Introduction to Social Services SWRK 2010 Course Syllabus Spring 2014 Course Information Course Description: Learning Outcomes: Course Description: This course examines the historical development of the social welfare institution and the nature of the professional social work practice within it. Focus is made on the knowledge, values and skills of the profession of social work. Areas explored will be welfare, mental health, substance abuse, developmental disabilities, health care, aging, abuse, families, groups and individuals. Special interest will be made on assessment throughout and culture competency with populations. Through guest speakers, agency visits, small group discussions, lecture, videos and textbook content, the student will learn about the practice of social work, fields of social work to work in, and the challenges of both. Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: 1. Demonstrate beginning understanding of the concepts related to generalist social work practice. 2. Demonstrate beginning level knowledge of the origins, structure and characteristics of the American social welfare system, including various fields of social work practice 3. Demonstrate knowledge of and be able to make preliminary career development plans within the social work field, both for the baccalaureate and graduate levels. Skills: 1. Identify methods of helping, influencing, and assisting people at micro, mezzo, and macro levels, within a generalist framework; 2. Use the vocabulary associated with concepts related to social work and generalist practice; 3. Demonstrate beginning skills at assessing needs of clients. Values: 1. Develop a beginning appreciation for social work ethics and the major components of the Code of Ethics, and how these principles are applied ; 2. Show appreciation for and a beginning level of commitment to social work profession s educational and professional mission, objectives, and goals; and 3. Show commitment to principles of social justice and an appreciation of the need to promote fair and humane operation of all social welfare organizations. Teaching Learning Objectives: 1. To introduce the student to the history of the social work profession and social welfare system. 2. To examine the principle values and ethics of the social work profession. 3. To explore methods of working with individuals and groups in the helping process 4. To present to the student how to view the client in systems approach method. 5. To educate the student of different populations and their specific needs. 6. To expose the student to local social service agencies and what those agencies do. 7. To challenge the student to understand poverty, discrimination, and culture. Prerequisites: Writing competencies 1 and 2: Reading competencies 1 and 2 Course Topics: This course will explore the history of the social work profession. It will explore many of the key issues in social work as well as the different fields to work in. Key areas will be skills of practice, families, drug/alcohol abuse, health, mental health, aging, welfare system. Specific Course Requirements: Material is presented through the required reading from the textbook, power point presentations, group discussion questions, videos and class exercises to promote application of the text material. Guest speakers will be utilized to help inform
students of the various jobs in social work and or services related to social work. Assignments will require two APA style papers. Students will be required to visit an agency and write a report as well as do a presentation on the agency. Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements Required Textbooks/ Courseware: Supplementary Materials: Software Requirements: Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare: Critical Thinking Perspectives; Karen Kirst Ashman. 4 th edition.isbn: 978 0 8400 2866 2 Knowledge of APA style; Use of InfoTrac Microsoft word, power point. D2L access for testing. Instructor Information Instructor Name: Instructor Contact Information: Jill Wells, LAPSW, MSSW It is best to contact me by email lwells@elearn.dscc.edu. If an emergency you can reach me at 731 259 2979. Office Hours/Virtual Office Hours: I am an adjunct instructor so I do not have an office. Instructor Response Time: I will make every attempt to respond to course email within 24 or 36 hours during the work week, though it may not be possible in all cases. I will notify you when I will not be able to meet the stated response time. Assessment and Grading Testing Procedures: Grading Procedures: Grading Scale: Tests are listed under the assessment tab on D2L. They are set for a specific date range and have a set time limit. You will have two attempts per test. The highest score will be used. If you experience computer trouble during your test time and cannot complete the test, contact me immediately. If you cannot complete the test due to an excusable reason ie; sickness or family emergency. Contact me immediately so the test can be reset for your time frame. If you simply forget there is no remake available. Please note the test dates and take responsibility for preparation and completion. You are not to use notes or your book during the test. Study in advance and be ready. The test will be multiple choice and/or true or false. They can be taken from home. No proctor is needed. Grades will be calculated on points. 4 Tests worth 100 points 400 Attendance/participation 50 Why I want to be a social worker paper 25 Research report from a journal article 50 Agency Paper/ presentation 100 Total 625 Grades are in your D2L shell. You can see your grade at any time. Extra credit options are available as well. Test will be opened for one week in D2L from the stated date to the following week. A = 100 90% D = 69 60% B = 89 80% F 59 %-0% C = 79 70%
Assignments and Participation Assignments and Projects: A sequenced list of assignments and projects arranged by course section or module with due dates if applicable. A generic weekly schedule is applicable. Due Date Jan. 22 Jan. 29 Feb. 5 Assignment Introduction of course; syllabus review; self assessment; Chp. 1 : Intro to social work Chp. 2 Social Work Values and Ethics; group exercises Chp. 3; Empowerment and human diversity Why I want to be a social worker paper due today. Feb. 12 TEST 1: on D2L open 2 12 to 2 19 Chp. 4: Generalist Practice; Assessment; practice Feb. 19 Chp. 5 Practice settings; examples/chp. 6 Social welfare and Social Work History Feb. 26 Chp. 6; continue with history; video Begin Chp. 8; programs for poverty March 5 Guest speaker from social security; finish chp. 8 TEST 2: over chp. 4,5,6,8 on D2L; open today and due the 19 th. March 12 March 19 Spring Break Chp. 9 Services for children/families; guest speaker Journal Article Due today March 26 Chp. 10; Working with older adults and chp. 11 people with disabilities. April 2 April 9 Chp. 12; social work in healthcare; guest speaker TEST 3; chp. 9 11 in D2L open today through the 9th Agency presentations due today April 16 April 23 April 30 May 7 Chp. 13; social work in mental health; guest speaker Professional Counseling Chp. 14: Substance abuse; guest speaker TEST 4: over chapters 12,13, 14 Wrap up with key review of social work skills. Final exam; 50 questions; review of chp. 1 3 key terms to know will be posted. On D2L not in class
Punctuality: Attendance Policy: Class Participation: It is very important that you are on time and do not leave early. If you are going to be late for unplanned reason, you need to email me and let me know. If you have to leave early I need to know this too. Please respect break time as well and return when expected. View the DSCC Attendance Policy at http://www.dscc.edu/attendance_policy/. http://www.dscc.edu/attendance_policy. If two consecutive classes are missed your not attending status has to be turned in. Since we only meet once a week it is vital that you do not miss. Participation is expected in class. You need to be interactive with other students in group exercises and respond with lecture questions. Course Ground Rules General: Email: 1. Participation is required 2. Communication with other students will be respectful and professional. 3. Keep abreast of course announcements 4. Use the assigned college email address as opposed to a personal email address 5. Observe course netiquette at all times. Instructor guidelines for communication by email, discussion groups, chat, and the use of web resources are necessary. 1. Always include a subject line. 2. Remember that without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases. 3. Use standard fonts. 4. Do not send large attachments without permission. 5. Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc., should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication. 6. Respect the privacy of other class members. Web Resources: Please use InfoTrac from DSCC library to obtain professional peer reviewed journals. Other Important Information Library Resources For the DSCC library or help desk visit www.dscc.edu/lrc. To ask a question about books, interlibrary loans or other LRC information, call the LRC at 731 286 3361. For the Tennessee Virtual Library go to www.tn.regentsdegrees.org and click on TBR Virtual Library. Reporting Fraud, Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse at http://www.dscc.edu/fraud.
Waste, or Abuse Technical Assistance/Help Desk: Students With Disabilities: Syllabus Changes: Server Outage Disclaimer: Safety / Security Implementation date approved by Instructional Council: For technical assistance, contact the DSCC Help Desk. Dyersburg Campus (731) 288 7780 Jimmy Naifeh Center (JNC) (901) 475 3177 Gibson County Center (GCC) (731) 222 5180 Visit the Help Desk on the web at www.dscc.edu/helpdesk for tutorials and other how to guides. You may also contact the Help Desk by email at helpdesk@dscc.edu. Dyersburg State Community College is committed to providing a discrimination free environment for all students. Students with disabilities are encouraged to inform the College of any assistance they may need. Please notify the ADA Coordinator at (731) 286 3242. From time to time during the semester, it may be necessary to make changes to the material in the course syllabus. Any necessary changes to the course syllabus will be sent to you by email and posted within the online course material. The server on which DSCC s web supported/online courses are hosted will be occasionally unavailable due to upgrades and/or maintenance. Regularly scheduled outages will occur during the early morning hours of the second Sunday and third Tuesday of each month. There may also be unplanned downtime due to failures of one kind or another. Because the server is not located at DSCC, the College cannot directly correct these situations. You will need to contact your instructor(s) directly to make accommodations should an unplanned outage prevent you from taking a quiz or submitting an assignment. Dyersburg State makes crime statistic information available to the public through the Annual Security Report. This report can be found at www.dscc.edu/security. DSCC has an emergency preparedness plan and periodically conducts tests of this plan. To sign up for emergency notifications, Login to Rave at https://www.getrave.com/login/dscc and add your contact information. Notice: Standard carrier message and data rates may apply Fall 2012