Course Description
The course introduces you to the profession of Social Work as well as to the Baccalaureate Social Work (undergrad) program. Together we will examine the history of Social Work and the broader field of Social Welfare. One overarching goal of this course is to assist you in understanding:
- what Social Work is and
- whether it is a field you wish to pursue as a career.
To do that, we will be examining multiple issues that confront Social Work clients and the challenges of using Social Work knowledge and skills to address those issues.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course you will be able to:
- Discuss the history of Social Work
- Describe practice settings and career opportunities in Social Work
- Discuss some of the problems and approaches addressed by Social Work, such as: mental illness, substance abuse, criminal justice, social inequality, poverty, and family violence
- Describe what generalist Social Work practice is
- Evaluate a practice setting
- Evaluate personal interest in and capacity for pursuing Social Work as a career
Required Text - Auto Access
Popple, P.R. & Leighninger, L. (2011). Social Work, Social Welfare, and American Society. (8th Ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson Publishing Company.
The required textbook for this course is a low-cost auto access digital textbook. Access the textbook using the link provided in the Textbook Access Module of this course (click on the Modules link to the left).
NOTE: You will be automatically charged for the digital textbook after the “Add” deadline (the end of the 2nd week of the semester).
If you do not want to use the digital textbook (perhaps you already purchased the print version of the textbook), you must opt out or you will be charged for the digital textbook. Follow this link if you wish to opt out: https://web.byui.edu/byuistore/booklist.
If you want to use an alternative method of obtaining your textbook, you can compare prices through the University Store Price Comparison site. They will show you all of the options from the University Store plus several online options to help you find the best price. Hardcopy ISBN-13: 978-0205793839
Course Flow
This course has 2 main due dates:
- One mid-week:
- review the overview,
- complete your readings, and
- take the quiz
- make your initial Discussion Board post
- Second end-of-week:
- post two responses/summaries
- submit experiential and/or learning activities
Check the calendar for specific assignments' due dates.
You will also:
- take three exams
- W06, W10, W14 and
- have opportunities to provide course feedback
- mid-semester and
- end-of-semester evaluations.
Assignments
See the course schedule (below) for a listing of the course assignments.
Use the calendar to verify their specific due dates and times.
Documentation
You will need to document any/all work that is not your own. Failure to do so is plagiarism and will result in complete loss of credit for the assignment. Additionally, the incident will be reported to the student honor office for review. If in doubt, check online resources or with your instructor before submitting the assignment.
Grading
| 13 Quizzes | 20 points each (20% of final grade) |
| 3 Exams | 100 points each (30% of final grade) |
| Experimental Activities | (25% of final grade) |
| Introduction Discussion | 10 points |
| Social History Interview | 10 points |
| Trust Activity | 15 points |
| Social Worker Interview | 15 points |
| “Helium” Hula Hoop | 15 points |
| IAT or Insider/Outsider | 15 points |
| Site Visit Discussion | 10 points |
| Poverty | 15 points |
| ReMoved Discussion | 10 points |
| Traffic Jam | 15 points |
| Food Drive | 30 points |
| Visit | 15 points |
| Homelessness Discussion | 10 points |
| Age Related Physical Changes Simulation | 15 points |
| Learning Activities | (25% of final grade) |
| Case Studies | 5 points |
| Political Perspectives | 15 points |
| Change Agent Discussion | 10 points |
| BLS Discussion | 10 points |
| Social Work Values | 15 points |
| Human Knot | 15 points |
| Wheatley House | 15 points |
| Change Agents Orgs Discussion | 10 points |
| Angry Eye Discussion | 10 points |
| Learning Activity 2 | 15 points |
| Consequences of Abuse | 15 points |
| Smith Family | 10 points |
| Social Welfare Programs | 15 points |
| Freedom Writers | 15 points |
| Tammy's Story | 15 points |
| When Kids Get Life | 15 points |
| What's Medically Wrong with This? | 15 points |
| Mental Health Discussion | 10 points |
| Homelessness Solutions | 15 points |
| Living Old Discussion | 10 points |
| Quizzes total points = 260 |
| Exams total points possible = 300 |
| Experiential activities total points possible = 200 |
| Learning activities total points possible = 255 |
| Mid-course feedback total points possible = 1 |
| Total points possible overall = 1016 |
| Point Range | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 945 or more | A |
| 915 - 944 | A - |
| 885 - 914 | B+ |
| 845 - 884 | B |
| 815 - 844 | B - |
| 785 - 814 | C+ |
| 745 - 784 | C |
| 715 - 744 | C- |
| 685 - 714 | D+ |
| 645 - 684 | D |
| 615 - 644 | D- |
| 614 or less | F |
Special Accommodations for Students with a Disability
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, all qualified students enrolled in this course are entitled to “reasonable accommodation.” It is the student’s responsibility to disclose to the teacher any special needs before the end of the first week of class. BYU Idaho will provide upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Disability Services at (208) 496-9210.
Course Copyright
Materials on BYU Idaho I-Learn and related sites may be protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code). These materials are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course and may not be retained or further disseminated.