Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 618: Homelessness (Summer 2023)

Credits - 3

Description

Homelessness and Social Work: Voices from the Street. This course is aimed at increasing student awareness of contemporary social welfare policies, programs and practice issues relevant to providing social work services to homeless and other poor people. The homeless experience is examined in the context of societal oppression and political resistance.

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:

Through the completion of their assignments, students will be able to:

• Explain the issues associated with homelessness. [EPAS  2]
• Use relevant research findings and evaluation methods that suggest best practices in working with people who are homeless. [EPAS 8]
• Explain the structure and rationale which accompanies contemporary conceptions of social needs. [EPAS 2]
• Recognize the impact of political, economic, and cultural factors on homelessness. [EPAS 3]
• Analyze specific concepts of social welfare services for people who are homeless. [EPAS 2]
• Evaluate the service delivery network that coordinates and integrates program efforts as well as monitoring, planning and evaluating the overall effectiveness of community services that address homelessness. [EPAS 9]

Assignments

A variety of learning activities are designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning preferences, and build a community of learners. 

Discussions

Discussions are an important part of the learning process in this course. In typical weeks, students are expected to post an initial response to the weekly discussion questions by Saturday, adhering to the requirements outlined in the prompt and Discussion Rubric. Most discussion activities also require you to respond to a minimum of 2 classmates in meaningful and substantive ways.

Assignments

You can find due dates for each of the following activities in this syllabus’s course schedule (below the grade breakdown table). 

Critique of a Documentary

After watching a brief documentary about homelessness in Portland, Maine, you will write a 3-page critique of the film’s main points by addressing several guiding questions.

Analysis of a Comprehensive Plan

The U.S. Dept. of Urban Development (HUD) requires that every community receiving funds under the McKinney Act organize community stakeholders to decide upon a comprehensive plan to “end homelessness” in their community within the next ten years.

In this assignment, you will critique the Ten Year Plan for your community. You will create a narrated presentation of at least 10 slides, presenting your analysis with the aid of guiding questions.

Homelessness in My Community

You will submit a 6–7-page written paper that discusses some aspects of homelessness in your community. “Community” here is defined as your own city or town or your local region, e.g., “lower Fairfield County.” Your paper should describe homelessness along the multiple dimensions we explore through our class discussions and presentations.

Journals

This course features 5 journal activities. Some of the journals ask you to reflect on how different aspects of homelessness are narrated in popular media. Some will ask you to reflect on your own learning in this course.

Final Reflective Paper

You will write a 5–7 page reflection, including references. You will address guiding questions that ask you to apply your learning to social work practice, reflect on the role diversity and inclusion will play in your work, and consider the remaining gaps in your knowledge relating to practice with people who are homeless.

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 the Total Grade
Acknowledgment of Academic Engagement	1 point	1%
Discussions	18 points (9 forums x 2 points each)	18%
Critique of a Documentary	16 points	16%
Analysis of a Comprehensive Plan	16 points	16%
Homelessness in My Community	16 points	16%
Journal Activities	16 points (4 brief journals x 4 points each)	16%
Final Reflective Paper	17 points	17%
Total	100 points	100%