SOCIAL WORK (SOCWK)
SOCWK 121 - INTRODUCTION TO PREVENTION
Prerequisite: None
Students will explore a comprehensive approach to understanding and preventing substance misuse and related behavioral health problems through the context of an ethical and culturally competent strategic prevention framework.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 131 - ADDICTIONS COUNSELING I
Prerequisite: PSYC 101 previous or concurrently, or permission of instructor
Students will explore substance use disorders, how these disorders are diagnosed and treated, along with ethical issues related to addictions counseling.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 132 - ADDICTIONS COUNSELING II
Prerequisite: SOCWK 131 or permission of instructor
Students will further explore substance use disorders including differential diagnosis, treatment of special populations with addictions disorder, and legal and ethical issues in addictions counseling.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 202 - DRUGS AND SOCIETY
Prerequisite: None
This course is designed to give students a general overview of the role and extent of alcohol and drug use in our society. Areas to be discussed include an examination of societal attitudes and social structures that impact policies towards drug use and our understanding of substance use disorder. The social cost of addiction will also be examined. ADCT/SOC credits.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 221 - INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK
Prerequisite: SOC 111 or PSYC 101
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of social work. It offers an overview of the settings in which social workers practice, the populations they encounter, the social problems they address, and the interventions they utilize. Students are introduced to systems theory, social policies with guide practice and the relationship of these concepts to advocacy and social change. The course will examine the knowledge, values, ethics, and skills necessary for effective generalist social work practice. Students complete an agency volunteer/shadowing experience.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 230 - GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Prerequisite: None
This course will explore global social justice issues through the lens of various human rights documents. Issues to be examined include forced labor, war and conflict, and violence against women and children. The history and development of these issues, how culture of individual countries and regions affect the issues and responses, as well as possibilities for the resolution of the issue will be examined.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 233 - ADDICTIONS PREVENTION, ASSESSMENT & DIAGNOSIS
Prerequisite: SOCWK 131, SOCWK 132 student already credentialed as a CDCA (Phase II completed) or permission of instructor
Students will explore prevention of substance use disorder including, but not limited to: risk factors, models of prevention, needs assessments, and intervention strategies. Students will explore assessment and diagnosis of substance use disorder including, but not limited to: assessment procedures, diagnostic interviewing, criteria for diagnosis, dual diagnosis, and modalities and levels of treatment.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 234 - ADDICTIONS TREATMENT PLANNING AND COUNSELING
Prerequisite: SOCWK 233, student already credentialed as a CDCA (Phase II completed) or permission of instructor
Students will explore working with addiction populations including treatment planning, individual counseling, group counseling, and relationship counseling.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 237 - ADDICTIONS PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
Prerequisite: None, student already credentialed as a CDCA (Phase II completed) or permission of instructor
Students will explore pharmacology of both drugs of abuse and those used in detoxification and the treatment of addiction and mental and emotional disorders including the action of pharmaceuticals and the physiological response, the interaction of pharmaceuticals, tolerance, the appropriate use of psychotropics with addicted persons and the effects of drugs on sensation and perception, learning and memory, human growth and development, sexual functioning and behavior.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 250 - FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL WELFARE
Prerequisite: None
This course examines and analyzes the history of social welfare in the United States to understand the context of social welfare movements and policies. Emphasis will be placed on the volunteer beginnings of social work which led to the development of the social work profession, and to issues of poverty and social, political, and economic justice that affect oppressed groups in American Society.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 265 - PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS
Prerequisite: None
Explores parent/child relationships from infancy through adolescence. The course addresses parenting philosophies, child guidance strategies, family diversity, and challenges to contemporary parents and their children. The dynamics of parent/child interactions are analyzed from a systems perspective that considers the reciprocal impact of children on parents as well as parents on their children. Includes understanding and facilitating parents in their parenting role.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 293 - ADDICTIONS INTERNSHIP
Prerequisite: SOCWK 131, 132
This 1-3 credit hour internship will involve time spent working with substance use individuals in a community agency and class time for reflection and process work. Hours may be counted toward LCDC licensure if student and supervisor complete the supervision requirements per Ohio Administrative Code.
Credit: 1-3
SOCWK 304 - HUMAN BEHAVIOR ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
Prerequisite: SOCWK 221 or Sophomore status
This course focuses on individuals as they develop over the life span and have membership in various systems such as families, groups, organizations and communities. It provides students with theories and knowledge related to biological, social, psychological, spiritual and cultural variables. It addresses the environmental conditions that promote or deter individual and family growth; the reciprocal impact of people and a range of environmental systems; and variations in development and functioning that arise from diversity factors. The course provides the foundation for completing accurate assessments of human problems, choosing intervention strategies and evaluating interventions.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 305 - FAMILY VIOLENCE
Prerequisite: None
This course examines the dynamics of power and control in intimate relationships. Theories from the social sciences, particularly sociology, are used to assess these dynamics and the socio-cultural setting in which they exist. Readings introduce the historical status of women and children; dramatic exercises provide experiential learning about being involved in situations of power and control.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 306 - SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Prerequisite: SOC 301 or co-requisite
A continuation of the study of individual interaction with the social environment, particularly with larger systems such as organizations and rural and urban communities. Students learn the dynamics of oppression and the effects of oppression on the social and economic circumstances of members of diverse and at risk populations.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 310 - SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE I
Prerequisite: SOCWK 221 or Department’s permission
This course is designed to provide students with a generalist approach to social work practice and basic knowledge of social work methods. Areas of study include social work values and ethics, problem-solving, the client worker relationship, interviewing and relationship-building skills, group process and professional writing. For social work majors only.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 312 - SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE II
Prerequisite: SOCWK 304, SOCWK 310, a grade of C or better in SOCWK 310
Continues the generalist approach to social work practice. Students learn the social work process, along with interviewing skill refinement, and the processes and skills involved in working with families. Attention is given to differential assessment and intervention skills that will enable practitioners to serve diverse populations and practice competently across rural and urban settings.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 320 - TOPICS IN SOCIAL WORK
Prerequisite: None
A focused study of a particular area of social work practice, including assessment of problem situations and helping efforts directed at remediating problems. Topics include case management, women's issues, working with children, and others. Course can be repeated as topics change.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 323 - LATER ADULTHOOD IN THE FAMILY CONTEXT
Prerequisite: None
The study of later adulthood, focusing on relationships, kinship ties, living arrangements, and financial issues within the family context. The course will examine the reciprocal effects of decision-making and caring for an aging adult on the individual and the family.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 324 - WORKING WITH OLDER ADULTS
Prerequisite: None
This course provides a comprehensive approach to working with older adults. Areas of study include the ethical basis for practice, forming and maintaining the working relationship, interviewing skills, problem-solving with assessment and intervention skills, professional writing, and knowledge of relevant social policy.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 330 - INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON WOMEN
Prerequisite: None
This course focuses on women's issues from an international perspective and addresses the diversity and similarity of women's experiences worldwide. It considers the scope of gender injustice and the variety of factors (e.g. social, economic, political, religious) that contribute to it. The course examines current cross-cultural attitudes toward the family, women's work, and women's status and explores international gender equality movements and women's rights as human rights.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 350 - DEATH AND DYING
Prerequisite: None
This course explores concepts related to death and dying, death perceptions from childhood through older adulthood, social and cultural attitudes, insights into the needs of the dying person and family, one's own beliefs and feelings toward the death of others and self, and the ethical aspects surrounding death. The student will study current theories and practices related to death and dying from the standpoint of developmental and systems theories, and social and cultural attitudes and practices.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 360 - RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Prerequisite: MATH 108 or co-requisite, SOC 111
An introduction to methodological techniques of research in the social sciences. Emphasis is placed on quantitative and qualitative research methodologies as they relate to building knowledge for practice and to evaluating service delivery in all areas of practice. Research ethics, analysis and evaluation of theoretical bases, research questions, analysis of development. Students are exposed to theoretical frameworks and acquire data, and use of technology are covered. SOC/SOCWK credit.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 408 - SOCIAL POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS
Prerequisite: SOCWK 221, SOCWK 250, and senior status
A continuing examination of social welfare policy, with emphases on current policy, policy analysis, and skills for influencing policy development. Students are exposed to theoretical frameworks and acquire practical skills in policy analysis and are introduced to theories and skills of influencing for change.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 412 - SOCIAL WORK COMMUNITY PRACTICE
Prerequisite: SOCWK 306, SOCWK 312, SOC 225 (or co-requisite); a grade of C or better in SOCWK 312
This course focuses on the theories and strategies that allow a generalist social worker to recognize and act on the need for change in larger systems such as organizations, communities, and societal institutions in order to ensure that human and civil rights are protected, that resources are equitably distributed, add that opportunities are available to all.
Credit: 3
SOCWK 417 - PRE-PRACTICUM SEMINAR
Prerequisite: SOCWK 306, SOCWK 312; Co-requisites SOCWK 408, SOCWK 412
This course is designed to prepare students for beginning professional entry-level generalist practice. This course will review issues related to agency-based work environments and service delivery in a generalist framework, discuss current issues in the field, and focus on the professional use of self. The course covers ethical practice documentation, supervision, and the development of a learning contract. The process of arranging the field practicum (SOCWK 418 Field Instruction) for the subsequent spring semester takes place as part of this course. Graded S/U.
Credit: 1
SOCWK 418 - FIELD INSTRUCTION
Prerequisite: All SOCWK academic courses with a minimum of 2.25 GPA; a grade of C or better in SOCWK 412 co-requisite SOCWK 419
Field instruction is an integral part of the social work curriculum and takes place during the last semester of the senior year. Field Instruction gives students an intensive opportunity to apply social work knowledge, values, and skills in practice situations in a social agency under the supervision of a social worker. Students practice within the generalist framework with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities and spend 36 hours a week in the agency (a minimum total of 468 hours).
Credit: 12
SOCWK 419 - FIELD SEMINAR
Prerequisite: SOCWK 417; co-requisite SOCWK 418
A problem-solving seminar taken concurrently with Field Instruction in which students examine the social work knowledge base, practice skills, values, and policies as they relate to their experience in agencies. The seminar is designed to support and build upon agency experiences. As a part of the seminar, students complete the Montana Social Work Competence Written and Oral Examination.
Credit: 3