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Social Work

Courses

Carthage’s professional social work curriculum equips students with knowledge, values and skills necessary for generalist practice. Through required field experiences, the department provides students with supervised opportunity to master the requisite competencies in actual practice situations. Scroll down to read descriptions of the social work courses offered at Carthage, or click on the following links for additional resources.

  • SWK 2200

    Child Welfare Policy and Practice

    4cr
    This course is designed to provide an overview of current issues in child welfare and will explore practice and policy interventions in the child welfare settings. Students will examine the pillars of permanency, safety, and well-being in the child welfare arena and will develop a foundational understanding of issues related to race, age, gender, culture and socio-economic status.
    Fall

  • SWK 2210

    Family Violence

    4cr
    This course addresses concerns about violence against women, specifically domestic violence. The course will discuss historical and cultural factors, feminist origins of the domestic violence movement, dating violence, dynamics of captivity, trauma and recovery, child witnesses, human trafficking, offender issues, treatment, prevention and social change approaches, and nonviolent mens movements.
    Spring

  • SWK 2300

    Contemporary Social Work Practice

    4cr
    This course provides the student with awareness of the scope of the social work profession. Students explore their interest in pursuing social work as a profession and identify how to begin to conduct oneself as a professional.
    Fall/Spring

  • SWK 2330

    Applied Statistics for Health and Human Services (MTH)

    4cr
    This course will assist students in applying statistics to research or practice situations encountered by social workers and nurses. Fundamental statistical theories and concepts, such as Type I and Type II errors, central tendency, variability, probability, statistical significance, effect size, and power, are presented to help students understand the rationale and purpose of using statistics. Basic parametric statistical analyses, including correlation, t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA), simple regression, and selected nonparametric statistics, as well as the mathematical logic behind these statistical tests, is presented. Students will learn how to do the hypothesis testing with normal distributions and also learn to interpret and critically evaluate statistical analyses of published studies. This knowledge will allow students to be evidence-based practitioners and critical consumers of research.
    Prerequisite: Students must be accepted nursing or social work majors.

  • SWK 2400

    Human Behavior in the Social Environment (SOC)

    4cr
    This course will focus on human development and behavior across the life span with a particular focus on how people interact with, adapt to, and are constrained by the world around them. Specifically, we will examine the impact of systems and structures of oppression on human development and well-being. Using an anti-oppression lens, this course focuses on bodies of knowledge and theory that help to explain the intimate and extended contexts that shape human development and the complex interactions between person and context. Content on individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, culture, social structure, and political and economic forces will be covered. This course has a service learning component that will allow students to deepen their understanding of concepts learned in class by applying them in real-world settings.
    Prerequisites: SOC 1000
    Fall

  • SWK 2500

    Engaging Multicultural Students and Families

    4cr
    This course will examine the relationship between schools, families, and communities with a particular emphasis on human diversity in urban environments. Students will explore the diverse range of backgrounds of children who comprise today's school population, family structures from yesterday to today, schools as social institutions, and schools in their broader contexts, and examine methods, policies, and practices that would lead to improved school, family, and community relationships.
    Prerequisite: SOC 1000 or EDU 1010
    Fall

  • SWK 2600

    Ethics and Leadership in a Multicultural Society

    4cr
    This course is designed for students coming from any major at the College and examines ethics and leadership from a wide range of professional and disciplinary perspectives. Students will learn about various ethical frameworks, and multicultural understandings of ethics and leadership. Students will apply these ethical frameworks to contemporary case studies as a way to develop critical ethical thinking skills, particularly as it relates to socially responsible leadership in our contemporary global society.
    Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher or instructor approval
    Spring

  • SWK 3000

    Social Welfare Research (SOC)

    4cr
    An introduction to the methods of social science research. Emphasis on research consumership and on practical experience in gathering, organizing, and analyzing data.
    Prerequisites: Accepted social work major with senior standing and concurrent enrollment in SWK 4200
    Fall

  • SWK 3100

    Social Welfare Policy Analysis (SOC)

    4cr
    Study of the past, present, and possible future of social welfare programming with an emphasis on the general process of policy making, including the interaction of social, economic, and political influences. The course will include critical analysis of several specific social welfare issues and problems. Social work majors should take this course in the spring of Junior year.
    Prerequisite: Accepted social work major
    Spring

  • SWK 3300

    Introduction to Social Work Practice

    4cr
    This is the first course in the generalist practice sequence required for the social work major and is designed to provide opportunities for students to apply and integrate previous course learning in the development of their social work practice skills. This course will provide social work majors with opportunities to deepen the development of their social work practice by using bodies of knowledge from anti-oppressive, critical social work, and ethical decision-making frameworks. Students will develop more complex and theory-informed practice applications with individuals, groups, and families. Requires 52 hours of observational pre-field experience.
    Prerequisites: Accepted social work major and SWK 2600
    Spring

  • SWK 4200

    Advanced Social Work Practice

    4cr
    Advanced study of generalist social work intervention with agencies and community systems with emphasis on the acquisition of values, knowledge, and practice skills. Requires 52 hours of volunteer field experience.
    Prerequisites: SWK 3200, SWK 3300, and instructor permission
    Fall

  • SWK 4300

    Integrative Seminar

    4cr
    Weekly seminar to integrate and synthesize social work theory and practice through a critical review of professional ethics. Students will complete their Senior Project in this course.
    Prerequisites: SWK 4200 and concurrent enrollment in SWK 4610 and 4620
    Spring

  • SWK 4610

    Social Work Field Placement I

    4cr
    Field instruction under the supervision of an MSW in a social service agency for 225 hours. Application of generalist skills to provide services to individuals, groups, families, and communities.
    Prerequisites: SWK 3000, SWK 3200, SWK 3300, SWK 4200, and concurrent enrollment in SWK 4620 and SWK 4300
    Spring

  • SWK 4620

    Social Work Field Placement II

    4cr
    Field instruction under the supervision of an MSW in a social service agency for 225 hours. Application of generalist skills to provide services to individuals, groups, families, and communities.
    Prerequisites: SWK 3000, SWK 3200, SWK 3300, SWK 4200, and concurrent enrollment in SWK 4300 and SWK 4610
    Spring

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    • Carthage is ranked No. 3 in the country for student participation in short-term study abroad. Every J-Term, hundreds of students travel all over the world on faculty-led study tours. Imagine a month in Sweden, Rome, Cuba, Senegal, India, Japan …

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