Syllabus
Master of Social Work
SSW 610 Social Work in the Political Arena
Credits - 3
Description
This course examines the political environment of the policy process through several sets of lenses. We will examine the motives of actors, institutional constraints and how these politics are altered at different stages of the policy process. This is not an examination of any single stage or actor in the policy process, but rather it is a calculated effort to provide you with an understanding of the critical issues involved in policy making.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
School of Social Work Program Outcomes:
Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:
- Demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.
- Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
- Engage in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice.
- Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
- Engage in policy practice.
- Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
- Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Course Objectives
Through the completion of your assignments, you will demonstrate your ability to:
- Articulate the role social workers have played as change agents in United States politics over the last 100 years.
- Discuss the impact that political decisions have on clients’ lives.
- Describe the political process ranging from municipal to federal levels.
- Develop strategies and techniques that are effective tools for researching, organizing, lobbying, advocating campaigning and working as a legislator.
- Identify the ethical issues that may present themselves as social workers become involved in the political arena.
Assignments
Learning Activities
A variety of learning activities are designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners.
Learning activities for each module include the following:
Readings and Multimedia:
Throughout this course you will complete several readings from your textbook, watch videos, and interact with different Web sites to help you grasp the information being presented in each learning module. There is a lot of material to cover in each module, so be sure to read and review carefully.
Discussions:
Each week you will engage in a few activities in the discussion boards. You will complete specific discussion question activities with all of your classmates. All of the discussion activities lead toward completion of the White Paper and the Campaign Project Presentation – they prepare you for the assignments. Some of the discussions are complex in nature so it is strongly advised that you begin working on them at the start of each module.
Writing Assignments, Projects and Assessments:
The major assignment for this course is the development of your Political Advocacy Project. You will be required to write a paper and create a presentation for your 3 classmates. Other writing assignments will include writing your political autobiography and summarizing a local government meeting.
Due Dates: Due dates for all learning activities are provided in the Course Schedule.
Grading Policy
The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assignment | Point Value | Percent of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Participation in allnDiscussions | 200 points (25 points/week * 8 weeks) | 20% |
| Political Autobiography | 100 points | 10% |
| Local Government Meeting Paper | 150 points | 15% |
| Political Advocacy Project: WhitenPaper | 250 points | 25% |
| Political Advocacy Project:nCampaign Presentation | 200 points | 20% |
| Resources Forum: Post an articlenand respond to each student | 100 points | 10% |
| Total | 1,000 | 100% |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
Course Dates: 01/04/2017 – 02/26/2017
Module: 1 Social Workers as Political Change Agents
Week 1 | Dates: 01/04–01/10
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Preface, Chapter 1, Appendix A, and an article
- Multimedia: Government Made Easy: Political Change, Meet Juan Crow: Arizona’s Disenfranchised Voter, Part 1, New York Legalizes Same Sex Marriage
- Discussion: Local Issues
- Assignments Introduced: Local Government Meeting Paper – Introduction; Political Advocacy Project – Introduction; Political Advocacy Project: White Paper – Introduction; Political Advocacy Project: Campaign Presentation – Introduction
Module 2: Using Your Social Work Skills in the Political Arena
Week 2 | Dates: 01/11 – 01/17
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 12
- Multimedia: Developing a Campaign Plan, Sibley Bike Depot – Advocacy in the Form of a Bike Shop!; Political Advocacy – A View From Local Businesses; Faces of Social Work: Steve on the Diversity of Social Work
- Discussion: Skills in the Social Work Practice Arena
- Assignment Submission: Political Autobiography Assignment (due by Tuesday)
- Assignment: Political Advocacy Project – Continue Working on Project
Module 3: The Art and Pseudoscience of Responsible Political and Issue Campaigning
Week 3 | Dates: 01/18 – 01/24
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Chapter 10, articles
- Multimedia: How to upgrade democracy for the Internet era, Classic Negative Campaign Advertisement, Repower America on the Issues of Issue Campaigning
- Discussion: Policy and Strategy Scenario
- Assignments: Local Government Meeting Paper Assignment (due next week); Political Advocacy Project – Continue Working on Project
Module 4: Media, Messaging and Mass Education
Week 4 | Dates: 01/25 – 01/31
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Chapter 4, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, documents
- Websites: Portland Press Herald Aid for Needy Families Supports Those Who Work and Have Kids
- Discussions: Creating an OpEd Piece; Creating a Press Release
- Assignment Submission: Local Government Meeting Paper Assignment (due by Tuesday)
- Assignment: Political Advocacy Project – Continue Working on Project
Module 5: Financing a Political or Issue Campaign
Week 5 | Dates: 02/01 – 02/07
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Chapter 5
- Multimedia: We the People, and the Replublic we must reclaim, How to Run a Political Campaign: Political Campaign Budget; Financing a Local Campaign; Using House Parties to Raise Money
- Discussions: Developing a Budget for Your Campaign; Asking for Money
- Assignment: Political Advocacy Project – Continue Working on Project
Module 6: Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers
Week 6 | Dates: 02/08–02/14
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Chapter 11
- Multimedia: How to Run a Political Campaign: Campaign Strategy
- Discussion: Recruiting Strategy Discussion
- Assignment: Political Advocacy Project – Continue Working on Project (due next week)
Module: 7 Ethical Issues in Campaigning
Week 7 | Dates: 02/15–02/21
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Chapter 9
- Websites: Leighton’s Campaign Finances – Ethical Issues, Ethical Considerations for Candidates and Their Supporters, Ethical Campaigning, Ethical Issues in Online Advertising
- Discussion: Ethical Challenges in Campaigning Exercises
- Assignment Submission: Political Advocacy Project: White Paper (due by Tuesday)
- Assignment: Political Advocacy Project: Campaign Presentation – Continue Working on Project (due next week)
Module 8: Final Thoughts on the Political Process – Future as a Candidate?
Week 8 | Dates: 02/22–02/26 (short week)
- Readings: Textbook: Shaw (2014) – Chapter 13
- Multimedia: The View From a Life in Politics; Ted Kennedy, Chapter 1: Teddy; Tim Davis – My Life in Politics
- Discussions: Next Steps in Politics; Political Advocacy Project: Campaign Presentation – Discussion
- Assignment Submission: Political Advocacy Project: Campaign Presentation (due by Sunday)
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:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
- Social Work Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/social-work/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Policies
Late Policy:
Ten percent (10%) will be deducted from assignments for each day they are late IF the instructor has not approved an extension in advance of the due date.
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.
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
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) 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% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.