Courses

• SSW HB 751: Human Neuropsychology
  Students develop foundational knowledge in the structure and function of the nervous system with special emphasis on processes underlying common neuropsychological disorders. The course is designed to make basic neuroscience accessible and interesting for students with a minimum of basic science background.We cover basic neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, neurochemistry and nervous system development in the context of neuropsychological disorders to provide a clinical context for material that might otherwise seem overwhelming.
• SSW HB 752: Exploring Ethnicity, Race, and Culture through Narratives: Clinical and Human Behavior Perspectives
  A major purpose of this course is to deepen students' knowledge of the role of culture in lifespan development and human behavior. Building on knowledge and skills from the foundation courses Human Behavior, HB 720 and Clinical Practice, CP 759, that apply ecological and systems frameworks to themes of identity formation, risks and resiliency, loss and death. In addition, through narrative stories themes such as dual cultural identity, oppression and diaspora are explored, and students will leave the class able to (1) identify various expressions of cultural identity, (2) articulate the strengths of cultural affiliation, (3) distinguish between behaviors that represent psychopathology and behaviors that are expressions of cultural values and/or traditions, and (4) describe the distinct experiences of individuals living in the context of diaspora; (5) determine the role of systemic oppression on individuals whose experiences are not part of dominant cultural perspectives in the United States, and (6) recognize the value of cross-cultural theoretical and research literature that describes how to approach work with groups discussed in the narratives presented in the course.
• SSW MP 759: Communities and Organizations: Analysis and Intervention
  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.
• SSW MP 770: Urban Poverty and Economic Development
  This course provides an in-depth examination of current research concerning poverty in the U.S., 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.
• SSW MP 773: Human Services Management
  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.
• SSW MP 774: Seminar: Community Planning
  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.
• SSW MP 775: Strategic Management
  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.
• SSW MP 776: Financial Management in Human Service Organizations
  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.
• SSW MP 781: Community Organizing
  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.
• SSW MP 783: Planning and Program Development
  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.
• 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.
• 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.
• SSW MP 795: Applied Macro Skills, Groups and Systems
  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.
• SSW SP 741: Social Work Practice Ethics
  This required seminar is intended to inspire the moral imagination of social work students, and prepare them for competent and compassionate ethical practice as professionals. Ethics and the Social Work Profession (SP741), examines the issues of social work professionalism, the process of becoming a social work professional, the tensions inherent in the goals of social work, and the ways these interrelate to produce conflicts of values and ethics in social work practice. The course focuses on acquiring and practicing the skills of ethical decision-making, including values clarification, application of ethical theory, utilization of codes of ethics, and models of ethical analysis. Both clinical and macro aspects of social work are explored, with an emphasis on the contemporary challenges of practice in multicultural and urban settings. Issues of self-care, impairment, licensure, malpractice, whistle-blowing and other professional challenges are explored. The course is set in the advanced curriculum as an integrative ?capstone?, designed to be concurrent with the student?s final semester in the MSW program.
• SSW SR 743: Introduction to Social Work Research I
  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.
• SSW SR 744: Social Work Research II
  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 national data sets, students generate their own research hypotheses and then formulate and carry out an analytic strategy to answer these questions effectively. Emphasis is also placed on gaining skills in presenting and communicating key findings to relevant audiences and stakeholders
• SSW SR 904: Clinical Research Methods in Social Work Practice
  This course familiarizes graduate students with design, implementation and analytic strategies for quantitative research with clinical populations. A particular emphasis is on the conduct of intervention studies. Topics include conceptualization and design, sampling of participants, assessment, data organization and management, analysis plans, evaluation and outcomes, and ethical concerns.
• SSW SR 906: Qualitative Research Methods
  This course provides graduate students with foundational knowledge of some of the major theories and practices of qualitative research. The history of qualitative methods is reviewed to situate this long-standing approach within current practices in the social sciences. A variety of approaches to data collection (ethnography, observation, focus groups and individual interviewing) and analysis (narrative, grounded theory, Listening Guide) are introduced along with ethical issues in the practice of qualitative research. Strategies for enhancing rigor are discussed as are writing qualitative research proposals and publications. A series of exercises and a mini research project provide opportunities for direct application of the course material.
• SSW WP 700: Social Welfare Policy I: Conceptions, Scope, History, and Philosophies of Social Welfare
  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.
• SSW WP 701: Social Welfare Policy II: Contemporary Social Policy Analysis
  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.

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