Social Work (SWK)
SWK 500 Foundation: Engagement & Assessment Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Fall.
Course Description: This course prepares students for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Focusing on the beginning phases of the helping process, students will develop knowledge and skills to build rapport with individuals and families, connect with and leverage group dynamics, navigate and influence organizational cultures, and assess the strengths and needs of communities. In addition, students will learn how generalist skills can help to address population needs across levels of practice. This course will ask students to apply evidence-a and theory-driven approaches for engagement and assessment, and students will critically consider how to support goal development, intervention planning, and collaborative assessment in diverse contexts. Prerequisite(s): Admission into the traditional MSW program.
SWK 505 Bridge to MSW: Exploration of the Grand Challenges Credits: 6
Typically Offered: Summer.
Course Description: This course prepares the BSW student who has been accepted into advanced standing program to explore the CSWE Grand Challenges. Students will build skills to intervene and critically evaluate interventions to improve outcomes with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Students will also examine cross-system and cross-level intervention strategies and the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively across practice domains as they begin their MSW journey.
SWK 510 Family and Child Welfare Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
Course Description: This course examines the field of family and child welfare. Students will explore the history of child welfare, the critical issues facing families and children in our society, the scope of family and child welfare services, and the social political, legal and economic forces that shape programs for children and families. Students will study families from a strengths-based, ecological perspective and will build sensitivity to various family forms, cultural patterns and issues that stem from social and/or economic injustice.
SWK 515 Clinical Practice I Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Fall.
Course Description: Students will apply social work skills, values and knowledge to assess and intervene with organizations, communities, and society at large. The class will emphasize the use of systems and strengths perspectives in addressing community and organizational issues. Issues of ethics and diversity will be addressed throughout the course. This course will specifically address areas of leadership, community development, social activism, social planning, community organization and program development within community, national and organizational contexts. Practice III completes the three semester long. This foundation class introduces students to a variety of social work roles and concept of multiple levels of interventions from individuals to community-based systems. Prerequisite(s): SWK 500.
SWK 520 Philosophy and Policy Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Fall.
Course Description: Students in Philosophy & Policy pertains to the skills and knowledge regarding policy practice tasks. Emphasis will be placed on understanding social policies at various levels in society while practicing the skills needed in understanding, following and changing social policies. Adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics will also be emphasized. Employment of the aforementioned skills with sensitivity to the needs of co-existing populations who are oppressed, vulnerable, at risk and/or diverse will be addressed.
SWK 530 Human Behavior and the Social Environment Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Fall.
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce social work students to various theoretical models used to view and understand how human behavior is shaped by groups, organizations and communities. The ecological and strength perspectives are employed for understanding human behavior within the context of these systems. Attention is also placed on the influence of social class and ethnicity on human behavior. This course will look at the different worldviews of diverse populations in order to help students develop and achieve cultural competencies.
SWK 565 Advanced Research Methods Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: It is developed with an understanding of building knowledge based on providing a scientific analysis or evaluation of service delivery and practices; it is developed and designed based on the intention to provide the skills and practices that allow the students to become independent researchers. This course discusses how researchers select their topics and identify a method that can help them have access to information about the subject area of their interest. The course has policy development as its objective. As a result, it is designed to develop your analytical skills based on empirical data.
SWK 570 Program Evaluation Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: This course is designed to provide students with an overview of program evaluation in social work practice. This course is the final research course for social work majors. This course will utilize different approaches and methodology to critically examine program goals, outcomes and measures in program evaluation. Students will also be expected to develop a proposal by responding to an RFP (Request for Proposal) by a foundation or governmental agency. Use of Logic Models will be explored and students will be expected to complete as part of their proposals. Adherence to the NASW Code of Ethics will also be emphasized. Employment of the aforementioned skills with sensitivity to the needs of co-existing populations who are oppressed, vulnerable, at risk and/or diverse will be addressed. Prerequisite(s): SWK 565.
SWK 600 Practicum in Social Work: Foundation Credits: 5
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Course Description: Focuses on the development and enhancement of the student's practice skills and the integration of practicum and class content. Students at the foundation level of the M.S.W. degree program complete 480 clock hours of field practicum during the fall and spring semesters. They are in one continuous field placement for 16 hours per week for 30 weeks. Prerequisite(s): Admission into the MSW program.
SWK 610 Practicum in Social Work: Rural Social Work Practice Credits: 8
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Course Description: Focuses on the development and enhancement of the student's practice skills and the integration of practicum and class content. Students in the clinical concentration at the advanced level of the M.S.W. degree program complete 720 clock hours of field practicum during the fall and spring semesters. They are in one continuous field practicum for 24 hours per week for 30 weeks. Prerequisite(s): SWK 600 or Admission into the Advanced Standing MSW with a BSW from an accredited school.
SWK 635 Trauma and Violence Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: Interpersonal violence has a traumatizing impact across the lifespan on individuals, families, communities, and society. Oppression based on factors such as a person's age, race, gender, identities, abilities, or socioeconomic status alter these experiences. Healthy relationships foster emotional resilience and strength. Developing and broadly implementing interventions, both universal and targeted with individual, relationship, community, and service delivery systems can bolster a range of interpersonal relationships, reduce violence more broadly, and strengthen our mental and physical health, our families, and our communities. Students will be introduced to trauma informed care, trauma stewardship, and the ACEs research.
SWK 640 Mental Health and Diagnosis Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Fall.
Course Description: Social work has, by far, more professionals working in the field of mental health than any other profession. Social workers are often responsible for the assessment and treatment of individuals and families in this field as well as providing supportive and facilitative services, and acquiring and coordinating environmental resources. These obligations, and the potential devastation of mental illness, as well as inappropriate assessment and treatment, make it imperative that social workers engage in these tasks and responsibilities by making the empowerment and well-being of individuals, families, and communities central to their practice. The four themes of the school-focusing on people's strengths, celebrating and honoring human diversity, promoting social justice, and engaging a critical, and creative approach to practice-require that social workers in this field extend themselves beyond the narrow medical model toward a model that embraces the biological, social, psychological, and spiritual elements of mental illness and mental health.
SWK 650 Crisis Intervention and Suicide Awareness Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: Exploration of suicide ideation and crisis intervention theories, assessments, and treatment recommendations, along with the grand challenges of building health relationships to end violence, prevent gun violence, and eradicate social isolation.
SWK 653 End Racism and Cultural Humility Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: Exploration of racism and cultural humility within the scope of the code of ethics and the CSWE competency #2. Topics will include the legacy of racism and white supremacy in US history, current discriminatory practices, social work leadership in the civil rights and race equity movements, self-reflection of existing biases and strategies to recognize the client's own culture.
SWK 655 Medical Social Work Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: Exploration of medical social work, including all the facets of professional health care social work within the United States health care system, across all settings and with all populations. In addition, there will be a study into how the pandemic affected the practice of social workers and consequently the impact on medical practice.
SWK 657 Rural Social Work Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: Rural social work will be explored, including all the facets of professional health care social work within the United States health care system, across all settings and with all populations. In addition, there will be a study into how the pandemic affected the practice of social workers and consequently the impact on rural practice, especially the popularity of telehealth in rural communities.
SWK 680 Clinical Practice II: Exploration of the Grand Challenges Credits: 3
Typically Offered: Spring.
Course Description: In the second course of the multilevel generalist practice sequence, students will gain competencies for the middle and ending phases of the helping process. They will build skills to intervene and critically evaluate interventions to improve outcomes with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Students will also examine cross-system and cross-level intervention strategies and the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively across practice domains, In addition to exposure to a range of generalist practice intervention approaches, students develop competencies for client-centered evaluation and termination, empowering group interventions, organizational transformation, and base building for community change. In addition, the students will explore the Grand Challenges. Prerequisite(s): SWK 515.