SOCIAL WORK 783: Social Work Practice III
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Course Description
This course is the first of two concentration practice courses and emphasizes social work practice in larger contexts. Grounded in the Community Based Family Practice (CBFP) concentration, community and organizational practice focus on creating an environment which supports and strengthens families. Community organization, leadership, resource acquisition, and advocacy are pivotal areas of knowledge and skill development. The approach to practice builds from the ecological/systems, empowerment, and social construction theories and frames practice from a contextual perspective. Social work values, social and economic justice, and the needs of vulnerable and diverse populations are embedded in the learning process. Practice application in small towns and rural communities is highlighted.
Practice models will be assessed through a critical multicultural lens. A strong emphasis on evaluating the processes that perpetuate oppression and unequal access, including an unequal access to power within political, social, and economic institutions and organizations. Institutional racism, sexism, homophobia/heterosexism, poverty, alienation, and other oppressive conditions play a role in shaping the lives of clients.
Educational Objectives
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1.examine and apply an ecological view of organizational and community practice;
2.critically analyze community and organizational resources for their potential to support and strengthen families;
3.use knowledge and skills of group dynamics and interaction at the agency, institutional, and community levels;
4.apply the skills and knowledge of community and organizational practice, emphasizing practice in small towns and rural communities;
5.critically evaluate the needs of populations at risk and diverse members of the community and apply practice models to develop systems, which strengthen and support all members of the community;
6.recognize the collective continuum of practice from individual, family, and group through organizations and community;
7.apply organizational knowledge and skills including administration, supervision, and financial;
8.identify and empower natural and appointed community leaders;
9.exercise leadership in the application of practice models; and
10.practice through the values and ethics of the NASW Code of Ethics, applying methods which support the movement toward social and economic justice.