Course Descriptions
Full course descriptions available January 2008, upon approval by the university
SOWK 815. The History of Ideas in Social Work Treatment (3 cr.)
This course examines approaches to social work treatment from Jane Addams and Mary Richmond to the present. The goal is to locate various theorists and their schools of thought within the sociopolitical and intellectual trends of the time so as to highlight the nature of the questions, the conflicts involved and the relative strengths and weaknesses of each approach. The person-environment configuration is seen as the domain of the profession with approaches selected for study being examined in regard to their ability to address both aspects of this complex interaction. The student should gain a sense of the development and change in social work theories, values and ethics, within a framework of a consistent professional identity.
SOWK 829: Special Topics - Ethics in Research (Interdisciplinary enrollment)
This advanced Ethics course expands the discussion of research ethics found in the research courses in this program by integrating the relationship between the researcher and the communities being studied. This mandates an examination of the history of research on non-white groups and in the developing world, and considering the attitudes of researches to study subjects, as well as the relationships of power and information that make clinical research problematic. Such questions as the availability to the public of study data, the capacity to implement research results, and for whom and to whose benefit is the research will be raised. Additionally, the role of funding bodies is addressed as an ethical consideration. Students will review the guidelines established by the university’s Institutional Review Board (IRB).
SOWK 817. The Nature of Clinical Knowledge (3 cr.)
Prerequisite: 815. This course provides an orientation to the nature, uses and limitations of theory in any scientific endeavor with the aim of achieving an understanding of a variety of approaches to the connections between data and conceptual frameworks. Emphasis will be upon science as problem-solving process with theory being the major link for the clinician between the roles of practitioner and researcher. The student is expected to understand the movement toward a unified theory of human behavior and human systems, as well as some of the current problems in achieving such a framework of theory development, as a process. Some of the identifiable areas in which controversies and knowledge gaps exist are also studied.
SOWK 818. Research Methodology I (3 cr.)
Co-requisite: 817. Building upon a basic understanding of research, this course provides a comprehensive overview of the advanced research process in social work, emphasizing question development and generation of hypotheses, principles of measurement and appropriate application of statistical measures, methods of data collection and reduction. The relationship between the research process, clinical theory development and practice advancement will be explicated. Quantitative research will be emphasized.
SOWK or other Graduate Department: Advanced Statistical Measures (3 cr.): Interdisciplinary
SOWK 820. Social Theory and Social Policy (3 cr.)
This course examines the creation and implementation of social policy from multiple paradigms specifically addressing issues of marginalization and exclusion of groups within policies, empowerment of those impacted by specific policies and the goals of social and economic justice within policy implementation strategies. Knowledge from this course will provide the background necessary to create critical thinkers who can infuse the natural linkages between policy and practice into clinical research such as evaluating client outcomes in relation to stated policy inputs, outputs and goals.
SOWK 822. Organizational Analysis (3 cr.)
Social workers typically practice in formal organizations and these organizations influence and are influenced by the nature of the services rendered. From this perspective, the seminar examines developments in the theory of human service or social benefit organizations. Among the problems and issues to be explored are those involving professional and bureaucratic models of organization, sources of incompatibility, and patterns of accommodation to the nature of organization-client relations, interorganizational exchange relationships, and problems of program change and evaluation. A fundamental aim of this seminar is for the student to understand the context and grounding of practice and the meaning of work in a formal organization.
SOWK 814. Seminar of Dissertation Planning (2 cr.)
Prerequisite: 813. This course is designed to bridge the transition from the required program courses to more independent work on dissertation planning and implementation. Emphasis will be placed on helping students to integrate their current knowledge of theory, practice and research in clinical social work and to move toward the accomplishment of a dissertation proposal
Electives:
Students choose their electives from among the course offerings of the School of Social Work, the University and one elective may be taken from another doctoral level course from another accreditated university. In addition, students can arrange independent studies in consonance with the student’s research interests. Selected Masters courses can be taken for elective credit with revision of some content and assignments. These courses include but are not limited to International Social Work, The Development of Psychodynamic Theory, the Role of Religion and Spirituality in Clinical Social Work Practice, and content in the Leadership and Development concentration. Approval must be gained from the students' advisor or the Director of the Doctoral Program prior to enrollment.