Stages of the Bachelor of Social Work Curriculum

Beginning Stage: Exploring the Curriculum Foundation

This component includes the following courses:

• SW 100 Exploring Social Work 
• SW 230 Human Behavior and Social Environment I 

The overall goal of this component is for students to come away with a clear conception of what the profession of social work is about, especially generalist practice. Students will have explored their own values and competencies in comparison to the expectations of the profession and made a decision through application to the advanced BSW program that they are prepared to make mastery of the professional foundation their goal. SW 100 provides an overview of the profession, basically providing a rationale for the entire curriculum. It includes guest presenters from several work practice settings and includes a volunteer experience. SW 230 introduces students to the systems approach for organizing knowledge about people and their social environments. 

Upon completion of this component, the following will have been accomplished:

1. The student can describe what is included in the social work foundation, describe what generalist practice is, and what the BSW curriculum will prepare the student to do.
2. The student will have assessed personal values, strengths, weaknesses, and goals for professional growth.
3. The Social Work faculty will have directly observed the student in order to make recommendations concerning potential for continuance in the program. 
4. A decision will be made for continuance or termination in the BSW curriculum.
5. At this point the student may apply to and be admitted to the advance program; the student may apply and be denied admission, or the student may voluntarily chose to pursue another career path 

Middle Stage: Building the Knowledge and Skills for Generalist Practice 

This component includes the following courses: 

• SW 331 Human Behavior and Social Environment
• SW 341 Social Welfare Policy 
• SW 370 Practice Methods I
• SW 372 Practice methods II
• SO 208 Research Methods I 
• SW 308 Research Methods II 

The goal of this component is to provide in-depth coverage of values and ethics, diversity, social and economic justice, population-at-risk, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and services, social work practice, and research. Social work values and ethics are stressed in SW 330, SW 370 and SW 341. Policy, populations-at-risk, and social and economic justice are the primary focus of SW 341. SW 370 addresses generalist practice with an emphasis on direct practice skills with small systems. SW 372 continues the generalist approach with an emphasis on larger systems. Diversity is not the primary focus of any one course, but is emphasized in SW 331, SW 341, SW 370 and SW 372. The concept of populations-at-risk is also addressed in SW 331, SW 370 and SW 372. Human behavior and social environment are a major focus of SW 331. Social science research methods are the primary topic for SO 208 and SW 308. Values, ethics, and diversity are addressed as they relate to the research process. 

Upon completion of this section of the curriculum students will:

1. Be able to conceptualize situations using a systems perspective and a person-in-environment framework, showing awareness for issues of diversity, social and economic justice, and populations-at-risk.
2. Be able to demonstrate generalist practice skills with emphasis on direct practice with individuals.
3. Be able to comprehend and evaluate common research studies and to design and carry out a basic social research study.
4. Be able to describe the basic U.S. social welfare system, underlying value issues associated with it, and its relation to issues of social and economic justice. Also to demonstrate awareness of how populations-at-risk are impacted by social welfare policy, and to describe ways of influencing policy. 
5. Have demonstrated readiness to advance to the senior level of the program through mastery of knowledge, skill development, and expression of values.

Final Stage:   Social Work Knowledge, Values and Skills in Action

This component includes the following courses: 

• SW 440 Social Welfare Policy Analysis 
• SW 473 Integrative Seminar I 
• SW 474 Integrative Seminar II 
• SW 472 Social Work Practice with Human Diversity 
• SW 480 Field Placement I 
• SW 481 Field Placement II 

This component is a sequence of courses for the senior year of the program. All prerequisites must be completed before entry and each of these courses is completed concurrently with field placement. The primary goal of this component is to integrate the foundation content areas with practice in the field. SW 472 emphasizes issues of human diversity in social work practice. SW 473 emphasizes social work values in practice and serves as a forum for processing field practice experiences. SW 474 continues this function during the winter semester. Students prepare for entry into the profession by developing a resume and by working on career planning. Policy is integrated with practice through SW 440. Building on SW 341, the course focuses the student's attention on policy issues in the field and the role of policy in professional social work. SW 480 and SW 481 provide 30 weeks of field practicum in which the student completes assignments from the required senior foundation courses and applies generalist practice knowledge, values and skills. Students are assessed in terms of the twelve program objectives.

1. Apply critical thinking skills within the context of regional professional social work practice.
2. Understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards and principles, and practice accordingly.
3. Practice without discrimination and with respect, knowledge, and skills related to clients’ age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, political orientation, sex and sexual orientation.
4. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and apply strategies of advocacy and social change that advance social and economic justice.
5. Understand and interpret the history of the social work profession and its contemporary structures and issues.
6. Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist social work practice with systems of all sizes, with particular emphasis on the rural, isolated nature of communities such as ours. 
7. Use theoretical frameworks supported by empirical evidence to understand individual development and behavior across the life span and the interactions among individuals and between individuals and families, groups, organizations and communities.
8. Analyze, formulate, and influence social policies that have a desired impact on the region’s population.
9. Evaluate research studies, apply research findings to practice, and evaluate their own practice interventions.
10. Use communication skills differentially across client populations, colleagues and communities.
11. Use supervision and consultation appropriate to social work practice.
12. Function within the structure of organizations and unique service delivery systems and seek necessary organizational change.