BSW Program



BSW Program

School of Social Work

University of North Carolina -Wilmington

SWK 235: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK AND THE

SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEM

Spring, 2019

Course/Day/Time: online, asynchronous (no designated online meeting times)

Instructor: Alicia M. Sellon, Ph.D., MSW

Office Location: McNeill 3092

Email: sellonm@uncw.edu Email is the most efficient way to contact me. Feel free to send emails when is convenient for you, and please allow 24-48 hours (or until the next business day if this falls on a weekend) for a response.

Office Hours: Wednesday, 1-3 pm. Whenever possible, please contact me to schedule an appointment.

Course Overview

Course Catalog Description

Introduction to Social Work and the Social Welfare System (3). Social welfare institution and the social work profession in the United States; the values, methods and roles of social workers and the history of the system.

Course Description

This course is an introduction to the nature and development of social welfare policy, social services, and the social work profession. Students will read about, review, and discuss the major features of social welfare and social work history, the principle fields of social work practice, and the typical social services available in American communities, including mental health, child welfare, and health and anti-poverty programs. The implications of culture, social values, economics, governmental structure, and politics on policy and the structure and operations of social services will be considered. Ethical considerations in policy and practice as well as issues of social equality and economic justice will be themes throughout the semester. Limited international comparisons of both service and policy also will be provided. In addition, the development and status of the profession of social work will be considered. This course reflects the Curriculum Policy Statement of the Council on Social Work Education and the stated objectives of the BSW program within the School of Social Work. Specifically, the course relates to objectives concerned with the range of social services, the history and development of social welfare and social work, the impact of social policy, and human diversity as they relate to policy and services.

Course Objectives / Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1) Describe foundational values, ethical standards, theories, and practice concepts related to generalist social work practice (as evidenced by performance on quizzes and the critical reflection journal, critical reflection blog, and Call to Action assignments)

2) Describe various fields of practice and social services available in American communities and the complex roles social workers play in these contexts (as evidenced by performance on quizzes and the critical reflection journal, critical reflection blog, and Call to Action assignments)

3) Critically examine social and economic justice issues and explain the ways in which the profession of social work attends to these issues through micro, mezzo, and macro practice

(as evidenced by performance on the critical reflection journal, critical reflection blog, and Call to Action assignments)

4) Examine (in)consistencies between your personal lens (i.e., beliefs, values, prejudices) and the professional lens of social work (as evidenced by the critical reflection journal assignment)

Course and Skill Prerequisites

There are no prerequisite course requirement for enrollment in this course. It is open to all undergraduate majors and class level (e.g., freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior). This course requires basic computer skills such as the use of Microsoft Word and ability to utilize the internet. One assignment requires additional technical skills, but the course is intended to offer the opportunity to learn those skills; resources are provided toward this end.

Required Texts

DuBois, B., & Miley, K. K. (2013). Social work: An empowering profession (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

NASW Code of ethics. (2008). Washington, DC: NASW Press (available on the NASW web site: ) 

Additional resources (e.g., relevant websites) will be provided throughout the course.

University Policies / Resources

Academic Integrity

All members of UNCW’s community are expected to follow the academic Honor Code. Please read the UNCW Honor Code carefully (as covered in the UNCW Student Handbook). Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated in the class. Please be especially familiar with UCNW’s position on plagiarism as outlined in the UNCW Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which you take someone else’s ideas and represent them as your own. Here are some examples of plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty:

• You write about someone else's work in your paper and do not give credit for it; it must be referenced appropriate using the style of the discipline (e.g., APA for social work)

• You give a presentation and use someone else's ideas and do not include the source of these ideas.

• You use facts from your text or another reference material and do not reference the material.

• You cut and paste materials from web sites or other sources and fail to acknowledge the source.

• You copy and paste from work you have already submitted, for this class or another class, without prior approval.

• You have someone else complete work assigned to you.

• You fail to cite your sources both in the text and in the reference page.

• You do not appropriately paraphrase (e.g., only changing a few words of what would otherwise be a direct quotation)

• Avoid using information created by others to substitute for your own thinking; this constitutes a form of plagiarism EVEN IF the information is properly cited.

• Do not submit papers you have written in other courses as original work for this course. You can plagiarize yourself.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

You are encouraged to contact this office if interested in registering and utilizing this resource (see for more information). If you have a disability and need accommodations should notify me. In order to obtain such accommodations, you must officially register with the Office of Disabilities Services located in DePaolo Hall (910-962-3746) and provide a letter of accommodation that specifies the student’s learning needs. Accommodations will be made based on the recommendations of Disabilities Services and collaboration with the student to best address the student’s learning experience. For any students registered, I ask that you please provide me (as soon as possible) a copy of the letter you receive from Office of Disability Services detailing accommodations you may need.

UNCW Student Gender-Based/Sexual Misconduct Policy

UNCW takes all forms of interpersonal violence very seriously. When students disclose, first or third-hand, to faculty or staff about sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence and/or stalking, this information must be reported to the administration in order to ensure that student’s rights are protected, appropriate resources are offered, and the need for further investigation is explored to maintain campus safety.

There are three confidential resources who do not need to report interpersonal violence: UNCW CARE, the Student Health Center, and the Counseling Center. If you want to speak to someone in confidence, these resources are available, including CARE’s 24-hour crisis line (910-512-4821). For more information, please visit uncw.edu/sexualmisconduct or uncw.edu/care.

Violence and Harassment

UNCW practices a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violent or harassing behavior. If you are experiencing an emergency of this type contact the police at 911 or UNCW CARE at 962-2273. Resources for individuals concerned with violent or harassing situation can be located at .

Campus Respect Compact

UNCW is committed to a civil community, characterized by mutual respect. Individuals wanting more information about the Respect Compact can contact the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.

Learning Assistance

Any student wishing to have accommodations to enhance learning is encouraged to work through the University Office of Disability Services. Please contact that office to gain access to special resources and services. In addition, the Learning Center is available to assist all students with writing skills, including APA formatting. In addition, the Randall Library has numerous resources, including a librarian designated to work with the School of Social Work, John Osinski. Please contact him with questions and concerns about accessing library resources.

Campus Respect Compact

The UNCW community is committed to a civil environment, characterized by respect. This is especially critical in online forums, when the illusion of anonymity reduces inhibitions and encourages people to say what they might not in a direct conversation. Please be respectful and courteous in your communications, even if you disagree. Posts that are deemed disrespectful will be removed, and the student posting will receive no credit for that portion of the assignment.

Individuals wanting more information about the Respect Compact can contact the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.

Course Policies / Resources

Ethics and Confidentiality

The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. The Code can be found online at: . The importance of confidentiality cannot be overstated. In completing assignments, guidelines regarding confidentiality (as expressed in the NASW Code of Ethics) are to be strictly observed. If at any point you choose to share personal experiences, please be mindful of the upholding the confidentiality of others involved.

Attendance

You are strongly encouraged to engage with course material regularly, as an online class involves the same level of commitment as a face-to-face course. While there are no synchronous sessions (i.e., meaning we all meet virtually at the same time), you will have a designated due dates for assignments (see course timeline). The course design in Canvas also includes a feature that tracks your engagement all aspects of the course, meaning your presence in Canvas (i.e., every time you log in and out) is recorded. In the course timeline, I suggest a daily plan that you may choose to follow to go about completing all of the aspects of the course at a reasonable pace.

Assignment Submission

Assignments should be submitted through the course Canvas site on or before the due date. Assignments are not accepted via email unless approved by the instructor.

Late Assignments

Adherence to the due dates provided is important not only in moving through the course successfully, but also in cultivating professional work habits. In order to grade the materials in a timely fashion, no late assignments are accepted. After the designated due date/time, the link is unavailable to allow me the opportunity to grade; to be fair to everyone, I grade them all assignments at once. I strongly encourage you to submit the assignments with enough time to troubleshoot if you have a technological issue.

Grading Feedback

I value the opportunity to provide you with meaningful comments related to your submitted work, and I encourage you to review this feedback to help with subsequent assignments. With the exception of quizzes for which you immediately know your score, I will do my best to return feedback on your assignments in a timely manner—typically a week after the due date.

Grade Assignment

A final letter grade will be assigned based on the following grading scale:

|A |93-100 |B+ |87-89 |

|Two-Part Survey |2 |2.5% per survey |5% |

|(a pretest and a posttest) | | | |

|Module Quizzes |3 |10% per quiz |30% |

|Critical Reflection Journal |4 |7.5% per entry |30% |

|Call to Action Project | | 5% per assignment; | |

|Milestone Blog |3 |15% total | |

| | | | |

| | | |35% |

| Call to Action Project |1 | 20% | |

|Submission (final blog post) | | | |

|Total Possible |100% |

Two-Part Survey – 5% (2.5% per survey)

In social work, we often say “start where the client is.” In that same spirit, we, as social workers, have to pay attention to where we are in order to move forward most effectively. At the start and end of the course, a link will be provided to learn more about you and your experience of the course. This information will help me in getting to know you and your needs, and it will be helpful in shaping the course as we move forward. Each survey is 2.5% of your final grade, and full credit is provided based upon survey completion as opposed to the responses provided.

Module Quizzes – 30% (7.5% per quiz)

For each module, you’re invited to engage in a multitude of learning opportunities, and at the conclusion of the module, a quiz will be provided as an assessment for learning and of learning. That is, taking the quiz itself will help you to continue to work with the material as well as to test your knowledge. To be successful, you will need to study the material for the quiz. Module quizzes:

• Require a secure internet connection to ensure there are no technical issues. If you are unsure about your connection, use one of the resources available on Canvas to support you.

• Can include questions from any aspect of the module, although most will relate specifically to the reading and eClass. As such, completion of all aspects of the module is encouraged prior to taking the quiz.

• Are timed-limited according to the number of questions included. While the allotted time will vary from module to module, 30 minutes is an approximate length to expect (this information will be included in the instructions). The quiz is available for 72-hours (Thursdays, 11:59pm – Sundays 11:59pm), but once you begin the quiz, you will only have the allotted timeframe for completion.

• Are available for two attempts. That is, you will be able to see which items you did not complete successfully and try a second time. The second score will be recorded, unless the quiz is only taken once. All correct answers will be available once the due date has passed.

• Include questions that are only viewable one at a time, and you can go backwards. Remember to save your responses.

• Are not eligible to be taken past the due date. No make-ups or late quizzes will be offered.

• Are worth 7.5% of your final grade.

• Must be completed independently. Although you may use your personal materials, collaboration with anyone in any way is prohibited. Per UNCW policy, suspected violations of the honor code will be reported.

• Are designed to test your knowledge, so studying is important to help you to be successful. The design of the quiz does not permit you enough time to look up answers.

• Are available for completion for a window of 48 hours, which is from Thursday at 11:59pm to Saturday at 11:59pn. You are encouraged to consider your schedule carefully to ensure you have the necessary time

Critical Reflection Journal – 30% (7.5% per entry)

After exploring all aspects of the module, you are invited to critically reflect on your experience with the questions below in a paper (no shorter than 4 pages; the typical paper is probably 5 pages). The journal prompts are designed to give you a space to continue to “work with” the material presented—after all, writing is thinking. Your goal is to demonstrate both completion of and thoughtfulness about aspects of the module. This document should be completed in Microsoft word; sometimes, there are issues with other programs.

In each journal entry, you will include up to seven (7) headings (the number of headings with vary with each module depending on the content in the module). The first headings relate to pieces of the module. They are:

1. Self-Assessment (include results of the assessment in discussion)

2. Eclasses

3. Special Topic eClasses

4. Choose your own adventure

5. Social Work Stance

- For each of these five sections in your reflection, you will need to:

a) demonstrate that you engaged with the material (substantive paragraph(s) where you summarize the material in that section and discuss what was interesting / surprising / confusing / etc. to you and why?

b) reflect upon (versus describe) the material; that is, a substantive paragraph(s) wherein you discuss (at least two of the three):

□ What are you learning about social work, social justice issues, and/or yourself?

□ What connections can you make across materials (including readings and eClass)?

□ What connections can you make between previous knowledge (e.g., in a class you previously took, in your own life) and newly gained knowledge?

I strongly encourage you to make connections across material as well as to integrate connections you make to the reading and eClass.

The other two sections are:

6. The “So What” Question: In this section, answer the question: How do you think what you have learned can be useful to you in the future as a social worker, in your chosen major, and/or just in general?

7. Cultivating Curiosity: In this section, answer the question: What questions do you have that pertain to the module, and WHY? This is intended to help you cultivate curiosity for this subject matter; no credit will be provided for this section if questions are not included. You may think about parts that were confusing, ponder what you would like to learn more about, etc.

Review the instructions provided for guidelines on formatting and submission; you will submit both in the text box in the journal tool and upload your document.

Call to Action Project - 35%

The Call to Action project is designed to be an iterative project that invites you to:

• Investigate a social/economic justice issue of interest to you; you may choose to explore an issue you’re currently very passionate about or choose an issue you know very little about. Remember the definition of social/economic justice in picking your issue. Examples include: LGBTQ rights, poverty, foster care, immigration, mental health care, poverty, food insecurity, health care access, homelessness, and many others. has a number of topics and toolkits.

• Use your knowledge about the profession to discuss why the issue is of concern for social work. This means identifying what position the profession takes on the issue.

• Practice critically thinking skills critical to social work practice—including your own brainstorming about how to address the issue

• Identify how the field of social work is addressing the issue

• Advocate for positive social change by suggesting action-steps to your audience

There are two parts to this project: 1) a critical thinking blog you will maintain throughout the course, and 2) an actual Call to Action advocacy product intended to both inform the audience about the issue and motivate the audience toward taking action.

Milestone Blog - 15% (5% per post)

The critical thinking blog is designed to help you practice critical thinking skills, step-by-step, throughout the course. The blog is intended to help you explore your issue in a skilled fashion. For each module, you will respond to a provided prompt that corresponds to an aspect of critical thinking. Practicing these muscles and receiving feedback throughout the course will help your final project to demonstrate the well-cultivated critical thinking skills necessary to be effective as a social worker. You are strongly encouraged to comment on others’ blogs throughout the course! Not only can you learn about other issues, but you can help one another in thinking critically about these issues that impact us all. To avoid technological issues, I encourage you to complete this in a word document before copying/pasting it into Canvas.

Call to Action Project Submission - 20 %

The blog will also help prepare you for the final aspect of critical thinking, communicating effectively with others in figuring out solutions to complex problems, which you will demonstrate by presenting your Call for Action advocacy product as your final blog submission. This Call to Action submission needs to be an audiovisual (must include audio and visual components) product (e.g, a 5-minute minimum video, narrated powerpoint, original video, or public service announcement (PSA) .. or something else you dream up!). Simply providing a powerpoint with bullet points will not earn a strong grade. Recall there are technology resources available on Canvas if you need them. The Call to Action product should include the elements below.

1. A comprehensive summary of the issue and why it is important to social work. *Your summary must include credible sources throughout the presentation when content is presented; should reflect your research as all of your previous blog entries build to this project. Please review the UNCW Student Gender-Based/Sexual Misconduct Policy earlier in the syllabus and consider sharing personal information carefully. When you present information from a source, the source should be identified (a citation with only author and year on the screen is sufficient).

2. Demonstrate your understanding of multiple perspectives in looking at the issue. An example of this may be dissecting the argument against something you’re arguing for. Or, you may choose to look at a piece of the issue from the position of various stakeholders.

3. The position the profession of social work takes on the issue and how it specifically is a social/economic justice issue. This should be consistent with NASW values and Code of Ethics.

4. Identification of two specific ways social workers are attending to the issue and the level of intervention of these efforts (i.e., micro, mezzo, macro). This will require you to research what social workers are doing in the real world.

5. Three specific things you want others to do to help address this issue and why. To be persuasive, you want these to be steps that are clear and realistic - steps that any person could take.

6. Compelling! As an honorary social work advocate, we want your product to compelling, inspiring us to action… this is your opportunity to practice advocacy! How will you call us to action?

7. References: In addition to in-text citations, a reference list should appear at the end of the presentation. Be sure all information is provided (author, date, title, date, journal, etc.); simply providing a website is not sufficient. Scholarly sources are required.

Format: Given the potential for technical difficulties, I strongly encourage you to submit your project well in advance of the due date (e.g., the day before) to ensure you have time to troubleshoot any issues you may have. If you choose to upload videos directly or uploading videos to YouTube to then post a link, know that this process can take a bit of time; uploading while on campus with a faster internet speed is advised. Another trick is to use different browsers. If you have trouble with this process, I encourage you to contact TAC. Technological issues will not excuse a late submission.

Technologies for the Call to Action Assignment: If you have not used technology to create audio/visual projects before, this assignment invites you to learn this new skill that will be helpful in future courses. There are a variety of technologies you could use to create your Call to Action Project. You could create a PowerPoint and add audio when turning the PowerPoint into a movie using Movie Maker (for Microsoft users) or iMovie (for Mac users). You could also choose to use Jing or Screencast-o-matic. Once you have created an audio/video file, you can then load your videos into YouTube to generate a link that you will post for us. But, be sure to check your privacy settings to ensure we can view the video. I recommend uploading to YouTube because file size is then not an issue in Canvas. Keep in mind uploading to YouTube may be slower off-campus depending on the speed of your connection, so doing this step on campus may be faster. Resources for technology are posted on Canvas and include TAC (Technology Assistance Center), which is available in person in the Randall Library or remotely (see ) and the Office of e-Learning’s Self-Instructional Materials located here: .

All products will be made available for everyone to vote on the most inspiring or motivating Call to Action, and the top the 3 top Calls will receive 2 extra credit percentage points added to their final course grade. See the rubric for scoring information.

Extra Credit

You will have the opportunity to earn up to six (6) extra credit points during the semester. To earn these points you must do the following:

□ Reply to up to three other milestone blogposts (per milestone) with a thoughtful and supportive question.

□ You may not repeat the same question (you cannot repeat your own question and you cannot repeat someone else’s question).

□ Questions must be posted within one week of the due date for the milestone

□ Points will be awarded to your milestone score, if your questions meet the criteria

Course Timeline – Spring 2019

* This schedule will be strictly adhered to throughout the course, but if changes are necessary, students will be notified through Canvas.

|Module 1: Welcome and Course Overview |

|Week |Dates |Suggested Plan for Module Completion |Due Dates and Assignments |

|1 |Jan 14 – Jan 18 |Read Syllabus |By Sunday, Jan 20th, 11:59 pm |

| | | |1. Discussion Board: Introducing Yourself to Our |

| | | |Classroom Community |

| | | |2. Survey Part 1 |

|Module 2: What is Social Work? |

|Social Justice Foci: Ageism & Ableism |

|Week |Dates |Suggested Plan for Module Completion |Due Dates and Assignments |

|2 |Jan 21 – Jan 25 |Read Chapter 1 | |

| | |Complete Self-Assessment | |

| | |Attend eClass | |

| | |Attend special topic eClass: Ageism & Ableism | |

|3 |Jan 28 – Feb 1 |Read Chapter 2 |By Sunday, Feb 3rd, 11:59 pm |

| | |Attend eClass |Milestone Blog Post 1 |

| | |Choose your own Adventure Activity | |

| |Feb 4 – Feb 8 |Read Chapter 3 | |

| | |Attend eClass | |

| | |Examine Social Work’s Stance | |

| |Feb 11- Feb 15 |Read Chapter 4 |Module 1 (quiz #1) available: |

| | |Attend eClass |Thursday, Feb 14th, 11:59 pm – |

| | | |Sunday, Feb 17th, 11:59 pm |

| | | | |

| | | |By Monday, Feb 18th, 11:59 pm |

| | | |Critical Reflection Journal 1 |

|Module 3: What is Generalist Social Work Practice? |

|Social Justice Focus: Racism |

|Week |Dates |Suggested Plan for Module Completion |Due Dates and Assignments |

| |Feb 18 – Feb 22 |Read Chapter 5 | |

| | |Complete Self-Assessment | |

| | |Attend eClass | |

| | |Attend Special topic eClass | |

| |Feb 25 – March 1 |Read Chapter 6 |By Sunday, March 3rd, 11:59 pm |

| | |Attend eClass |Milestone Blog Post 2 |

| | |Complete choose your own Adventure | |

| |March 4 – March 8 |Read Chapter 7 | |

| | |Attend eClass | |

| | |Examine Social Work’s Stance | |

| |March 11 – March 15 |Spring Break | |

|2 |March 18 – March 22 |Read Chapter 8 – 10 |Module 3 quiz (quiz #2) available: |

| | |Attend eClass |Thursday, March 21, 11:59 pm - Sunday, March 24, |

| | | |11:59 pm |

| | | | |

| | | |Critical Reflection Journal 2 |

| | | |By Monday, March 25th, at 11:59 pm |

|Module 4: What Current Issues is Social Work Addressing? |

|Social Justice Focus: Classism & Nativism |

|Week |Dates |Suggested Plan for Module Completion |Due Dates and Assignments |

| |March 25 – March 29 |Read Chapter 11- 12 |Milestone Blog Post 3 |

| | |Complete Self-Assessment |By Sunday, March 31st, 11:59 pm |

| | |Attend eClass | |

| | |Attend special topic eClass | |

|3 |April 1 – April 5 |Read Chapters 13 – 14 |Module 4 quiz (quiz #3) available Thursday, Nov 1,|

| | |Attend eClass |11:59 pm - |

| | |Choose your own Adventure |Saturday, Nov 3, 11:59 pm |

| | | | |

| | | |Critical Reflection Journal 3 |

| | | |By Monday, April 8th 11:59 pm |

|Module 5: What Do Different Fields of Social Work Practice Look Like? |

|Social Justice Focus: Sexism & Heterosexism |

|Week |Dates |Suggested Plan for Module Completion |Due Dates and Assignments |

| |April 8 – April 12 |Complete Self-Assessment | |

| | |Attend Special Topic eClass | |

| | |Watch Sample Call to Action Projects | |

| |April 15 – April 19 |Choose your own Adventure | |

| | |Watch videos on social work fields of practice |Critical Reflection Journal 4 |

| | |Work on Call to action Projects |By Monday, April 22nd, 11:59 pm |

| |April 22 – April 26 |Work on Call to Action Projects | |

|Module 6: Calls to Action, Reflection, and Evaluation |

|Week |Dates |Suggested Plan for Module Completion |Due Dates and Assignments |

| |April 29 – May 1 |Watch & Vote on Call to Action Projects |Call to Action Projects Due April 29th, 11:59 pm |

| | | | |

| | | |By Monday, May 6th 11:59 pm 1. Vote of top 3 Calls|

| | | |to Action |

| | | |2. Course Evaluation |

| | | |3. Survey Part 2 |

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