SWK5420EN - Advanced Social Welfare Policies, Programs and Issues

Course description

This course will be a study of social work practice skills in policy research, policy analysis, and policy practice. These skills are essential in social work practice to value diversity, advocate for populations at risk, end oppression and discrimination, and promote social and economic justice. Consistent with professional values and ethics, this course further helps students develop knowledge and skills that social workers need in order to make social policy changes that will enhance social and economic well-being.

How this course benefits students

After successful completion of this course, student will be able to: 1) Demonstrate a beginning level understanding of US social policies and programs in child and family welfare, aging, health, and mental health including ways in which major US social welfare policies help, and hurt, people's ability to achieve and maintain optimal health, mental health, and other measures of well-being through the life span; 2) Begin to examine how issues of social and economic justice relate to ways that religious and nonreligious spiritual perspectives contribute to injustice and oppression as well as empowerment and liberation; 3) Utilize the knowledge learned of history to understanding the impact of oppression and discrimination on diverse people’s individual and collective functioning; 4) Apply to practice a framework of knowledge, theory, values, and skills for spiritually-sensitive social work and identify and build foundation level policy practice skills that social workers use to influence social welfare policy development, implementation, and change; 5). Analyze policy and its impact on program delivery, the ethics of the profession, and at-risk populations, and begin to develop policy practice intervention skills with policies, programs, and service delivery systems to advocate for basic human rights; 6) Demonstrate skills in using library, electronic, and writing resources in researching and analyzing social welfare policies and programs.

Why this course is important

This course will emphasize the student’s ongoing application of core professional knowledge, values and skills into purposeful actions serving vulnerable client systems.

Credit hours
3 hours
Subject area
Social Work
Educational level
Master
Learning type
Instructional
Prerequisites
None
Upcoming terms
Pending
* Schedule subject to change. Please contact the Registrar's office with schedule questions.

How this course relates to missional core values

Biblically based

Matthew 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. In the bible Jesus acknowledged the government and its place in our lives. This course will discuss how programs shape and help society. Students will develop a beginning sense of competence and understanding of Social Welfare, Policies, Programs, and Issues.

Missionally driven

other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the evaluation of outcomes

Contextually informed

Clarify and interpret professional roles in working with varying government systems and advocate for change.

Interculturally focused

It assists students to become responsible local and global citizens, equipped through their education for living and working together in an interconnected world.

Practically minded

Clarify and interpret professional roles in working with varying government systems and advocate for change.

Experientially transformed

Students will learn to integrate the experiences of vulnerable people to create and evaluate interventions that expand opportunities for oppressed, stigmatized and marginalized populations.