Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 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 policymaking.

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:

1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Learning Outcomes

Through the completion of your assignments, you will demonstrate your ability to:

1. Develop a political sense of self that can be leveraged for political work.
2. Describe how political power is gained and used in social work settings.
3. Identify strategies that field education/supervision can leverage for political practice.
4. Identify ethical issues in political practice.
5. Develop strategies and techniques in professional social work practice for developing political power.

Assignments

Discussions

You will engage with the content and your peers through weekly discussion forums. Initial posts are due by midnight ET on Saturday (other than in Week 7) and responses to peers are due by midnight ET on Tuesday (except in Week 8). Please see exact due dates in the course.

Writing and Video Assignments

There are several key assessments throughout the course.

Week 3 Reflection and analysis of presentation styles

For this assignment, watch the video from the three different presentation styles. You will be prompted to answer some questions about the styles during the video. At the conclusion, summarize the three presentation styles and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each style. From that summary, create a 2-minute video response to each of the presenters. In your response, remember to highlight points from your summary. Post your video to the assignment tab.

Week 5 Local government meeting paper

Select a committee meeting such as a city council, planning board or other governmental meeting and attend the meeting. Be sure to collect a copy of the agenda for the meeting. Spend at least 60 minutes observing the meeting. From your observation write a 2 to 3-page reflection on the topic.

Week 7 House Party – Video presentation to Senator

For this assignment, create a video with the goal to highlight a community problem from the position of a thought leader. Use your expertise as a social worker to translate and/or afford the listener the ability to see you as an expert on the issue; demonstrate that you have the ability to lead a larger discussion or offer suggestions on future changes. Your video should be no more than 3 minutes long and should demonstrate your learning of best practices in engagement and creating conversational influence. 

You will submit this video for grading as well as share it with your classmates in a discussion forum. Due end of Week 7.

Week 8 Video Critique and Suggestions

Select two of your classmates’ video presentations to Senator and provide feedback to help them strengthen their presentation and also their style and approach as a thought leader. Your feedback should be both constructive and encouraging. You will submit this through the discussion forum as a comment on the corresponding presentation post.

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
Discussions	210 pts (30 pts per discussion)	21%
Reflection and analysis of presentation styles	240 points	24%
Local Government Meeting Paper	200 points	20%
House Party: Presentation for Senator	250 points	25%
Video Presentation Feedback	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