This course, “Social Work Practice and the Law” is designed to introduce students to the various components of law and how the exchanges between legal professionals and a social worker coincide when an individual, family, or group is faced with legal issues. It provides an introductory examination of the historical frameworks of law/social work and how the two systems interact within the legal and social work domains. This course showcases the systems perspective and practice techniques in communicating and collaborating across professional fields. The goal of this course is to understand the context of law, social work and their continuing relevance to understanding and meeting a client’s legal needs.
Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:
This quiz must be completed by Sunday of Week 1 and is required in order to unlock all Week 1 content.
Discussion Forums: You will have whole class discussions in all 8 weeks.
Due Dates: All discussion questions require an initial response by Saturday, 11:59 PM ET and responses must be completed by Tuesday, 11:59 PM ET unless otherwise stated; however, feel free to post your work earlier in the learning week if you choose.
What are initial response posts?
Initial responses are a direct response to the discussion forum question(s) and must include at least 500 words for each question and references to the text or readings. You must follow APA for the discussion boards which means that for any source that is used you must include a reference at the end of the post which conforms to APA.
What are response posts?
Responses are posts that demonstrate that you are responding to at least two students. You are expected to actively participate in the forums each week an assignment is due. Response posts must include at least 250 words.
Responses to others 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. What is considered sufficient is initiating further discussion; promoting further thought; providing critical or integrative dialogue; providing effective support or encouragement; challenging by showing supporting literature or other documentation, and/or self-reflecting regarding the topic.
In the discussion boards, what you write is subject to the NASW Code of Ethics 2.01(a-c) (2017) as students are as bound by the Code as any licensed social workers. You are expected to be respectful to each other when agreeing or disagreeing about a policy or legal point and to respond with research, literature, evidence, or data not personal invective or any use of profanity. If you use personal experience please de-identify any other person or organization to protect your privacy and that of any third person or entity. You are also expected to maintain the confidentiality of any postings and not share any of that information outside the course.
Your instructor will grade each discussion forum using the criteria listed in the “Social Work Discussion Rubric”.
These are a 4-5 page papers (not counting cover sheet and APA reference page). The paper will be double-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman font. These are not essay papers, nor short answer papers. Please do not underestimate the value of the assigned readings as sources for these papers. You may reference outside sources but you should make sure that you answer each section and apply the readings or other assigned material. These papers require a critical analysis of the connections between the assigned topics.
Choose one of your papers and create a policy presentation in the form of a testimony. Your presentation should include five PowerPoint slides and you will record a five-minute video of yourself giving the presentation. Your presentation should be created as if you are arguing for a policy change in the law before Congress.
Four weeks in the course feature a brief reflective journal activity. Each journal requires you to comment on how a key concept from the week applies to your social work practice.
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:
Assignment | Point Value | % of Grade |
---|---|---|
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement Quiz | 1 | 1 |
Discussion Boards (8 @ 4.25 points each) | 34 | 34 |
Journal Reflections (4 @ 5 points each) | 20 | 20 |
Week 2 Assignment | 10 | 10 |
Week 4 Assignment | 10 | 10 |
Week 6 Assignment | 15 | 15 |
Testimony Presentation | 10 | 10 |
Total | 100 points | 100 |
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: Wednesday – Tuesday, except Week 8
Week 1: Aug 30 – Sep 5
Week 2: Sep 6 – Sep 12
Week 3: Sep 13 – Sep 19
Week 4: Sep 20 – Sep 26
Week 5: Sep 27 – Oct 3
Week 6: Oct 4 – Oct 10
Week 7: Oct 11 – Oct 17
Week 8: Oct 18 – Oct 22 (Sunday)
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.