Syllabus

Doctorate in Social Work

DSW 815: Interprofessional Ethics in Social Work Leadership

Credits - 3

Description

Social Work is a value-based profession steeped in strong beliefs and core principles including human dignity, social justice, equity, and self-determination. Since its inception in 1947, the NASW COE has gone through many iterations, each reflecting both social work’s push towards professionalism as well as prevailing issues of the times. This course will critically explore underlying tenets of the NASW COE and its impacts on empowering and justice-oriented practice. We will compare it with those of other social work COEs including the International Federation of Social Workers and the National Association of Black Social Workers. We will discuss the theoretical influences of writers such as Rawls, Foucault, and feminist theorists, among others. We will also consider how social work ethics intersect with interprofessional core competencies and in what ways they do or do not enact concepts such as cultural responsiveness, collaborative leadership, moral responsibility, and equity, especially in health and social care. Finally, we will actively assess how current ethical structures and assumptions can be altered to more fully embrace the diverse and ever-changing world we live in.

Materials

Readings and media will be provided in the weekly modules.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Core Expertise and Skills & Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, scholar-practitioners should be able to:

CE & S 2: Use and critically evaluate research and knowledge

  • LO 1: Translate ethical theories, principles, and practices into interprofessional leadership and practice.
  • LO 2: Examine one’s assumptions, experiences, and values and how they influence ethical decision-making and interprofessional leadership practice.
  • LO 3: Use practice-relevant, research informed knowledge shared by classmates to inform own interprofessional ethical leadership considerations.

CE & S 4: Develop and disseminate practice practice-relevant, research informed knowledge through a variety of channels, such as teaching, scholarship, professional presentations, mentoring, and administration

  • LO 4: Develop and disseminate practice relevant-research informed knowledge related to interprofessional ethical leadership through the construction of a journal article

CE & S 6: Develop and maintain substantive expertise in one or more areas of social work practice

  • LO 5: Develop an interprofessional ethics topic to further substantive expertise in an area of social work practice

Assignments

Reflections

There will be 2 personal reflections where scholar-practitioners will have the opportunity to reflect using their authentic voice regarding the course material.

Peer Group Conversations

Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to meet in your peer groups to connect, collaborate, and give and receive feedback as you move through the course content. There will be weekly opportunities to connect that are not required and will not be graded, as well as 3 required and graded interactions.

Whole Class Conversations

There will also be opportunities to connect with your classmates outside of your peer groups. There will be 5 whole class discussions where you will interact with materials in the course, as well as peer review your completed articles.

Case Study

There will be a case studies for you to consider and critically think and provide responses to prompts.

Key Assignment: Peer Reviewed Article in Journal Format

You will be writing a scholarly paper for peer review in journal format as your key assignment in the course. Your paper will focus on an arm of your Doctoral Research Project topic, or another area of study meaningful to you. You will explore your topic from the stance of interprofessional practice and applied ethics.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement1 point
Week 1 Reflection2 points
Week 1 Peer Group Introduction2 points
Week 2 Assignment: Identify Topic for Peer Reviewed Article5 points
Week 2 Whole Class Conversation5 points
Week 3 Assignment: Literature Review10 points
Week 5 Assignment: Case Study5 points
Week 5 Assignment: Literature Review15 points
Week 6 Peer Group Conversation5 points
Week 6 Assignment: Call to Action5 points
Week 7 Whole Class Conversation5 points
Week 8 Whole Class Conversation5 points
Week 8 Discussion: Post Final Paper for Peer Review5 points
Week 8: Submit your final paper15 points
Week 9 Discussion: Peer Review Feedback10 points
Week 10: Whole Class Conversation5 points
Total100 points

Schedule

Course Dates: September 2 – November 8, 2026

Course weeks run from 12:00 AM ET on Monday through 11:59 PM ET on Sunday, with the exception of Week 1, which starts on Wednesday. 

Week 1: Wednesday – Sunday
Week 2: Monday – Sunday
Week 3: Monday – Sunday
Week 4: Monday – Sunday
Week 5: Monday – Sunday
Week 6: Monday – Sunday
Week 7: Monday – Sunday
Week 8: Monday – Sunday
Week 9: Monday – Sunday
Week 10: Monday – Sunday

Week 1: Exploring Ethics, Personal Meaning, and Practice Implications

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Conversations

  • Peer Group Introductions

Assignments

  • Reflection

Week 2: Comparing COEs and Their Historical and Cultural Contexts

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Conversations

  • Whole Class Conversation

Assignments

  • Topic Identification

Week 3: Assumptions, Uncertainties, and Being Human in a Value-Oriented Field

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Assignments

  • Introduction and Problem Statement

Week 4: Core Values and Ethical Dilemmas

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Assignments

  • Literature Review Draft Peer Reviewed (Ungraded)

Week 5: Bioethics – Applied Ethics in Health and Healthcare

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Assignments

  • Case Study
  • Submit Literature Review

Week 6: Ethics in Social Work Research

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Conversations

  • Peer Group Conversation on Deck Chairs on the Titanic Article

Assignments

  • Call to Action

Week 7: Moral Distress and Moral Courage

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Conversations

  • Whole Class Conversation on Moral Distress/Moral Courage

Week 8: Ethics and Interprofessional Leadership in Social Work

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Conversations

  • Whole Class Conversation
  • Post Final Paper

Assignments

  • Submit Final Draft of Article

Week 9: Peer Review

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Conversations

  • Peer Review Feedback

Week 10: Future Considerations for Ethical Practice

Learning Materials

  • Readings and media provided in weekly modules

Conversations

  • Whole Class Conversation, A Love Letter to the Future

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page

UNE Libraries:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

Essential Academic and Technical Standards

Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Artificial Intelligence Use Policy

The DSW program acknowledges that using generative AI can be both helpful and potentially harmful in scholarly writing. It is unclear at this time what the impact of AI use might have on the ability to be published or engage in scholarly platforms. In alignment with UNE’s stance on AI use, the DSW program encourages scholar-practitioners to acclimate themselves to ethical and appropriate use of AI. Scholar-practitioners are required to disclose the use of AI for all assignments in the program during submission through citation (in alignment with many scholarly publications and CSWE) and publication notes. Assignments in the DSW program that require the use of generative AI will be labeled as such, with specific instructions. The use of AI for discussion posts is never permitted (including, but limited to, Grammarly) as discussion forums are meant to mimic live conversations. Scholar-practitioners who are suspected of generative AI use, without citation, will be asked to have a conversation with their instructor to discuss AI use and to share their process and/or demonstrate their process. Failure to do so will result in a zero on the assignment.

Publication Note Example: Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the writing process. Please outline the tool used (name, version, company), purpose, and confirm human review.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Confidentiality Statement

Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.

Late Policy

Group or Partner Assignments: Assignments that require partner or group work are expected to be turned in on time. Late group or partner assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the course faculty. If you are having difficulties connecting with your partner or group members, it is your responsibility to connect with the course faculty for support. As a reminder, your ability to collaborate professionally is being assessed continuously throughout the program. If a group member or partner does not complete their section of the project by the deadline, they will receive a 0. This will not impact the other group members/partner’s grade.

Individual Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction from the total points earned per day for the late submission. After three days, the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% per day grade reduction from the total discussion grade. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please contact your instructor and your student success counselor prior to assignment deadlines if you are not able to meet the timeframes. Arrangements for extensions regarding extenuating circumstances may be considered by the faculty.  It is the student's responsibility to inform instructors of accommodations secured through the Student Access Center.

Attendance Policy

6- to 8-week courses: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

10+ -week courses: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

UNE Online Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your Enrollment and Retention Counselor if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. Tuition charges may still apply. Students are strongly urged to consult with Student Financial Services, as course withdrawals may affect financial aid or Veterans benefits.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.