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.
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SWK 1300
Introduction to Social Justice and Social Welfare
4cr
This course introduces students to foundational critical theories used in deconstructing one's own identity, privilege, and oppression. Utilizing these critical theories, students will examine the lived experiences of people with intersecting identities and identify how policies, laws, and culture impact different groups. Using a historical lens, this course examines how social injustices were created and perpetuated within the U.S. By understanding historical context, students will critically evaluate systems and institutions that maintain inequities and discrimination. Students will engage in self-awareness, building critical cultural consciousness for social change, develop culturally sensitive practices to manage bias and privilege, and challenge institutionalized discrimination within their fields of study.
Fall/Spring -
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 men's movements.
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 or with department permission -
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.
Prerequisites for Social Work majors and Social Justice minor: SWK 1300 and SOC 1000 or department approval
Prerequisite for all other majors: SOC 1000 or department approval
Spring -
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.
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.
Prerequisites for Social Work majors and Social Justice minors: SWK 2400 or department approval
Prerequisite for others: Sophomore standing
Fall -
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. Must be taken with SWK 4200 and SWK 4610.
Prerequisite: SWK 3300
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 for Social Work majors and Social Justice minors: SWK 2600
Prerequisite for others: Sophomore standing or instructor permission
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.
Prerequisite: 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. Must be taken with SWK 3300 and SWK 4610
Prerequisite: SWK 3000
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. Must be taken with SWK 4620
Prerequisites: SWK 3000, SWK 4200 and SWK 4610
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. Must take with SWK 3000 and SWK 4200
Fall -
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. Must be taken with SWK 4300
Spring