REQUIRED COURSES FOR BSW DEGREE

LIBERAL ARTS REQUIREMENTS

Prerequisites: Abnormal Psychology (PSY 360) and a course in the human life span (EDPS 325 or IHHS 260) are pre requisites to SWRK 315, the first course in the Social Work major. A course in U.S. Government (PLSC 112) is a prerequisite to SWRK 405.

Cross-culture and Women's Course Requirement: Students entering the new social work curriculum and new general education curriculum will satisfy this requirement by taking SWRK 200 (Human Diversity and Social Justice) and meeting the general education requirement of one course in U.S. Diversity and one course in Global Awareness. All other students will satisfy this requirement by taking two courses that are cross-cultural in nature and one course about women. SWRK 200 can count as either a cross cultural or course on women.

Additional Liberal Arts Requirements:
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 105)
Introduction to Psychology (PSY 101 or PSY 102)
Cultural Anthropology (ANTH 135)

Note regarding research requirements: Students may satisfy the curriculum’s research requirement either by taking SWRK 330 or by taking 3 credits hours of statistics (SOC 250) and three credit hours of research (SOC 304).

PRE BSW MAJOR COURSES

SWRK 120:  Introduction to Social Work Services and Professional Roles – 3 hours
An overview of the social work profession including its philosophy, values, professional roles, current trends, and models in varied practice arenas such as criminal justice, mental health, child and family services, public welfare agencies and medical and industrial settings. 

SWRK 200:  Human Diversity and Social Justice – 3 hours
An introduction to a framework for understanding race, class, and gender along with ethnicity, sexual orientation and privilege, based on the development of critical thinking skills and sensitivity to the need for culturally competent practice and advocacy for social justice.    

SWRK 222:   Social Welfare Policies and Services – 3 hours
A survey of social institutions and policies in their historical and modern contexts and examination of social welfare services in the United States as they are related to  economic, political and socio-cultural conditions and prevailing ideologies. 

SWRK 251:  Self Assessment and Development for Social Work – 1 hour
An experiential course which helps students to assess their personal preparation for the social work profession and explore their own values.

REQUIRED BSW MAJOR COURSES

The following courses are taken after a student has completed all pre major courses and is accepted as a BSW Major.  Other than the required social work elective listed in this curriculum, all of the following courses are available to social work majors only:

SWRK 315:  Theoretical Bases for Social Work Practice – 3 hours
Integrating, supplementing, and translating students’ knowledge of human beings and their social environments into social work practice and learning to apply the knowledge and values that form the base of professional practice.   
Prerequisites:  Admission into the program, EDPS 325 or IHHS 260 and PSY 360.

SWRK 317:  Social Work Practice 1 (lecture) – 3 hours.  Taken with corresponding SWRK 318 lab.   
The first course in a sequence of social work practice courses designed to prepare the student for field experience including relationship building, information gathering and preliminary assessment and contracting.  
SWRK 318:  Social Work Practice 1 (lab) – 1 hour.  Taken with corresponding SWRK 318 lecture. 
This course features a video skills laboratory in which students participate in role-plays as members of an ongoing group. 
The co-requisite for SWRK 317/318 is SWRK 319.

SWRK 319:  Writing for Agency Practice – 3 hours  (W)
Prepares students for the professional writing components of professional, agency-based practice and sensitizes them to the agency-based demands and issues association with professional social work practice while developing professional writing skills focused on a simulated client situation.  The co-requisite for SWRK 319 is SWRK 317/318. 

SWRK 330:  Social Work Evaluation and Research:  Qualitative and Statistical Methods – 4 credit hours.  This course has a 3 hour lecture and one hour lab.
Introduces knowledge and develops skills in research and practice evaluation and develops competencies in evaluation of professional literature, qualitative and quantitative methods, research skills, and assessment in utilizing technologies through a laboratory experience.  (Students whose previous programs of study required a course in statistics may take SOC 304, a 3 credit hour course, as a substitute for this course.)

SWRK 350: Generalist Social Work Practice:  Organizations and Communities –
3 hours (LBC)
Supported by a service-learning experiential component, students learn a range of macro practice assessment and intervention skills to promote improvements in social service organization, social welfare systems and communities. 

SWRK 405:  Analysis and Change in Social Welfare Policies – 3 hours
Students learn current social policy and its intended and unintended effects on client populations, policy analysis, and strategies and methods for policy change.
Prerequisite:  PLS 112. 

SWRK 408:  Generalist Social Work Practice:  Individuals and Families – 3 hours
Students learn the generalist conceptual framework for social work practice, models of assessment, practice values, and phases of planned sequential change. 

SWRK 409:  Generalist Social Work Practice:  Groups – 3 hours
Students learn how to analyze group situations in different domains of social work practice, develop skills to intervene at both the group and individual levels, and learn how to develop mutual aid and empowerment among the members of a social work group.

SOCIAL WORK ELECTIVE -  3 hours
Students are required to take one elective course offered by the School of Social Work to complement their program of study.

SWRK 450:  Practice with Women – 3 hours
Course provides a critical examination of the potential of social policies and programs, community organizations and practice interventions to challenge women’s systemic disadvantage and enhance women’s welfare.

SWRK 451:  Practice Issues with People of Color – 3 hours
Course prepares students for generalist practice with people of color, develops their ability to apply culturally appropriate knowledge, skills and values in their work with clients, and describes ways students can become active change agents as they strive to respond to the needs of agency clients.

NOTE:  The following Field/Practicum courses are taken as students’ final courses either alone (for part-time students) or in combination with SWRK 450 and SWRK 451 and any remaining 400-level courses (for full-time students).   Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 or higher, no grades below a C in required social work courses, and no remaining Incompletes grades.  

SWRK 488:  Field Experience I – 6 hours
During this semester, students are assigned to field agencies for 200 hours of practicum experience to fulfill their varied learning needs and assure their understanding of professional standards of social work.  The course has a weekly two-hour seminar component with an assigned faculty member who also serves as liaison between the School of Social Work, the student, and the field supervisor.  

SWRK 489:  Field Experience II – 6 hours
This course is a continuation of SWRK 488 with a requirement of 200 additional hours of practicum experience.