This foundation course introduces students to social work as a profession. The history, values, and the development of social work as a profession are discussed. The course emphasizes 1) self- awareness and identity as a professional social worker, 2) an introduction to the effects of oppression on social and economic justice and 3) identifying the roles and functions of a professional social worker as a leader in promoting resilience in client systems through trauma- informed care approaches to practice. (3 credits)
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Course Descriptions
Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program
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This is an experience-oriented course directed toward engaging students in becoming aware of their own interpersonal processes and how these may influence theirskills and effectiveness as professional helping persons. This course explores formal and informal approaches to helping in various cultures and societies and, examines the implications of cultural values as well as their strengths and limitations. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of critical thinking in helping at the individual, group and community levels. (3 credits)
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This course provides a social work context in introducing students to theories and theoretical models that explain reciprocal influences and risk and resilience in shaping human behavior. This course uses a developmental framework to examine growth and maturation over the life course with attention to the person-environment configuration. This course emphasizes the relevance of factors including culture, ethnicity, gender, social constructions of age, social norms, socioeconomic inequality, spirituality, sexual orientation, and trauma in influencing the outcomes of transactions between the person and the environment over time. Special attention is paid to the applicability of course content to social work practice in human service settings.
Pre/Co-requisite: Introduction to the Social Work Profession; Ways of Knowing for Social Work Practice
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This senior year course requires student to complete 140 hours of supervised clinical practice in a Professional and Clinical Practice Agency in addition to attendance in a 14-week Skills Lab. The Skills Lab prepares students for their field education experience by providing content relative to the basic skills of social work practice. The Skills Lab also provides ongoing integration of clinical theory and practice skills.
Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Social Work Profession; Service-Learning and Social Work Practice; Personal, Cultural, and Social Influences on Helping; Human Development; Ways of Knowing for Social Work Practice; Social Work in the Social Service Environment; Environmental Context of Social Work Practice: Poverty, Oppression, and Trauma.
Co-Requisites: Models of Intervention for Clinical Social Work Practice; Introduction to Clinical Assessment
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This senior year course requires students to complete 280 hours of supervised clinical practice continuing in the same Professional and Clinical Practice Agency Field Agency. In addition, students are required to attend a 14-week Skills Lab. The Skills Lab continues to support students’ learning and demonstration of competence in their Professional and Clinical Practice experience by providing ongoing integration of clinical theory and practice skills.
Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Social Work Profession; Personal, Cultural, and Social Influences on Helping; Service Learning and Social Work Practice; Human Development; Ways of Knowing for Social Work Practice; Social Work in the Social Service Environment; Environmental Context of Social Work Practice: Poverty, Oppression, and Trauma; Models of Intervention for Clinical Social Work Practice; Introduction to Clinical Assessment; Professional and Clinical Practice I
Co-Requisites: SW 433 - Introduction to Trauma and Resiliency
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This course introduces social work students to a Service Learning modality framed within social work practice. The course emphasizes the value and significance of academic growth within a social service setting. Students are required to venture out from their familiar traditional classroom and engage in community based experiential learning. For social work students this experiential format involves work with vulnerable populations in social service settings across Miami-Dade and neighboring counties. A strengths-based, ecological framework is the underlying theory by which students examine social service settings and the clients served. Students are required to dedicate 60 hours to an identified social service agency.
Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Social Work Profession
Co-Requisites: Social Work in the Social Service Environment
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This course introduces students to the basic processes of critical thinking and application to the assessment of client systems, social policy and research. Skills of critical appraisal and decision making within a bio-psycho-social framework are practiced with special attention to culturally based sources of knowledge.
Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Social Work Profession; Personal, Cultural, and Social Influences on Helping; Service Learning and Social Work Practice
Co-Requisites: Human Development
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This course provides students with knowledge and skills necessary for engaging in macro social work practice, social policy development and analysis. Students will learn to examine both the historic and current roles of the U.S. government in policy development and social welfare program implementation; the socio-political role of social workers, impact of social movements to influence policy change, and the changing nature and needs of our society. Particular attention will be given to the person-in-environment lens and how trauma, poverty, and oppression intersect with social functioning, policy formulation and implementation. (3 credits)
Pre-requisite: SW 205 Introduction to Social Work Practice; SW 206 The Personal, Cultural, and Social Influences on Helping; SW 327 Ways of Knowing; SW 355 Human Development
Co-Requisites: SW 393 Direct Practice Skills in Social Work I: A Trauma-Informed, Strength-Based Framework
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This foundation course introduces beginning skills of helping individuals, families and groups within a trauma-informed strengths based framework. Grounded in the values and ethics of the profession, students learn the application and evaluation of direct practice skills used in the initial phase of helping. This course also introduces students to a variety of assessment methods utilized in clinical social work practice. Students will learn how to assess problems within a person in environment context, and how to organize and analyze descriptive case information. Grounded in a trauma-informed strengths based framework, students gain competency in clinical interviewing and bio- psycho-social-spiritual assessment within a person in environment context.
Pre-requisite: SW 205 – Social Work: An Introduction to the Profession; SW 206 The Personal, Cultural, and Social Influences on Helping, SW 323 Service Learning and Social Work Practice, SW 327 – Ways of Knowing for Social Work Practice; SW 355 – Human Development; 393 Direct Practice Skills in Social Work I: A Trauma-Informed, Strength-Based Framework, SW 395 Social Work Macro and Policy Practice: Poverty, Oppression, and Trauma;
Co-Requisites: SW 495 – Professional and Clinical Practice I; SW 433 Introduction to Trauma and Resilience
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This course introduces students to social work practice with individuals, families, and groups in contemporary practice settings with an emphasis on identifying appropriate and effective models of intervention. Students will become familiarized with multiple models of intervention at the micro and mezzo levels of social work practice and learn to make effective practice decisions regarding the selection and implementation of various intervention models.
Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Social Work Profession; Personal, Cultural, and Social Influences on Helping; Service Learning and Social Work Practice; Human Development; Ways of Knowing for Social Work Practice; Social Work in the Social Service Environment; Environmental Context of Social Work Practice: Poverty, Oppression, and Trauma.
Co-Requisites: Professional and Clinical Practice I; Introduction to Clinical Assessment in Social Work Practice
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This foundation year course focuses on the development of professional skills from contracting phase of helping through the ending phase and transitions. Grounded in the values and ethics of the profession; a trauma-informed, strengths perspective is integral to the interactional, evidence-based framework in this course. Students will examine current knowledge, professional values and skills relevant to work with a range of life stressors as they present themselves within diverse populations and diverse communities. Critical to understanding the helping relationship and essential skills is the student’s ability to respond to the ways in which individuals, groups, organizations and communities are systematically oppressed and denied access to social, political and economic resources. This course includes a specific focus on student skill development related to: the identification and assessment of service gaps within human service organizations, professional social work role and function, mediation of interpersonal and environmental stressors with individuals, families, groups and communities, and the skillful navigation of the continuum of the helping relationship from contracting to termination.
Pre-requisite: SW 206: The Personal, Cultural and Social Influences on Helping: SW 205 – Social Work: An Introduction to the Profession; SW 327 – Ways of Knowing for Social Work Practice; SW 393 Direct Practice Skills in Social Work I: A Trauma-Informed, Strength-Based Framework;
Co-Requisites: SW 497 Professional and Clinical Practice II
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This course provides the student with an overview of psychological trauma, including the history and current theories in the field, the nature of trauma (sexual abuse, combat, and natural disasters), how trauma affects individuals and systems, grief reactions, and traumatic stress. Resilience Theory is introduced. Also included in this class, is the exploration of the professional’s response to trauma, vicarious traumatization, disenfranchised grief, crisis intervention, co morbid disorders and general treatment issues. Finally, students have the chance to review evidence-based practices in the trauma field, including cognitive, neurobiological, clinical, and socio-cultural. A culturally-informed approach to learning is used.
Pre-requisite: Introduction to the Social Work Profession; Personal, Cultural, and Social Influences on Helping; Human Development; Ways of Knowing for Social Work Practice; Service Learning and Social Work Practice; Social Work in the Social Service Environment; Environmental Context of Social Work Practice: Poverty, Oppression, and Trauma; Professional and Clinical Practice I; Models of Intervention in Clinical Social Work Practice; Introduction to Clinical Assessment in Social Work Practice
Co-Requisites: Professional and Clinical Practice II