MSW Program
Course Descriptions
- Clinical Social Work Practice
- Macro Social Work Practice
- Human Behavior in the Social Environment
- Racism
- Social Welfare Policy
- Research
- Social Work Practice Ethics
- Field Education
- Social Work Doctoral Courses
- Related Courses from Other Schools
- University Course Descriptions Search
Social Work Methods:
Clinical Social Work Practice
SSW CP 759 Introduction to Clinical Social Work Practice
Required of all students. This foundation clinical practice course presents the basic principles and concepts of clinical practice, including the systematic study and differential assessment of human problems in an urban social context as a basis for differential intervention. Students obtain basic skills in individual and group interventions. Clinical Practice faculty. 3 cr, 1st sem. & Summer Term.
Please note: Any entering student may attempt to place out of SSW CP 759. Applicants must successfully complete the course assignments and integrate relevant current professional literature (on reserve at Boston University’s Mugar Memorial Library). Please contact the Chair of Clinical Practice secretary at 617-353-3750 for more information.
SSW CP 760 Differential Social Work with Groups
Prereq: SSW CP 759. Required of all clinical students. This course is designed to reinforce and enrich basic group work theory and practice introduced in SSW CP 759, with a focus on the development of more sophisticated group work analysis and method. The course challenges students to use themselves, the environment, the group, and activities differentially when working with different processes, populations, settings and the problems/issues of concern. These variables will be considered with deliberate attention to life cycle issues; to race, culture, gender, and class; and to social and environmental stressors. Particular variables may be emphasized in some class sections, according to the experience and interest of students and the professor. Clinical Practice faculty. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW CP 781 Clinical Social Work Assessment and Intervention
Prereq: SSW CP 759. Required of all clinical students. This course deepens the process of differential assessment and intervention using integrated models of practice with individuals, dyads, and families in an urban practice environment. It emphasizes assessment and intervention based on several major theories of human behavior, including cognitive/behavioral, psychodynamic, and family systems constructs. Case examination, demonstration videos, and role play enrich practice learning. Clinical Practice faculty. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
Electives in Clinical Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups
SSW CP 762 Advanced Group Work
Prereq: SSW CP 759 and SSW CP 760. This course returns to the essential processes of groups. Interactions and content of groups from practice are analyzed in considerable detail, with an eye to several theoretical orientations and to the integration of research. The course elaborates the idea of the group-as-a-whole and focuses on the group tasks of formation, structure and maintenance, individual need satisfaction, and relation to the environment. Students are expected to develop their skills in critical thinking, group method, theoretical frameworks, and individual styles. Clinical Practice faculty. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW CP 764 Group Dynamics
This course provides an opportunity to learn experientially about groups and about oneself in a group. Students assume a major responsibility for developing as a group and for reflecting upon its processes and content, structure and leadership. This involves critical examination of small group theory, as well as students’ use of the dynamic experience to refine and enhance their use of self as group workers. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW CP 785 Family Therapy
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781. This course emphasizes understanding of and intervention in the family system. It presents and contrasts major models of family assessment and treatment relevant to urban family practice. Special attention is given to understanding individuals and families in a multisystemic context and to engaging urban families. Demonstration videos and case consultation/role plays enhance practice. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW CP 787 Clinical Practice with Couples
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781 or permission of instructor. This course reviews theories of couple dynamics and process and considers strategies for assessing and treating dyads. Worker-couple dynamics and worker self-awareness are also discussed. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW CP 791 Seminar: Family Therapy
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781, SSW CP 785. This is the second course in the sequence for FTCP students and provides increased depth and range of content. It expands approaches studied and focuses on contemporary issues in the field and on the integration and differential application of the approaches studied all year to diverse social problems and populations at risk. The course also examines the research base for family systems approaches. Students take more responsibility in SSW CP 791 for their own learning and developing their own model of family-centered social work practice through seminar-style interactions and individualized and group application assignments. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW CP 794 Clinical Practice with Children
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781. Previous or concurrent practice with children or adolescents desirable. This course focuses on differential assessment and treatment of children and adolescents. It emphasizes activation of an affective relationship, with special attention to transference and countertransference features; the distinction between narrative truth and historic truth; special treatment concerns in work with the severely disturbed child; differentiation of functional, organic, and ethnocultural factors; and use of specialized techniques of treatment (e.g., dramatization, metaphorical communication, and various play techniques and therapeutic games). Clinical Practice faculty. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW CP 795 Cognitive and Behavioral Treatment
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781. This course provides an overview of the theoretical frameworks underlying cognitive and behavioral treatment procedures. Students learn how to assess cognitive and behavioral problems and strengths and CBT case formulation. Treatment methods include operant procedures for use with problem behaviors, skills training, exposure procedures, and cognitive therapy methods for a variety of disorders and problems. The course addresses client/therapist relationship and ethical and diversity issues. Students conduct a behavioral analysis and single case study of a current case or problem situation. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW CP 798 Advanced Clinical Practice with Adults
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781. This course reviews theories of self psychology and and neurobiology in elaborating practice with adults. Longer-term treatment with various populations is explored using case vignettes from the field and the instructor. The impact of trauma as well as the effects of oppression and adaptations under stress are explored. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW CP 799 Brief and Time-Effective Treatment
Prereq: SSW CP 759,SSW CP 781. This course surveys a range of brief treatment models supportive of work in today’s time-limited or managed care settings. Readings, discussion, and case vignettes help to explore and contrast methods and examine biases toward longer-term work. Topics include models of brief treatment; therapist as a catalyst versus analyst; techniques of client engagement; long-term problems as foci in brief treatment; homework assignments; and managing resistances. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem, & Summer Term.
SSW CP 801 Clinical Practice with Adolescents in Social Context
Prereq: SSW CP 759,SSW CP 781. This course advances a theoretical knowledge base for practice with adolescents in a wide variety of settings. It specifically addresses psychosocial issues associated with economically disadvantaged and multiply challenged urban adolescents. Theoretical material is drawn from the strengths, ecological, psychodynamic, relational, and resiliency perspectives. A person-process-context model is presented to enable students to synthesize the theoretical constructs from different perspectives and to discern effective intervention and prevention practices. Particular attention is paid to social context and to major developmental issues in adolescence related to identity, relationships, sexuality, school, and work. Teaching methods include lectures, class discussions, small and large group exercises, films, and student presentations. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW CP 802 Crisis Intervention with Urban Poor Populations
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781. This course examines the reasons for differential vulnerability to and capacity for coping with crisis in urban poor populations. It also explores theories of crisis and crisis intervention and practice with urban individuals. Among the issues to be explored are violence, suicide, homicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Vicarious traumatization will also be discussed. 3 cr, Summer Term I.
SSW CP 803 Clinical Practice and Trauma
Prereq: SSW CP 759,SSW CP 781. This course is designed to provide an opportunity for students to develop or deepen a working knowledge of different theoretical approaches to trauma and traumatic impact and to examine clinical strategies for intervening with diverse clients who have experienced trauma. Multiple conceptualizations of trauma will be discussed, ranging from single-incident events to chronic, complex, and long-term trauma, although students will be encouraged to read in-depth a specific area of interest. The course includes exploration of diagnostic issues, evidence-based intervention, controversies, and emerging areas of practice with traumatized populations. Applying a developmental perspective, the course will consider both traumatic impact and treatment in children and adults. Larger social, cultural and political forces will be considered in shaping both exposure to and recovery from traumatic stressors. Finally, the impact of trauma work on clinicians and strategies for self-care and reducing burnout will be a theme of the course. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW CP 807 Clinical Practice with Older People
Prereq: SSW CP 759, SSW CP 781. This course reviews life cycle and other developmental theories informing clinical practice with aging populations. Discussion highlights the impact of poverty, racism, ageism, and changing economics on the biopsychosocial phenomenology of aging in urban environments. Methods and techniques of assessing and interviewing older people, their families, and their networks are taught through case analysis and role play. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW CP 809 Alcoholism and Drug Abuse: Identification and Early Intervention
Prereq: SSW CP 759 or SSW CP 781. This course teaches methods for identification, diagnosis, intervention, and referral of the alcoholic and drug abuser in general medical, rehabilitative, and social service settings. It is directed to those who encounter individuals in their clinical practice who are abusing alcohol and other drugs, especially under circumstances in which substance abuse may not be an acknowledged problem. The course provides guidelines for taking a drinking/drug history, working through denial and resistance, examining family dynamics, designing interventions, and making appropriate referrals. Teaching methods include lecture, discussion of readings, case presentation, and film. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
Macro Social Work Practice
SSW MP 759 Communities and Organizations: Analysis and Intervention
Required of all students. This course familiarizes the student with basic concepts and strategies related to large system, or macro, practice. The primary focus is on community and agency analysis, along with methods of achieving change within those settings. Students acquire a basic framework for problem solving and an understanding of the opportunities and limits in the role of change agent. Macro Practice faculty. 3 cr, 1st sem. & Summer Term.
SSW MP 770 Poverty in America: Macro Interventions for the 21st Century
Prereq: SSW MP 759, WP 701. This course builds on material introduced in MP 759 and WP 701 to provide an in-depth examination of current research concerning poverty in the United States, as a background for developing macro interventions in local community settings. The seminar offers (1) an in-depth examination of: measurements and theoretical explanations of poverty incorporating both panel data and ethnography; (2) skill development in assessment of the role of neighborhoods in structuring work opportunities; and (3) methods for designing macro interventions, specifically community-based economic development, workforce development, and social enterprise. By the end of the semester, students are expected to develop an economic development plan in a specific neighborhood and write a mock grant proposal to fund their plan. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW MP 773 Human Services Management
Prereq: SSW MP 759. This is an advanced methods course in social administration/management covering topics in planning, supervision, performance appraisal, budgeting, and organizational theory. It is an ideal course for both clinical and macro students who want to develop management skills that they can use in their professional practices. The course examines the ethical dilemmas of administering social programs and managing human service agencies in the context of a market economy where federal and state budget cuts have created competition for scarce resources. Students are introduced to basic management theories, organizational structure, supervision, performance appraisal, leadership, and conflict resolution. This is a prerequisite to all subsequent courses in the Human Services Management Program. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW MP 774 Seminar: Community Planning
Prereq: SSW MP 783. This course examines a variety of themes regarding program development at a community level. Opportunities for public speaking are emphasized. Topics vary according to student interest. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW MP 775 Strategic Management
Prereq: SSW MP 773. This course integrates the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learned in the preceding management courses and field experiences. It focuses on the general manager’s role in organizational change. Topics include the impacts of changing federal, state, and local public policies on the nonprofit sector, and the strategic planning and implementation skills needed to bring about long-term change at the agency level. Using the case study method, the course examines significant current issues and emerging themes in social administration. Actual strategic plans are prepared. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW MP 776 Financial Management in Human Service Organizations
Prereq: SSW MP 773. This course provides an in-depth examination of management control systems, including fund accounting, operating, and cash budgets; line-item, program, and zero-base budgeting; cost accounting; and account structures. Students develop an understanding of financial statements, cash-flow analysis, cost/benefit analysis, and break-even analysis. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW MP 781 Community Organizing
Prereq: SSW MP 759. Required of all Macro Social Work Practice students. This course includes three interrelated modules. It begins with an examination of community organizing principles, empowerment theory, and the role of staff as a facilitator of individual and collective empowerment. The course next considers methods and skills for building and developing effective organizations in undervalued communities. Organizing models, outreach and recruitment, leadership development, creating participatory structures, and establishing democratic decision-making processes are examined. Finally, students focus on conducting social change campaigns, with an emphasis on issue selection, action research, strategic analysis, implementation of action plans, utilization of tactics, and assessment of outcomes. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW MP 783 Planning and Program Development
Prereq: SSW MP 759. Required of all Macro Social Work Practice students. This course introduces students to planning theory, planned social change, organizational development, program development, proposal writing, and leadership. Specific emphasis is placed on basic concepts, principles, skills, and knowledge necessary to effect change at the organizational and community levels. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW MP 785 Program Evaluation
The aim of this course is to provide advanced MSW students with the theory and basic skills necessary to develop sound program evaluation models. It presents techniques for creating evaluation designs that respond both to a program’s organizational reality and to funding requirements. The course also includes a discussion of the political-policy context of program evaluation. Finally, students are provided with the opportunity to either participate in an ongoing evaluation effort or implement their own evaluation model in the field. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW MP 794 Macro Field Seminar
A required monthly seminar in support of field placements for non-MSW-supervised, second-year macro students. There are no readings or assignments. 0 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW MP 795 Applied Macro Skills, Groups and Systems
Prereq: SSW MP 759. This course focuses on the development and staffing of various types of task groups in a range of settings. The course covers theory, knowledge, and skills related to task group development; leadership models; decision making; conflict resolution; coalition building; lobbying and influencing legislation; press and media relations; conducting effective meetings; staffing governance boards; resolving common group problems; and working with multicultural groups. It draws heavily from students’ learning experiences in their current field placements (as well as employed positions, where applicable) and is conducted as an interactive seminar. 3 cr, 1st sem.
Human Behavior in the Social Environment
SSW HB 720 Human Behavior in the Social Environment
Required of all students. In this course, students learn to use theory and empirical data to analyze human behavior as it develops in a variety of sociopolitical and cultural environments. The course introduces a broad range of theories relating to biological, psychological, cognitive, and social development; race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, spirituality, and death and dying; and ecological systems. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW HB 720 is the prerequisite for all subsequent HB courses.
SSW HB 723 Adult Psychopathology
This course provides students with a framework for understanding human behavior when there are challenges to healthy functioning. The descriptive approach offered by DSM-IV is used as a basis for assessment and diagnosis, and emphasis is placed on learning about the etiologies, phenomenology, and course of the most commonly seen mental disorders. Throughout the course, differing conceptual frameworks and ethical dilemmas in assessment and practice are explored. Case materials from students, from films, and from the instructor are used to help integrate clinical practice concepts. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW HB 727 Child Psychopathology
This course explores the disorders of childhood from a developmental perspective within a family systems context. It focuses on etiology (biological, psychological, and social), differential diagnosis, and the implications for social work intervention. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW HB 732 Perspectives on the Family and Diversity
Over time the meaning of the concept of family has changed, as have the ways that families are seen both in theory and in therapy. Research on contemporary U.S. families reveals considerable diversity in kinship, household composition, and family organization, notably the crucial importance of race/ethnicity, gender, and social class. This course examines several perspectives that inform family therapy (constructivism, systems theory, feminism) and explores what each illuminates about diversity, specifically among African Americans, Latino, Southeast Asian, and gay and lesbian families. The approach throughout links the personal and the social and the family and society. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW HB 741 Family Violence in Society
This course introduces students to the effects of family violence on individuals and communities. Special focus is given to the treatment of children, women, and elders affected by the violence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. In addition, clinical interventions for batterers who perpetrate physical and sexual abuse will be discussed. This course examines family violence from an ecological perspective and is relevant to social work practice with all populations and age groups. 3 cr.
SSW HB 743 Social Work with Refugees and Immigrants
This course provides a global context for understanding the forces leading to migration and an overview of the refugee and immigrant “experience.” It introduces key concepts, variations, and issues related to acculturation and adaptation. Culturally competent practice with newcomer individuals, families, and communities is examined, with particular attention to issues of cultural differences, legacies of trauma, “transcontinental” lives, concepts of health and mental health, and differential engagement, assessment, and intervention techniques. Students will have the opportunity to explore actively a newcomer population of their choice. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW HB 744 Spirituality and Social Work Practice
Prereq: open to students outside of School of Social Work with permission of Human Behavior Department Chair. Based on the assumption that social work is a profession that wants to understand the whole person-in-the-environment, this course explores the interrelationship between spirituality and social work practice. In this course “spirituality” explores the human longing for a sense of meaning through morally responsible relationships among diverse individuals, families, communities, and cultures. The course provides a general framework for spiritually sensitive practice, and students formulate individual practice frameworks derived from assignments, class discussion, personal interests, ethics, and values. This course presents an integrative, multidisciplinary approach. Comparative religious studies, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and social work provide historical, cultural, and religious background and philosophy to this course and social work practice. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW HB 788 Child Sexual Abuse
Intervention with sexually abused victims, their families, and perpetrators is embedded within a sociocultural and sociohistorical context that not only affects how sexual abuse is conceptualized, but also how interventions and policies are developed. The purpose of this course is to immerse students in the theoretical and clinical knowledge base of child sexual abuse as well as the multiple issues surrounding the identification, assessment, evaluation, disposition, and treatment of victims, offenders, and families. Another important consideration is the issues that social workers must face in the highly charged environment in which they work. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
Racism
SSW HB 735 Implications of Racism for the Practice of Social Work
Required of all students. This course examines the social, psychological, and institutional causes and implications of racism as a dynamic force influencing social work. The course builds on and integrates concepts presented in foundation courses. It analyzes and evaluates the social, cultural, political, economic, and interpersonal contexts of racism that bear on our current policies and institutional arrangements. The course is designed to familiarize students with 1) theoretical overviews of race and racism; 2) historical accounts and contemporary experiences of racism; 3) the formation of racial identity; 4) multicultural contexts and fundamentals of cultural competency; and 5) effective social change efforts based on organizational analysis. 3 cr, 1st sem. & Summer Term.
Social Welfare Policy
SSW WP 700 Social Welfare Policy I: Conceptions, Scope, History, and Philosophies of Social Welfare
Required of all students. The first semester of this two-semester foundation course in social welfare policy explores concepts about the meaning and purpose of social welfare, ideologies, and values about the role of government and social welfare policy, the evolution of social welfare policy over time, and the role of social work in the development of social policy. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW WP 701 Social Welfare Policy II: Contemporary Social Policy Analysis
Prereq: SSW WP 700. Required of all students. This second-semester foundation course focuses principally on the study of urban poverty. Using a social problem/policy model, the course explores definitions, correlates, causes, and consequences of urban poverty. The same model is then used by students in exploring particular social problems and policies of interest to them. Particular emphasis is placed on analyzing current interventions and proposing means to improve policy intervention, including the contributions of social work. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW WP 700 and SSW WP 701 are prerequisites for all subsequent WP courses.
SSW WP 703 International Social Welfare Policy
This course is designed to familiarize students with social problems and social policies cross-nationally. It contrasts problem definitions and policy responses among nations at similar levels of economic development. The course presents descriptive materials on social policies in different nations and contrasts, and traces factors leading in recent years toward welfare state retrenchment and away from welfare state expansion. 3 cr.
SSW WP 704 Social Policy and Programs on Aging
This course explores the development and scope of public policies directed toward older persons. It reviews the provisions and workings of current programs, with special attention to implications for social work practice. Program areas investigated include acute and long-term health care, housing and community-based services, and the formal service structure and its relationship to informal service provision. Finally, the course explores emerging policy innovations in aging, such as public and private insurance for chronic-care needs, life care programs, and proposals for more progressive public policies affecting older Americans. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW WP 705 Mental Health and Social Policy
This course provides an understanding of mental health policy and service delivery in the United States and of the impact of mental health policies on social work practice. It reviews multiple perspectives on mental health and mental illness and the history of social policies influencing mental health care. The class examines current trends in service delivery and financing (such as managed care and health insurance reform) and explores legal and ethical issues in the provision of mental health care. Models of family and consumer advocacy and empowerment are considered. 3 cr.
SSW WP 706 Social Welfare Policy and the Family
Profound changes in the structure of American society and in the makeup of the family have stimulated debate about the appropriate role of government in family maintenance and child rearing. This course reviews major social and demographic changes in the family and critical issues in the construction of a national family policy, particularly in the areas of income distribution, child welfare, social services, employment, and health care. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW WP 707 Social Welfare Policy and Programs on Children
This course analyzes emerging issues and ideas about children and how these affect social policy and practice. It reviews major social and demographic changes in the family that affect the development of national policies designed to protect and provide for the care of children. The course emphasizes policies in such areas as income provisions, adoption, substitute care, neglect and abuse, social services, and employment. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW WP 708 Health Policy Issues in the United States
This course examines trends affecting the health care system and the public and private sectors’ responses, with particular emphasis on the efficacy of planning and regulation as control and change processes. It explores the relationship between medical practice and the public, and its implications for social work. 3 cr.
SSW WP 710 Family Law and Children’s Rights
This course provides a framework for understanding law and social policy. It examines the impact of law on the social work profession. The class discusses issues of marriage and divorce, child custody and support, children’s rights, and legal research. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem. & Summer Term.
SSW WP 711 Substance Abuse Policy
This course in alcohol and drug policy is designed to provide students with a forum to acquire and synthesize knowledge of policy, research, and service organization in the field. The course will include topics such as alcohol and drug research, social problems that interface with alcohol and drug policy (e.g., poverty, gender, and race discrimination), key issues, controversies and trends, ethics and values issues, and the role of social work in the field of alcohol and drug policy and research. 3 cr, 1st sem.
SSW WP 713 State Legislative Processes and Welfare Policy
The focus of this course is on developing an understanding of how social policy may be achieved in the legislative arena at the state level. The course (a) introduces students to theories, research findings, and issues about legislative processes; (b) derives working hypotheses, or action principles, which may guide social work practitioners in the legislative process; and (c) applies these working hypotheses toward achieving adoption of proposals by a state legislature. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
Research
SSW SR 743 Introduction to Social Work Research I
Required of all students. The goal of this introductory course is to develop the student’s ability to use and engage in both quantitative and qualitative research in order to inform and evaluate their own social work practice. The course addresses key research concepts and procedures such as hypothesis formulation, measurement, sampling, research design, and data collection. The course also examines ethical issues in the conduct of social research, including informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality, culturally sensitive research methods, and the NASW Code of Ethics. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW SR 744 Social Work Research II
Prereq: Satisfactory completion of SSW SR 743 (C or above). Required of all students. Students are introduced to the concepts and procedures that are fundamental to both descriptive and inferential statistics. Empirical research examining the effectiveness of social work practice, particularly in the urban environment, is explored. Utilizing existing social work data sets, students generate their own research questions/hypotheses and then formulate a scheme to answer these questions effectively. 3 cr, 1st & 2nd sem. & Summer Term.
SSW SR 747 Independent Research Project
This is an elective course during which students complete an independent research project and write a report describing the study and its findings. Variable cr, either sem.
Social Work Practice Ethics
SSW SP 741 Social Work Practice Ethics
This required seminar, taken in the final semester, is intended to inspire the moral imagination of students, help them identify and integrate central ethical elements of their educational experience at BUSSW, and prepare them for effective and compassionate ethical practice as professionals. Participants discuss differences between morality and ethics and reflect on the relationship of their own values to those of the social work profession, of their families, workplace, and larger culture. A sociological component on the evolution of social work as a profession identifies some of the ongoing tensions within the profession that influence its ethical stance. Students study a wide range of classical and contemporary ethical theories and their critiques and learn several formal models for ethical decision-making. The course covers both positive aspects and limitations of codes of ethics as well as the relationship of practice ethics to law and the role of law in social work. Cultural competence and self-care as ethical concerns also are highlighted. A case approach is utilized to explore a number of key social, clinical, and bioethical issues from micro, mezzo, and macro perspectives. Staff. 3 cr, 2nd sem.
Field Education
SSW FE 800 Integrative Field Seminar
Required of all students in Field Education I, II. The focus of this seminar, which meets eight times during the year, is professional development and the role of the social work intern in the agency. Topics covered include the learning assessment and contract, recordings and other learning tools, values, ethics and legal issues in social work practice, evaluation, and multicultural dimensions of the field education experience. Attendance at the seminar is part of the requirement to pass the foundation field education course. Staff. 0 cr, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW FE 801, 802 Field Education I, II
Required of all students. 3 cr each, 1st & 2nd sem.
SSW FE 803, 804, 805, 806, 807 Field Education III, IV
Required of all students. Variable credits, 1st & 2nd sem, & Summer Term.
Social Work Doctoral Courses
Some of the following courses may be open to Master of Social Work degree candidates, who must obtain instructor approval before registration. All courses are 4 credits.
SSW SR 904 Quantitative Clinical Research Methods in Social Work Practice
This course familiarizes students with design and implementation strategies for research with clinical populations in an individual or group format. Topics include design, subject and measurement selection, data organization and management, analysis plans, limitation of results, and ethical concerns. TBA. 4 cr.
SSW SR 906 Qualitative Analysis of Clinical Data
This course examines three qualitative approaches that are especially well suited to the study of process in clinical settings: grounded theory, narrative analysis, and the study of interaction in psychotherapy/medical interviews. Research is examined from each of the three traditions. Topics include theoretical sampling; thematic and structural coding; the transformation of talk into text; and the issues of representation, audience, and reflexivity. TBA. 4 cr.
SSW WP 900 Social Program Analysis and Evaluation
This course prepares doctoral students in the application of analytical methods as a basis for improving public and organizational decision making in social welfare. The political, value, and technical aspects of policy formation and implementation are considered. The course emphasizes the formulation of empirical hypotheses and assessment of the hypotheses against available data. 4 cr, 2nd sem.
SSW WP 901 Sociology of the Social Work Profession
This course explores the development of social work as a profession. It examines the historical roots of, and key trends in, social work. Readings are taken from sociological literature on professionalization and comparison of several professions within social work. Discussion includes a critical evaluation of the function of “experts” in contemporary American society. 4 cr, 1st sem.
SSW WP 902 Implementing Social Policy
This course deals with social and political factors that affect the ability of policy and program officials to implement legislated programs. Political and organizational theories are applied to case examples of policy implementation at the federal and state levels. TBA. 4 cr.
SSW WP 903 Perspectives on Social Welfare Policy
Focusing on theory, process, and substance, this course exposes students to different understandings of American political institutions as they relate to social welfare policy. Attention is paid to institutional and other factors shaping and constraining the development of social policies in the United States. 4 cr, 1st sem.
Related Courses from Other Schools
When scheduling permits, and with approval of the faculty advisor, a student may elect courses from other Schools and Colleges within the University or other accredited universities and colleges.
