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Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW 628 The Use of Creative Arts in Social Work Practice

Credits - 3

Description

This advanced elective course explores the current and potential uses of the arts in social work practice, including music, theatre, literature, art, poetry, movement, and dance. Participants will explore the application of creative arts in three main areas relevant to social work practice:

  • Promoting and enhancing self‐awareness and personal growth for the professional social worker;
  • Identifying and tapping into clients’ personal and interpersonal strengths and resources through direct practice with clients; and
  • Encouraging social awareness, public dialogue and social change.

Students will be exposed to and will experiment with a range of methods of artistic expression and their applications to practice. An emphasis will be placed on experiential learning so that students will be prepared to apply their learning to professional growth and direct practice situations. Students will also be encouraged to identify and utilize their own creativity and develop innovative approaches to practice.

Materials

TEXTS:

  • Levine, E. & Levine, S. (2011). Art in action expressive arts therapy and social change. London Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. ISBN-13: 978-1849058209
  • Malchiodi, C. (2007). The art therapy sourcebook. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN-13: 978-0071468275

Materials Needed for this Class

Each student will be required to purchase and/or assemble a list of supplies that will be needed for the class workshops and homework assignments. The following is a list, though not comprehensive:

  1. Camera
  2. Large box – can be cardboard and decorated.
  3. Art Supplies (can be placed in box (#3):
    Colored Markers, String, Crayons, Sketch pencils, erasers, glue, scissors, scotch tape, masking tape, charcoal pencil
  4. Sketch pad, roll of butcher paper (36 inches wide), old stationery, leftover paper, newsprint, non-fading construction paper, drawing papers that can handle ink, watercolor and/or markers, tracing paper, fancy paper (60 pound weight)
  5. Tempura Paint, Watercolor Paint
  6. Paint brushes – variety of sizes

Other Resources:

Fabric scraps, yarn, ribbons, old gift cards, photographs, magazines, beads, dried beans, buttons, cardboard scraps (corrugated and other interesting surfaces), chop sticks (for mixing paint), coffee cans, computer paper, corks, cotton balls, dried flowers, egg cartons (for paints, beds, sequins), gloves for puppets, jars (for storage), oatmeal box, old jewelry, old socks, paper bags, plastic bubble packing material, polished glass or rock from beach, rags (for cleaning), rubber bands, wallpaper scraps.

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 OBJECTIVES:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Employ creative arts in one’s micro social work practice that will deepen one’s self-awareness and elicit emotional and cognitive growth in individual and group therapy. Program Outcomes 1 and 3
  2. Employ strategies for integrating creative arts in one’s macro social work practice in order to transform identity-based social position, exclusion, power, privilege and disadvantage. Program Outcomes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7
  3. Evaluate the use of creative arts as interventions in the service delivery with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. Program Outcome 6

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

Students will not need to have any particular artistic talent to attend this class. However, all students are encouraged to see themselves as having creative potential and to come prepared to explore and develop personal and collective creativity. Grading will not be based on artistic merit, but on how projects meet stated objectives of the course. Class participation is critical, and the content and process of this class will be greatly enhanced by consistent participation.

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: This course will use an array of readings, websites, and videos to present the important concepts in the various modules. The readings and media resources provide the foundation and background for student discussion threads, the portfolio assignment, and written assignments.

Discussions (32%): An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion threads within each module. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner. Please refer to Course Policies about participation for a full discussion of expectations.

Grading and Feedback Method: Grading and feedback methods are listed with each specific discussion assignment. Please refer to the Learning Modules and Discussion Boards for more information.

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments:

Movie Critique (20%): The assignment will be an analysis of an artist featured in a film. These films raise questions about the relationship between mental illness and creativity, the positive and negative aspects of becoming a celebrated artist, and how one’s family, culture and society impact one’s creative work.

Studio Assignment Portfolio and Reflection Journal (48%): You will have a portfolio assignment within each module. You will have the Studio Assignment,  which is a creative arts activity designed to give you hands-on experience, and a reflection on the process, the product of the Studio Assignment, and its connection to the course material for that module.

Grading and Feedback Method: Grading and feedback methods are listed with each assignment. Please refer to the Learning Modules for more information.

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

AssignmentPoint ValuePercentage of the final grade
Discussion Participation320 points (40 points x 8 weeks)32%
Critical Analysis of Film Portraying an Artist200 points20%
Studio Assignment Portfolio and Reflection Journal480 (30 points for studio assignment and 30 points for reflection journal x 8 weeks)48%
Total1,000 points100%

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: January 4, 2017 through February 26, 2017

All assignments are to be submitted by 11:59 P.M. E.T. on the dates listed below. Unless otherwise specified, all module discussions and assignments are due the last day of the module or unit week.

Student Resources Portal | Date: To be visited prior to Module 1

Module 1: The Use of Creative Arts in Social Work Practice
Week 1 | Dates: 01/04/17 – 01/10/17

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters
  • Multimedia: View videos (optional – library tutorial to locate ebooks)
  • Discussions: Whole class discussion
  • Assignments: Portfolio Assignment: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal);  Short Movie Paper Introduction (due in Module 6)

Module 2: The Use of Studio Arts in Macro Practice
Week 2 | Dates: 01/11/17 – 01/17/17

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters, articles 
  • Multimedia: videos as listed (optional – library tutorial to locate ebooks)
  • Discussions: A whole class and a small group discussions
  • Assignments: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal); Short Movie Paper – Continue working

Module 3: The Use of Expressive Arts in Micro Practice
Week 3 | Dates: 01/18/17 – 01/24/17

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters, articles, ebooks
  • Multimedia: videos and sites as listed
  • Discussions: whole class discussion
  • Assignments: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal); Short Movie Paper – continue working

Module 4: The Use of Theater in Macro Social Work Practice 
Week 4 | Dates: 01/25/17 – 01/31/17

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters, articles,ebooks
  • Multimedia: videos and sites as listed
  • Discussions: whole class discussion
  • Assignment: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal)

Module 5: The Use of Drama Therapy in a Micro Social Work Practice
Week 5 | Dates: 02/01/17 – 02/07/17

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters, articles,ebooks
  • Multimedia: videos and sites as listed
  • Discussions: whole class discussion
  • Assignments: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal); Short Movie Paper due next week

Module 6: Phototherapy, Therapeutic Photography and Other Uses of Photography in Social Work
Week 6 | Dates: 02/08/17 – 02/14/17

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters, articles,ebooks
  • Multimedia: videos and sites as listed
  • Discussions: whole class discussion
  • Assignments: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal); Submit the Short Movie Paper

Module 7: Introduction to Music, Dance and Movement
Week 7 | Dates: 02/15/17 – 02/21/17

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters, articles,ebooks
  • Multimedia: videos and sites as listed
  • Discussions: whole class discussion
  • Assignment: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal)

Module 8: How Writing Journals and Poetry Can be Beneficial in Social Work
Week 8 | Dates: 02/22/17 – 02/26/17
REMINDER: WEEK 8 is a SHORT WEEK which ENDS on Sunday.

  • Readings: Introductory Lecture, textbook chapters, articles 
  • Multimedia: videos and sites as listed; fellow groups’ websites for feedback
  • Discussions: whole class and small group discussions; 
  • Assignment: Studio Assignment and Reflection (Journal)

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

Policies

Weekly Grading and Feedback: The course facilitator will return assignments and other grading items (discussion boards, participation, etc.) to students within three days of the assignment due date. The course facilitator will provide weekly feedback about participation and performance no later than four days after the learning module closes. Feedback can be via email, within the assignment itself, or using the Feedback column in the gradebook.

Participation:

Postings to the discussion board must add substantively to the discussion by building upon classmates’ ideas or posing critical questions to further the discussion. For example, a posting of “I agree with what people are saying” is not sufficient. I will be monitoring the participation on a weekly basis, and welcome people to check in with me if they have questions regarding their participation. Keep in mind that weekly postings make up a significant percentage of the final grade. All postings must be respectful. If at any time you are concerned with a posting, please notify me immediately. Please note that I encourage people to work in small groups to reflect and respond to the discussion questions. This is why many of the discussions in your learning modules indicate that they are small group discussions. You will sign up in the beginning of the course (with the sign-up sheet present under “Learning Modules”) to select a small group. This will be the group you work in throughout the course – where small group discussion occurs.  Each week you will receive up to 30 points for participation. Please refer to the Participation Rubric to see how your weekly participation will be evaluated.

The majority of your discussions require a certain quantity of posts. Unless otherwise noted, you should post quality responses of no more than two or three paragraphs in length of the indicated quantity in any preferred combination related to the questions. The recommended method is that you carefully read the existing posts and then think about how to build off the existing ideas by offering additional insights, alternative perspectives, or raising critical questions. As part of this process, be sure to refer back to the original discussion question in order to keep the thread focused on the required topic and address the indicated question(s).

More specifically, many of the discussion requirements might say:

‘For this discussion, your first post must respond to the prompt. The second post should be a reaction and the final (third) should reflect on the overall conversation. The goal is for everyone to be actively engaged in this conversation.’

It is important to note that this is the MINIMUM requirement. You will earn the “minimum” amount of points for participation by doing only what the requirements indicate. To earn the maximum amount of points (30) you should exceed this minimum requirement.

All posts to the discussion boards should be completed by 11:59 p.m. EST of the last day of the module as indicated in the “Course Schedule.” Any discussions that extend beyond that date and time will not be considered a part of the grade and/or assignment, but rather optional reading. Even though you technically have until the last day of the module to post, your participation points will suffer if you do not post initially by Saturday as this negatively impacts your classmates’ ability to respond to your posts and your ability to respond to their posts.  Posts that no longer relate to the identified topic should be moved to one of the on-going discussion forums such as “Ask You Instructor,” “Hallway Discussions,” or “Resources.”

Writing Policy:

All written work should be typed and double-spaced. Papers should include appropriate citations and bibliography (APA format) as appropriate. Students who are not clear about proper format are encouraged to consult the UNE Student Academic Success Center or various library, online, and other resources to get this information. Material obtained from the Internet should be referenced and limited to recognized scholarly, academic, or client/consumer­oriented sources (such as online journals and information from advocacy oriented organizations). Gender-neutral  language should be used throughout all written assignments.

•  Extensions and incompletes: Under normal circumstances, there will be no extensions for papers or other assignments, or incompletes for the course. If you have concerns about an assignment, please discuss with the instructor well in advance of the due date.  If you have reason to believe that you will be unable to complete the work, contact the Course Facilitator/Instructor immediately.

All work that is handed in for credit in this course is expected to be original and for the purpose of this course alone. It is unacceptable to use assignments previously submitted in other courses.

Late Policy:

Ten points 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/

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.