SOW 7216
Social Work Policy
and Services
DRAFT
Professor: Richard Beaulaurier, Ph. D., MSW Telephone: 305-348-5880
0ffice: GL 467 E‑mail: beau@fiu.edu
Office Hours: Monday, 2-5
Catalog Description
This course offers
students the opportunity to gain advanced knowledge about theories underlying
the development social welfare policy and the policymaking processes.
Course Description
The course will be taught
in seminar fashion with students participating as equal partners with the
course professor in the discussion of assigned readings. The course will focus
primarily on discussing theories underlying the development social welfare
policies to address specific social problems of interest to the students
enrolled in the course. During the
course the students and professor will analyze and discuss whether the theoretical
underpinnings of a given social welfare policy: 1) are based on specific value
systems or the result of empirical data, 2) affect the effectiveness of the
social welfare policies developed to address a given social problem, 3) are
incremental or radical in nature, 4) involved few or many key players and
require a high or low degree of consensus among the key players involved, 5)
easy or difficult to implement and
evaluate, 6) require significant or few expenditures
of resources, 7) require constant modifications of the policy. Attention will
be paid to discussing theories that focus on economic models, social
justice/actions models, political action
models, and or conspiratorial models.
Course
Objectives:
To
provide students with the skills to:
1.
Identify important theoretical models underlying the development of social
welfare policies in the
2. Formulate plausible theoretical
rationales for the development of policies that will more effectively address a
given social problem.
3. Utilize theory of policy
analyses to analyze the formulation, development, and modification of specific
social welfare policies.
Educational
Outcomes:
Upon
completion, students will be able to:
1. Understand the origins and process of policy
development.
2. Identify the impact that understanding the theoretical origins of policy development has the effectiveness of a given policy in achieving it stated objectives.
3. Write an excellent policy position paper.
Recommended readings will be decided by the instructor and students based upon their area of interest
Course
Requirements:
Students are expected two
lead two classroom discussions on theoretical model underlying the development
of existing and future policy development to address their identified problem
area. 10%
Actively participate in class room discussion. Students are
expected along with the instructor to lead classroom discussion when it related
to the their chosen area of interest 10%
The major
assignment (80%) is the “social problem/issue/theory” paper which will follow the format
outlined in the Ph.D. Handbook:
Social Problem/Issue/Theory Paper
There are no a priori limits on suitable topics in this area, which usually refers to a “social problem” – usually manifest in individual, familial, organizational, institutional, or broadly societal dysfunction – or a “public issue” that is of significant concern to one or more actors in social welfare. Examples of broad, multidimensional problem areas include child abuse or neglect, crime and delinquency, homelessness, human rights abuses, inadequate health care insurance, poverty, psychological distress or mental illness, racism, sexism, substance abuse, unemployment, urban deterioration, youth violence, and many others. Some examples of public issues include acculturation, aging of the population, disaster relief, ethnic disparities in access to health care, family preservation, globalization and social policies, housing, social support, technology in human services, medicalization, multiculturalism, refugee resettlement, rights of the disabled, etc.
Students are encouraged to focus on particular aspects of a social problem or issue, for example, how specific groups are affected by or respond to it, or the merits or shortcomings of one or more theories used to explain the problem or issue. This focus enables students to demonstrate their understanding of a reasonably-sized body of literature.
Students are expected to demonstrate an advanced understanding of how the problem or issue is defined and explained by various actors or stakeholders, and of the historical, policy, institutional, and other contexts within which the problem or concerns about the problem reside. This might include the history of varying definitions of the problem, the salient indicators of the problem as currently defined (e.g., characteristics of affected populations, prevalence and incidence rates, evolution over time), the major social policies (e.g., laws, regulations, court decisions, dominant or normative ideologies) that pertain to the problem or issue, as well as the characteristics of key service delivery systems (e.g., major programs and their financing, their stated goals and structures and eligibility criteria) that attempt to respond formally or informally to the problem or issue. This might also include a critical understanding of major ideological, theoretical, and empirical perspectives which seek to explain the origin, development, and consequences of the problem or issue.
Students
demonstrate their understanding by means of the breadth and depth of the
coverage, by their reference to seminal, appropriate, and timely literature, by
the quality of their logic and argumentation, by their ability to critically
engage with (rather than merely summarize) relevant literature related to their
topic, and by the clarity and accuracy of their language and presentation.
GRADING
Final
grades will be earned according to
A = 100-93
C+ = 79-77 D- = 62-60
A- =
92-90 C = 76-73 F
= 59-0
B+= 89-87
C- = 72-70
B = 86-83
D+= 69-67
B-= 82-80 D = 66-63
Class schedule
Week 1 Introduction to course and requirements ( Dr de la Rosa Leads
Week 2-3 Discussion of SW History
Jansson,
B. S. (2005). The Reluctant Welfare State.
Trattner,
W.
Alexander, C. A. “Distinctive Dates in Social Welfare History.”
Week 4-5 The profession of Social Work in Historical Context:
Start with:
Flexner, A. (2001). "Is Social Work a Profession?" Research on Social Work Practice 11(2): 152-165.
Coyle, G. L. (1947). Group Experience.
Chapter 6: On becoming professional
Week 4-5
Professionalizers of Social Work in their Own Words and the Words of Some Significant Others:
Work with indidviduals
Pumphrey, R. E., & Pumphrey, M. W. (1961). The
Heritage of American Social Work.
Chapter 60: Zipha Smith: The education of the friendly visitor
Chapter 95: Virginia P. Robinson: Emerging Awareness of Relationship.
Chapter 1: Beginings
Chapter 4: Social Case Work Defined
Lowry, F. (Ed.). (1939).
Chapter:
Grace F. Marcus: The status of social case work today
Bertha C. Reynolds: Social case work: What is it: What is its place in the world today?
Charlotte Towle: Factors in treatment
Harriett M. Bartlett: Problems and trends in medical social case work
Robinson, V. P. (1936). Supervision in Social
Casework.
Chapter 3: The development of a professional self in social case work training.
Reynolds, B. C. (1951). Social work and social
living: Explorations in philosophy and practice.
Chapter 6: Is diagnosis an imposition?
Perlman, H. H. (1957). Social Casework.
Forward
Chapter 6: The caseworker-client relationship
Northern, H. (1969). Social Work with Groups.
Chapter 1: The nature of social work practice
Chapter 3: The role of the social worker: An overview
Weeks 6-7
Work with large systems:
Pumphrey, R. E., & Pumphrey, M. W. (1961). The
Heritage of American Social Work.
Chapter 72: Jane Addams: The subtle problems of charity
Addams, J. (1961). Twenty Years at Hull-House.
Chapter 6: The subjective necessity for social settlements
Chapter 7: Early
Undertakings at
Cox, F. M., Erlich, J. L., Rothman, J., &
Tropman, J. E. (Eds.). (1970). Strategies of community organization (2nd
ed.).
Fred M. Cox and Charles Garvin: The relation of social forces to the emergence of community organization practice: 1965-1968
Saul D. Alinsky: Of means and ends
Saul D. Alinsky: Citizen participation and community organization in planning and urban renewal
Reynolds, B. C. (1942). Learning and Teaching in
the Practice of Social Work.
Chapter 4: Social Work and Administration
Rothman, J. (Ed.). (1999). Reflections on
community organizing (5th ed.).
Jack Rothman: Historical context in community organization
Individual reading assignments will be assigned at this stage in the course.
Week 8:
A Critical Perspective on the Social Work Profession
Specht, H., & Courtney, M. E. (1994). Unfaithful
Angels: How Social Work has Abandoned its
Chapt. 3: The Emergence of Social Work as a Profession.
Lowe, G. R. (1987). "Social work's professional mistake: Confusing status for control." Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare 14(2): 187-206.
Lowe, G. R. (1985). "The graduate only debate in social work education, 1939-1959, and its conseqences for the profession." Jouranl of Social Work Education 21(3): 52-62.
Lowe, G. R. (2007) Social Work Organization (DRAFT COPY).
From Week 9-12 discussion will center on areas of student interest discussion focuses on student papers and interests.
Week 13 Final submission of social problem paper