Bachelors (BSW) in Social Work
Overview
The CSWE accredited bachelor of social work degree offers a 120-semester-hour course of study, 51 hours of which are prescribed social work course work that is designed to prepare students for professional social work practice with diverse populations in a variety of settings. This includes work with individuals and couples (micro level); families and small groups (mezzo level); and agencies, institutions, community and church organizations (macro level). There is an emphasis on generalist practice that values the uniqueness, dignity and needs of all people. Generalist practice is oriented toward analyzing and addressing problems with micro, mezzo and macro skills and perspectives.
The program courses are designed to include academic social work and field experience/practicum requirements within a liberal arts context. This enables the student to link social research with social work practice. The program prepares students to work in a variety of social work and social welfare settings, as well as to seek admission into graduate programs like the Master of Social Work (MSW) program at George Fox University. Students are required to obtain a minimum grade of C in all courses taken for the major.
Degree Outcomes
Graduates with a BSW in social work will:
- Acquire the social work ethics, values, skills and knowledge needed to analyze and understand the development and interrelationship of diverse world views, issues in social justice, and basic human needs
- Demonstrate knowledge, skills and values necessary to understand and affect the interrelationship between an individual and his/her environment at the macro, mezzo and micro levels
- Work effectively within diverse social contexts, structures and change processes in their practice
- Understand how their personal faith integrates with social work and apply that to their practice
- Be prepared for graduate social work education and will be committed to continual development in their professional field
Admission Requirements
Students interested in pursuing a degree in social work should consult with a social work advisor as soon as possible. All students interested in social work as a degree must make formal application to the program.
Major Requirements
Required Coursework (51 hours)
Complete the following:
An introduction to the scientific study of human behavior. Major topics include the biological bases of behavior, sensation, perception, thinking, learning, memory, development, emotion, motivation, personality, social interaction, and abnormal behavior. Prerequisite to most other psychology courses.
An introduction to the study of society, including the study of the shared relationships that create social organization and social processes of society. Required for sociology minors and for admission into the social work major.
This course serves as an introduction to the philosophy, historical development and current practices of the social work profession. Specifically, the knowledge base, values, skills, practices, settings, educational and career opportunities of the profession will be examined. Emphasis is placed on developing awareness of the scope of the profession using a scientific, analytic approach to service delivery and evaluation; relating generalist social work practice to social welfare systems; economic and social justice; and work with diverse, oppressed and at-risk populations. This course includes community service opportunities and/or social service agency tours. This course is required for those majoring in social work and must be taken prior to entrance into the major.
This course provides and seeks to apply a basic framework for creating and organizing knowledge of human behavior during the lifespan. Social systems, human development theories, and strengths approaches are critically examined to foster understanding of individual, family, group, organizational, and community behaviors and the impact of the larger environment on these systems. Special attention is given to the impact of human diversity, discrimination, and oppression on the ability of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities to reach or maintain optimal health and well-being. Required for majors.
Prerequisites: PSYC 150 General Psychology and SOCI 150 Principles of Sociology or permission of instructor.
This course introduces human rights and social justice concepts in the context of social work history, values, ethics, and practice. Related concepts of oppression, power, privilege, and inequity will also be covered.
Prerequisites: Formal admission to the social work program or a declared minor in social welfare.
Applied statistics for the social and behavioral sciences. Emphasis is placed on statistical logic and decision making. Recommended for the sophomore or junior year. Required for sociology and social work majors. (Identical to SOCI 340.)
Prerequisites: SOCI 150 Principles of Sociology and high school algebra.
A study of generalist social work practice with individuals. Micro-level theory, skills and interviewing techniques are applied to generalist social work. The course will cover theory and techniques of person-centered case management that are specifically applicable to work with individuals. Furthermore, this course assists the students in necessary self-exploration as it relates to future ethical social work practice. A prerequisite for Field Experience/Practicum I (SWRK 475). Required for majors and open to declared social work majors only. Prerequisites: PSYC 150 General Psychology, SOCI 150 Principles of Sociology, SWRK 180 Introduction to Social Work, and formal admission into the social work program.
A study of mezzo-level generalist social work practice with families and groups. Attention is given to a systems framework of generalist social work practice, with a particular focus upon assessment and development of appropriate intervention strategies. A prerequisite for SWRK 476 Field Experience/Practicum II. Required for majors.
Prerequisite: SWRK 391 Social Work Practice I and declared social work majors only.
An overview of generalist social work methods practiced with organizations and communities. Attention is given to assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of macro-level systems. A prerequisite for SWRK 477 Field Experience/Practicum III. Required for majors. This class is open to declared social work majors only. Prerequisite: SWRK 392 Social Work Practice II.
This course introduces students to issues of diversity and difference in preparation for culturally competent social work practice. Students will learn about vulnerable and marginalized groups and the environmental systems which impact them. Special attention is given to issues of intersectionality, bias, discrimination, power and privilege, and oppression. Students will explore their own personal identity and how their views, beliefs, values, and behaviors may support or hinder future social work practice with diverse populations.
This course provides basic knowledge about research methods as it applies to social work practice. This course is designed to survey the basic processes of research methodology as practiced in the social sciences. Topics include research design, problem formulation, measurement, sampling, data analysis, and ethics in research. This course introduces the theory and application of basic social scientific research techniques, including qualitative and quantitative methods, data collection and statistical thinking. Topics specific to social work research such as agency-based research, program evaluation, outcomes evaluation and single-subject design will be emphasized. The use of research as one tool in the professional repertoire of skills available to the social work generalist and evaluation of practice are emphasized. This course is designed to increase students' ability to read for understanding, critically evaluate, and better utilize the social work research literature. At the same time it is designed to prepare students to begin work on the senior research paper/project. Finally, this course demonstrates the need for and encourages the use of research in social work practice.
This course proves an in-depth analysis of how human needs and values are translated into social policy on community, national and international levels. Special attention is given to the ways in which values and power interests influence the creation of social policy. Emphasis is placed on the history of social welfare and related policies, the process of policy formation and analysis, and impact of policy on at-risk populations. Implications for generalist social work practice and services will be explored through a variety of class activities. Required for social work majors. Prerequisite: SWRK 180 Introduction to Social Work or the instructor's permission.
The first course in the field instruction provides a beginning level of
supervised field experience in a social service agency where students begin applying generalist practice skills of working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Students integrate and apply concepts from social work practice courses focused on professionalism, ethics, policy, research, diversity, human rights and justice, and the generalist social work perspective. Additionally, students attend a one-hour seminar each week that addresses the integration of classroom concepts and experiences at the agency. (225 practicum hours in the agency) Prerequisites: SWRK 391 Social Work Practice I, SWRK 392 Social Work Practice II; declared social work majors only.
The second course in the field instruction continues professionally supervised generalist social work practice in approved community agencies. Students integrate and apply concepts from social work practice courses focused on professionalism, ethics, policy, research, diversity, human rights and justice, and the generalist social work perspective. Additionally, students attend a one-hour seminar each week that addresses the integration of classroom concepts and experiences at the agency. (225 practicum hours in the agency) Prerequisites: SWRK 476 Field Internship I; declared social work majors only.
This course focuses on consolidating substantive knowledge regarding (1) social welfare policy and services, (2) human behavior in the social environment, (3) the structure and function of communities and human service organizations, (4) methods of inducing change across the micro-, mezzo, and macro-levels of human experience, (5) methods of scientific inquiry necessary to assess human potential, problems, and the effectiveness or outcomes of professional interventions, (6) the professional presentation of “self” as a social worker, (7) the integration or interaction of various psycho-social theories with faith and learning, and (8) professional applications of the NASW Code of Ethics. Prerequisite: SWRK 392 Social Work Practice II.