Social Work

SWK310 Introduction to Social Work (3 semester hours)
Overview and historical perspective of the social work profession, discussion of social work values, knowledge, and skills. Introduction to generalist social work practice, human diversity within the social work profession, and fields of practice. Discussion of the Curriculum Policy Statement adopted by the Council on Social Work Education, as well as relevant issues facing BSW social workers today, e.g., licensure.
Prerequisites: SOC110 and PSY110; open to non-majors.

SWK312 Group Dynamics I (3 semester hours)
Principles and methods, tools, settings, and resources of class as a group. Small group development, leadership, and groupwork theory; group formation, group process, group roles, communication, non-verbal behavior, individual functioning, values, and ethics. Behavior patterns and functioning of oneself and others as group members. Focus on inclusion, control, and self disclosure issues.
Pre- or Corequisite: SWK310. No transfer course is acceptable; majors only.

SWK313 Group Dynamics II (3 semester hours)
The development of group leadership skills, as well as skills in designing group experiences with various populations.
Prerequisite: SWK312. No transfer course is acceptable; majors only.

SWK315 Social Welfare: Institutions and Policies (3 semester hours)
Social welfare and community services as social institutions (societal response to social problems): values, motivations, and methods by which institutions were developed, issues and social policies affecting programs and services, including analysis of policy-making process.
Prerequisites: PSC211, SWK310; majors only.

SWK330 Community Organization and Social Environment (3 semester hours)
Basic concepts of the social environment including social structures and processes, social change, social control, social stratification, and socialization through community organizations and institutions. Based on these concepts, the principles of community organization, assessment of various approaches, current issues, ethics, values, and the roles of the organizer are studied.
Prerequisites: SWK310 and SWK315; majors only.

SWK340 Human Behavior and Social Environmnet: (HBSE) Integrative Seminar (3 semester hours)
Study of human behavior from an ecological perspective as organism-environment transactions. Social systems concepts; biological, psychological, socio-structural, and cultural variables; concepts of stress, adaptation, coping, social support, social networks, and biculturalism with implications for generalist social work practice.
Prerequisites: SWK313, SWK330, PSY335, and PSY336; majors only.
Pre- or Corequisite: BIO105.

SWK370 Theory and Practice of Social Work with Women (2 semester hours)
Economic, legal, and other social factors affecting the position and roles of women; psychodynamic knowledge relating to women; issues and implications for social work practice.
Prerequisites: SWK310 or consent of instructor.

SWK371 Child Welfare Services (2 semester hours)
Theory, principles, issues, and trends in social work with children and youth; common and special needs. Case management, treatment planning, case monitoring. Exploration of authority-helper role and problems of working with non-voluntary clients.
Prerequisites: SWK310 or consent of instructor.

SWK372 Political Advocacy (1 semester hour)
This experiential course is designed to give students hands on experience with political advocacy in the legislative arena through involvement in the lobbying efforts sponsored by the Illinois Chapter of NASW. Students become familiar with the lobbying process and develop political skills needed by all social workers to improve social conditions and promote social justice.
Prerequisites: SWK310 or consent of instructor.

SWK373 Prevention Programs-Children & Youth (2 semester hours)
Social work has long been concerned with providing opportunities for the growth and development of youth, their families, and communities. Recently, foundations and policy groups have been reemphasizing the critical importance of services that are often referred to as "primary social services." This course will be examining primary social service networks for youth, family, and community development.
Prerequisites: SWK310 or consent of instructor.

SWK375 Substance Abuse (2 semester hours)
Basic information regarding alcohol as a substance and its psychological and physiological impact. Roles and dynamics are examined in families where alcohol use is problematic. Intervention and the range of techniques used to address alcoholism.
Prerequisites: SWK310 or consent of instructor.


SWK377 Social Work Practice with Older Adults (2 semester hours)
Study of major theories of aging and their implications for social work practice. Focuses on community services for the aged and examines current issues and trends related to the service delivery system.
No prerequisites

SWK378 Computer Applications in Social Work (2 semester hours)
Computer applications for social work practice. Emphasis on electronic communication, acquiring, using, and critically evaluating web based information, and web site design for human service agencies. Exploration of ethical issues related to the use of information technology.
No prerequisites

SWK410 Social Work Practice with Diverse Populations (3 semester hours)
Foundation and basic conceptual framework for understanding and appreciating unique characteristics and socio-structural factors that affect population groups identified by the social work professional as traditionally undeserved and oppressed. Traditional as well as alternative social work intervention methods are discussed and evaluated for their efficacy in working with these groups.
Prerequisite: SWK340; majors only.

SWK411 Generalist Social Work Practice I (3 semester hours)
The first course in a three-course practice sequence. Develops and builds on skills, knowledge, values, and ethics of the social work profession. Emphasizes developing practice competence by studying the generic principles of the helping process and applying systems theory, the ecological perspective, and problem solving methods of working with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Practice issues prompted from the field experiences are an integral part of the course.
Prerequisite: SWK340; majors only.
Corequisite: SWK421.

SWK412 Generalist Social Work Practice II (3 semester hours)
Further facilitates the student's integration of classroom field learning. Emphasizes improved handling of oneself and the middle phase of assessment and intervention with families, individuals, groups, and communities from a systems perspective. An ecological systems approach to practice the problem solving model, development of related practice skills, principles of the practice process, and overall development of practice competence.
Prerequisite: SWK411; majors only.
Corequisite: SWK422.

SWK413 Generalist Social Work Practice III (3 semester hours)
Further integration of classroom learning with field learning, with a continued focus on ethical considerations; theory and skill development, and improved handling of oneself; development of the student's own practice theory and the ending phases of intervention. Includes a weekend meeting where the students evaluate their academic and field learnings and terminate with each other.
Prerequisites: SWK412, SWK412, majors only.
Corequisite: SWK423.

SWK420 Social Work Research I (3 semester hours)
Research knowledge and competencies essential to the beginning professional worker for effective practice and for entry into graduate social work programs; gathering relevant data; describing, monitoring, and accounting for one's own practice and participating in research efforts and agency information systems.
Prerequisite: SWK340, majors only.

SWK430 Social Work Research II (3 semester hours)
Statistical methods course acquaints the student with data analysis using SPSS. Basic concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics, descriptions of central tendency, dispersion, association and difference; inference via statistical estimation, hypothesis testing, and tests of significance are covered to enable students to conceptualize, apply, and interpret statistical methods in relation to problems which confront the field of social work.
Prerequisite: SWK420; majors only.

SWK421, 422, 423 Field Instruction I, II, III (9 semester hours)
Taken in conjunction with Generalist Social Work Practice courses I, II, III (SWK411, 412, 413); minimum of 150 clock hours each course for each of three terms (fall, winter, spring). Learning experiences in the field setting are under the instruction of an MSW with at least two years experience. Experiences include direct work with individuals, groups, families, and communities, as well as participation in staff activities.
Prerequisite: SWK340; majors only.

SWK425 Family Dynamics and Implications for Practice (2 semester hours)
Development of a variety of frameworks to be used in understanding and analyzing the family and how it functions. Reinforcement of the sociological, demographic, and cultural factors that influence family values and goals and affect the social, emotional, and instrumental functioning in relation to social work practice and policy. Selected family theories are introduced and evaluated in terms of their implications for social work practice with families in various fields of practice.
Prerequisite: SWK310, majors only.

SWK474 Family Violence: Issues and Intervention (2 semester hours)
Sociocultural analysis of the victimization, through violence, of women in the family, with a particular focus on the problems of battering and incest. Exploration of preventions, intervention strategies and implications for social work practice.
No prerequisites