day and time, you must make arrangements in advance to take it PRIOR to the schedule administration of the exam. GRADING SCALE: A B C D F 0 60 Students who plan to apply to the BSW Program must receive at least a C in this course.

5 5 CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY: Learning in a professional program is based in large part on the interaction that occurs between the instructor and students in the classroom. Students are expected to attend class and be on time and attendance will be taken. If you can t be on time for class, be early. Consistent with the policy in some other BSW courses, absences of greater than 20 percent of the total class time may constitute grounds for course failure. HONOR CODE: All students registered for courses in the School of Social Work are expected to adhere to the rights, responsibilities, and behavior as articulated in both the UALR Student Handbook and the NASW (National Association of Social Workers) Code of Ethics. An essential feature of these codes is a commitment to maintaining intellectual integrity and academic honesty. This commitment insures that a student of the School of Social Work will neither knowingly give nor receive any inappropriate assistance in academic work, thereby affirming personal honor and integrity. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Your success in this class is important to me, and it is the policy and practice of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have a documented disability (or need to have a disability documented), and need an accommodation, please contact me privately as soon as possible, so that we can discuss with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) how to meet your specific needs and the requirements of the course. The DRC offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process among you, your instructor(s) and the DRC. Thus, if you have a disability, please contact me and/or the DRC, at (V/TTY) or (VP). For more information, please visit the DRC website at CELL PHONES: Students are to put their cell phones and other electronic devices on silent or meeting mode. If your cell phone or other device goes off during class time, the professor reserves the right to answer the call and to hold the device for the remainder of the class. If you have an ill family member or need to take a call for some reason during class, please advise the professor of this and sit the near the door so you can discreetly leave the class to take the call in the event of an emergency. Furthermore, if you use your cell phone for any reason (including texting or checking the web) during class time and this use has not been approved in advance, the professor reserves the right to: 1) hold your cell phone for the remainder of the class, 2) give the entire class a pop quiz, 3) ask you to leave the class, 4) ask that you give the professor your cell phone at the beginning of each class for the remainder of the semester, and/or 5) publically call you out for this behavior.

6 6 ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Please note the importance of academic integrity as noted on the Dean of Students website: The university has developed certain regulations to make possible an orderly academic environment where all members of the community have the freedom to develop to the fullest extent. Academic dishonesty cannot be condoned or tolerated in the university community. Such behavior is considered a student conduct violation and students found responsible of committing an academic offense on the campus, or in connection with an institution-related or sponsored activity, or while representing the university or academic department, will be disciplined by the university. (Source: I take academic integrity very seriously. If you commit an academic offense, I will respond in accordance with UALR procedures. If you want more information about academic integrity at UALR, please see INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: In the event of inclement weather, please check the university website at for information regarding the cancellation of classes. You may also call the main number for UALR at (501) if you do not have internet access at home. Please be familiar with the inclement weather policy available at Please note that the university has changed its policy and no longer automatically closes when the Little Rock school district closes so you should not assume that if the LR schools are closed, UALR will be closed. COMMUNICATION: I correspond frequently by and often send s to all students about special events or information relevant to class content. Students are responsible for information sent via their UALR accounts and are expected to check their at least TWICE per week and to respond to my individual s within a timely manner. In addition, a listserv has been set up to communicate with the class. All students are responsible for information communicated to the listserv. Do not me via BlackBoard as I do not check my messages there but instead me at my UALR at clcrisp@ualr.edu. DETAILED INFORMATION RE: ASSIGNMENTS: Class attendance and participation (5%): Attendance will be taken every time class meets. Students are expected to be on time, to have read the assigned material prior to class, and to stay until class ends. As previously noted, students who miss more than 20% of the class sessions may receive a failing grade for the course. Interview with a social worker (10%): due April 1, 2014 You are to interview someone who is a social worker in the state of Arkansas and is currently employed in a social work position. You should begin identifying potential social workers to

7 7 interview as soon as possible. Additional information re: this assignment is at the end of this syllabus. Exams: Exam 1 (35%): an exam consisting of multiple choice, true/false, matching, and/or short answer questions will be given after the completion of Parts I and II of the DuBois text and will cover Ch 1 7 in the DuBois text as well as content covered in class. March 4, Exam 2 (35%): an exam consisting of true/false, matching, and/or short answer questions and which will cover Ch 8 14 in the DuBois text. This exam is not cumulative and will be given May 1, Service Learning Experience (SLE): One of the requirements for this course is that you complete 20 hours of service learning at an agency that employs social workers and that is supervised by a social worker. Your SLE must be approved in advance by the course instructor and you must provide documentation that the agency will allow you to complete the SLE at their agency. Where possible, it must be at an agency that employs at least one social worker. Any exceptions to this must be approved by the course instructor. Failure to complete all 20 hours of the SLE will result in a failing grade for the course; there are no exceptions. Additional information including forms for getting your SLE approved can be found on the Blackboard site for this course. In conjunction with your SLE, you will also complete two assignments related to your work: Introductory Paper (5%): Due March 13, 2014 You must write a brief paper that describes the agency, the role of the social worker, and goals you have in completing your SLE at this agency. The last page of this paper must include a tentative schedule of when you will complete your hours and be signed by your supervisor (posted on BlackBoard). The paper must address the following: Name, address, phone number, and website of the agency. The population it serves, the problems it responds to, and the types of services it provides. How clients are referred to this agency and whether they are voluntary or involuntary. The function of the social worker in this agency or program who will supervise you: the social worker s specific job title, a description of his/her role in the agency, and a list of the activities the social worker engages in. Three (3) things you want to learn from your SLE and what tasks and activities you will engage in to learn them. The name of your supervisor, their phone number and address, and a tentative schedule of when you will be completing your SL hours. Your supervisor must sign off on your schedule.

8 8 Final paper (10%): Due April 29, 2014 You must submit a final paper that reflects on your service learning experience and addresses the following: The name and address of the agency along with a description of what you did. In reflecting on your experience, how did the tasks you engaged in fit with the description of what it is to be a social worker? How did your SL experience measure up and/or not measure up to your expectations of what it means to be a social worker? Did you learn the three things you identified in the first paper? What facilitated or prohibited you from learning each of these things? Identify two (2) of your personal qualities that were most utilized and two (2) of your personal qualities that were least utilized in your SLE. Identify three (3) things you learned about being a social worker you did not know before this experience and how they will help you in the future. Discuss how this experience has affected your plans to become a social worker. If you were thinking of becoming a social worker, has this confirmed that you want to be a social worker or lead you to reconsider? If you were not thinking of becoming a social worker, has this experience caused you to change your mind in any way? Why did this experience have the impact it did? Would you recommend that other students who take Introduction to Social Work complete their SLE at this agency and with this social worker? Why or why not? What recommendations do you have for other students who plan to complete their SLE at this agency? In addition to the above paper, you must also submit a timesheet confirming you have successfully completed the 20 hours of the service learning experience. Failure to complete all 20 hours of the service learning experience will result in a failing grade for the course. ***If you do not complete your SLE at an agency that employs social workers, you must also read a section from the text Days in the Lives of Social Workers by Linda Grobman and write a paper on it that you will submit with your final SLE paper. Additional information will be provided about this assignment to those it applies to.*** Additional assignment information Interview with a social worker (10%): due April 1, 2014 The purpose of this assignment is to insure that you have contact with a social worker who is currently engaged in social work practice in the state of Arkansas. As such, you are to identify a social worker who is currently licensed and practicing in Arkansas and is willing to be interviewed by you in person (not by or other means) for this class. If you want, you may conduct the interview in pairs but both students must submit a separate paper. Your interview should address the below questions and be submitted as a 3-5 page paper. In addition, you must complete and have the social worker you interview sign the attached form. The paper is to be written in complete sentences; using appropriate grammar, punctuation, and APA style; and have an introduction and conclusion. The paper is due April 1, 2014, and is worth 10% of your grade.

9 9 Interview with SW grading rubric: Section Points possible Points given Introduction adequately states what the paper will address. 5 Information about the social worker: 5 What is the social worker's name? What type of social work degree does the SW have, where it is from, and when was it received? What licensure does the SW currently have? Information about the social worker's current employer: 5 Where does the social worker currently work? Does the SW work in a unit of their agency (i.e., the Community Support Services unit of the mental health center)? What is the social worker's current position in the agency? What is the name, address, and website of the agency? Who does the agency serve and what types of services does it provide? Information about the social worker's current job responsibilities: 20 What are three tasks the SW engages in on a daily or weekly basis? Is the SW in a supervisory capacity? If so, how many people does the SW supervise? How many clients does the SW see each week? What types of services does the SW provide to his/her clients? Does the SW engage in micro, mezzo, and/or macro practice? What are two things the SW likes most about his/her job? What are two things the SW likes least about his/her job? Information about the social worker's feelings about social work: 20 What are two things the SW enjoys the most about being a SW? What are two things the SW enjoy the least about being a SW? Why does the SW continue to work as a SW? If the SW could change one thing about the profession of social work and/or his/her job, what would that be? What are two recommendations the SW recommends BSW students in order to prepare for their careers as future social workers. Information about how the social worker engages in self-care: 10 Does the social worker leave work at work? Why or why not? If not, is there anything the social worker can do to change this? What are three things the social worker does to take care of him/her self? What does the social worker recommend new social workers do to set boundaries and create a self-care routine?

10 10 In addition to the above questions, your paper should also address the 20 following: What are three things you have learned about the social work profession from this interview? Following your interview with this social worker, how do you feel about the profession of social work? Are you more or less interested in becoming a social worker than you were before the interview? Why or why not? Conclusion adequately summarizes what the paper has addressed. 5 APA style: 5 Headings Reference page Citations Margins Font Quotes Footer Spacing Indentation Other issue(s): Grammar & writing style: 5 Colloquial expressions Awkward Multiple voices Agreement Unclear statements Tense issues Bad grammar Punctuation Who/that you Other issue(s): TOTAL: 100

11 11 SOWK 1301: Confirmation of interview with social worker You must complete the below form following your interview with the social worker. Both you and the social worker you interview must sign the form. Your name: Name of social worker you interviewed: Social worker's educational level (circle one): BSW MSW DSW/PhD Social worker's place of employment: Date interview was completed: Social worker's signature*: Student's signature*: *By signing above, you state that both the student and the social worker completed the interview in person.

12 12 GUIDELINES FOR WRITING PAPERS Papers should be written in APA style (6th edition). Where appropriate, writing in the first person is permitted. Spell and grammar check your papers. Points will be deducted for failure to conform to APA style, poor grammar, and spelling errors. Each paper should have an: Introduction: briefly states what the paper will discuss. Body: the text of the paper. Conclusion or summary: summarizes the key points made in the paper. If your paper does not have all 3 of the above, you will loose points. Papers should have 1 inch margins on all size and use 12 point fonts. Fonts should be easy to read (Times New Roman or Arial). Use italics judiciously (rarely) and only for emphasis or in reference citations. Information about APA style can be found at the sites below. While these sites are helpful, they are by no means a substitution for the APA Publication Manual Your writing style should be professional in nature and avoid biases with regard to gender, race, ethnicity, disability status, and sexual orientation. If you need additional assistance with your writing for this course, please consult with the UALR Online Writing Lab at