Sociology and Social Work

Chair: Professor Madeline H. Moran (Carman Hall, Room B70)

Director of Social Work Program: Norma Phillips (Carman Hall, Room B18)

Department Faculty: Professors: M. Herbert Danzger, David E. Lavin, Madeline Moran, Norma Phillips, Elin Waring; Associate Professors: Graciela Castex, Sharon Freedberg, Patricia Kolb, Assistant Professors: Kofi Benefo, Christopher Bonastia, Elhum Haghighat, Richard Holody, Barbara Jacobson, Jessica Kahn, Carl Mazza, Esther Wilder; Lecturer: Thomas Conroy

The Department of Sociology and Social Work offers an introductory-level course designed to meet the needs of students in programs for elementary-school teachers and teachers of social studies in the secondary schools.

Course in Sociology

SOC 500: The Study of Society. 3 hours, 3 credits. Our relationship to the physical and social environment, conditions determining the development of the individual's capacity to participate in social organization, the structure of groups and intergroup relationships, and the influence of changing social values and technology on people in selected societies.

M.S.W. Program in Social Work

The Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) Program prepares social workers to assume positions of leadership in public and voluntary sector social service agencies located in urban areas. All students in the program develop advanced integrated social work skills, including direct practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities; supervision; administration; research; and policy practice.

Students who complete this program and earn their M.S.W. degree will also have completed all the educational requirements and be eligible to take the New York State licensing exams for social work (L.M.S.W. and L.C.S.W.; the curriculum for each program is the same).

NOTE:Students matriculated in Social Work may request transfer credits only toward the special topics/elective requirement.

Three tracks are offered:

Track A: 2-Year Full-time

*Students are required to complete 3 full days (300 hours) of fieldwork placement each semester.

Track B: 3-Year Extended Program (Introduced Fall 2007)

Extended students are matriculated students and are subject to the same admissions process as full-time students. Extended students complete the first-year curriculum in two years and take the second year on a full-time basis.

Track C: Advanced Standing Program

Students complete only the second year of the M.S.W. Program.

No credit is offered for life experience in any track.

Admission Requirements for All Tracks:

Candidates must:

• Hold a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, including 45 liberal arts credits;
• Have attained a minimum undergraduate grade average of 3.0;
• Submit an application to the program, including a personal statement related to the student's career goals and preparation for this program and three letters of recommendation addressing applicant's suitability for the social work profession and preparedness to enter a rigorous academic program, at least two of which should be from college faculty or professionals in fields related to social work;
• Interview with a member of the graduate faculty.

Admission Requirements for Applicants to Track C, Advanced Standing Program

In addition to the above, candidates must:

• Have completed a bachelor's degree with a social work major from a social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education;
• Have attained a minimum 3.2 cumulative index in the major;
• Include, among the three references, one reference from the advisor in the baccalaureate social work program, or from the program director.

Applicants for Advanced Standing must provide course descriptions for courses in the undergraduate Social Work major; the Graduate Advisor will determine exemption from courses in the Year One curriculum.

Selection Process

The Admissions Committee, consisting of the social work Graduate Advisor, Program Director, and at least two full-time faculty members, will review completed applications. Applications will be evaluated on:

• Academic history;
• Quality of personal statement, including degree of self-awareness, conceptual ability, understanding of the social work profession, and ability to communicate in writing;
• References.

Courses in Social Work

SWK 605: Human Behavior and the Social Environment. 3 hours, 3 credits. Examination of individuals, families, groups, and communities in relation to human biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and cultural factors. Theories and knowledge emphasizing critical life events from conception through later adulthood will provide a coherent framework for viewing human beings developing over time.

SWK 606: Human Diversity and the Social Environment. 3 hours, 3 credits. Exploration of theoretical perspectives of developmental processes as well as interactions at all levels of social organization. Impact of life situations, the physical environment and social processes on client systems in the urban environment. Self-examination of one's values and ethics. PREREQ: SWK 605.

SWK 611: Generalist Social Work Practice I. 3 hours, 3 credits. Introduction to generalist social work practice within a life model framework, including skills and techniques, integrated with professional values and ethics, for the beginning phase of generalist practice. COREQ: SWK 671.

SWK 612: Generalist Social Work Practice II. 3 hours, 3 credits. Generalist social work practice within an ecological systems perspective; emphasis is placed on skills and interventive strategies with populations-at-risk during the middle and ending phases of practice. Case management skills in urban organizations. PREREQ: SWK 611; COREQ: SWK 672.

SWK 639: Social Welfare Institutions and Programs. 3 hours, 3 credits. History of social services in the United States and overview of services in key contemporary fields of practice are studied through the lens of social justice and professional ethics. Special attention to social welfare policies that impact negatively on populations-at-risk in urban environments.

SWK 643: Social Welfare Policy Analysis. 3 hours, 3 credits. Understanding and analyzing social welfare policies, especially those negatively impacting on urban populations. Empowerment of students to act as agents of change in the pursuit of social justice within agency and societal systems. PREREQ: SWK 639.

SWK 646: Social Work Research I. 3 hours, 3 credits. Social work research skills, methods, and processes needed to conceptualize social problems; research project design; critical evaluation of research designs. Utilization of social work research to alleviate conditions contributing to the oppression of at-risk populations in an urban environment.

SWK 671: Fieldwork and Seminar I. 20 field, 1 lecture, 5 credits. 300-hour supervised internship in a social service agency as arranged by the Program. Students integrate social work knowledge, values, and skills as they provide culturally sensitive services to diverse urban populations, and particularly to populations-at-risk. Integration of classroom content with agency practice. COREQ: SWK 611.

SWK 672: Fieldwork and Seminar II. 20 field, 1 lecture, 5 credits. 300-hour supervised internship continued in the same social service agency as in SWK 671. Students further develop knowledge, values, and skills in accordance with social work ethics as they provide increasingly complex services to diverse urban populations, particularly to populations-at-risk. Integration of classroom content with agency practice. PREREQ: SWK 671; COREQ: SWK 612.

SWK 680: Special Topics in Social Work. 3 hours, 3 credits. A variable topics course that enables students to pursue subjects particular to their interest. Course offerings will represent a range of issues relevant to social work practice in urban settings. Topics to be announced.

SWK 681: Social Work with Immigrants. 3 hours, 3 credits. Circumstances faced by individuals and groups that have immigrated, or will immigrate, to cities in the U.S.; diverse reasons that lead people to leave their homelands. Common and unique challenges of resettlement in the U.S. Clinical social work interventions and policy issues will be explored.

SWK 682: The Criminal Justice System and its Impact on Urban Families. 3 hours, 3 credits. Examination of the U.S. criminal justice system in the context of social policy as well as intended/unintended consequences of policies for vulnerable urban populations. Knowledge, skills, and values for social workers providing clinical services to people transitioning from prison, their families, and their communities, and for the development of quality reentry programs.

SWK 683: Issues in Urban Child Welfare. 3 hours, 3 credits. Understanding interrelationships between clinical social work practice and social welfare policies in the field of urban child welfare. Exploration of topics, such as child abuse and neglect, foster care, kinship care, adoption, and day care from historical and contemporary political, cultural, legal, and social work perspectives.

SWK 684: Mass Violence: Dynamics of Helping Urban Populations. 3 hours, 3 credits. Role of the social work profession in helping urban populations vulnerable to mass violence and terrorism, and those who have been affected by it. Clinical interventions with people experiencing trauma, preventive strategies, and self-care for social workers are studied, as are social welfare policies and issues related to social justice.

SWK 685: Gender Issues and the Practice of Social Work. 3 hours, 3 credits. Examination of the ways in which sex roles, gender relations, and identity development are constructed and experienced by individuals in contemporary urban societies. Issues emerging from the intersection of ethnicity, race, class, and sexuality with gender and their implications for clinical social work practice are explored.

SWK 686: Social Work Practice with Urban Older Adults. 3 hours, 3 credits. Study of knowledge, values, and skills required for clinical, supervisory, administrative, and policy practice in diverse urban gerontological social work settings.

SWK 707: Understanding Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis. 3 hours, 3 credits. Definitions of mental health and mental illness in various cultures; assessment, DSM-IV-TR diagnosis, and clinical interventions. Implication of social welfare policies for clinical practice. PREREQ: SWK 606; COREQ: SWK 713, SWK 727, SWK 773.

SWK 713: Advanced Social Work Practice in the Urban Environment I. 3 hours, 3 credits. First course in a two-semester advanced integrated practice sequence. Empowerment approach with urban populations-at-risk. Emphasis on intervention in a larger community context. PREREQ: SWK 612; COREQ: SWK 707, SWK 727, SWK 773.

SWK 714: Advanced Social Work Practice in the Urban Environment II. 3 hours, 3 credits. Builds on the application of advanced social work practice skills, knowledge, and values. Deepens understanding of the social worker's role in mobilizing power and building relationships with diverse systems of various sizes. Particular attention to content on multiculturalism, diversity, social justice, value dilemmas, and social change issues. PREREQ: SWK 713; COREQ: SWK 729, SWK 745, SWK 747, SWK 774.

SWK 727: Supervision in Agency-Based Practice. 3 hours, 3 credits. Principles of agency-based supervision in a variety of practice settings. Administrative, clinical, and educational functions; concepts of power, authority, and accountability; ethical and clinical issues; skills and self awareness; staff development; and evaluation. COREQ: SWK 713, SWK 707, SWK 773.

SWK 729: Administration in Urban Agencies. 3 hours, 3 credits. Administration of public and private urban social services agencies responding to the needs of diverse urban clients. Designing and structuring service organizations; funding sources; developing and maintaining a diverse staff; understanding the relationship of the organization to the community; analyzing and evaluating relevant policies; and examining ethical dilemmas. PREREQ: SWK 727; COREQ: SWK 714, SWK 745, SWK 747, SWK 774.

SWK 745: Social Welfare Policy Practice. 3 hours, 3 credits. Influencing, formulating, and advocating for social welfare policies that are culturally relevant, consistent with the value of social justice, and ensuring that social services meet the needs of recipients. Particular emphasis on impacting policies affecting urban populations at risk. PREREQ: SWK 643; COREQ: SWK 714, SWK 729, SWK 747, SWK 774.

SWK 747: Social Work Research II. 3 hours, 3 credits. Design of research instruments, collection of data, and descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of data using S.P.S.S. Submission of a research proposal that seeks to contribute to social work knowledge. The proposal will include an understanding of diversity and/or the needs of at-risk populations in the urban environment. PREREQ: SWK 646; COREQ: SWK 714, SWK 729, SWK 745, SWK 774.

SWK 773: Fieldwork and Seminar III. 20 field, 1 lecture, 5 credits. 300-hour supervised internship in a practice area different from Fieldwork and Seminar I and II; advanced standing students enter Fieldwork and Seminar III. Development of advanced integrated social work practice through clinical practice, supervision, administration, research, and policy practice assignments. Integration of classroom content with agency practice. PREREQ: SWK 672; COREQ: SWK 7O7, SWK 713, SWK 727.

SWK 774: Fieldwork and Seminar IV. 20 field, 1 lecture, 5 credits. Students complete a 300-hour internship in the same agency as SWK 773. Continued learning of advanced integrated social work practice through increasingly challenging assignments in clinical practice, supervision, administration, research, and policy practice. Integration of classroom content with agency practice. PREREQ: SWK 773. COREQ: SWK 714, SWK 729, SWK 745, SWK 747.