Courses

This course is the beginning level course which acquaints students with the development of social work as a profession; the philosophy and value base of the profession; a generalist method of social work practice; and the diversity of settings in which generalist social work is practiced. Though it will introduce the student to all ten of our professions core competencies, three will be given special attention. Course fee applicable.

This course, a Social Work Department elective, is designed to provide sophomore level students with a basic understanding of several career tracks in the field and to assist their decision making process in field placement selection. A unique onsite visit will occur in each setting designed to increase the student’s familiarity with the social worker’s role as part of an interdisciplinary team. The student’s classroom experience will provide an in-depth exploration of the current terminology, disabling conditions, and ethical and legislative issues germane to each social work practice setting. The online component of the course will strengthen the student’s ability to participate and learn via distance technology. Prerequisite: SWK 103 (may be taken concurrently); for non-Social Work majors: permission of the instructor.

This foundation course is designed to provide students with knowledge of human diversity and social and economic justice in our nation and the world. Its goal is to help produce a culturally sensitive professional by increasing one’s cultural awareness, promoting one’s knowledge acquisition, and assisting in one’s skill development. A goal is for students to complete this course with a better understanding of themselves and of the diverse groups that will be examined. Also listed as SOC 205.

A comprehensive required course addressing alcohol and other drug use (ATOD), HIV, as well as the impact of each on the family. Emphasis is on motivation for drug use and abuse, specific types of drugs and their identification, physiological and psychological implications of alcohol, tobacco and other (ATOD) drug abuse. There are no course prerequisites. Also listed as SOC 206.

This course is designed to assist students in making decisions about dating, marriage and parenting. Marriage is one of the primary decisions one makes in his/her lifetime, yet in our society we take this decision so lightly. The high rate of divorce in our society seems to indicate that marriage is not a lifetime commitment, but a commitment to the relationship until one or both partners decide the relationship is no longer meaningful. The goal is to create and then sustain healthy intimate relationships. Also listed as SOC 208.

This course helps examines the history U.S. social welfare policies and programs in the context of by economic, political, religious and social systems. In addition, this course examines the underlying implicit and explicit values of social welfare efforts. During this course students will understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination considers social as they engage in the advancement of social and economic justice. Students will also analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being. Attention will be given to the considering economic, ethical, religious, and/or personal values as they affect and are affected by social welfare. Course prerequisite is PSY 101.

This course is designed to provide students with knowledge about the complexities of the human experience in relation to various macro systems. The course begins with an orientation to key social systems theories to help students understand dimensions of human behavior in the social environment. Students will then learn to apply social systems theories as they critically think about the macro systems impacting communities, families and individuals. During this course students will critically examine how various systems impact individuals from a psycho social and spiritual perspective. In addition, students will learn about changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends so that they are equipped to provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes to improve the quality of social services. Assignments are designed to 1) help students assess and integrate multiple sources of information; 2) utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation; 3) critique and apply knowledge to understand person and environment; and 3) demonstrate effective oral and written communication.

This course focuses on basic concepts underlying the creation of social policy and its analysis. It examines the interaction of social policies and programs. Students will be introduced to the analysis of legislation and the legislative process and apply critical thinking to advance social and economic justice. Students will engage in an advocacy project utilizing social work ethical principles as a guide for professional practice. During this course attention will be given to understand how personal and societal values impact social policy. Students will also examine how their own values impact their views on social policy. This course builds on previous learning. Students will be expected to employ their knowledge from the Social Welfare Services course where historical groundwork was laid for current policy directions. Prerequisite: SWK 301.

This course applies the generalist model to practice with individuals in a variety of social work settings. The content covers basic communication skills, treatment planning, and intervention skills that can be applied to working with individuals. Self-awareness; professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and communication; recognizing the impact of diversity; and the skills of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation are highlighted in the course content. Prerequisites: SWK 103 and completed application to the major.

The primary focus of this course is to help the student understand the interaction of the biological, social, and psychological systems with human behavior, as they impact the life span from infancy through late adulthood. Also, special attention is given to specific issues and life events, diversity, and theory, as related to each of the phases of the life span.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students to social work practice within diverse family settings. Building upon the knowledge base provided by earlier courses, Practice with Families will apply five core competencies and six operationalized practice behaviors. In this course, students will identify and explore family compositions, their rules, roles, relationships and rituals. They will be trained and evaluated on their ability to work ethically, think critically, engage sensitively, assess and intervene in class and in the emergency room trauma simulation lab. SWK 103 and completed application to the major.

This course focuses on change and development techniques at the organizational level while also investigating individual growth and development in addition to broader community developments. In this course students will learn how to guide an organization through growth and change, gain an appreciation for how both organizational and individual decisions affect communities, and investigate their own growth as citizens and Christians. Prerequisites: Junior standing. (Offered alternate years) This course is also listed as MGT 321.

This course explores the individual characteristics and interpersonal skills that contribute to effective mentoring of individuals with intellectual disabilities who are participating in college based transition programs. The course uses PEERS® (Program for the Evaluation and Enrichment of Relational Skills), an evidence-based mentor-assisted social skills intervention for young adults. During each class, mentors are taught important social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in session with their assigned young adult. Students will incorporate the goals and objectives from the sessions into skill generalization activities that will be practiced in the campus community each week.

The course complements and supports the experiential learning of students currently active as peer mentors. The focus is on skills conversational skills-trading information, two-way conversations, electronic communication, entering and exiting a conversation; choosing appropriate friends, use of humor, and organized social contacts on campus. Homework will be assigned each week to be completed during individual peer mentoring sessions. Homework will be reviewed each session troubleshooting problems and individualizing the intervention to the specific needs of each participant. A certificate of training will be issued upon successful completion of this course.

Junior year students will participate in a 40 or 80 hour supervised field instruction within a local social service agency, school, or other organization, depending on the number of credits for which the course is taken. Concurrently, students will attend a one-hour weekly field seminar class. The purpose of the field placement is to expose students to social work practice outside the classroom and help students prepare for the senior field experience. This class is intended to run concurrently with SWK 310, Social Work Practice with Individuals, and SWK 312 Social Work Practice with Families. The course is designed to expose students to the professional roles and boundaries of social work; the importance of difference in providing services to clients; the policy contexts of services; and the function of social workers in the engagement, planning, intervention, and evaluation phases of planned change. Prerequisite: open only to junior social work majors.

The techniques and methods of social work research are introduced and studied through course materials and the completion of an agency-based, group research project. Included are formulating research questions, understanding and implementing research design, measurement, constructing surveys, writing research reports, dealing with ethical issues, and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data. This course prepares the student to understand and implement aspects of Evidence-based Practice in social work settings.

This course includes social work theory, knowledge, and practice with the dynamics of groups, to gain the practice skills needed to prepare the student for generalist level social work with small groups. The skills of self-awareness; attending to professional roles and boundaries; ethical decision-making; analyzing and applying different practice approaches; effective communication; and the ability to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate within a group setting are all highlighted. It includes content on the knowledge, values, and skills to enhance the well-being of people and to aid in the reformation of the environmental conditions that affect people adversely. Prerequisite: SWK 310 or permission of instructor.

This course concentrates on the history, philosophies, principles, and intervention strategies common to community organization, social planning, and administration of social welfare agencies. Case materials are presented to highlight some of the techniques used in these practice areas. Various forms of macro practice are highlighted for discussion and learning purposes. During this course students will conduct a community needs assessment to engage and assess communities and organizations. Students will then initiate a macro intervention project using the knowledge gained from their needs assessment to intervene as change agents in community practice. Students will also evaluate the effectiveness of their completed intervention. Throughout this course, students will utilize critical thinking, engage in research informed practice, and respond to the community context from a psycho, social, spiritual perspective. Prerequisite: SWK 308.

This course is a study of the development and range of public and private social services, principally in the Western world, on behalf of children, youth, and families. This includes an analysis of issues and practice modalities in such areas as day care, foster and adoptive home care, and institutional care. The impact of substance abuse on children will also be a major topic. Prerequisite: SWK 103. (Offered alternate years)

This capstone course endeavors to assist students to integrate spirituality with the professional social work perspective on helping. It provides a comparative analysis of social work values and ethics with Biblical ethics and teachings. A major emphasis of this course is placed on helping students to integrate their unique spirituality/worldview with their practice as a social work professional. Emphasis is also placed on ethical decision making; spiritual self-awareness; analysis of models of spiritual assessment; the demonstration of sensitivity, awareness, and understanding of the client’s spirituality; and the ability to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate in practice settings in spiritually sensitive ways.

Field Instruction is a supervised block placement completed in the practice field 30 hours a week, with a 2-hour seminar class for theoretical integration held one day a week. The seminar will have weekly assignments, designed to facilitate the integration of the program’s core competencies and learning from the classroom and field. This course has specific assignments which integrate theory and field experience from the student’s internship. This course addresses the development of the core competencies of social work practice within the field setting. Significant emphasis is placed on the professional roles and boundaries of social work; the importance of difference in providing services to clients; the policy contexts of services; the application of aspects of Evidence-based Practice; the demonstration of effective oral and written communication in working with client systems; understanding and utilizing conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation; and the function of social workers in the engagement, planning, intervention, and evaluation phases of planned change.

Junior and senior students may participate in studying a particular area of social work not covered in other course areas. Topics may include a variety of contemporary issues. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing.

Independent study provides opportunity to pursue advanced or special-interest topics not covered in the curriculum. Prerequisites: 1. Junior standing. 2. A minimum of 9 semester hours in the discipline of the Independent Study. 3. A minimum grade point average of 2.50 in the discipline. 4. Proof of motivation and ability to work independently. 5. Approval of the department in which the study is to be taken. 6. Permission from the student's advisor, the course instructor, the Department Chair, the Academic Dean, and the Registrar.

Students conduct laboratory research in social work under supervision of a faculty member. Permission of instructor is required. Guidelines for Independent Study apply. A written report is required. May be repeated with new research. Prerequisites: 1. Junior standing. 2. A minimum of 9 semester hours in the discipline of the Independent Study. 3. A minimum grade point average of 2.50 in the discipline. 4. Proof of motivation and ability to work independently. 5. Approval of the division in which the study is to be taken. 6. Permission from the student's advisor, the course instructor, the Division Chair, and the Registrar.

This course is a study of social and cultural diversity in terms of individual, group, and institutional identity formation. Theories of oppression and discrimination and their implication for social work practice are included in this course. No Prerequisities.

This course applies concepts from the behavioral and social sciences in identifying and understanding forms and causes of behavior. Theories are analyzed to evaluate the influence of biological, psycological, cognitive, spiritual,social and cultural variables on human behavior and development. The content focuses specifically on small social systems such as families, schools, churches, community-based groups, work sites, etc. No Prerequisities.

This course is designed to provide students with differential assessments knowledge and skills suitable for use with advanced practice theories in physical and mental health settings. In preparing students to work with persons needing physical and mental health services, this course addresses a variety of issues related to assessment including diversity, the impact of discrimination/oppression, and the role of values and ethics. SWK 661 Physical and Mental Health Practice Theories is to be taken concurrently. Prerequisite: All foundational courses or advanced standing.

This course reviews the roots and construction of contemporary policies in the area of physical and mental health. It applies policy analysis skills in examining current policies and the impact of these policies on service delivery. The effectiveness of service delivery is evaluated with particular emphasis on services provided to low-income at-rist populations. The various levels where policy is forged through debate, enacted, and implemented are examined. Prerequisite: All foundation courses or advanced standing.

Applied Social Work Research is designed to support students in conducting evidence-based practice in an agency setting by evaluating practice and planning for change. Case material will be drawn from practice situations students encounter in their field placements. Prerequisite: SWK 540.

This course explores theories related to normal and maladaptive behavior of clients in physical and mental health settings. The socio-historical context, value orientations, motivational constructs, orientation to heath and pathology, and theory of cure of a variety of approaches will be explored, which will lead to the application of intervention techniques. The relationship of client diversity and mental and physical health practice theories will be explored. SWK 626 Physical and Mental Health Multidimensional Assessment is to be taken concurrently. Prerequisities: All foundation courses or advanced standing.

This course builds upon the content of the SWK 661 course and has the overall goal of developing an awareness of a variety of brief therapy-oriented techniques from a number of theoretical perspectives and of synthesizing these techniques into an interlocking model that can be utilized in advanced social work practice in physical and mental health settings. Attention will be directed to the best way to combine approaches and to apply them differentially based upon different situations, cultures, settings, and clients. Culturally diverse approaches to treatment will be explored. The ability to do evaluations of the effectiveness of practice interventions is addressed. Prerequisite: SWK 626 and SWK 661.

This course applies the Tri-Vector Functionalist Model, the model on which Roberts builds the Congregation and Community Practice concentration. Organizing, Administering, and Program Directing are necessary areas of knowledge and skill needed to help churches and church-related agencies mobilize resources for social ministry. The program-directed emphasis is upon use of self in providing services to the various subsystems in the Church and community, while creating structure that enables the social worker to standardize his or her professional activity. The emphasis here would be upon mezzo level practice, because churches often have a tradition of helping but lack formal structures and systemic processes to accomplish effective and efficient helping. Students will develop leadership and administrative skills to create and sustain programs within churches, denominational agencies, and communities. A sustained emphasis in this course will be upon understanding ecclesiastical-organizational culture, structure, knowledge, values, and skills related to administration within congregations and communities. Various practice models will be introduced. No prerequisites.

This is a practice course for mental health professionals. Participants should have their masters or be in pursuit of their masters in a mental health related field. This course will provide participants with a variety of play therapy techniques that can be used to engage children in the healing process. The techniques fall under a variety of theoretical approaches and can be tailored to the child. Participants will enhance their skills in working with children and realize the power of play.

This course will provide participants with a theoretical understanding of Child Centered Play Therapy. Participants will also learn to apply this theory to different clinical settings (e.g. schools, outpatient clinics) and different child populations. Upon completion of this course participants will be able to develop goals, implement, and evaluate Child Centered Play Therapy. Attention will be given to populations that would and would not benefit from this model.

This course is a practice elective. The purpose of this course is to provide students with exposure to and an opportunity to develop knowledge and skills in using play therapy with individuals, families and groups in diverse settings. Students will become familiar with various theoretical practice models and learn to apply those models with children experiencing a variety of problems across diverse populations. This course will expose the student to basic knowledge about play therapy as a component of services to children, including in mental health, child welfare, health and community based settings.

Conflict is an inevitable and ubiquitous phenomenon that can be either constructive or destructive. In this course, the causes and dynamics of conflict as well as ways to transform conflict into a constructive force in a school setting will be explored. This interactive course focuses on the development of school-based conflict transformation skills, with primary emphasis given to mediation and Life Space Crisis Intervention.

This course is designed to provide social work students with the knowledge and skill capacity to practice social work in the criminal justice system in America. The course is divided into three parts. Part one is an overview of current trends of crime and the criminal justice system and process. The major components include the police as an institution, adjudication by the courts, and corrections. Secondly, it addresses risk assessment and management of violence in the community, with a focus on conflict management, capital punishment, retributive, rehabilitative, and restorative justice. The third part addresses a variety of social work practice settings, including the public defender’s office, probation, courts, psychiatric hospitals, child protective services, and prisons.