Graduate Courses
Professional liability insurance is required and a criminal background check may be required of all students enrolled in field placement or internship courses. The insurance policy must cover the duration of the course, beginning on or before the first regular class period.
The faculty has approval to offer the following courses in the academic years 2013–2014 and 2014–2015; however, not all courses are taught each semester or summer session. Students should consult the Course Schedule to determine which courses and topics will be offered during a particular semester or summer session. The Course Schedule may also reflect changes made to the course inventory after the publication of this catalog.
Social Work: S W
S W 381R. Human Behavior and the Social Environment.
Focuses on empirically based theories and conceptual approaches that form the foundation for social work practice and research with individuals and families in social systems. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 381S. Foundations of Social Justice: Values, Diversity, Power, and Oppression.
History, demographics, and cultures of various populations at risk with an emphasis on self-awareness and understanding the impact of discrimination and oppression by individuals and society on people of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and orientations. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 381T. Dynamics of Organizations and Communities.
The organizational and community context within which social services are delivered and the influence of funding, mandate, and organizational arrangements on service delivery, with attention given to populations at risk. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 382R. Social Policy Analysis and Social Problems.
Historical perspective on the development of social welfare institutions, programs, and policies. Students study methods of current policy analysis and evaluation of social problems. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 383R. Social Work Practice I.
Introduction to social work practice methodology and the professional use of self in generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work and concurrent enrollment in Social Work 384R, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 383T. Social Work Practice II.
Students examine, critique, select, and apply social work micro, mezzo, and macro theories and methods in advanced clinical and community practice. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work and concurrent enrollment in Social Work 384S, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 384R. Field Instruction I.
Practice course based on supervised assignments designed to develop a social work perspective and skill in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Sixteen to twenty hours a week (a total of at least 240 hours) in field placement and a weekly one-hour integrative seminar in the application of theoretical material to practice problems and to special issues. One lecture hour and sixteen to twenty hours of fieldwork a week for one semester. Social Work 384R and 384S must be taken in consecutive semesters. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work and concurrent enrollment in Social Work 383R, or graduate standing and consent of the field director or the graduate adviser.
S W 384S. Field Instruction II.
Continuation of Social Work 384R. Sixteen to twenty hours a week (a total of at least 240 hours) in field placement and a weekly one-hour integrative seminar that emphasizes advanced application of theory to practice and to consideration of special issues. One lecture hour and sixteen to twenty hours of fieldwork a week for one semester. Social Work 384R and 384S must be taken in consecutive semesters. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work and concurrent enrollment in Social Work 383T, or graduate standing and consent of the field director or the graduate adviser.
S W 385R. Social Work Research Methods.
Study of the scientific method and the use of research as a tool for professional practice. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 385T. Advanced Integrative Capstone in Social Work Knowledge and Practice.
Applies knowledge, skills, and theories to values and ethics, diversity, populations at risk, social and economic justice, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy, social work practice, research, and field education. Designed to be taken concurrently with Social Work 694R. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
S W 387C. Direct Practice Field Immersion.
Students work in a professional agency assisting clients. One weekly seminar hour and at least eight hours of fieldwork a week for one semester. Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 387R. Topics in Special Issues.
Three lecture hours a week for one semester, or as required by the topic. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
Topic 1: Loss and Grief: Individual and Family Perspectives.
Topic 12: Contemporary Issues in Foster Care and Adoption.
Topic 13: Aging and Disability. Web-based instruction; no class meetings.
Topic 14: Family Support, Self-Determination, and Disability. Web-based instruction; no class meetings.
Topic 15: Introduction to Gerontology.
Topic 16: Developmental Disabilities and Self-Advocacy. Web-based instruction; no class meetings.
Topic 17: Making Systems Work for People with Disabilities. Web-based instruction; no class meetings.
Topic 18: The Social Construction of Disability. Web-based instruction; no class meetings.
Topic 19: Spirituality in Social Work Practice.
Topic 20: Dynamics of Chemical Dependence.
Topic 22: Social Work in the School Setting.
Topic 23: Social Work Practice with Older Adults.
Topic 24: Constitutional Law for Social Workers.
Topic 25: Social Work in the Legal System.
Topic 26: Spanish for Social Workers. Additional prerequisite: Demonstrated proficiency in Spanish.
Topic 27: Women with Disabilities. Web-based instruction; no class meetings.
Topic 28: Health and Psychosocial Factors.
Topic 29: The Built Environment and Public Health.
Topic 30: Contemporary Practice with Older Adults.
Topic 31: Kinship Care: Children and Family Systems.
Topic 32: Psychosocial Oncology Practice and Research.
Topic 33: Child and Adult Attachment in Clinical Practice.
Topic 35: Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Practice.
Topic 36: Social Work in Health Care.
Topic 37: Social Work with Military Personnel and Families. May be repeated for credit. Offered on the letter-grade basis only.
S W 388R. Seminar: Advanced Research in Social Work.
Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work and consent of instructor and the graduate adviser.
Topic 1: Research Methods I. Introduction to the basic elements of research design in the social sciences, with particular attention to social work research. Required of all doctoral students in social work.
Topic 2: Research Methods II. Quantitative research methods as they are applied in the social and behavioral sciences. Designed to provide students with the knowledge and competence in quantitative research methods required to conduct independent research that will expand the knowledge base of the profession. Focuses on the application of concepts studied in Topic 1 and includes research design, measurement in social science, statistical power analysis, effect size, multivariate data analysis, computer applications for data analysis, proposal writing, and research ethics. Required of all doctoral students in social work.
Topic 3: Research Methods III. Introduction to qualitative research methodologies, paradigms, epistemologies, and theories. Qualitative methods of inquiry, including research designs, specific data collection methods, and analytic and interpretive procedures. Discussion of several approaches to qualitative data collection and analysis. Required of all doctoral students in social work.
Topic 6: Data Analysis and Computers I. Introduction to fundamental concepts and statistical procedures used in social work research and to computer applications used for data analysis. Designed to help students develop basic skills in data file construction and manipulation, data definition, and statistical analysis and the conceptual and mathematical understanding of statistics needed for advanced work in research design, model development, model fitting and estimation, hypothesis testing, multivariate techniques, and interpretation of data. Basic statistical concepts through specific parametric and nonparametric statistics. Required of all doctoral students in social work.
Topic 7: Data Analysis and Computers II. Builds on the concepts and procedures introduced in Topic 6. Designed to enable students to do data analysis using multivariate statistical procedures. Primary focus on using the SPSS statistical software package for calculating multivariate statistics and on using the statistical output in research findings. Required of all doctoral students in social work.
S W 390N. Seminar: Strategies of Intervention.
A critical evaluation of social work intervention strategies in human services, using alternative theoretical perspectives. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor and the graduate adviser.
Topic 1: Historical Perspectives on Social Work Practice.
Topic 2: Theories of Social Work Practice.
Topic 3: Theories of Social Work Practice in Administration, Planning, and Program Policy. Major theories of organization and management as they are applied in human service organizations. Historical development of the major schools of organizational and management theory and the dynamic evolution and contemporary applications of those theories in human service management.
Topic 4: Theories of Clinical Social Work Practice.
Topic 6: Issues in Social Work and Social Work Education. Development of social work and social work education in American society. Particular emphasis on the events of the Progressive Era, the 1930s, and the 1960s; current issues in social work education; and changes in the role of women in organized professions.
Topic 7: Theories of Direct Practice in Social Work. Philosophical, theoretical, and empirical underpinnings of various practice theories. Emphasis on the philosophical assumptions and scientific basis of various theories. Research methodologies such as process/outcome paradigms, experimental designs, and meta-analysis, which are used to develop and investigate the effectiveness of direct practice theories.
Topic 8: Direct Practice Theories.
Topic 9: Policy Theory.
S W 392R. Topics in Social Welfare Policy Analysis.
Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
Topic 1: Health, Mental Health, and Chemical Dependence.
Topic 2: Children and Families.
Topic 3: Poverty and Public Policy.
Topic 4: Social Policy for the Aging Population.
S W 393R. Topics in Advanced Clinical Practice.
Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
Topic 1: Clinical Assessment and Differential Diagnosis.
Topic 3: Theories and Methods of Family Intervention.
Topic 9: Assessment and Treatment of Traumatized Populations.
Topic 11: Clinical Intervention with Intergenerational Families Giving Care.
Topic 13: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
Topic 14: Counseling African American Individuals, Couples, and Families.
Topic 15: Couples Counseling.
Topic 16: Dual Diagnosis: Mental Disorders and Chemical Dependence.
Topic 18: Grief Counseling.
Topic 20: Methods of Play Intervention.
Topic 21: Motivational Interviewing.
Topic 22: Neurobiology and Social Work Practice.
Topic 23: Treatment of Chemical Dependence.
Topic 24: Treatment of Children and Adolescents.
Topic 26: Theories and Methods of Group Intervention.
Topic 29: Crisis Intervention.
Topic 30: Solution-Focused Brief Therapy.
S W 393T. Topics in Advanced Macro Practice.
The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester, or as required by the topic. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
Topic 8: Community Engagement and Management of Volunteers.
Topic 9: Community Organizing and Social Change.
Topic 10: Grant Development and Fund-Raising in Human Services.
Topic 11: International Social Work.
Topic 14: Psychiatric Disabilities: From the Inside Out. Web-based instruction; no class meetings.
Topic 16: Social Work Leadership in Human Service Organizations.
Topic 17: Human Resource Development.
Topic 18: Nonprofit Management in Human Services.
Topic 19: Strategic Partnerships through Collaborative Leadership.
Topic 20: Social Work Informatics in Management and Practice.
Topic 21: Applied Policy Practice.
Topic 22: Leadership in Community Building.
Topic 23: Leadership Strategies and Policy Practice.
Topic 25: Social Change and Community Practice.
Topic 26: Cross-Disciplinary Global Project Development in the United States and Abroad.
Topic 27: Program Evaluation. May be repeated for credit. Offered on the letter-grade basis only.
S W 393U. Topics in Social Justice and Populations at Risk.
Three lecture hours a week for one semester, or as required by the topic. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, or graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
Topic 1: Social Work Practice with Abused and Neglected Children and Their Families.
Topic 3: Working with Youth Gangs.
Topic 4: Social Work Practice with African American Families.
Topic 5: Social Work Practice with Mexican American Families.
Topic 10: Women and Addiction: Contemporary Issues.
Topic 16: Assessment and Treatment of Juvenile Offenders.
Topic 17: Gays and Lesbians in American Society: Policy and Practice.
Topic 18: Restorative Justice.
Topic 20: Cultural Factors in Substance Abuse Treatment for Underserved Populations.
Topic 21: Social Work Practice with Asian American Families.
Topic 22: Contemporary Issues in Domestic Violence.
Topic 23: Contemporary Issues and Practice in Sexual Assault.
Topic 24: Advanced Issues in Social and Economic Justice.
Topic 25: Historical Cultural Trauma.
Topic 26: Youth, Delinquency, and Juvenile Justice.
Topic 27: Social Inequalities in Health.
Topic 28: Social Work and the Latino Population.
Topic 29: Culturally-Sensitive Service Provision with Latino Populations. May be repeated for credit. Offered on the letter-grade basis only.
S W 393V. Topics in Social Work in Specific Settings.
Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 694R. Advanced Field Instruction.
Supervised practicum, building on Social Work 384R and 384S, in the continued application of theory to practice at an advanced level within the student's chosen concentration. Designed to be taken concurrently with Social Work 385T. Social Work 694R and 394S can be taken concurrently in one semester to provide thirty-six hours of work a week (a total of at least 540 hours in one semester) in a social work agency or organization, or they can be taken over two semesters to provide sixteen to twenty hours of work a week (a total of at least 540 hours in two semesters) in the same agency. Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, and consent of the field director and the graduate adviser.
S W 394S. Advanced Field Instruction.
Supervised practicum, building on Social Work 384R and 384S, in the continued application of theory to practice at an advanced level within the student's chosen concentration. Social Work 694R and 394S can be taken concurrently in one semester to provide thirty-six hours of work a week (a total of at least 540 hours in one semester) in a social work agency or organization, or they can be taken over two semesters to provide sixteen to twenty hours of work a week (a total of at least 540 hours in two semesters) in the same agency. Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work, and consent of the field director and the graduate adviser.
S W 195K, 295K, 395K, 495K. Conference Course in Social Work.
Individual study in selected aspects of professional theory and practice. Conference course. Some sections are offered on the credit/no credit basis only. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 395L. Research Practicum.
Individually supervised research experience. Individual instruction. Required of all doctoral students in social work. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 395M. Dissertation Design.
Individually supervised development of dissertation proposal. Individual instruction. Prerequisite: Graduate standing, and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 395S. Area of Specialization Course.
Designed to help students demonstrate knowledge in the substantive issues, key research questions, theory, empirical evidence, and implications in their area of specialization. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.
S W 395W. Writing Practicum.
Individually supervised development of publishable written material. Individual instruction. Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.
S W 398T. Pedagogy in Social Work.
Social work curriculum policy and issues, course development and content, teaching techniques, and classroom management. Emphasis on teaching skills as well as conceptual content and theory. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Required of all doctoral degree students in social work. Students must complete this course before they may be appointed as assistant instructors in the School of Social Work. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in social work and consent of instructor or the graduate adviser.
S W 399R, 699R, 999R. Dissertation.
Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Admission to candidacy for the doctoral degree.
S W 399W, 699W, 999W. Dissertation.
Offered on the credit/no credit basis only. Prerequisite: Social Work 399R, 699R, or 999R.