School of Social Welfare
Graduation requirements and regulations for every academic program are provided in this catalog; however, this catalog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract. Degree and program requirements and course descriptions are subject to change.
In most cases, you will use the catalog of the year you entered KU (see your advisor for details). Other years’ catalogs»
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Bachelor of Social Work Undergraduate Certificate in Child Welfare Master of Social Work Doctor of Social Work Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work |
The School of Social Welfare
The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare is the oldest school of social welfare in the state and the only one to offer degree preparation from undergraduate through doctoral degrees.
- Bachelor of Social Work
- Master of Social Work
- Doctor of Social Work
- Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
Social work education began at KU in 1937. The Master of Social Work program, established in Lawrence and at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City in 1946, has been continuously accredited since 1948. The Bachelor of Social Work degree has been awarded since 1971. In 1974, the B.S.W. program became one of the first in the nation to receive accredited status. The Council on Social Work Education, the accrediting body for social work education, most recently reaccredited the B.S.W. and M.S.W. programs in 2018.
Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles & Values
Vision Statement
All individuals, families, & communities utilize their power to achieve justice, equity, & well-being.
Mission
The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, rooted in the Strengths Perspective, aims to transform lives and social contexts and promote social, economic, and environmental justice in Kansas, the nation and the world. We do so by educating students to practice with integrity and competence; advancing the science and knowledge base of social work through scholarship and research; and participating in community-engaged service.
Guiding Principles and Values
The work of the KU School of Social Welfare is guided and driven by a set of principles and values that inform our teaching, research endeavors, and service to community at various levels. These include:
- We engage in relationship building within our School community that fosters trust, creativity, collaboration, and respect. We commit to collaborative, community-engaged scholarship, teaching, and practice. Connection is role modeled in all areas of our work.
- We embrace the inherent worth of all people. By taking the position of cultural humility and applying the lens of intersectionality, we seek to develop and promote modes of anti-oppressive social work and dismantle structures of exclusion.
- We demonstrate our integrity and trustworthiness as scholars, educators, practitioners, and community members by promoting social work values, ethical practice, and the process of critical reflection through authentic relationships with others.
- We recognize that racial, social, economic, and ecological injustices are the root causes of inequities and that multiple strategies are necessary to address these. We see community and individual strengths as the foundation for systemic transformation. Our work integrates micro, mezzo, and macro social work approaches and aims to build collaboration across systems and disciplines to create change.
- We conceptualize competency, not as a stable end goal, but as a critical foundation of knowledge, values, and skills on which to deepen engagement across levels and systems toward transformation.
- We use critical inquiry to analyze and challenge existing structures and systems to promote racial, social, economic, and ecological justice. We engage in deliberate and continuing examination of these social conditions to implement solutions.
- We produce responsible and accountable knowledge that contributes to social work and surrounding fields. We value multiple sources of knowledge and ways of knowing. We invest in translational scholarship to shape and transform anti-oppressive social work practice and policy across systems.
Our Promise
With each relationship, we vow to be a true partner by providing an environment that encourages forward thinking and creates inclusive experiences that drive social change.
As a School within a comprehensive, premier research university we strive to:
- Offer innovative programming that recruits, graduates and supports uniquely qualified and compassionate social workers,
- Drive discoveries that transform lives, and
- Embrace our responsibility to promote social, economic, and environmental justice in Kansas, the nation and the world.
Goals
- To prepare B.S.W., M.S.W., D.S.W., and Ph.D. students to practice with integrity and attain multi-level competency while working to promote well-being and build community.
- To conduct, disseminate, and translate theoretical and empirically informed scholarship and research that impacts the social work knowledge base and transforms practice and policy.
- To promote social, economic, and environmental justice through service at local, state, national, and international levels.
The Programs
Students have the opportunity to prepare for professional careers in social work at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels. Curriculums are carefully designed to bring students from the introductory level through advanced study in clinical social work practice or social work macro practice. Doctoral programs prepare students to become leaders in social work practice and policy through research, teaching, and scholarship. All programs are structured to support the guiding principles and values of the School.
The B.S.W. Program prepares students for generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities at the entry-level and prepares students for advanced graduate work in social work, as well as for degree programs in other disciplines. Our M.S.W. degree prepares graduates for clinical or macro social work practice. At the B.S.W and M.S.W. levels, classroom work is one half of professional preparation; practicum placements are the other half. Placements in social service agencies offer students the opportunity to apply skills learned in the classroom. Students spend time in practicum settings throughout Kansas and the country.
The online Doctor of Social Work (D.S.W.) Program gives current social workers the opportunity to further advance their skills in leadership, pedagogy, and the implementation of scientific knowledge in practice settings.
Our KU School of Social Welfare Doctoral Program (Ph.D.) graduates develop the knowledge and skills to drive discovery and advance the field of social work. The Ph.D. program offers a rigorous curriculum, real-world research experience, and individualized mentoring by world-renowned scholars.
Learn more about the School of Social Welfare programs.
The Profession
The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective:
- Service
- Social justice
- Dignity and worth of the person
- Importance of human relationships
- Integrity
- Competence
NASW Code of Ethics
As a guide to professional conduct, the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers represents the fundamental values of the profession and offers a set of values, principles and standards to guide decision-making and everyday professional conduct of social workers. It is relevant to all social workers and social work students regardless of their specific functions or settings.
View the entire Code of Ethics or request a copy.
Resources
Student Handbook
The student handbook contains full descriptions of policies and other details for degree programs and field practicum.
Faculty
The School’s mission is supported by various faculty members, including tenure-track faculty, professors of the practice, multi-term lecturers and senior lecturers, part-time lecturers, and practicum instructors. Tenure track faculty teach and conduct research. The faculty’s scholarly interests, as reflected in teaching, research, and publications, span a wide range of areas that are central to social work practice, such as behavioral health, child welfare, child and family well-being, criminal justice, aging, healthy development across the lifespan, and human rights. Further, the faculty’s work includes the development of best practices in community settings and social work administration.
School of Social Welfare tenure-track faculty members hold doctoral degrees in social work, social welfare, and other fields. Professors of the Practice are faculty who possess expertise in the field of social work and provide students with progressive professional instruction based on extensive experience in the profession. Multi-term lecturers are both experts in the social work profession and expert teachers. In addition, outstanding social work practitioners serve as part-time classroom lecturers, practicum liaisons, and practicum instructors. Faculty members serve the public interest and social work profession as consultants and board members in professional and citizens’ organizations.
Research Office
The School, collaboratively with community stakeholders, supports research and scholarship designed to impact social service delivery and policy at the local, state, national, and international levels. Scholarly work at the KU School of Social Welfare is grounded in the Strengths Perspective of practice and aligns strongly with the Grand Challenges for Social Work. Our work advances the science and knowledge base of the discipline—using collaboration with the community as a cornerstone of our research and teaching. Learn more at https://socwel.ku.edu/research.
Undergraduate Programs
The undergraduate program prepares graduates for generalist social work practice. The program defines generalist practice as maintaining focus on practice and advocacy based on ethical principles, scientific inquiry, and best practices at the interface between and among systems (i.e., individual, family, groups, organizations, and communities). The program is offered on both the Lawrence and Edwards campuses.
University Honors Program
The school encourages qualified undergraduates to participate in the University Honors Program.
Graduate Programs
The Master of Social Work program, established in Lawrence and at the KU Medical Center in Kansas City in 1946, has been continuously accredited since 1947. KU’s MSW program is consistently ranked among U.S. national public universities.
The online D.S.W. Program is a practice doctorate that is focused on preparing strong social work leaders, excellent instructors and teachers, and experts in Implementation Science. The first cohort started in Fall, 2023.
The Ph.D. Program admitted its first students in 1981. It prepares students to be leaders of the profession through advanced research, scholarship, and teaching.
Financial Aid
To be eligible for financial aid, applicants should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) even before receiving information about acceptance. FAFSA materials can be obtained from all college or university financial aid offices or submitted online. The School of Social Welfare uses the FAFSA need determination level in making awards. For more information regarding financial aid visit the KU Office of Financial Aid & Scholarship.
For Ph.D. students, financial assistance typically includes tuition assistance. Visit the School of Social Welfare website for current funding information.
Scholarships and Awards
The School of Social Welfare has several sources of financial assistance available to students who meet the various criteria. Awards are made on an annual basis and are applied directly towards tuition and fees in most instances. All students interested in applying are required to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid as soon as they are able. All recipients are expected to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0. Students must renew their applications each year they wish to be considered.
University and School of Social Welfare Regulations
For information about university regulations for undergraduate and graduate programs, see Regulations or visit the University of Kansas Policy Library for University Senate Rules and Regulations.
For information about school regulations refer to the appropriate student handbook.
Graduation with Distinction and Honor Roll (Dean's List)
Undergraduate
Graduation with Distinction
The top 10 percent of the graduates of the B.S.W. program each year receive degrees with distinction.
Honor Roll (Dean's List)
Students who have been accepted into the B.S.W. program, enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours during the semester, and earned a semester grade-point average in the top 20 percent of their class or a 4.0 qualify for the School of Social Welfare B.S.W. Dean’s List.
Graduate
The M.S.W. program neither awards degrees with distinction nor honor roll designations. Aligning with our professional values, the School views each of our professional graduate students as bringing unique strengths that are based on a combination of skills that cannot be captured by any one individual metric.
Advising
Once a student is admitted to the School of Social Welfare, an academic advisor will be assigned to assist students in the enrollment process and with other academic program requirements. Students at the undergraduate level consult with their advisor before enrollment each semester and have the advising hold removed. Graduate students should consult with their advisor for any questions regarding enrollment, plans of study, or degree requirements. A member of the School’s faculty is also assigned to students as a professional/career advisor. Current students can view their advisors in Jayhawk GPS (undergraduate) or the myKU Portal.
Transfer of Credit/Credit Waiver
BSW Program
The CredTran tool is a transfer course equivalency system from which KU has accepted transfer courses in the past. If your school or course is not listed, your evaluation will be completed when you are admitted to KU.
Transfer of credit allows specific course work from other accredited colleges or universities to count toward the B.S.W. degree. Decisions to accept prior credits are made by KU during the admission process. Exceptions must be petitioned through the B.S.W. Director. Petitions must be accompanied by a catalog description and a syllabus of the course and submitted at the time of application. Community college equivalents to KU courses are available from the school or through community college counselors. A maximum of 75 credit hours from a community college may be transferred toward the B.S.W. degree.
MSW Program
Students who request transfer from other programs accredited by the Council of Social Work Education and are not covered by an existing partnership agreement, must first go through the admission process and provide transcripts, a syllabus for each course for which credit is being requested, descriptions of field practicum content, written evaluations of field practicum performance, and the number of practicum clock hours. Course syllabi must include readings, assignments, and weekly topics covered in that class. Students requesting credit waivers must include these materials by the application deadline. Waiver credit will not be offered for courses taken prior to admission for students accepted in the Advanced Standing Program. Courses submitted for waiver credit won't be considered if a student earned a grade of less than a B.
Credits for continuing education institutes and workshops or programs conducted by nonaccredited or nondegree-granting organizations are not accepted. Additionally, courses taken in another M.S.W. program as a non-degree seeking student will not receive waiver credit. Students may not receive waiver credit for advanced level coursework taken prior to completion of generalist level coursework in another M.S.W. program.
Students may request to enroll as non-degree seeking students. However, enrollment is contingent upon admission as a non-degree seeking student and classroom availability after all current degree seeking students are enrolled. Up to nine hours of credit as a non-degree seeking student can be applied toward the M.S.W. degree should a non-degree seeking student later apply to admission into the M.S.W. program (within a 5-year time window). Any such credit will be given only for coursework in which the student earned a B or greater. Students interested in enrolling as non-degree should contact Graduate Admissions.
DSW Program
No graduate credit may be transferred toward a doctoral degree, but departments may take relevant prior graduate work into consideration when setting up programs of study. Students who request such consideration must first go through the admission process and provide transcripts and a syllabus for each course for which credit is requested. Course syllabi must include readings, assignments, and weekly topics covered in that class. Students requesting credit waivers must include these materials by February 15th. Courses submitted for waiver credit won't be considered if a student earned a grade of less than a B. No more than six (6) credit hours in the DSW Program can be waived, as per rules established by the Office of Graduate Studies.
Prior Work Experience
In accordance with national curriculum policy, prior employment and life experience may not be credited toward classroom course work or practicum requirements for undergraduate or graduate programs.
Leave of Absence and Withdrawal
Refer to the student handbook for specific information
Guidelines for Conduct
Refer to the student handbook for specific information
Employment Opportunities
Some employment opportunities for social workers include:
- Practice in health care systems and settings.
- Child protection, foster care, and adoption services.
- Service in community centers, juvenile courts, and residential treatment centers.
- Domestic violence counseling and shelter facilities.
- Practice in housing and homelessness services.
- Family services, substance use treatment, and unemployment services.
- Community mental health services.
- Services for older adults in home and community-based care, residential communities, and senior centers.
- Community practice and social change.
- Policy advocacy and grassroots mobilization.
- Services for persons in community corrections programs and their families.
- Leadership in human service organizations and policy settings.
University Career Center
The University Career Center provides career counseling and services for all KU students, including students in the School of Social Welfare.
Courses
This course essentially provides an introduction to the profession of social work and the institution within which it operates: the social welfare system. This course is not a skills-based course; rather, its purpose is to make clear the influences and constraints that shape the profession--historical, social, cultural, political, and legal--and give it its uniqueness. This knowledge is essential to the education of the generalist social work practitioner, which is the central mission of the School. Must be completed with a grade of B or higher to advance in the Social Work curriculum.
SW 301. Prevention is Possible: Taking Action Against Campus Sexual Violence. 1 Credits.
College students experience elevated rates of sexual violence, and they also have played a pivotal role in making positive changes to campus sexual violence policies, support resources, and social norms. This course will equip students with the knowledge and tools to prevent sexual violence by creating a culture of consent, both at KU and in their future communities. Over the eight-week interactive seminar, students will learn to identify different forms of sexual violence; become familiar with campus and community support resources for survivors; and gain an understanding of research-based strategies for effective campus sexual violence prevention. Through group discussion and analysis of news articles and visual media, students will engage with topics including strategies for consent communication; the impact of misinformation and rape culture on sexual violence prevention and response; current and historical examples of student-led campus violence prevention efforts; the relationship between social identity, equity, and sexual violence; and the impact of how alcohol and other drugs impact capacity for sexual consent. By the end of the course, students will plan their own prevention strategy to address sexual violence on campus or in the community.
This course explores human sexuality from a social justice-informed lens and situated within social work values and ethics. The broad range of concepts related to human sexuality are taught within a social ecological framework, understanding that all aspects of human development, behavior, and attitudes are situated within the various contexts in which we are situated. Students will gain knowledge in sexual development and sexual identity development across the life course; sexual health practices; cultural values and expectations regarding sexuality; LGBTQIA+ identities and contexts; and gender-based violence. Additionally, students will critically examine their own attitudes, beliefs, values, practices, cultural expectations, and biases related to human sexuality. Using a range of learning modalities, students are expected to confront and challenge their own experiences and attitudes through a social work and social justice lens; however, the course is open to all majors.
This course is designed to assist students with developing skills for managing the transition to a university setting, and its associated social and emotional challenges. Students will learn techniques designed to enhance mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills. This course is designed to empower students by providing a range of experiences and techniques that will give students new insights and choices about their own behaviors, as well as skills that will help them in their interactions with others. Skills will be practiced through hands-on experience in the classroom, as well as weekly goal-setting to investigate the impact of developing these skills on our personal wellbeing. Prerequisite: Corequisite: MATH 2, MATH 101 or LA&S 108.
SW 365. Preventing Sexual Violence: From Campus to the Community. 3 Credits.
This course uses a foundation of sexual violence research to address the prevention of sexual assault, sexual harassment, stalking, and dating violence with a focus on creating a culture of consent on university campuses and in student organizations. Students will use social work and public health theoretical models to explore multiple facets of campus sexual violence, including root causes, policies, support resources, and effective interventions. The course will address the importance of consent and sex education, trauma-informed advocacy, and responsive, equitable interventions to effective sexual assault prevention efforts, as well as discussing community and institutional responses to sexual violence and the historical context for modern sexual assault prevention and response. Students will apply a public health framework to develop prevention strategies and assess risk and protective factors for sexual violence within organizations and at the community level. Through critical reflection, class discussion, and engagement with multimedia course materials, students will be expected to challenge their existing attitudes and beliefs about sexual violence and its prevention. KU Athletics, the KU Panhellenic Association, and KU IFC require first-year members to enroll in either this course or the 1-credit SW 301. This course is not open to students with credit in SW 301 or who are currently enrolled in SW 301.
SW 410. Professional Writing Skills in Social Work. 3 Credits.
Students learn the principles of organizing, developing, writing and revising documentation for different professional social work settings. Student will master basic writing skills and become proficient in several types of social work writing styles.
SW 490. Directed Readings. 1-3 Credits.
Individual and supervised readings in selected areas of social welfare. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and approval by BSW Program Director.
SW 510. Introduction to Social Work Practice: Interviewing Skills. 1.5 Credits.
This skills-focused course is designed to assist students with developing and practicing concrete interviewing strategies in preparation for field placements. These strategies will be revisited in the context of engagement and assessment during senior year fall semester courses. Students will learn interviewing strategies used in common social work practice approaches, such as motivational interviewing, solution-focused interviewing, and non-directive listening skills. This course is designed to provide students with baseline interviewing skills and provide them with practice before working with clients in their practicums. We will practice cultivating these skills through hands-on experience in the classroom. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Grade of B or better in SW 220. Successful completion of SW 530; SW 534; and SW 555.
SW 512. Skills-Based Policy Advocacy. 1.5 Credits.
This course builds on BSW students’ education on social welfare policy, cultivating a deep understanding of policy advocacy as a core dimension of social work practice. In this course, students learn policy-informed practice skills for effective advocacy in policy change strategies, grounded in core social work topics. These policy-informed practice skills include grassroots policy advocacy, such as developing policy agendas, social media campaigns, community organizing with constituents, and direct policy advocacy including giving testimony in legislative contexts, using policy briefs and other communication aids, and drafting new legislation. Emphasis on using social work values and ethics to work collaboratively with individuals and organizations will be central to the course. The course underscores social welfare policy as the foundation for social work practice and prepares students for policy advocacy as part of their effective and ethical social work practice. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Grade of B or better in SW 220; Successful completion of SW 530, SW 534, and SW 555.
Social work professionals need to understand human behavior at multiple social, economic, and environmental system levels, including individual, family, group, organization, community, national, and international. Therefore, this introductory human behavior theory for multi-level social work course provides Bachelor’s level students with basic concepts, theories, and empirical findings about human behavior across multiple system levels, taking into account biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and built and natural environmental aspects of human behavior and experience. This course, one of the first undergraduate social work courses taken at the junior level, serves as a foundation for generalist social work practice. In keeping with the mission of the University of Kansas, School of Social Welfare, this course provides theoretical perspectives as relevant to an approach to social work practice that advances personal and collective strengths and resources, embraces the inherent worth of all people, promotes empowerment and justice, and reflects critical and creative thinking. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Grade of B or better in SW 220.
SW 534. Introduction to Social Policy and Advocacy. 3 Credits.
This generalist policy analysis and advocacy course provides students with essential policy knowledge and policy practice skills, at the conclusion of their BSW education or as the foundation for their advanced MSW studies. The course examines existing social policies through the lens of social work values—particularly our profession’s commitment to social, economic, racial, and environmental justice—and equips students to engage in policy change in pursuit of societal equity and human well-being. In this course, students learn policy analysis knowledge and skills, with an emphasis on understanding how social welfare policy design, funding, and implementation affect people’s lives and influence the delivery of social work services. Policies designed to reduce poverty, address racial inequities, improve health, and increase social justice serve as exemplars for developing conceptual abilities in this course. Through critical examination of policies in the major domains of social work practice (physical and mental health, children and families, aging, housing, economic security), students prepare for policy-informed practice and for effective engagement in policy change strategies. Continuing students’ preparation for professional practice, the course emphasizes social welfare policy as the foundation for social work practice and positions policy analysis and intervention as integral to effective and ethical social work. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Grade of B or better in SW 220.
This Social Work Research course introduces bachelor's level social work students to use ethical, culturally informed, and anti-racist approaches in conducting research and building the social work knowledge base. It presents the basic concepts of research methods and processes to address social work problems. It helps students learn to apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments and to engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. Overall, this course is oriented toward helping beginning level generalist practitioners review and critique empirical research to determine best practices to address various client needs in practice settings. Students will be able to use the knowledge, values, skills, and cognitive and affective processes acquired in this course to understand and assess client needs, define interventions and evaluate social work practice interventions. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of Math & Statistics requirement. Grade of B or better in SW 220. Successful completion of SW 530, 534, and 555.
This course provides students with a foundational knowledge of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion within multi-level social work practice. Students will examine theoretical, conceptual, and policy-based knowledge of systems of oppression, both historical and contemporary, and the ways in which power and privilege are manifested within them. Through ongoing and critical self-reflection, students will examine their own social identities (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, age, social class, ability status, religion, national origin, etc.), as well as their beliefs, values, and ethics through a justice and equity framework. Critical self-reflection is an essential skill to develop toward ethical and effective social work practice. This course will help prepare social work students to understand and resist systematic and interpersonal dynamics related to oppression and advocate for justice within a myriad contexts and across a range of policies and practices that inform social work practice. As a social work diversity course, this course takes an explicitly anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-colonialist, and anti-oppressive stance. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Grade of B or better in SW 220.
SW 560. Study Abroad Topics: _____. 3 Credits.
This course provides the opportunity for Study Abroad in developed and developing countries such as Costa Rica and Italy.
SW 570. Centering on Decolonization in Social Work. 1.5 Credits.
Decolonizing social work has many dimensions that include identifying destructive beliefs and practices and reclaiming pre-contact beliefs and practices. This class works to challenge the social welfare system to integrate decolonization practices. This course introduces theories and concepts of colonization and decolonization, centering on Indigenous people in America. Emphasis will be on students' examination of the frameworks, policies, and concept-based knowledge in which colonization and decolonization develops, expands, and impacts these populations. Social work values and ethics will be used to unpack colonization historically and contemporarily particularly with social work practice. In addition, students will analyze efforts to examine decolonization in the field of social work and apply that to their development of multi-level practice skills. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Grade of B or better in SW 220. Successful completion of SW 530, SW 534 and SW 555.
SW 572. Substance Use. 1.5 Credits.
Alcohol and other drug (AOD) related problems are endemic throughout the global population, and social workers encounter them in a wide variety of contexts and human service settings. Clients experiencing substance misuse challenge service providers to acquire knowledge/skill, use creativity, and coordinate with multi-disciplinary professionals across the treatment continuum. This course is designed for students to demonstrate integration of policy, research and practice perspectives at the individual, community and larger societal contextual levels of understanding. The expected result is for students to know how to actively and appropriately serve this population as a generalist social work practitioner. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. MATH 101 or LA&S 108. Grade of B or better in SW 220. Successful completion of SW 530, SW 534 and SW 555.
SW 573. Intergenerational and Historical Trauma. 1.5 Credits.
This course provides a foundational context that introduces the impact of historic and intergenerational transmission of trauma to Indigenous and Black American populations. These populations have unique experiences directly related to surviving colonialism with the boundaries of the U.S. The course builds on BSW students’ education in social work research, policy, oppression, equity, social justice, trauma, and behavioral health. Students will examine the literature related to the effects of historical and intergenerational trauma, which can result in cumulative emotional and mental health wounds that carry across generations. Students will understand and be aware of the many factors surrounding intergenerational trauma and examine inherited behaviors and the enduring consequences – culturally, emotionally, and spiritually. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Grade of B or better in SW 220. Successful completion of SW 530, SW 534 and SW 555.
SW 574. Social Work Across and Among Borders: International SW and SW with Immigrant Populations. 1.5 Credits.
Social work encompasses practice across and among geographic/nation-state borders. This course's purpose is twofold. First, it will provide students with a review of social work from a global context, including the topics of social and economic development, the capability approach based on the writing of Sen and Nussbaum, and the values of the International Federation of Social Work. Second, it will seek to understand the trends of immigration along with the unique experiences of people who migrate across borders to the US. Students will learn about social workers' past and present opportunities to engage in social work globally and with immigrant populations, including examining the pitfall of "saviorism" and acting as agents of social control, as well as the possibility of supporting community and individual directed change, advocacy, and support. Prerequisite: Grade of B or better in SW 220. Successful completion of SW 530; SW 534; SW 555.
Practicum learning occurs outside the classroom in a social service setting, mentored by a social work practitioner. Students gain insight into individual and family, community, and research and policy practices. Students complete 416 clock hours of practicum during the fall and spring semesters. Students attend practicum 16 hours per week for approximately 15 weeks per semester. Practicum sites include nonprofits, behavioral health centers, child welfare offices, residential settings, schools, medical settings, and others. Students are awarded credit at the end of each semester that they successfully pass. Students may not progress to the second semester if they do not pass the first semester. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512, and 540. Concurrent enrollment is required in SW 610 or SW 612.
SW 610. Multilevel Engagement and Assessment in Social Work Practice. 3 Credits.
This course builds on SW 510 to prepare students for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Focusing on the beginning phases of the helping process, specifically engagement and assessment, students will deepen their knowledge and strengthen their skills to build rapport with individuals and families, connect with and leverage group dynamics, navigate and influence organizational cultures, and assess the strengths and needs of communities. In addition, students will learn how generalist skills can help to address population needs across levels of practice. This course will ask students to apply evidence- and theory-driven approaches for engagement and assessment, and students will critically consider how to support goal development, intervention planning, and collaborative assessment in diverse contexts. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512 & 540. Concurrent enrollment in SW 601.
SW 612. Multilevel Intervention and Evaluation in Social Work Practice. 3 Credits.
In the second course of the multilevel generalist practice sequence, students will gain competencies for the middle and ending phases of the helping process. They will build skills to intervene and critically evaluate interventions to improve outcomes with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Students will also examine cross-system and cross-level intervention strategies and the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively across practice domains. In addition to exposure to a range of generalist practice intervention approaches, students will develop competencies for client-centered evaluation and termination, empowering group interventions, organizational transformation, and base building for community change. Concurrent enrollment in SW 601. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. SW 610 and SW 622.
SW 622. Human Rights, Racial, Social, Economic and Environmental Justice. 3 Credits.
The course lays a human rights-centered foundation for students' social work education, elevating the pursuit of social, racial, economic, and environmental justice as a core dimension of social work practice. The course familiarizes students with the global human rights framework, exposes them to key human rights challenges in the current landscape, and engages them in countering these challenges and promoting opportunities for human rights. Students critically examine the state of human rights in the US and also expand their lens to consider social work as a global enterprise, where lessons are to be learned and contributions made in diverse transnational contexts. While emphasizing human well-being as a core aim of the profession, the course emphasizes the importance of restoring and protecting the natural world, as an end in itself and an essential precondition for human thriving. Students develop human rights literacy, learning the history of human rights governance, the mechanisms for protecting individual and group rights--and the limitations of these tools. They demonstrate empathy with those experiencing threats to their human rights, drawing on their commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. They take responsibility to act as global community members committed to the dignity and worth of every person. Equipped with this complement of knowledge, skills, and values, students are prepared for generalist practice from a human rights-based perspective. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512 and 540.
This course focuses on the values and ethical dimensions of contemporary professional social welfare policy and practice while integrating insights from theory and research. Students fully digest and relevantly apply the professional social work Code of Ethics. In addition, they clarify and solidify their professional identities as beginning social workers. SW 623 represents the culmination of the School's professional socialization process. Because this class focuses on the process of developing and clarifying a strong sense of the social work profession and the professional self, it relies heavily on student participation, interaction, reflection, and discussion. This course is offered in the final semester of the BSW program culminating the field of social work study. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. SW 610. Concurrent enrollment in SW 601 and SW 612.
SW 634. Child Welfare - Protecting Children, Strengthening Families. 1.5 Credits.
This course will introduce undergraduate students to the child welfare service system that aims to promote safety, permanency and well-being of children and their families. Students will learn about the history of the U.S. child welfare system, seminal policies that have shaped this system during the 20th and 21st centuries, and historical and current day tensions that influence child welfare services. The course examines the full continuum of services within the child welfare system, including prevention, in-home family supports and family preservation, foster care, kinship care, independent living, adoption, and post-adoption. Students will also learn about personal, familial, and environmental factors that place families at risk for involvement with the child welfare system, including critical analysis of racial inequities that characterize child welfare services and outcomes. The course emphasizes the need for multi-level and multi-system perspectives as necessary for working collaboratively and confidently with the many different individuals, organizations, and systems that intersect with child welfare. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512 & 540.
SW 635. Sexuality and Gender Diversity. 1.5 Credits.
This course is designed to meet the needs of undergraduate-level social work students. The focus is on generalist social work practice pertaining to sexuality and gender with a primary focus on working with people with marginalized sexualities and genders (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual, etc.). Utilizing a social justice and equity framework, students examine their own identities, experiences, and larger systems of oppression to engage in effective and ethical generalist practice with people who have marginalized sexualities and genders. As a mini-course, this class integrates history, policy, and practice and is centered within social work tenets, ethics, and values. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512 & 540.
SW 637. Criminal Justice System: Abolish or Reform. 1.5 Credits.
The course will seek to understand historical and contemporary abolition movements. A major focus being on prison industrial complex abolition drawing on the writing of Mariame Kaba, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, and Angela Davis. Topics will include the history of policing, surveillance, and prisons in the United States, transformational justice, and restorative practices. Students will be invited to interrogate the framing of the criminal justice system, ask questions about future of abolition, and investigate what abolition offers as a political organizing strategy. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512 & 540.
SW 638. Responding to Suicide and Self-Harm. 1.5 Credits.
This course is designed to assist students with developing assessment and intervention skills for responding to suicide and self-harm across the life course. We will examine the etiology, function, and presentation of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, with particular emphasis on the development of these behaviors in childhood and adolescence and their progression into adulthood. Students will learn techniques for responding to suicide and self-harm, including the use of generalist social work practice skills (e.g., crisis intervention, advocacy, brokering, behavior management), developing effective treatment plans, and providing psychoeducation to individuals impacted by suicide and self-harm. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512 & 540.
SW 640. Grant Writing and Program Development. 1.5 Credits.
This course will introduce undergraduate students to grant writing and program development for human service programs in private not-for-profit agencies. The course focuses on community-engaged techniques for developing programs and grant proposals that are responsive to the needs and strengths of communities. Students will learn the basics of identifying funding opportunities that are well-matched to their program and not-for-profit agency. The course also covers strategies for developing and writing funding proposals. Students will learn the key components of a proposal, including letter of inquiry, project abstracts, problem statements, program descriptions, evaluation, project timeline, dissemination plans, budget, and budget narrative. Beyond program development and grant writing techniques, students will examine how the social work values of social, economic, racial, and environmental justice can be integrated into programs and proposals. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512, 540, 610 & 622.
SW 641. Dismantling White Supremacy. 1.5 Credits.
This course examines the work of dismantling white supremacy, predicated on the professional social work value of social justice with the accompanying ethical principle "social workers will challenge injustice" to which all social workers should aspire. White supremacy, defined here as an ideology of white superiority and entitlement that is embedded in political, economic, and cultural systems across a broad array of institutions and social settings. The study of the systemic and institutional forms of white supremacy will be the major focus of the course. Topics will include the history of the concept of white supremacy, what it is and isn't, manifestations such as disproportionality and disparities in child welfare, incarceration, poverty, and other social work focused social problems. Additionally, students will examine the conceptualization of white supremacy at the organizational level and seek to identify the role social workers have in dismantling it within their multi-system practice. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512, 540, 610 & 622.
SW 642. Financial Capability and Social Work Practice. 1.5 Credits.
This course introduces BSW students to the field of financial capability in social work practice. Utilizing a social justice framework, it includes content about poverty, personal household finance, and financial access within the context of social work practice. Discussion focusses on economic and financial concepts as related to individuals and families across the life cycle, and communities, particularly vulnerable and oppressed populations and communities experiencing poverty and near-poverty. Research, practice, social policy, and policy change efforts related to these areas are also examined. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512, 540, 610, and 622.
SW 643. Gender-based Violence: What It Is and What Social Workers Can Do To Prevent and Respond To It. 1.5 Credits.
Gender-based violence (GBV), which includes domestic and sexual violence, human trafficking, and child marriage, is recognized by the United Nations and the World Health Organization as a global social and health problem with pervasive costs. Using an intersectional approach, this mini-course will provide an overview of the significance and impact of GBV as relevant to social work professional code to address social injustice. Additional topics will include the socioecological framework applied to GBV prevention, the relationship between GBV and gender and social norms, protective and risk factors based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, efforts to engage men in prevention, trauma informed responses to survivors, and the role of policy. Students will also gain clarity about the conceptual and practical implications of the difference between prevention of and response to GBV, and the different ways social workers can engage in change work. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Successful completion of SW 510, 512, 540, 610, and 622.
SW 701. Generalist Practicum. 7 Credits.
Practicum learning occurs outside the classroom in a social service setting, mentored by a social work practitioner. Students gain insight into individual and family, community, and research and policy practices. Students complete 416 clock hours of practicum during the fall and spring semesters. Students attend practicum 16 hours per week for approximately 15 weeks per semester. Practicum sites include nonprofits, behavioral health centers, child welfare offices, residential settings, schools, medical settings, and others. Students are awarded credit at the end of each semester that they successfully pass. Students may not progress to the second semester if they do not pass the first semester. Students may not progress to specialist practicum if they do not pass both SW701 semesters. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Open only to generalist-level MSW students. Concurrent enrollment is required in SW 710 and SW 711.
SW 708. Human Rights and Social, Racial, Economic, and Environmental Justice. 3 Credits.
This generalist course lays a theoretically-informed human rights foundation for graduate social work education, elevating the pursuit of social, racial, economic, and environmental justice as core dimensions of social work practice. The course familiarizes students with a global human rights framework and related critical, systems, empowerment, and strengths perspectives, exposes them to current human rights challenges, and engages them in countering these challenges. This course helps students critically examine the state of human rights across a range of diverse and intersectional populations and issues in the United States and expands their lens to consider social work as a global enterprise where lessons are to be learned and contributions made in transnational contexts. This course is offered to students in their first semester of the generalist MSW curriculum. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare.
SW 710. Multi-Level Engagement and Assessment. 3 Credits.
This course is the first in a two-course sequence that prepares students for generalist social work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Focusing on the beginning phases of the helping process, students will develop knowledge and skills to build rapport with individuals and families, understand group dynamics, build basic group facilitation skills, navigate and influence organizational cultures, and assess the strengths and needs of communities. In addition, students will learn how generalist skills can help to address population needs across levels of practice. This course will ask students to apply evidence- and theory-driven approaches for engagement and assessment. Students are required to take both courses in this sequence (SW 710 and SW 711) with the same instructor. If this is not possible, students must contact their academic advisor for guidance. Concurrent enrollment in SW 701 is encouraged. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare.
SW 711. Multi-Level Intervention & Evaluation. 3 Credits.
In the second course of the generalist social work sequence, students will gain competencies for the middle and ending phases of the helping process. They will build skills to intervene and critically evaluate interventions to improve outcomes with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Students will also examine cross-system and cross-level intervention strategies and the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively across practice domains. In addition to exposure to a range of generalist social work intervention approaches, students develop competencies for client- and community-centered evaluation, empowering group interventions, organizational transformation, and community change facilitation. Students are required to take SW 710 before SW 711 with the same instructor. If this is not possible, students must contact their academic advisor for guidance. Concurrent enrollment in SW 701 is encouraged. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare.
SW 712. Social Work Advanced Standing Seminar. 3 Credits.
This course is designed to prepare advanced standing students for successful entry into the specialization year of the MSW program. The seminar provides the link between students' undergraduate degree from an accredited BSW program and the MSW specialization curricula in clinical or macro social work. Based on the School's mission, vision, and guiding principles, the Advanced Standing Seminar takes a practice-centered approach to preparing students for advanced graduate study in social work. The primary emphasis during this summer seminar is to advance and deepen students' understanding of the School's approach to generalist social work and to review the most salient concepts covered in the generalist curricula of the MSW program. This allows students to learn a common language and understanding of generalist social work thereby supporting their transition into the advanced level specializations. Students are provided with intensive classroom experiences (readings, discussions, exercises, assignments, and other learning activities) to help them adjust to the rigors of graduate education. They also have opportunities to develop working relationships with a cadre of student colleagues who will support their academic growth as they transition into their advanced level studies. Prerequisite: Open only to students admitted to the MSW Advanced Standing Plan of Study.
SW 720. Social Policy Analysis and Advocacy in Social Work. 3 Credits.
This generalist course in policy analysis and advocacy provides students with essential social policy knowledge and helps them develop policy practice skills. The course examines existing social policies through the lens of social work values, particularly the profession's commitment to social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. The course focuses on understanding how social policies are designed, funded, and implemented, and how these processes affect people's lives and influence the delivery of social work services. Through critical examination of policies in the major domains of social work practice (physical and mental health, children and families, aging, housing, economic security), students prepare for policy-informed practice and for effective engagement in policy change strategies. Social welfare policy and program analysis skills are central in our work to value diversity, engage in multi-systemic change, end oppression and discrimination, and promote justice. The advocacy dimensions of the course will help students develop competencies (e.g., strategic communication, collaboration and alliance building, information-gathering, and self-reflection) that prepare them for advanced specialization courses in clinical and/or macro social work. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare.
SW 740. Applied Research in Multi-Level Social Work. 3 Credits.
This generalist research course introduces MSW students to fundamental concepts in social work research to support empirically-informed practice. In keeping with the mission of the School, this course emphasizes research knowledge and skills necessary for effective social work practice that advances personal and collective strengths and resources, honors human diversity, promotes empowerment and justice, and reflects critical and creative thinking. By translating and applying evidence, we continually transform practice and policy across multiple systems. This course contributes to the overall generalist preparation of the student for advanced professional practice by providing skills necessary for critical thinking and continual improvement of practice and policy approaches. This course also focuses on strengthening students' capacity for evaluating practice-informed-research and research-informed-practice. Understanding how knowledge is generated, what standards apply, and how translation occurs is critical to professional practice. Thus, students come to appreciate not only the accumulation of and integration of knowledge for use in practice, but also the need to critically examine what they are being taught and the gaps that exist in the current knowledge base and demand future knowledge development. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare.
SW 755. Anti-racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Social Work Practice. 3 Credits.
This course provides students with a foundational knowledge of anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion within multi-level social work. Students will examine theoretical, conceptual, and policy-based knowledge of systems of oppression, both historical and contemporary, and the ways in which power and privilege are embedded in them. Through ongoing and critical self-reflection, students will examine their own social identities (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender, sexual identity, age, social class, ability status, religion, national origin, etc.), as well as their beliefs, values, and ethics through a justice and equity framework. Critical self-reflection is an essential skill to develop for ethical and effective social work. This course will help prepare social work students to: (1) understand and resist systematic and interpersonal dynamics leading to oppression and (2) advocate for justice within myriad contexts and across a range of institutions and policies that contextualize social work in the contemporary US. In keeping with social work values, this course takes an explicitly anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-colonialist, and anti-oppressive stance. Prerequisite: Student must be admitted to MSW Program.
SW 801. Advanced Practicum-Clinical Practice. 7 Credits.
Students are assigned to social service agencies that provide opportunities for specialist level clinical social work practice. All students work under the supervision of a qualified practicum instructor where they have the opportunity to integrate theory and practice and develop beginning competence in clinical social work practice. This course is generally taken for two semesters. Students are awarded credit at the end of each semester that they successfully pass. Students may not progress to the second semester if they do not pass the first semester. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Open only to specialist-level M.S.W. students. Completion of all generalist course requirements.
SW 803. Advanced Practicum-Clinical Practice. 2-6 Credits.
Students are assigned to social service agencies that provide opportunities for advanced level clinical social work practice. All students work under the supervision of a qualified practicum instructor where they have the opportunity to integrate theory and practice and develop beginning competence in clinical social work practice. This course is generally taken for three semesters. Students are awarded credit at the end of each semester that they successfully pass. Students may not progress to the subsequent semester if they do not pass the semester. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Completion of all generalist course requirements. Open only to specialist-level M.S.W. students with an approved modified practicum plan.
SW 804. Advanced Practicum-Macro Practice. 7 Credits.
Students are assigned to social service agencies, government departments, or community initiatives that provide practice opportunities in community practice, advocacy and/or social work administration. All students work under the supervision of a qualified practicum instructor where they have the opportunity to develop beginning competence in macro social work practice. This course is generally taken for two semesters. Students are awarded credit at the end of each semester that they successfully pass. Students may not progress to the second semester if they do not pass the first semester. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Open only to specialist-level M.S.W. students. Completion of all generalist requirements.
SW 806. Advanced Practicum-Macro Practice. 2-6 Credits.
Students are assigned to social service agencies, government departments, or community initiatives that provide practice opportunities in community practice, advocacy and/or social work administration. All students work under the supervision of a qualified practicum instructor where they have the opportunity to develop beginning competence in macro social work practice. This course is generally taken for three semesters. Students are awarded credit at the end of each semester that they successfully pass. Students may not progress to the subsequent semester if they do not pass the semester. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Open only to specialist-level M.S.W. students with an approved modified practicum plan. Completion of all generalist requirements.
SW 810. Clinical Practice Strategies I. 3 Credits.
This course is the first of a two-part advanced clinical reasoning and application sequence focusing on the use of effective helping methods in clinical social work. SW 810 provides students with in-depth, integrative training in conducting and applying comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments to inform intervention selection while incorporating understanding of client readiness and the multi-dimensional impacts of social, systemic, and cultural diversity influences on client experiences. Students will learn how overarching frameworks and theoretical perspectives and principles inform and influence engagement, assessment, and practice approaches, thus strengthening their foundation for clinical reasoning. This specialist practice course will assist in the preparation of students for advanced service provision by offering in-depth training in the selection and application of three (3) specific interventions for use in treatment settings: motivational interviewing, contingency management, and trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy. Students will be expected to engage in self-reflection and peer interaction to develop awareness of clinical processes and decision making at various points in the clinical relationship. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 811. Clinical Practice Strategies II. 3 Credits.
This course is the second of a two-part advanced clinical reasoning and application sequence focusing on the use of effective helping methods in clinical social work. SW 811 extends the curricula by providing students with in-depth, integrative training in specific, emerging clinical strategies, including transdiagnostic approaches to clinical interventions. Students will learn how overarching frameworks and theoretical perspectives and principles to inform and influence engagement, assessment, and practice approaches, thus strengthening their foundation for clinical reasoning. Students will be expected to engage in self-reflection and peer interaction to develop awareness of clinical processes and decision making at various points in the clinical relationship. Students are required to take SW 810 before SW 811. If this is not possible, students should contact their academic advisors for guidance. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 833. Interdisciplinary Aging Practice. 3 Credits.
Interdisciplinary Aging Practice is designed to meet the needs of social work students and those from related disciplines such as psychology, sociology, speech and hearing, nursing, medicine, and public health who have an interest in multilevel practice and research with older adults. The course is informed by a social justice-oriented perspective and seeks to foster integrated critical thinking across aging- and life course-related theory, practice, policy, and research with an emphasis on issues of diversity and equity. Students will be required to reflect on their own biases and preconceptions around aging and how aging-related topics impact their lives in professional and personal ways. Students will also gain exposure to and skills in direct practice approaches, such as narrative therapy, life reviews, legacy building, and reminiscence therapy. As interdisciplinary collaboration is necessary to gerontological practice and scholarship, this course applies a cross-discipline learning model to foster in students a critical awareness of their own disciplinary identities and contributions. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 834. Social Work in Schools. 3 Credits.
An in-depth examination of social work in school settings. Students demonstrate the capacity to integrate research, policy, direct practice, and human behavior in considering the issues central to this area of practice. Students will also be able to explain how diversity issues manifest themselves at both the policy and direct practice levels. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 840. Multi-System Community-Engaged Program Design. 3 Credits.
In this macro specialization course, advanced social work students learn to design socially just human service and community development programs. Topics include program design and public/private sector resource development for programs to advance social, racial, economic, and environmental justice; meet basic human and social service needs; and enhance community well-being. Students will learn how to design programs from a multi-system perspective for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. In addition, advanced social work students will develop skills in engaging communities to guide program design. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 841. Advanced Policy Analysis. 3 Credits.
This advanced course builds on students' generalist social policy knowledge, as well as their understanding of policy practice as a key dimension of social workers' professional responsibility. With an emphasis on advanced understanding of policy processes, this course equips students for leadership in policy intervention—as administrators, substantive policy experts, and/or advocates. Through advanced readings, applied policy analyses, class discussions, and critical reflections, this course equips students with policy analysis frameworks which facilitate sophisticated examination of policymaking and policy evaluation in different institutional domains: legislative, agency, regulatory, budgetary, and judicial. Students will complete this course prepared to examine the policy levers through which to address identified problems, compare alternatives for policy reform, and reframe issues to elevate social work values of social, economic, racial, and environmental justice. Prerequisite: Must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare. Completion of all social welfare generalist requirements.
SW 842. Agency-Based Evaluation. 3 Credits.
How do social work administrators know if their agencies and organizations are making a positive difference in the lives of clients and communities? This course focuses student learning on how to gather and use information to improve social service agencies, social justice organizations and, by extension, client and community outcomes. Using an agency-based perspective, students learn how to do holistic evaluations to improve well-being at all levels of social work. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 843. Leadership and Supervision in Program Management. 3 Credits.
This course focuses on the tasks, roles, and functions of managers including effective employee supervision and human resource management for the development and retention of a diverse workforce, as well as broader functions required to effectively manage programs. Evidence-based mentoring practices and anti-oppressive supervision relationships will be covered in this course. Students will build skills in tracking timely resource development, budgeting, overseeing up-to-date measures of financial health as well as over-time financial trends, and analyzing budget variances by program area. Within the context of the macro specialization curriculum, students will learn how local, state, and federal policies provide either enabling or constraining resources. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 846. Advanced Justice-Centered Community and Advocacy Practice. 3 Credits.
This course builds on the content of generalist practice courses and on students' advanced policy analysis and critical thinking. Through examination and application of theories of community and policy change, design of macro interventions, and ethical demonstration of advanced advocacy and community transformation skills, students will equip themselves for advanced macro practice in the domains of policy advocacy, community organizing, coalition-building, and strategic social administration. The course helps students build the advanced analytical, empirical, and relational competencies needed to effectively advocate with different human service constituencies and to envision and pursue community transformation for social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. Specific competencies assessed include power analyses, effective multi-channel communication, grassroots engagement, collaboration with diverse constituencies, multi-level system reform, and harnessing organizational resources for social transformation. Prerequisite: Completion of all social welfare generalist requirements.
SW 855. Study Abroad Topics: _____. 3 Credits.
This course provides the opportunity for critical, anti-oppressive, global social work study and exchange, in countries such as Costa Rica and Italy. Offerings vary from year to year. Students interested in this course should consult with their academic advisor for enrollment guidance.
SW 860. Loss and Grief Across the Life Course. 3 Credits.
This course examines the wide scope of loss and grief processes that occur over the life span and includes impactful but infrequently discussed losses such as trauma losses, abuse and neglect, as well as losses of social roles, identities, and relationships. We cover major life transitions and more commonly identified losses such as those that occur with divorce or death. The course frames grief and loss in terms of various theoretical, definitional, and process-oriented understandings. We will identify unique experiences of loss and grief at specific life stages. Students will learn varied cultural interpretations of loss, issues of differential diagnosis, and interventions relevant to each stage of life. This course addresses the importance of resiliency and "meaning making" for clients and community members, as well as the role of self-care among service providers attending to grief processes. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 861. Global Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Intervention. 3 Credits.
This interdisciplinary course examines efforts to stop gender violence around the world, with an emphasis on comparing African and US contexts. It will address topics such as domestic violence, human trafficking, sex workers' rights, rape and consent, war-time violence, and sexual health. We explore how culture shapes gendered patterns of violence and resistance against violence. Students will learn how to use postcolonial theory to interrogate traditions of Western feminism that blames cultural practices for forms of violence found around the world. We will examine alternative transnational movements grounded in legal, medical, and social movements, including human rights, public health, and anti-carceral feminist activism. Readings will combine critical on-the-ground accounts with current social work best-practices for prevention and intervention, including clinical approaches. Assignments will include projects integrating these perspectives into concrete, cultural-sensitive, and intersectional solutions for some of the most pressing problems facing women and girls throughout the world today. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 863. Mental Health and Psychopathology. 3 Credits.
This course emphasizes mental health diagnoses commonly encountered in social work practice. The relationship between social work assessment and the diagnostic process will be covered in detail. Information will be presented from the perspective of social work as a professional discipline, emphasizing the continuing and complex interactions between the person and environment (biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and ecological) and multiple influences on mental health, including the incorporation of social justice, critical perspectives, and other social work values/ethics. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) is used as an organizing framework for this course; however, alternative taxonomies, as well the adequacy and appropriateness of the DSM-5-TR in social work practice will be addressed throughout the course. Influential considerations such as social work's ethical directives, the impact of poverty, race, class, heteronormativity, stress, social support, and forms of bias will be highlighted in the course. Full time clinical specialization students should take this course no later than fall of their specialized year. Part-time clinical specialization and all macro specialization students are encouraged to consult with their academic advisors for enrollment guidance. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 866. Children's Mental Health. 3 Credits.
This course focuses on enhancing clinical knowledge and skills for social work related to children's mental health. The course will provide an overview of prevalence, definitions, and policies that frame the issue of children's mental health and will explore how child development, trauma, and other social and environmental contexts can impact mental health concerns and treatment for children and adolescents. The course will also cover assessment, common mental health diagnoses for children, and evidence informed services and treatment. Recognizing the role of family and multiple systems in children's lives, the course will emphasize the continuing and complex interactions between the person and environment and the resulting multiple influences on mental health, including the incorporation of social justice and critical perspectives. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 867. Trauma-Related Care Across the Life Course. 3 Credits.
This course provides a theoretical and practice-centered integration of the current understanding of trauma and trauma treatment approaches across a wide variety of contexts, incorporating ecological, biological, psychological, and systemic influences. Using the developmental life course as a framework for understanding, this course will assist and orient emerging practitioners in work with survivors of trauma across multiple social work settings. The course material will cover trauma symptomatology from a strengths-oriented biopsychosocial perspective, including acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and other disorders that manifest secondary to trauma and/or toxic stress. Co-morbidity of trauma related conditions with other conditions such as substance abuse and self-harming behaviors will also be covered. With a focus on the critical perspective and commitment to social justice, students will contextualize individual's experiences of trauma within the lens of historical and contemporary oppression and intergenerational trauma. In terms of interventions, the course covers specific evidence informed advanced clinical practices, as well as principles of trauma-informed care, building on people's strength, resilience, hope and resistance. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 868. Assessing and Treating Suicide and Self-Harm. 3 Credits.
This course helps students develop engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation skills for responding to suicide and self-harm across the life course. We will examine the etiology, function, and presentation of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, with particular emphasis on the development of these behaviors in childhood and adolescence and their progression into adulthood. Students will learn techniques for assessing and treating suicide and self-harm, including employing functional and transdiagnostic assessment methods, and utilizing empirically supported transdiagnostic treatment approaches with an emphasis on cognitive-behavioral interventions. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 869. Assessing and Treating Substance Misuse. 3 Credits.
Substance misuse is endemic throughout the global population, and social workers encounter it in a wide variety of contexts and human service settings. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a clinical and service system challenge requiring knowledge, skill, creativity, and coordination with multi-disciplinary professionals across the treatment continuum. This course enhances professional social work readiness by providing targeted information regarding a wide range of psychoactive substances, as well as their differential impact on individuals (behavioral, psychological, physical, social, and spiritual) and communities (social, racial, economic, political, and cultural). Based on a fundamental understanding of addiction theories and etiology as well as personalized approaches to recovery, this course explores specific assessment techniques, prevention approaches, and intervention strategies. SUDs most commonly co-occur with health and mental health problems, so knowledge of such conditions is vital and also covered in this course. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 871. Indigenous Families. 3 Credits.
This course is designed to prepare graduate students with clinical social work skills within the context of diverse views and experiences of Indigenous people in the United States. Students completing this course will be able to apply a variety of social work frameworks of knowledge, policies, and practice methodologies needed to serve Indigenous individuals, families, and communities. Topics will address Indigenous lifeways prior to contact, historical and cultural forces, such as policies that have impacted Indigenous people. Students will learn evidence-based forms of helping as well as Indigenous ways of helping. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 873. Sexuality and Gender Diversity. 3 Credits.
This course is designed to meet the needs of graduate social work students, as well as those from related disciplines such as psychology; applied behavioral science; public health; and women, gender, and sexuality studies. The focus is on enhancing clinical skills (e.g., diagnostic assessment; individual, group, and family therapy approaches) for practice pertaining to sexuality and gender with a primary focus on working with people with marginalized sexualities and genders (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual, etc.). Utilizing a social justice and equity framework, students examine their own identities, experiences, and larger systems of oppression to engage in effective and ethical practice with people who have marginalized sexualities and genders. The course integrates history, theory, research, policy, and practice and is centered within social work tenets, ethics, and values while also creating space for students to engage across multiple disciplines and enhance transdisciplinary practice skills. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 874. Social Work with Womxn and Femmes. 3 Credits.
This course focuses on enhancing clinical skills (e.g., diagnostic assessment; individual, group, and family therapy skills) and related multi-level skills for practice with people who identify (or are socialized) as women, womyn, womxn, femme, feminine, female, etc. This course is taught through an intentional intersectional lens, which will provide historical and conceptual critiques of dominant and mainstream feminist approaches, while informing students of other possible frameworks toward practice with womxn and femmes, including critical, liberatory, and womxn and femme of Color lenses. Will include examination of practice approaches to problems that womxn and femmes frequently experience. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 875. Readings and Investigations: _____. 1-3 Credits.
Opportunity for scholarly investigation in an area of special interest. Students pursue independent study in an area of social work practice through the guidance of a selected faculty member.
SW 878. Serving the Black Diaspora. 3 Credits.
Centering the social context of the United States, this course expands knowledge and skills in supporting members of the Black Diaspora across multi-level social work practice settings. This course is delivered through intersectional Black-centered, Black-affirming, and pro-Black perspectives, and will provide historical and conceptual critiques of colorblind interventions. It will also include examination of evidence-based practice approaches to social issues that members of the Diaspora frequently experience in relation to anti-Blackness and white supremacy in the United States. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 885. Professional Development Seminar. 3 Credits.
This capstone course provides a transitional space to help both clinical and macro specialization students reflect upon their learning throughout their MSW experiences and critically integrate previously learned professional knowledge, skills, and values that prepare them to begin their post-graduate social work careers. Students will clarify and solidify their professional identities as MSW-level social workers, helping them practice and commit to life-long learning strategies that support intentional professional growth and development. Students will incorporate diverse skills and perspectives with attention to navigating complex multi-level systems, engaging ethical ambiguity, and critically analyzing implications for theory, research, policy, and practice. This course makes an explicit ethical commitment to support the pursuit of socially just, anti-oppressive, and empowering multi-level practice through professional development. Students take this course in their final semester of the MSW program. Prerequisite: Admission to MSW Advanced Standing plan of study or completion of social welfare generalist courses.
SW 911. PhD Seminar I. 1 Credits.
This course aims to socialize students to academia by assisting them with understanding and navigating the processes of academic institutions and doctoral education and building the skills and strategies for successful completion of their doctorate. It recognizes that becoming and being a social work scholar is a developmental, lifelong learning process. The seminar is focused on supporting students so that they may maximize their doctoral program experience and, ultimately, define, develop, and grow in their role as a social work scholar/researcher. Different doctoral career pathways will be discussed in relation to students’ own goals, identifying opportunities and strategies within doctoral education that may reinforce and strengthen their abilities for achieving individualized goals. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare PhD program.
SW 912. PhD Seminar II. 1 Credits.
Building on the first year of the doctoral program and SW 911 - PhD Seminar I, students will continue to discuss the development of their professional identity. The class explores critical topics related to both substantive and professional issues of doctoral education, the education of social workers, research and methodological approaches, transitioning from student to scholar, and social work ethics. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the School of Social Welfare PhD program. Successful completion of SW 911.
SW 920. Introduction to Advanced Social Work Practice. 3 Credits.
This course is focused on preparing the entering DSW student to understand what is meant by Advanced Social Work Practice, and the social, political, and economic contexts in which social work leadership, translational research and social work education and instruction are embedded. Topics include the structure of higher education in the US, contemporary policy and administrative challenges, issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education, and the infrastructure that guides research, including accountability to funders and university standards of the ethics and rigor of knowledge development. An introduction to common theoretical and conceptual ideas is presented, along with the development of shared definitions of terms used in the arenas of both higher education and organizational leadership. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program.
SW 921. Evidence Informed Leadership and Management. 3 Credits.
This course will cover various theories of leadership and management. Students will learn to engage in leadership practices across the social ecology, including leadership of agencies that serve individuals and organizations focused on structural change. Students will develop a style of leadership that is strengths-based, and trauma-informed and which promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Topics would include theories of leadership & team building (best practices), multi-system competency (macro-micro) community engagement, the use of public discourse & technology (communications), strengths-based practice and trauma informed care (trauma awareness). Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program.
SW 922. Fundamentals of Applied Research. 3 Credits.
This course is an in-depth introduction to the process of conducting research. A comprehensive approach is taken to covering the full research design process, considering quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches, and the evaluation of program outcomes. The course also integrates topics related to structural bias, systemic oppression, and strategies for anti-oppressive research, and addresses ethical issues in the conduct and dissemination of research. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program.
SW 923. Funding Human Services and Social Change: Financial Management and Budgeting. 3 Credits.
This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of managing the financial aspects of an organization. Students will develop the skills necessary to understand and develop balance sheets and program budgets that promote equity and inclusion. Students will also develop necessary skills for identifying funding sources and writing grant proposals appropriate for human service provision and anti-oppressive social change efforts. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program.
SW 924. Assessing and Using Evidence to Design and Improve Multi-level Interventions in Social Work. 3 Credits.
This course develops students’ knowledge and skills for identifying, assessing, and critiquing the empirical evidence on current interventions and practices in social work. The focus is on conducting multi-dimensional, value-critical inquiry about “best practices” relevant to social work and applying the results of that inquiry toward designing and improving interventions or practices that are multi-level. The course introduces the foundations of evidence-based practice, systematic review of the literature, critical evaluation of empirical studies, and structured data synthesis to assess the quality of evidence. In addition to covering approaches for rigorous methodological critique, the course emphasizes value-critical frameworks for assessing research in relation to anti-oppressive principles. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program.
SW 925. Integrative and Critical Approaches within Educational Theory and Pedagogy. 3 Credits.
This course is focused on providing DSW students with a strong theoretical foundation for effectively teaching adult learners in social work courses at all levels of higher education. Topics will include theories of pedagogy/andragogy; educational psychology; classroom and teaching strategies; understanding, assessing, and supporting a diverse array of learning styles; pacing; effective use of classroom time; ethics in teaching and learning; creating positive classroom dynamics; critical pedagogy and anti-oppressive and indigenous teaching models; and tools for evaluating teaching. Specific emphasis will be placed on attending to diversity, equity, and inclusion within classroom settings, and developing skills to facilitate conversations on issues of oppression and privilege. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program.
SW 926. Capstone Seminar 1. 1.5 Credits.
This seminar provides students with an emphasis on understanding basic expectations and requirements of a Capstone Project, along with potential ethical and pragmatic issues they may face as they conduct a study in a specified area of social work practice. Students are encouraged to begin outlining how their work might be conceptualized and begin laying the foundation for a final project of inquiry for their DSW Program. A passing grade in Capstone Seminar 1 is required for students to advance to the next class. Graded on a satisfactory progress/limited progress/no progress basis. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful completion of SW 920, SW 921, SW 922, SW 923, and SW 924.
SW 927. Human Service Program Development and Design. 3 Credits.
This course will cover the life course of a program, beginning with employing existing evidence for the development of the program its design. Students will develop the necessary skills to design and develop programs to address particular needs of culturally diverse individuals and communities. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 920, SW 922, SW 923, and SW 924.
SW 928. Diversity and Accessibility in Curriculum Design and Development. 3 Credits.
This course is focused on reviewing and designing course curricula and materials, as well as understanding the delivery of social work education in the context of the Council on Social Work Education’s (CSWE) Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Particular attention will be given to issues of diversity and accessibility when designing course curricula. Topics will include developing curricula that incorporate social work knowledge, skills, and values; methods for assessing curricular outcomes; syllabus and assignment construction; topic selection; lesson planning; alignment of individual courses to the overall curriculum; ensuring range of topics in alignment with curriculum; mapping individual goals of courses to overall learning objectives; assurance of well-articulated, high quality course goals mapped to curricular goals; assuring the sequencing of courses so that learning is conceptually built over time; establishment of standards for evaluating curricular achievement; ability to assess classroom climate; continuous quality improvement so that program can be responsive to needed changes; and relationship of the curriculum to the overall institutional mission. Special attention will be paid to promoting the advancement of underrepresented students, the impact of stereotype threat, gender gaps in the academy, structural inclusion issues and their impact on accessibility, and the role course structure can play on student persistence and advancement. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 926 Capstone 1.
SW 929. Understanding Translational and Implementation Science. 3 Credits.
This course provides students with the foundation for understanding and applying implementation science principles and practice. Using a critical perspective with a focus on identifying and using effective strategies for translating research into practice, the course introduces key concepts of implementation science and a variety of theories and frameworks for guiding implementation efforts. Students gain knowledge and skills in identifying implementation facilitators and barriers and developing and supporting key implementation strategies. Implementation is examined from an equity lens to consider how implementation processes can promote racial equity and social, economic, and environmental justice. The course also covers evaluation of implementation, including measures designed to examine implementation processes and outcomes. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 926 Capstone 1.
SW 930. Capstone Seminar 2 & Comprehensive Oral Exam. 1.5 Credits.
This seminar provides students with the experience of designing and launching a research study that will be presented as their Capstone project. Drawing on their theoretical, practice and inquiry course work, students will work intensively on their proposal during this seminar, which is conducted over a two-week period and culminates in the Comprehensive Oral Exam. The purpose of the Comprehensive Oral Exam is to evaluate the student’s development of expertise in an area of practice as reflected in the proposal for their Capstone project. The emphasis will be on working with the instructor and their student colleagues as they prepare a proposal to submit to their Capstone Chair and Committee. The Comprehensive Oral Exam will be conducted in adherence with University and Graduate Studies policy including, but not limited to: Doctoral Degree Comprehensive Oral Exams, Doctoral Student Oral Exam Committee Composition, Graduate Student Oral Exam Attendance. A passing grade on the comprehensive oral exam is required to advance to the next level of classes. Graded on a satisfactory progress/limited progress/no progress basis. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 926 Capstone 1 and SW 927 and SW 928.
SW 931. Community Engagement and Advocacy. 3 Credits.
This course will cover various aspects of engaging with the community, with a focus of ensuring that organization activities serve the diverse interests and needs of their constituents. The course will cover models of engaging in advocacy that centers the needs and strengths of diverse, equitable and inclusive communities, such as community organizing. Policy practice will be considered as a form of advocacy. The course will also cover approaches to identifying community strengths and needs. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 930 Capstone 2.
SW 932. Grantwriting. 1.5 Credits.
This course will discuss the fundamentals of grantwriting, including identifying appropriate funding sources, capturing the strengths and needs of the constituents served by the program in ways that meet funders’ requirements, and leveraging existing evidence to write a compelling proposal. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 926 Capstone 1.
SW 933. Creating Social Momentum Through Public Communication. 1.5 Credits.
This course will cover utilizing the multitude of modern media tools to gain public support for social welfare initiative that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Topics will include describing community strengths and needs in ways that compel constructive action and making relevant research and evidence accessible to a popular audience. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 926 Capstone 1.
SW 934. Advising, Mentoring, and Supervision. 3 Credits.
This course is focused on preparing DSW students with the knowledge, skills, and values needed to advise, mentor, and supervise individuals in higher education or as advanced practitioners. Course content will be framed in the context of reflexivity and anti-oppressive social work practice. Topics will include professional/academic vs. holistic advising; the mentor/mentee relationship and its role in student success; strategic mentoring and established best practices in mentoring; formal vs. informal mentoring processes; conflict resolution in mentoring; learning communities; establishing supervisory plans; goal-setting; peer observations; performance-based mentoring; research behind mentoring; career readiness; engagement; the lifespan of the mentoring relationship; mentor selection; evaluating supervisory relationships; and conflicts of interest in mentoring and supervision. The course will include theoretical models for the mentoring relationship, including a review of mentoring approaches specific to underrepresented minority students, including organizational strategies, faculty strategies, and a review of mentee strategies. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 930 Capstone 2.
SW 935. Capstone Seminar 3. 3 Credits.
This seminar provides students with the experience of submitting and defending their Capstone project. This final course will assist students to make final edits on their capstone projects and prepare intellectually for their project defense. The emphasis will be on helping students make any final changes and to anticipate and respond to questions that their Capstone Committee members might raise about their work. The final projects will be presented, and students will receive feedback to help them to prepare their project for submission and dissemination in scholarly publications such as books, journals, or as manualized interventions. A passing grade in Capstone Seminar 3 is required in order to be awarded the DSW. Graded on a satisfactory progress/limited progress/no progress basis. Prerequisite: Students must be admitted to the DSW Program. Successful Completion of SW 930 Capstone 2 and SW 931, SW 932, SW 933 and SW 934.
SW 955. Study Abroad Topics: _____. 3 Credits.
This course provides the opportunity for Study Abroad in developed and developing countries such as Costa Rica, India, Ireland, Italy, and South Korea.
SW 970. Community Based Participatory Research for Social Justice. 3 Credits.
This course explores the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR), and similar approaches such as youth participatory action research, within social justice-oriented research. Students will examine key theories, principles, and strategies of CBPR; explore advantages and limitations to CBPR and related approaches; and develop skills necessary for implementing and effectively carrying out CBPR projects. Additionally, students will incorporate the knowledge and skills pertaining to CBPR within a social justice-oriented research area of their choosing. The course format reflects the principles and values inherent in CBPR by engaging in an iterative process of co-teaching and co-learning, critical self-reflection and group discussion, and anti-racist and anti-oppressive pedagogy.
SW 975. Racial Equity and Social Justice in Research and Practice. 3 Credits.
This course explores racial equity and social, economic, and environmental justice as it relates to research for practice. These two major components are explored and integrated throughout the semester. First, through a historical equity lens, students will identify the ways in which research has contributed toward oppression and marginalization. They will situate their own research or research ideas in an anti-oppressive framework and critical lens to understand and identify research methods that promote equity and justice both in the research process and potential impacts. Second, students develop an understanding and application of research for practice, including clinical, macro, policy, and other research impacts. They will also learn about and utilize principles and frameworks specific to implementation science–the study of methods of utilizing evidence-based practices and research by those engaged in practice. Students gain knowledge and skills for identifying and using implementation science strategies that support the translation of research into real world practice. Implementation and translating research to practice is examined from an equity lens to consider how to promote racial equity and social, economic, and environmental justice in research for practice.
SW 976. Practice and Politics of Writing. 3 Credits.
This course is designed for students who are in the second year of the full-time PhD program and who are preparing to write the Integrative Paper and begin developing the dissertation proposal in the following academic year. Students will explore key aspects of developing one’s own writing practice, develop and refine strategies and organizational tools for conducting literature reviews, and generate ideas for research proposals, including the dissertation proposal. Students will discuss and critically examine the politics of writing within and beyond the academy. Conversations will focus on the tension between learning how to write for success in academia while interrogating the privileging of scientific writing and peer-reviewed publications. Towards advancing the goals of racial equity and social justice, students will explore anti-oppressive and community-based dissemination strategies and gain knowledge and skills for dissemination in multiple settings, a variety of formats, and creative approaches. Each student will explore the course content around their own area of scholarly interest and develop a writing product that fits their current writing objectives. The course will provide a supportive space for writing and receiving feedback on writing, emphasizing the development of collegial relationships as sources of writing support while developing peer review skills.
SW 978. Research Design and Methods. 3 Credits.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the process of conducting research. Specifically, the course provides students with the requisite background on research methods and designs to provide essential context for other research courses in the program, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method courses. The course focuses on the process of developing, conducting, and evaluating research designs and research methods. Centered in a commitment to anti-oppressive and anti-racist research, course topics include an introduction to research design; ethics and power in research; developing a research question and hypotheses; conducting a literature review; types of quantitative methods; types of qualitative methods; sampling; measurement; validity, reliability, and rigor; critiquing and evaluating research; and community-based and artistic research methods.
SW 979. Methods of Qualitative Inquiry I. 3 Credits.
This course is the first in a sequence of two courses on qualitative inquiry required for students in the social work Ph.D. program. It provides an overview of knowledge and skills for designing qualitative inquiry. It examines issues in the philosophy of science, paradigms for qualitative inquiry in social work, and a diverse range of methods that flow from these paradigms. It emphasizes principles and procedures for research design, including an introduction to data collection, ethics in qualitative design, and criteria for establishing methodological rigor (i.e., trustworthiness).
SW 980. History and Philosophy of Social Work. 3 Credits.
This course is designed to provide students with opportunities to examine the underlying conceptual frameworks of social work practice including their history and present manifestations. Students will gain an understanding of metatheoretical concepts (e.g., paradigms, epistemology, ontology, etc.) and will learn to identify and describe theory at multiple levels of abstraction and application. The course will offer a critical perspective on the historical foundations of social work practice and theory, including the ways in which the discipline has resisted or maintained systems of oppression over time. This conceptual grounding is intended to offer students a solid foundational understanding of social work as a distinctive discipline while also offering opportunities for students to examine their own position within the discipline by examining the history and conceptual framing of their own substantive area of focus.
SW 981. Advanced Quantitative Research Methods I. 3 Credits.
This course, which includes hands on practice using statistical software focuses on quantitative research methodology and related statistics, emphasizing mastery of specific methodological and statistical knowledge and skills that prepare students for multivariate quantitative analyses. The course will address the following topics: the framing of quantitative research questions; the selection of appropriate quantitative research methods and designs; database management; the selection of appropriate univariate and bivariate statistics for data analysis; the principles of analysis; interpretation of findings; and the presentation of results. This course asks students to critically think about the choices researchers make when working with quantitative data that can help to frame concepts from a strengths and anti-oppressive lens.
SW 982. Social Welfare Policy. 3 Credits.
The purpose of this seminar is to develop doctoral students’ advanced skills in analyzing and critiquing social welfare policies and programs, making recommendations for change, and effectively communicating the results of their work. The seminar’s primary focus is on federal and state social welfare policies and programs in the US, with a secondary focus on the examination of other nation’s social welfare policies. Students in this course learn to analyze and shape policies and programs with the goals of ending oppression and discrimination, and promoting racial, social, gender, and economic justice.
SW 983. Advanced Quantitative Research Methods II. 3 Credits.
The purpose of this advanced research methods course is to equip professionals to design and carry out research with implications for social work practice and social welfare policy. Building on the experience in SW 978 and SW 981, this course will focus on more advanced topics in experimental (e.g. multivariate analysis of variance, analysis of covariance) and correlational (e.g. linear regression, logistic regression) statistical analyses. The course will provide students with an opportunity to apply knowledge of these techniques in computer analyses of various datasets and in the critical review of the published work of others. Students apply an anti-oppressive lens to actively critique quantitative research approaches, including responsible model selection, analytic choices, and reporting. Prerequisite: Successful completion of SW 981.
SW 985. Theory for Social Work Research. 3 Credits.
The purpose of this course is to provide foundational knowledge and skills to evaluate, apply, and develop theory in social research. Students will (1) gain an understanding of how the roles and uses of theory are informed by epistemological and ontological traditions, (2) evaluate and critique applications of theory in empirical scholarship (3) apply theoretical frameworks to inform research design and methods, and (4) engage in theory- and/or model-building to advance theoretical innovations.
SW 987. Teaching Social Work: Philosophy and Methods. 3 Credits.
The purpose of this course is to prepare doctoral students for effective teaching of Social Work courses at all levels of higher education. The course covers three key topic areas: 1) the social, political, economic, and ethical context of teaching in social work and higher education among diverse students, 2) teaching theory and methods, including understanding how adults learn, course design, teaching strategies, classroom management, and evaluation of student outcomes, and 3) reflexivity in teaching, including developing one’s identity and philosophy as an instructor and evaluating one’s own growth as an instructor.
SW 989. Methods of Qualitative Inquiry II. 3 Credits.
This course is the second in a sequence of two courses on qualitative inquiry required for students in the social work Ph.D. program. It provides in-depth methodological knowledge and skills for implementing qualitative inquiry and writing research reports. It examines implementation issues related to a diverse range of methods that flow from the paradigms addressed in SW 979. It provides guidance for implementation of research designs for projects developed in SW 979, including application of methods for data collection, analysis, supporting criteria for methodological rigor (i.e., trustworthiness), and writing up findings and implications. Prerequisite: Successful completion of SW 979.
SW 990. Graduate Research. 1-9 Credits.
Individual research preparatory to defense of dissertation prospectus. (By arrangement with doctoral chair.) Graded on a satisfactory progress/limited progress/no progress basis.
SW 999. Dissertation. 1-9 Credits.
Graded on a satisfactory progress/limited progress/no progress basis.
Courses
SWWD 101. Home Visiting I. 1 Credits.
This course provides the foundational knowledge for Family Support professionals on home visiting and developing relationships with families that are informed by the multiple, intersectional issues that families face. Topics will include: Prenatal Basics, Child Development, and Child Abuse and Neglect. Prerequisite: Must be admitted as undergraduate Social Welfare non-degree seeking (SOCWN) students.
SWWD 102. Home Visiting II. 1 Credits.
Building on foundational skills, this course will provide extended knowledge in the areas of Breastfeeding, risks of substance use, and confidentiality. Family Support Professionals will gain the knowledge necessary to support families beyond basic needs to essential life skills. Prerequisite: Must be admitted as undergraduate Social Welfare non-degree seeking (SOCWN) students.
SWWD 110. Supervision for Family Support Professionals. 1 Credits.
This course focuses on skills for supporting Family Support Professionals in the practice of early intervention services. Supervisors will gain knowledge in the areas of cultural diversity, ethics, and professional development. Prerequisite: Must be admitted as undergraduate Social Welfare non-degree seeking (SOCWN) students.