Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 526 – Integrating Clinical/Community Practice Framework – Spring 2024

Credits - 3

Description

Integrating Clinical / Community Practice Frameworks (SSW 526) is a required course of students enrolled in the MSW/MSWO program as Advanced Standing. It is designed to introduce social work scholarship, values, and skills imbedded in the UNE School of Social Work vision and mission that envision a world where social workers are at the forefront of advocating with individuals and communities for human dignity, social inclusion, and efforts to end inequities, exploitation, and violence. Course content fully integrates clinical (micro) and community (macro) perspectives and practices with an emphasis on cultural, relational, and evidence-based competencies. This course serves as a bridge to the Specialization Year of the MSW program by preparing new students for the advanced curriculum.

Prerequisites

Admitted as Advanced Standing (SADV)

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 Objectives:

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

1. Synthesize their social work practice skills to include knowledge of personal/professional biases and social/economic/political and cultural variables that impede social inclusion and compassionate client-centered practice. Program Outcome 4. EPAS 1,2,3
2. Review the use of the biopsychosocial assessment incorporating the SW theories of practice and treatment planning with client systems. Program Outcome 3. EPAS 2, 3 & 5
3. Apply social work research knowledge that critically evaluates practice skills and service delivery resources to individuals, families/groups, communities, and organizations. Program Outcome 3,6. EPAS 3,5
4. Apply intersectional concepts to examples of race/racism, ethnicity, culture, and sexual identity that permeate social inclusion with individuals, groups, and communities. Program Outcome 1. EPAS 2, 3 & 5
5. Synthesize and discuss their understanding of the impact of historical and contemporary social and economic inequities on individuals, families, and communities. Program Outcome 1. EPAS 2,3
6. Communicate in an organized and professional manner, critically consider and incorporate all aspects of a question, and engage with peers in a manner appropriate for social work professionals. Program Outcome 6. EPAS 4

Assignments

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 week include the following:

Readings and Multimedia:

Description: This course will use an array of readings and multimedia to present the important concepts. The readings and multimedia provide the foundation and background for student discussion threads and written assignments.

APA Style and RefWorks:

The MSWO program uses APA style for writing assignments. In week one there are resources to assist students in becoming familiar with APA including a tutorial and self-check quiz (ungraded). As you start your educational journey, we want to prepare you for ongoing learning, research, and scholarship. RefWorks is a tool available through the UNE Libary that allows you to store and organize your research articles in a format that you can build upon during your time in this program. The tool also will help with creating reference lists in APA style. In week one, you will set-up your RefWorks account and submit a screenshot (ungraded).

Discussions:

Description: An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion threads within each week. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner. Please refer to the course about participation for a full list of expectations and grading rubric.

Written Assignments:

There are 5 larger written assignments within this course: APA Practice Paper, Rural America and Social Policy Paper, Survey Design, Annotated Bibliography, and Literature Review. Each is intended to allow students to critically engage with the material covered and prepare them for future courses within the program. Proper APA formatting and citations are required for every assignment. Please refer to the course for a full list of expectations and grading rubrics. 

Reflection Journals:

Reflective practice is an important component of both this course and the future ones within the Social Work program. Students are required to complete 3 reflective journals in this course that ask them to reflect on their opinions. There is not a length requirement for these journals, but should be well-written, explained, and properly sourced if required. Please refer to the course for a full list of expectations and grading rubrics. 

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	Points	Percentage Value
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement	1 point	1%
Introduction Discussion	2 points	2%
Weekly Discussions	60 points (12 discussions, 4 points each)	60%
Reflection Journals	12 points (3 journals, 4 points each)	12%
Written Assignments (APA Practice Paper and Rural America and Social Policy Paper)	14 points (2 assignments totaling 14 points)	14%
Annotated Bibliography	5 Points	5%
Literature Review	10 points	10%
Total:	100	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