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Course
description and objectives
Course description:
A critical and historical
understanding of social work knowledge, values, and intervention provides
students with a foundation for theory construction.
Objectives:
Students completing
this course will be able to:
- Discuss major
perspectives on knowledge and describe and apply a framework for critical
analysis of knowledge building;
- Describe major
approaches and basic processes involved in theory construction in
science in general, in the behavioral and social sciences, and in
social work;
- Describe and
evaluate critically the major explanatory and change theoretical frameworks,
and their links with social work theory and intervention;
- Describe types
of explanatory frameworks and their relationship to historical processes;
- Describe the
historically evolving mission of social work, and the development
and foundations for the profession's value and ethical positions;
- Describe and
evaluate critically competing explanatory and change theoretical frameworks
within the student's specialized area of study;
- Apply the knowledge
from this course to evaluate critically problem formulation, intervention,
and the theoretical, empirical and value bases underlying them within
the student's specialized area of study; and to propose alternative
perspectives and approaches to each of these;
- Incorporate sensitivity
to diversity and discrimination into the critical consideration of
social work history, values, and knowledge building.
Prerequisites:
None.
Course description:
An introduction
to the basic principles of research for planning and evaluating social
interventions. Topics include problem formulation, design, measurement,
analysis, and the application of findings to theory and practice.
Objectives:
By the end of this
course, students will be able to:
- Describe the
research process in social interventions;
- Critically evaluate
the quality of intervention research by others;
- Formulate research
questions designed to test, refine, and build explanatory and practice
theory;
- Identify and
demonstrate facility in research designs and data collection strategies
that are most appropriate to the planning and evaluation of social
interventions;
- Identify and
develop data collection instruments and measures for planning and
conducting social intervention research;
- Formulate a complete
and logical plan for data analysis that will adequately answer the
research questions and probe alternative explanations;
- Interpret research
findings and draw appropriate conclusions;
- Demonstrate facility
in the writing needed to describe social intervention research and
to report findings;
- Demonstrate standards
for ethical conduct of research;
- Discuss the importance
of, and principles for collaboration with the practice community in
formulating questions and devising research strategies that lead to
findings usable by practitioners at all levels;
- Develop research
plans and strategies that are sensitive to issues of diversity and
discrimination.
Prerequisites:
| Recommended: |
SoWo
102 or equivalent
SoWo 292 or equivalent |
Prerequisite
or co-requisite:
SoWo
304 or equivalent
Course description:
Designed to explore
basic principles and to provide advanced instruction in data analysis,
including the construction and analysis of tables, statistical tests,
and introduction to the use of computer programs.
Objectives:
At the completion
of SOWO 202, students will have analyzed several sets of data relevant
to social work, and they will be able to:
- Code data relevant
to social work and create a computerized data set from it.
- Construct frequency
and percent distributions, crosstabulation tables, pie charts, bar
graphs, histograms, frequency and percent curves, and scatter diagrams
which are appropriate for the presentation of social work data.
- Choose the correct
statistics, based on the level of measurement of the data, to describe
the central tendency and dispersion of social work data, as well as
the relationship between variables in the data, and have the computer
calculate the value of each statistic.
- Choose the most
effective graphic and/or tabular method of presenting descriptive
social work data so that the correct interpretation of the data will
be most apparent.
- Use descriptive
data to demonstrate clearly the characteristics of agency clients,
and to assist in interpreting the implications of such characteristics.
- Use data to display
any major differences that exist in the quantity and/or quality of
services received by agency clients.
- Assist in choosing
whether to use a parametric or a nonparametric statistical test, based
on the level of measurement and distribution of the data, to determine
whether or not the Null Hypothesis, Ho, can be rejected.
- Assist in choosing
the correct statistical test for testing Ho, and to determine whether
it should be a one- or a two-tailed test.
- Assist in choosing
the Level of Significance, LOS, and to understand the relationship
between the LOS and the relative ease of rejecting Ho, and between
the LOS and the probability of committing a Type I and a Type II error.
- Have the computer
calculate the value of the chosen statistical test and its accompanying
LOS, and be able to interpret correctly the meaning of these results.
- Present and explain
the results of such statistical tests to those who may use the results
for improving services to agency clients.
Prerequisite:
SoWO 102 or equivalent
Course description:
Course focuses on
the development of knowledge and skill in measuring social, psychological,
environmental, and other factors related to intervention with individuals,
families, groups, and organizations.
Course objectives:
Upon completion
of the course, students should be able to:
- Describe the
theoretical, conceptual, and methodological foundations of qualitative
and quantitative measurement.
- Develop and test
theory-based indices.
- Estimate the
reliability and validity of quantitative indices and scales.
- Conduct an elementary
qualitative data collection, including the use of field observation,
semi-structured interviewing, and qualitative data analysis.
- Apply qualitative
and quantitative measurement principles to various kinds of research
questions across a variety of populations, including women, African-American
and other peoples of color, and other persons affected by poverty
and oppression.
Prerequisite:
SoWo
304
Course description:
A systematic approach
to the design, implementation, and evaluation of social interventions
provides the framework for developing models that address a range of
social issues and needs.
Objectives:
Students completing
this course will be able to:
- Identify and
assess the socio-political dynamics involved in defining a specific
social need, problem, or condition at the societal and institutional
level, the organizational level, the familial and interpersonal level,
or the individual level;
- Analyze a social
need, problem or condition relevant to a particular population and
identify the implications of different levels of analysis for designing
appropriate interventions;
- Assess the theoretical
and empirical support for alternative approaches to intervention with
a particular population;
- Describe the
logical sequence that guides the design, implementation and evaluation
of social interventions and critically assess this process;
- Apply a systematic
approach to designing a social intervention model that is responsive
to the specific social need, problem or condition of a particular
population in a specialized area;
- Select and apply
appropriate research methodology in evaluating a social intervention
model;
- Demonstrate awareness
of the interplay of different levels of intervention and factors such
as race, gender, class, and culture in designing, implementing and
evaluating a social intervention model;
- Generate hypotheses
for guiding empirical inquiry for testing theories and models of social
intervention;
- Apply theory
construction strategies and techniques for building social intervention
theories and models;
- Delineate effectyive
strategies for collaboration between academic and practice communities
in designing, implementing, and evaluating social intervention models.
Prerequisites:
SoWo
301 Foundations for Theory Construction
SoWo 303 Research Methods in Social Intervention
SoWo 314 Measurement in Social Intervention Research
Prerequisite
or co-requisite:
Theory and methods
courses in the minor area
Course description:
Students develop
independent research competence through work on a research project under
the direction of an experienced researcher.
Objectives:
Students will utilize
the research practicum to:
- Build skills
for research on social interventions;
- Develop competencies
for initiating and carrying out agency based research in a mode of
collaboration with practitioners;
- Carry out developmental
or preparatory steps of the dissertation project;
- Add to their
understanding of the complete research process;
- Develop skills
in writing for publication and presenting in professional forums.
In connection with
an original or an existing research project, students will carry out
selected steps of the following research process, plan others, and critique
those already completed:
- Collaborate with
other researchers and practitioners in the design and implementation
of the research project;
- Formulate research
questions of practical and theoretical significance;
- Design the overall
research strategy for answering the research questions;
- Develop appropriate
data collection strategies;
- Plan the data
analysis;
- Consider issues
of diversity and discrimination into the research in formulating the
research questions and designing the study;
- Describe the
planned study in a complete research proposal;
- Carry out the
proposed data collection and analysis;
- Interpret findings
and discuss their implications for theory and practice;
- Write up findings
in one or more publishable articles;
Prerequisites:
SoWo
301 Foundations for Theory Construction
SoWo 303 Research Methods in Social Intervention
SoWo 314 Measurement in Social Intervention Research
SoWo 312 Development of Social Intervention Models
SoWo 304 or equivalent
Other research and data analysis courses (electives or minor courses)
If they choose,
students may register for a second research practicum.
Course description:
Students build advanced
competence in research design, data collection, data analysis and statistics,
by analyzing exemplary social work research and presenting independent
learning projects within specialized areas of study.
Objectives:
By the end of this
course, students will be able to:
- Identify key
measurement problems involved in the design and evaluation of social
interventions and suggest appropriate solutions;
- Assess the strengths
and weaknesses of alternative strategies for collecting, analyzing
and interpreting data from needs analyses and evaluations in direct
practice, program and policy interventions;
- Design research
that incorporates complementary data collection strategies and triangulation
of methods to increase the validity and credibility of research findings;
- Identify specific
strategies for collaborating with practitioners in developmental projects,
formulation of research questions and selection of designs and measurement
tools so as to produce findings usable by practitioners at all levels;
- Devise multiperspective
evaluation designs that are capable of capturing the intervention,
processes shaping implementation, the changes that occur in program
or activity participants, and outcomes and impacts;
- Analyze qualitative
data systematically by selecting appropriate interpretive or quantified
content analysis strategies;
- Critically evaluate
current research in social work;
- Articulate implications
of research findings for explanatory and practice theory development
and for practice/program implementation;
- Instruct classmates
and others in an advanced statistical or qualitative data analysis
procedure.
Prerequisites:
SoWo
301 Foundations for Theory Construction
SoWo 303 Research Methods in Social Intervention
SoWo 314 Measurement in Social Intervention Research
SoWo 312 Development of Social Intervention Models
SoWo 304 or equivalent
Research/Statistics/Data Analysis Sequence in Minor Program
Course description:
This seminar examines
the role and structure of social work education at the B.S.W., M.S.W.,
and Ph.D. levels, and emphasizes curriculum development, educational
design, and instructional delivery (1 credit hour).
Purpose:
The goals of this seminar are to introduce students to the structure
and scope of social work education, them you with the requisite knowledge
and skills for effective and competent teaching, and to prepare them
for teaching responsibilities in primarily academic but also training
settings.
Objectives:
At the conclusion
of this course students will be able demonstrate the following at beginning
levels:
- An understanding
of the history, philosophy, current mission, organization, and curricular
linkages of social work education at the B.S.W., M.S.W. and Ph.D.
levels.
- Appropriate knowledge
and skills in the various educational methods and faculty roles available
and useful for effective teaching. You should be able to apply the
knowledge and skills, including purposeful selection of instructional
formats, educational materials, and student evaluation strategies.
- A developing
competence in the design, implementation and student evaluation processes
for social work and social welfare curricula.
- An understanding
of your own preferred teaching style, strengths, and weaknesses in
assuming the role of instructor, and comprehending and adjusting for
the reality that your preferred teaching style may not fit with the
variety of student learning styles existing in the classroom.
- An understanding
of the connections and parallel processes of social work field education
and academic classroom teaching.
Course description:
This practicum provides
a range of supervised classroom, or training opportunities designed
to prepare advanced doctoral students for faculty positions in undergraduate
and graduate level social work education (two credit hours).
Purpose:
The goals of this
practicum are to build on the knowledge gained in SOWO 306 and provide
a supervised learning experience where doctoral students can work with
a "master teacher" and begin to acquire and practice the skills
necessary for competent instructional delivery and effective teaching
in Schools or Programs in Social Work.
Objectives:
While it is understood
that becoming an effective teacher is a lifelong endeavor, at the conclusion
of this course students should be able demonstrate the following at
beginning levels:
- The ability to
design a set of instructional activities (e.g. lecture, discussion,
exercises, etc.) that together help students gain greater depth of
understanding, knowledge, and/or skills about a particular relevant
area of concern.
- The ability to
implement these instructional activities and the various educational
methods in ways that allow, enhance, and amplify students' learning
and skill development.
- A developing
competence in the design, implementation, and grading of student evaluation
methods for social work (e.g., papers, tests, presentations).
- An ability to
assess and critique the students 'own and their colleagues' teaching
style, instructional methods, and general strengths and weaknesses
in assuming the role of social work instructor.
Students register
for SoWo 394 for a variable number of credits in order to continue being
considered full time students.
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