This three-credit course enables students to explore the unique circumstances of vulnerable and disadvantaged populations through an ADEI lens. Students will also gain experience serving these populations outside the classroom. Students will meet for class once a week and complete 3-5 hours of service/shadowing per week starting week 3. Students will complete at least 30 hours of service/shadowing by the end of the semester. At the beginning of the semester, students will develop a service-learning plan that includes the agencies where they will complete their hours, the agency supervisors, the activities they will participate in, and the learning objectives for each agency. Students will get experience with a minimum of 5 different populations throughout the semester. Assignments support the integration of course material with experience and will focus on incorporating ADEI values into social work practice. Students examine the congruence of personal values with professional values, study social work ethics, and learn about professional boundaries. Prerequisite: 210 or concurrent.

Students will learn essential interviewing skills for empowering and strengths-based social work practice. Motivational and solution-focused skills necessary for ethical practice in using the planned change process are defined, modeled, rehearsed, and evaluated. Emphasis is placed in developing cross-cultural practice skills sensitive to the needs of diverse and vulnerable populations. The course includes a structured lab with recorded interviews, instructor, and peer evaluations. Prerequisites: 210, admission to the social work program.

Courses on topics of interest to social work students offered on the basis of need, interest, or timeliness. Prerequisites as determined by instructor. Restricted to students with freshman or sophomore standing. May be repeated for credit. For specific section description, click to the Section Details in VitNet.

Independent reading and/or research under the supervision of a faculty member. Refer to the academic policy section for independent study policy. Independent study contract is required. May be repeated for credit.

This course will provide students with knowledge and skills of generalist social work practice with individuals and families. Students will develop interviewing and practice skills in relation to working with clients of diverse racial, cultural, class, and religious backgrounds, as well as address social work values and ethics. The planned change process, ethical and purposeful use of self, and use of theory to guide practice will be emphasized. Prerequisites: 280, 331; admission to the social work program.

This course focuses on theory and knowledge of individuals and families including biological, social, psychological, spiritual, and cultural factors that impact human development and behavior. Utilizing the generalist approach to social work practice, a social systems perspective is applied to understand the relationships between individuals, families and the broader social environment. Diversity is presented in its many facets covering ethnicity, culture, race, social class, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability. The impact of discrimination and other forms of oppression on individual development and behavior are examined. Prerequisites: BIOL 203, PSYC 171, SOCL 125, admission to the social work program.

This course surveys the field of child welfare. Students will acquire an understanding of the issues that impact the welfare of children in our society, including poverty, substance abuse, violence, and mental health concerns, the relationship between these issues and child abuse and neglect. Students will examine the issues involved in providing services to children affected by child abuse and neglect, unplanned pregnancy, foster care, and institutional care. The student will acquire knowledge relevant to working with children, biological parents, foster parents, adoptive parents, and other systems involved in the welfare of children. Restricted to students with sophomore standing or higher. Prerequisite: 210 or SOCL 125 or PSYC 171.