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Undergraduate Catalog 07-08
College of Business and Public Affairs
http://www.wcupa.edu/_ACADEMICS/sch_sba/
Revised May 2007
Department of Social Work
114 W. Rosedale Avenue
610-436-2527
Mildred C. Joyner, Chairperson
PROFESSOR: DeHope, Joyner
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR: Voss
ASSISTANT PROFESSORS: Belliveau, L. Williams
The social work program is accredited on the baccalaureate level as a professional degree in social work by the Council on Social Work Education.
The mission of the Department of Social Work at West Chester University is to prepare students for beginning social work practice. To this end, the program assists students in developing the knowledge, values, and skills so that they may function effectively as generalist practitioners in a diverse society. Generalist practitioners use an interactional approach to engage individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in a problem-solving process that emphasizes the strengths of each respective system. The generalist social work practitioner operates within a system and person-in-environment framework (referred to as an ecological perspective). Because of its location in a mixed urban/rural environment, students in the B.S.W. program at WCU develop knowledge about the social welfare needs of mixed populations. Students learn to use critical thinking skills in order to assess appropriate interventions according to consumer needs and to resolve ethical dilemmas. Students are also taught, and get an opportunity to practice within, the guidelines prescribed by the NASW Code of Ethics. The program prepares students to assume a position of life-long learning through self-evaluation, reflective learning, and continuing education. The B.S.W. program prepares students with competencies appropriate to entry-level generalist social work practice, as well as a solid foundation for graduate social work education.
The B.S.W. program has two phases. The first phase is the pre-candidacy track for declared undergraduate social work majors. Students take pre-candidacy courses along with their general education requirements during the first two years. They then apply for candidacy for the second phase, which is the professional social work track in which course work is completed during the junior and senior years. During the junior and senior years students combine academic course work and field practice. The bachelor of social work is conferred on undergraduates who complete all the academic requirements of the program and of West Chester University. The B.S.W. is recognized as the first professional level of social work practice.
The goals of the B.S.W. program are as follows:
1. To prepare baccalaureate social work graduates with the knowledge, values and skills for competence in beginning generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities and larger societal systems.
2. To prepare graduates to practice with attitudes and behavior consistent with the values of the social work profession, and to be committed to advocating for social and economic justice for all people.
3. To prepare students to demonstrate sensitivity to issues of inequality, social injustice, and empowerment, and to practice with respect for diversity in a culturally competent manner in all levels of practice.
4. To prepare students to have a commitment to self-awareness, continuous learning, and leadership in the social work profession.
The B.S.W. program objectives to meet these goals includes:
1. Apply critical thinking skills within the context of 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, 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.
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.
9. Evaluate research studies, apply research findings to practice, and evaluate their own practice interventions.
10. Use communication skills differently across client populations, colleagues, and communities.
11. Use supervision and consultation appropriate to social work practice.
12. Function within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems and seek necessary organizational change.
All students are expected to demonstrate attitudes and behavior consistent with the values and ethics of professional social work and the National Association of Social Work (NASW) Social Work Code of Ethics.
Policy for Social Work Majors
Majors are required to meet with their social work adviser to plan an integrative course of study, to select courses prior to scheduling, to discuss career opportunities, and to keep abreast of departmental activities. Handbooks are provided to help students be aware of requirements and procedures in the department. Social work majors should be aware of social work prerequisite courses and must see their adviser before registering for classes.
Academic Promotion Policy
Social work students who have a grade of D, F, or NG (no grade) in required courses must repeat these courses and achieve a satisfactory grade before entering the junior field placement. Not achieving at least a C- in social work required courses is considered grounds for dismissal from the social work program. Students must achieve an overall GPA of 2.5 in order to be accepted in to candidacy and to begin their first field practicum. Students must maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA in order to graduate with a B.S.W. that has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Department-Related Activities
The Social Work Club is a student organization that involves department faculty and resources. The activities of this organization are open to all students. The honor society, Phi Alpha, is sponsored by the Department of Social Work and is the Chi Gamma Chapter of the National Social Work Honor Society. Eligibility requires an overall GPA of 3.0 and 3.5 in required social work courses. For more information, see the Student Activities and Service Organization sections of the catalog.
Department Field Placements and Volunteer Experiences
Social work students are expected to provide a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer work, approved by their adviser, as a requirement to be accepted into candidacy. During the second semester of the junior year and in both semesters of the senior year, students will be placed in various social work agencies (see partial listing of social work field placements).
Students must have completed SWO 200, 220, 225, 300, 320, 332, and 350 with a cumulative average of 3.0 before they register to take the junior field placement in the spring semester.
INSURANCE. Students are also required to carry liability insurance coverage in the amount of $1,000,000/3,000,000 during the second semester of their junior and the entire senior year at a yearly cost of approximately $35. Students who have cars must submit a copy of their insurance to the director of field placement. Students may join NASW and become a member of a national social work organization and receive liability insurance at a reduced rate. Students should apply for child abuse clearance and state police background check in the fall semester of their junior year for various field placement considerations.
Social Work Field Placements
Below is a sampling of settings where students have been placed to fulfill their field experience requirements:
Admission Requirements
Applicants must meet University requirements for admission. After successfully completing the first two years of pre-candidacy social work course requirements, students may apply for candidacy for the professional social work track.
For candidacy, students must have completed requirements for the first two years of general education, liberal arts cognates, and pre-candidacy social work courses with the necessary grade point averages specified below.
In compliance with the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting body for social work, the program only accepts upper-division social work courses from accredited programs that correspond with West Chester University B.S.W. program sequencing. No social work credits are granted for life and work experience.
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK
120 semester hours
1. General ed. requirements, see pages 37-41 (48 semester hours)
(Must include the following required courses:
BIO 100, CSC 110 or 115 or 141; HIS 101, 102, 150, 151 or 152; LIT/CLS 165, PHI 180; PSY 100; SOC 200 or 240;)
(Students are required to take nine semester hours of writing emphasis courses. The social work curriculum includes two [SWO 300 and 351]. Students need to choose an additional writing emphasis course to fulfill this general education requirement.)
2. Additional liberal arts foundation course (15 semester hours)
To support the liberal arts foundation and biopsychosocial perspective in social work, these courses are also required of social work majors:
ANT 102, GEO 101 or 103, PSC 100, and six semester hours of foreign language. Students may request to take culture cluster courses to meet some or all of this requirement; adviser permission is required.
3. Social work pre-candidacy courses (12 semester hours)
Must earn a minimum of 3.00 GPA in these courses to be accepted into candidacy:
SWO 200, 220, 225 (also meets interdisciplinary requirement), and 300
4.Social work professional foundation (45 semester hours)
Students must maintain a 3.00 GPA in these courses:
SWO 320, 321, 332, 350, 351, 375, 431, 432, 450, 451, 495, and 496
In addition, continued matriculation at the professional level of the B.S.W. program requires that all students
Transfer Students
Students from other colleges and universities who desire to transfer to the West Chester University baccalaureate social work program should apply through the University's Office of Admissions, which will coordinate the credit evaluations of social work courses with the baccalaureate social work program director. Transfer students are required to make application for candidacy.
A transfer credit analysis, listing all transfer credits accepted by the University, will be sent to the Department of Social Work and also directly to the student. The B.S.W. program director may accept social work transfer credits from CSWE-accredited undergraduate social work programs.
The field practicum and seminar are concurrent courses in the WCU undergraduate social work program; therefore, they are not transferable. The policies and requirements for the field practice are explicated in the Baccalaureate Program Field Instruction Manual. All other social work courses not meeting the requirements of the program may be accepted as SWO 199 course credit hours.
Internal Transfer Students
Internal transfer students meet the same standards for the program as other students do.
NOTE: The Department of Social Work offers pre-candidacy courses in the summer to assist transfer students to begin as a junior when they enter West Chester University in the fall. It is crucial that all transfer students be advised by the undergraduate program chair before the first session of summer.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
SOCIAL WORK
Symbol: SWO
PRE-CANDIDACY SOCIAL WORK COURSES
200 Introduction to Social Welfare (3) An introduction to the social work profession, this course emphasizes the historical, economic, political, and philosophical foundations of the social welfare system in the United States, social policy, and social services. It introduces a framework for the critical analysis of social welfare policy from a system perspective.
220 Introduction to Generalist Practice (3) In this course, students are introduced to the knowledge base, values, and skills of the social work profession that guides practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and societal systems.
222 Social Work and the Law (3). A study of legislation and case law affecting social welfare programs to develop an understanding of legal reasoning and key areas of legal knowledge.
225 Race Relations (3) The course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study of race, ethnicity, and culture. By integrating findings from history, political science, sociology, and social work, students are introduced to cultural differences as they affect family life, the development of law, and the nature and magnitude of racism in our society. The overarching goal of this course is to encourage the student to embark on the process of becoming culturally competent.
Diverse communities course
Approved interdisciplinary course
300 Family Systems (3) This course is an introduction to the family from a systems theory perspective. The course includes discussion of historical and contemporary families: definitions, types, social functions, and life cycle overview. Particular attention is paid to diversity in order to highlight variations in family forms and styles along the lines of race, ethnicity, class, and sexual orientation.
PROFESSIONAL FOUNDATION SOCIAL WORK COURSES
320 Generalist Social Work Practice I (3) Students apply their knowledge of the strengths and ecological perspectives to the processes of engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation and termination for social work practice with individuals and families. Social work majors only.
321 Generalist Social Work Practice II (3) Students apply their knowledge of the strengths and ecological perspectives to the processes of engagement, assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and termination for social work practice with groups, organizations, and communities. Social work majors only.
332 Social Welfare Policies and Services (3) This course introduces students to policy analysis. A main focus is an examination of how the U.S. government supports or inhibits social and economic justice through social welfare, social security, social policy, and social services.
350 Human Behavior in Social Environment I (3) This course examines the life cycle from pre-natal development through young adulthood with an emphasis on micro and mezzo theories of human behavior from a strengths and ecological systems perspective. The course is designed to provide the theoretical foundation that informs the knowledge and skill bases of the generalist social work practitioner.
351 Human Behavior in Social Environment II (3) This course examines the life cycle from middle adulthood through older adulthood and death and dying with an emphasis on mezzo and macro theories of human behavior from a strengths and ecological systems perspective.
Diverse communities course
375 Field Placement (6) Junior-year field experience for the social work major in an approved setting and under the supervision of an approved field instructor. Social work majors only.
410 Independent Studies in Social Work (1-3) Special research projects or practice in social work. Juniors and seniors only. Permission of department chair required.
421 Mental Health and Social Work (3) This course introduces students to the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders. Specific practice skills for social work practice, the range of mental health services, and relevant social policies are covered.
423 Child Welfare Practice and Policy (3) Emphasis is placed on assessment of and understanding child abuse and neglect, the long-term effects of child maltreatment, how to engage families in which child maltreatment is an identified issue, the child protective service system, and relevant policies.
431 Methods of Social Inquiry (3) The course introduces students to qualitative and quantitative research, ethical, and cultural issues in research, and fosters critical thinking in evaluating existing research. Students learn how to conduct a research project and the skills of social work practice evaluation.
432 Advanced Policy Practice (3) The relationship between social policy and social work practice is strengthened as students are taught the concept of policy practice or how to develop, influence, and implement social policy in their social work practice everyday.
450 Field Experience I (6) Senior field experience for the social work major in an approved setting and under the supervision of an approved field instructor. Senior social work majors only.
451 Field Experience II (6) Senior field experience for the social work major in an approved setting and under the supervision of an approved field instructor. Senior social work majors only.
490 Seminar in Social Work (3) In-depth topics in social work offered to complement the undergraduate program's field practicum and not offered in required classes.
495 Social Work Senior Seminar I (3) Integration of field and classroom experiences in discussing the application of the generalist model to the helping process. Emphasis is on all levels of practice (individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities). Social work majors only.
496 Social Work Senior Seminar II (3) Integration of field and classroom experiences in discussing the application of the generalist model to the helping process. Emphasis is on advocacy and social justice. Social work majors only.