SOCIAL
WORK COURSES
SWO 221 Contemporary Social Work (Elective)
(A). Covers these major areas of study: areas of human need and forces contributing
to social problems; institutions designed to meet human needs; range of
service professions (concepts, techniques and organizational characteristics);
societal value systems, national as well as international focus; skills
in assessment, independent-learning projects, group process and emphasis
on professional behavior.
3 credits. 
SWO 301 Human Behavior and Social Environment
I (A,W). Prerequisites: SOC 100, PSH 100, and BIO 281. Provides a
social work perspective or knowledge and theory related to the human life
cycle. Studies the life-span development of human beings in the context
of their emotional, physical, intellectual, and social needs. 3 credits.
SWO 302 Human Behavior and Social Environment
II (A). Prerequisites: SWO 301. Entails the second course
in a two-course sequence dealing with human behavior. Applies social systems
theory to collective functioning, specifically the interaction of the
individual with the small group, the family, the organization, the community,
and larger social systems. Integrates knowledge from the social, behavioral,
and human biological sciences to provide a comprehensive view of people
interacting with their environments. 3 credits.
SWO 303 Crisis Intervention (Elective)
(A). Provides an in-depth study of issues related to the historical background
and theoretical bases of crisis intervention and the steps to be taken
in crisis resolution. Develops an understanding of situational and maturational
crises. Examines ethical dilemmas related to the use of authority in crises
situations. Covers implications of crisis intervention with families,
groups, and communities. 3 credits.
SWO 310 Social-Work Research Methods
(A,T) Prerequisites: SOC 200, or PSH 202;, open only to majors.
Covers research methods applied to social work practice and human services.
Includes research methods, designs, and basic data interpretation; development
of computer skills through data input and data analysis. Places major
emphasis on practice effectiveness and program evaluation. 3 credits.
SWO 311 Human Service Systems/Social
Policy (A). Explores social welfare policies within the framework
of historical development, contemporary practices; evaluation of policies
from the perspective of political implications, social work context, client
needs and economic factors. 3 credits.
SWO 321 Cultural Diversity (A).
Identifies areas of misinformation that perpetuate exclusion of subcultural
groups from mainstream opportunities; differentiates covert acts, institutional
policies, and ideologies that foster the exclusion of culturally diverse
groups; compares such groups to mainstream American culture; recognizes
and deals with students' personal feelings regarding range of minority
groups and issues as these negatively or positively affect the provider
of service. 3 credits.
SWO 322 Social and Economic Justice (A). This course introduces students to social and economic justice issues in the United States and internationally. Specific attention will be given to inequality arising from race, class, gender, and age. Students will examine social workers’ roles in addressing these disparities. This knowledge will enhance the student’s understanding of how local, national, and international social policies work to maintain or ameliorate these disparities. 3 Cr.
SWO 341 Social Work Methods I (B).
Open only to majors; taken concurrently or as prerequisites: SWO 321
and 301. Emphasizes a generalist orientation in preparation for entry-level
practice; offers a systems' approach framework within which to understand
social work as a service delivery system, change-agents targets, etc.;
and as process within which skills are learned and carried out. 3 credits.
SWO 342 Social Work Methods II
(B). Open only to majors. Prerequisite: SWO 341; co-requisite:
SWO 331. Explores the face-to-face service delivery process learned
through identification and assumption of client/ worker roles in generalist
social-work practice. Uses exercises, role playing and simulations are
used to enhance learning. Teaches students the skills of helping individuals,
groups and families. 3 credits.
SWO 372 Sex and the Life Cycle (A).
Emphasizes sexual development through the life span with exploration of
biological, psychological, societal, and political forces shaping, determining
direction, expression, and lifestyle in positive sexual fulfillment; desensitization
exercises for effective handling of feelings, attitudes; explores selected
procedures for dealing with sexual problems. 3 credits.
SWO 373 School Social Work (Elective)
(A). Covers current practice of social work in school settings; roles
and tasks of social workers in educational contexts; skills pertinent
to this area of practice; developmental/behavioral issues related to school-age
children with an emphasis on the role of parents and community members;
stress factors in schools; and various models of social-work and personnel
collaboration in dealing with student dysfunction. 3 credits.
SWO 374 Probation and Parole (Elective)
(A). Covers the historical development from reform to reintegration in
the area of community corrections; trends in the philosophy of community
correction; social investigation; concepts of supervision with the resisting
client; and various service activities of the role. 3 credits.
SWO 379 People with Disabilities: Issues,
Legislation, Intervention (Elective) (A). Covers the definition, legislation,
and advocacy concerning persons with physically disabling conditions.
Places strong emphasis on and exploration of deafness, epilepsy, blindness
and cerebral palsy. Provides an historical survey of society's treatment
of physically disabled people. Studies federal and state legislation affecting
the civil rights of the physically disabled. 3 credits.
SWO 411 Human Service Systems/Analysis
(A). Prerequisite: SWO 311. Covers concepts, methods and techniques
used in the analysis of social policy; human service systems in relation
to social policy; community and print resources in relation to social
policy; and social policies relevant to the social-work profession. 3
credits.
SWO 441 Social Work Methods III (B).
Prerequisites: SWO 331, 341, 342 must be taken concurrently with field
instruction. Allows students to identify and perform various social-worker
roles and skills; use change-agent skills for group and community social
work; organization and group member roles; and social issues and social
work attitudes for working with self-help groups, community groups and
organizations. 3 credits.
SWO 451 Field Instruction 1 (B).
Prerequisites: SWO 331, 341, 342 and all other 200- and 300-level courses
required for the social work major. Allows for the application of
social-work skills and knowledge to implement tasks and strategies of
an entry-level generalist social worker in a service delivery system.
5 credits.
SWO 453 Field Instruction II (B).
Prerequisite: SWO 451; must be taken concurrent with SWO 441. Provides
a continuation of SWO 451, emphasizing elaboration and refinement of skills
in a service delivery system. 5 credits.
SWO 454 Field Instruction (B). Prerequisites:
SWO 331, 341, 342, and all other 200- and 300-level courses required for
the social work major; must be taken concurrently with SWO 441. Combines
SWO 451 and 453 in a concentrated 4-5 day week block field placement.
10 credits.
SWO 455 Seminar in Field Instruction
I (B). Must be taken concurrently with SWO 451. Provides an
opportunity to achieve integration of classroom learning with field experience;
resolution of discontinuity regarding the development of social work competencies
in the field setting; development and integration of responsibilities
of social work's professional role. 1 credit.
SWO 456 Seminar in Field Instruction
(B). Taken concurrently with SWO 454. Provides a combination
of SWO 455 and 457 and 2 credits.
SWO 457 Seminar in Field Instruction
II (B). Must be taken concurrently with Social Work 453. Provides
a continuation of Social Work 455. Provides an opportunity to review and
integrate course content from all of the program components. 1 credit.
SWO 474 Child Welfare (Elective)
(A). Covers the historical development of child-welfare services in the
United States and other nations; related social-welfare policies affecting
children and society and family; emphasizes working with the issues of
child abuse, neglect, foster care, adoption, exploitation, adolescent
pregnancy, and legal status; and examines of the rights of the child.
3 credits.
SWO 475 Women's Lives(Elective) (A)
Cross-listed as WMS 475. Examines women as clients, helpers, and
policy makers in context of social forces, values, attitudes, and norms.
Theoretical, developmental, political and social implications of women's
changing roles. 3 credits.
SWO 476 Gerontology (Elective)
(A). Examines the older person as an evolving person; bio-psycho-social
elements in the aging process; major issues related to the older person;
the aging process and the society; comparison of needs of elderly with
the service system's program; and methods of intervention specifically
needed for the older person. 3 credits.
SWO 477 Perspectives on Older Adults and the Aging Family (A). Provides in-depth analysis of select issues faced by older adults and their families using a multi-systems perspective and service learning activities. Bridging theory and practice, content utilizes a case study methodology to reflect practice-based situations encountered by health providers, older adults and their families. Topics include family caregiver/care recipient experiences, loss/resiliency, advance directives/end-of-life decision-making, impact of substance abuse on aging families, and elder abuse. 3 Cr. Spring
SWO 478 Developmental Disability
(Elective) (A). Examines and analyzes developmental disabilities in
individual, family and group practice experiences; and policy and planning
in the development, coordination and implementation of delivery systems.
3 credits.
SWO 480 Ethical and Value Dilemmas in
the Helping Professions (Elective) (A). Examines the nature, basis
and expression of value dimensions in the human helping processes used
by professional care providers. 3 credits.
SWO 482 Dealing With Diversity. Helps students
understand the different constraints and motivations of people from backgrounds
different from their own. Examines, critical components of social interaction,
the concept of race, social class, age, gender, sexual orientation, and
the sociology of minorities. 3 credits.
SWO 492 Topics in Social Work (A). Provides an intensive study
of a specific topic with a small group of students. May be repeated for
credit of topics are different. 1-6 credits.
SWO 499 Independent Study in Social Work (A). Allows students
to complete an independent project, related to either academic or field
study. Enrollment by permission of and in consultation with social work
faculty. Credit's based on contract decision.
