Establish larger framework for graduate social work study and beginning professional practice. This course provides an understanding of the nature, history, values, ethics, and practice contexts for social work. Students evaluate their goodness-of-fit with the profession, the knowledge base required, and the diverse people, organizations, and communities served by social work.
Foundational practice knowledge and skills for engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation with individuals and families within a systems framework.
Historical and contemporary theoretical foundations for social work practice. Ecological and systems theories are presented as organizing frameworks and critical thinking is developed as a skill for identifying and challenging assumptions.
Analysis of how social welfare policies affect the well-being of people and the tools that can be used to advocate for social change.
Developing anti-oppressive practice with a focus on multiculturalism and social justice advocacy. Critically evaluate personal traits, attitudes and values regarding diversity and identity formation while exploring theoretical frameworks for understanding oppression. Analyze the relationships among power, privilege and oppression. Acquiring strategies for combating injustice.
This course includes student placement in a social-work-agency setting, providing integration of knowledge, values and skills within a generalist practice framework. The field placement connects the theoretical and conceptual contribution of the classroom with the practical world of the practice setting.
Integration of field placement experiences with foundation year MSW knowledge to enhance skills and shape social work best practices. Each session will focus on integrating students’ field placement experiences with knowledge, values, skills, behaviors, and cognitive and affective processes for professional social work practice.
Emphasis on delivering evidence-based practice as well as conducting research to improve social work practice and policy by being effective consumers of research for social work practice and understanding diverse research types, study designs, sampling, measures, and research ethics.
Knowledge, values, and skills to engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate individuals using an advanced generalist practice approach.
Preparing students to engage in and lead community practice that improves the well-being of individuals, families and communities; positively impacts the availability and impact of services and service delivery systems; and seeks to achieve social, economic, and environmental justice.
Application of social welfare policy analysis models, normative aspects of policy analysis and assessment skills.
Apply engagement, assessment, and intervention skills, theoretical models, and evidence-based practice approaches in work with families and groups.
This course includes placement in a social service agency that is approved by the CSU School of Social Work. Students are provided the context in which to apply their social work knowledge, values, methods and skills in professional practice. The concentration field experience is comprised of 675 hours of supervised advanced generalist practice experience, over two semesters.
SOWK 698: Social Work Research and Capstone
Applied research project designed and implemented in groups to culminate knowledge and skill application. May be conducted with field agency, a community organization, or in alignment with specific School of Social Work faculty research. Groups will evaluate, research, and/or analyze a topic relevant to social work practice at the micro, mezzo, or macro level.
