An overview of the many and varied roles in which social workers function in today's society. Reviews the historical development of the profession, its various fields of practice, the profession's code of ethics, and covers current national and local issues. Fifteen hours of volunteer work outside of class are required. Required course for social work majors and social welfare minors; open to all University students, but freshmen and sophomores preferred. Offered in the fall and spring semesters.
The purpose of this course, which is required for social work majors, is to orient social work majors to the School of Social Work (SSW), professional writing standards, and other basic professional skills. Students will learn about establishing an educational plan, professional etiquette, career preparation, self-care, steps in applying for admission to the professional program, campus resources, basic skills in professional writing, and basic knowledge and skills relevant to professional social work practice, including licensure, professional etiquette, and self-care.
Social Work 105 is an introductory course that presents a comprehensive overview of the profession of social work and social workers’ roles in contemporary society. This course is designed for students seeking advanced professional orientation and development in social work. This honors course is designed to provide a critical examination of the profession's values and Code of Ethics and the major fields of social work practice. Students examine the professions’s response to populations-at-risk, including people of color, women, older adults, children and adolescents, gays and lesbians, and low income populations. Each student completes a 30 clock hour service learning assignment in a social service agency. The course provides a broad base of information for further social work education and helps students decide if social work is an appropriate career for them to pursue.
This course traces the development and transformation of social welfare policies, programs, and services from the 1800s to the present. Students analyze how government and community responses to social, economic, and political challenges have shaped welfare systems, with a particular focus on their impact on marginalized populations. Students will consider their roles in creating, contesting, and reshaping social welfare systems as community-engaged citizens.
This course traces the development and transformation of social welfare policies, programs, and services from the 1800s to the present. Students analyze how government and community responses to social, economic, and political challenges have shaped welfare systems, with a particular focus on their impact on marginalized populations. Students will consider their roles in creating, contesting, and reshaping social welfare systems as community-engaged citizens. As an Honors course, students are expected to demonstrate advanced critical thinking through deeper analysis of primary sources, independent scholarly inquiry, and the ability to synthesize historical insights with contemporary social policy debates.
This course provides students with knowledge of the field of aging with a primary focus on social gerontology. An overview is provided of the characteristics of the elderly and the biological, physiological, psychological, and social aspects of aging. Emphasis is placed on selected issues confronting the general elderly population.
Examination of the nature and extent of delinquency. Theories of causation and the structure and function of courts are explored. Emphasis placed on prevention, control, and interventions with juvenile offenders and their families.
Examines the current situation in services for children and families. Gives an overview of services designed to strengthen families, as well as those that provide substitute care of children when the family is unable to meet this responsibility.
Analysis of a variety of issues and problems presented by death, dying, and grief in American culture, with some comparison to other cultures. Examines attitudes and responses to death and the perspectives of children and adults.
This course provides a basic introduction to the conceptual and quantitative tools used to describe and interpret data in the conduct of social work practice and research. Students will gain an understanding of statistical analysis and its role in social work research. Students will develop the skills necessary to collect data appropriate for statistical analysis, select and apply appropriate statistical tests, and integrate statistics with social work practice skills and ethical practice. The course focuses on descriptive statistics for describing the characteristics of collected data and inferential statistics for drawing inferences about relationships between variables within the data set. Students will also learn how to present data to community stakeholders so that it can inform practice and policy decisions.
This course provides a thorough examination of an important topic in social work. The area under examination varies from semester to semester.
Clear and effective communication skills using inclusive, culturally responsive, and non-oppressive language are necessary for social service delivery. This course assist students with acquiring and improving professional writing skills. Students in this class will practice writing skills necessary for serving clients in a variety of practice settings. These skills include using feedback and self-assessment to improve writing, critically analyzing source material that informs practice, drafting client-centered case documentation, and advocating for micro, mezzo and micro clients in writing.
The nature, development, and experience of community engagement with human services agencies is the baseline for this course. This class is a service learning class. Service- learning has been identified as a high-impact educational practice shown to improve student retention and engagement by "giving students direct experience with issues they are studying in the curriculum and with ongoing efforts to analyze and solve problems in the community. A key element in these programs is the opportunity students have to both apply what they are learning in real-world settings and reflect in a classroom setting on their service experiences." (Kuh, G.D., 2008). Each student will volunteer for a minimum of sixty hours at their choice of human services agency settings. The student, with approval of the course instructor, will determine the location for the volunteer experience. This course has been created to provoke deeper engagement and critical thinking about the role of community engagement in social service organizations while volunteering at a local nonprofit or community agency.
This course examines issues related to the lived experiences of people based on age, culture, race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status/class, ability, religion/spirituality, and national origin. It is designed to introduce the student to social, economic, and political systems of power that serve to oppress communities that have been minoritized. Assignments requiring the student to demonstrate an understanding of U.S. and global perspectives are required. Assignments will allow students to demonstrate higher-level critical thinking skills in their analysis and processing of information within a cultural and societal context.
This course examines issues related to the lived experiences of people based on age, culture, race, ethnicity, gender/gender identity/gender expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status/class, ability, religion/spirituality, and national origin. It is designed to introduce the student to social, economic, and political systems of power that serve to oppress communities that have been minoritized. Assignments requiring the student to demonstrate an understanding of U.S. and global perspectives are required. Assignments will allow students to demonstrate higher-level critical thinking skills in their analysis and processing of information within a cultural and societal context.
This course enables students to develop beginning skill in the analysis of social welfare policies and programs. The course builds on the basic knowledge of the history and philosophy of social welfare programs students have acquired in the prerequisite course, SW 200 or SW 205. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This course is designed to enable the student to develop skill in the analysis of social welfare policies and programs. The course builds on the basic knowledge of the history and philosophy of social welfare programs students have acquired in the prerequisite course, SW 205. In this course, special attention is given to evidence regarding the effects of policies on persons subject to economic deprivation, discrimination, and oppression. Current policies and policy issues in Alabama and the southeast are emphasized, with a focus on social work values and human diversity. This course has the University Core Curriculum “W” designation. Writing proficiency is required for a passing grade in this course. A student who does not write with the skill normally required of an upper-division student will not earn a passing grade, no matter how well the student performs in other areas of the course.
This is the first course in a two-semester sequence that that uses a life course perspective as a framework for preparing students with knowledge of theories that support beginning-level generalist practice. It explores the reciprocal relationship between human behavior and social environments. This first course focuses on the development of the individual from conception through adolescence.
This course introduces students to the study of substance use and its impact on individuals, families, and communities through the Generalist Model. Using a biopsychosocial perspective, the course integrates harm reduction and abstinence paradigms and trauma-informed practice. Students will examine how stigma and systemic inequities affect substance use trajectories and access to care. The course emphasizes the development of critical thinking, ethical awareness, and foundational generalist practice skills, including basic screening, referral, and resource evaluation.
This course presents information concerning criteria used in assessing mental disorders along developmental and life span trajectories (from infancy to older adulthood). It provides information about the prevalence and etiology of psychiatric disorders, and the impact of mental disorders on clients, their families, and communities. The course provides students tools by which they learn to recognize the risk of error within the assessment process, and learn to recognize the potential for bias that result when assessment tools are inaccurately applied across cultural, ethnic, racial, and other groups.
This course is designed for students who have interest in international social work. The course is open to Social Work students as well as students from other disciplines. The purpose of this class is to expose students to the wide range of international social work issues, the contemporary debates on those issues, and the people involved in those debates. In this class, the students will gain a deeper understanding of international development challenges and opportunities. The areas of concentration will include global health development, governmental and non-governmental development agencies, the role of social work in development, human rights, war and conflict, child labor, AIDS, issues affecting women and globalization.
Basic research methods for the generalist social worker. Focuses on the role of research in building knowledge, critical assessment of research reports, use of research techniques, and application of research findings to generalist social work practice.
Basic research methods for the generalist social worker. This honors class focuses on the role of research in building knowledge, critical assessment of research reports, use of research techniques, and application of research findings to generalist social work practice.
Social Work 440 is the first in a sequence of three practice courses required for the BSW degree. This sequence is designed to prepare students for generalist practice. The course focuses on practice with individuals and families. The course emphasizes professional relationships that are characterized by mutuality, collaboration, and respect for clients. The course addresses development of self-awareness, identification of personal values, and the potential for ethical dilemmas resulting from conflicting values. The content is intended to develop the knowledge and skills needed to enable individuals and families to reach their potential through a problem- solving approach, known as The Generalist Model. The conceptualization of generalist practice, as defined by Schools of Social Work, in part, dictates what will be included in practice courses and how practice classes will be taught. The University of Alabama’s School of Social Work conceptualizes its primary goal to undergraduates as preparing students for generalist practice. By this we mean that Graduates are prepared to assist people of all ages, from all walks of life, with all kinds of problems in a variety of settings. As generalist practitioners, graduates are prepared with skills to assist individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in achieving goals and solving problems. This course requires monthly, synchronous attendance to a virtual skills lab meeting.
This is a foundational course in a required sequence of practice courses for the undergraduate social work program. It is designed to provide fundamental knowledge of and skills for generalist social work practice with groups. It is consistent with generalist practice in its use of a problem-solving approach. The generalist social worker must have the ability to assess problems, plan and implement appropriate multi-method intervention with client systems of various sizes and types. The course builds directly on the knowledge undergraduate students have gained in SW 440. The course gives attention to the range of group affiliations, life events and life transitions and their potential impact on various sized systems. It emphasizes the values and ethics of the social work profession, including respect for the positive value of diversity. The knowledge and skills gained in the course should enable the student to be an effective member and leader of groups. This course requires monthly, synchronous attendance to a virtual skills lab meeting.
This course is one of three required social work practice courses offered in the professional foundation year of the BSW program. It is designed to help students understand generalist social work practice in and with communities and organizations. The class introduces students to selected macro practice models that emphasize client strengths, empowerment, and resident-driven approaches to engagement, assessment and intervention at the community and organizational levels. The practice models selected for this course explicitly address poverty, inequality and social injustice, give attention to an appreciation of human diversity, and respect for the dignity and worth of the individual.
Required course designed to accompany field placement. Seeks to assist students in integrating foundation content with field experience, with emphasis on generalist practice.
This course is designed to prepare social work students for the integrated and experiential learning that occurs in the social work field placement. As the profession’s signature pedagogy, field education socializes students to perform the role of practitioner making the connection between the theoretical and conceptual classroom content and the practice setting. The approach to making this connection requires taking classroom knowledge, skills, and values and applying these concepts through a process of reflection and analysis. This course focuses on the salient concepts and issues that commonly pose challenges in the field setting.
This seminar provides structured learning opportunities that enable students to complete their Capstone Honors Project. Students will apply in-depth knowledge of generalist social work practice to projects that emphasize values consistent with the social work profession. Although the projects will vary in scope, the expected results will be improvement in the bio-psychosocial functioning in individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities. While students will be evaluated individually, it is expected that students will have opportunities to work in teams and groups to accomplish the specific goals of the projects while enrolled in SW 445.
Junior standing Special topics.
Planned field experience in which the student is placed in a community service agency for a minimum of 32 hours a week, working under the joint instruction of the agency and the School of Social Work.
Planned practicum “Field” experience in which the student is placed in a community service agency for a minimum of 20 hours a week, working under the joint instruction of the agency and the School of Social Work. For senior social work majors only.
Planned practicum “field” experience in which the student is placed in a community service agency for a minimum of 20 hours a week, working under the joint instruction of the agency and the School of Social Work. For senior social work majors only. This course is designed to provide the opportunity for students to apply their knowledge, values, and skills in a supervised practice setting. Students will reach a minimum of 150 hours during the course of this term.
An opportunity for individual students or groups of students to assume liberal responsibility for developing their own learning objectives in conjunction with a faculty member who has expertise in the area, and for pursuing these objectives in relation to a social welfare program or function. By permission of the instructor, program chair, and associate dean. Permission must be obtained during the preceding semester.