This course examines how social, political, and contextual factors influence mental health, psychosocial, and behavioral outcomes and treatment-seeking behaviors among military personnel, veterans, and their families. Students will examine the military from a variety of perspectives, including its background and organization, social systems, core values, artifacts, language and socially acceptable practices as these practices impact soldiers. This course addresses the needs of active duty, deployed service members, veterans, and their families at different developmental phases of the military life course. A range of physical, mental, and psychosocial issues including deployment stressors and post-deployment mental health (i.e., physical challenges, posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety and depressive symptoms, substance use/abuse, suicidal ideation, and interpersonal conflicts) will be addressed in this course.
Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
You will be asked to post one initial response to a Discussion Question each week, and then make a minimum of 2 peer response comments per week. Postings must meet the criteria for substantiveness to earn the maximum points available.
Explore the literature as it relates to the differences between PTSD and war-induced PTSD. Your paper should be no longer than 4 pages and should include at least 8 peer-reviewed sources from the literature.
You will select a topic from week 3, veterans in college, 4, working with families or 5 social workers in the military and combat settings. You will craft a 4 page paper that explores the peer reviewed literature on one of these topics. Your paper should include at least 8 references from peer-reviewed journals and be presented in APA format.
Review the Pew Research Centers Predictors of transition back to civilian life. Select one of the predictors and discuss how, as a social worker, you would work with a veteran who is transitioning. Your paper should be at least 4 pages and include references from the course texts and other sources.
For your final paper, reflect on our course materials and what you have learned about working with veterans, their families, and systems. Your paper should be no more than 6 pages and include at least 8 peer-reviewed references.
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:
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement | 10 points |
Whole Class Discussions | 8 weeks x 50 points = 400 points |
Differentiation between PTSD and War-Induced PTSD Paper | 100 points |
Special Populations Literature Review Paper | 100 points |
Transition Back to Civilian Life Paper | 100 points |
Final Reflection Paper | 290 points |
Total | 1000 points |
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 |
Course weeks run from 12:00 AM ET on Wednesday through 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday at 11:59 PM ET. Unless otherwise specified, all discussion comments and assignments are due the last day of the week. Initial responses to discussion prompts are due by the end of Saturday unless otherwise noted.
Week 1: Jan 17 – Jan 23
Week 2: Jan 24 – Jan 30
Week 3: Jan 31 – Feb 6
Week 4: Feb 7 – Feb 13
Week 5: Feb 14 – Feb 20
Week 6: Feb 21 – Feb 27
Week 7: Feb 28 – Mar 5
Week 8: Mar 6 – Mar 10
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
ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
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/
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
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.
Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance 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.
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.