SOCIAL WORK: COURSES
47-503. Foundations of Social Policy Analysis
This course introduces the student to the formulation and analysis of social policy. The student will develop policy analysis skills as a base for recommending changes in existing programs or services and for introducing new services. Special attention will be given to using multiple perspectives to analyze the unmet needs of vulnerable populations within the advanced generalist practice framework.
47-504. Foundation Communication Skills in Advanced Social Work Practice
This course introduces students to the various types of communication skills utilized in advanced social work practice. Through in-depth examination of intentional interviewing and counselling skills, students will explore core social work values in relation to practice situations. Content focuses on the critical analysis of particular verbal, non-verbal and written forms of communication. A laboratory format will be employed to build student competencies in the effective use of interactional skills with clients and client systems.
47-515. Professional Writing for Social Work
Students in this course will describe and demonstrate advanced, professional, written communication and composition skills, critical analysis, application of knowledge to practice, and the use of examples in social work writing. Students will review writing guidelines from the current Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association and demonstrate methods for preparing scholarly papers, reflective essays, literature reviews, research proposals and reports, and grant applications. Writing for social work will be illustrated, including case notes, assessments, action plans, reports, and proposals. The ethical considerations and the impact of social work writing will be discussed.
47-523. Challenges in Human Development
This course examines the impact of biological, psychological, and social challenges on human development. These challenges may include physical illness and disability, mental illness and substance abuse, economic adversity (such as chronic poverty, unemployment, underemployment, or balancing work and family responsibilities), family and community violence, and child neglect/abuse. The additional effect of minority status, diversity, and disenfranchised groups will be included. An ecological perspective will be used to understand the individual, family, community, and society issues related to these challenges. Both the impact of these challenges and strategies responding to these challenges will be appraised and critically analyzed.
47-531. Foundations for Advanced Social Work Practice with Individuals
This course develops a theoretical and applied understanding of foundational knowledge for advanced social work practice with individuals from an ecological perspective. This includes an emphasis on multidimensional assessment and the differential application of therapeutic, supportive, educational, and resource management strategies to individuals. Specific attention is given to the needs of diverse and vulnerable populations in the context of social justice.
47-532. Foundations for Advanced Social Work Practice with Groups
This course provides students with a foundation of the theoretical frameworks used in advanced social work practice with groups within an ecological perspective. Students will use selected practice theories for social work with groups to develop knowledge values and skills in critical analysis, differential assessment, planning and intervention, evaluation and termination with client groups. The challenges faced by diverse and vulnerable populations that affect group composition, and development and processes are explored within the context of social justice. Assessment skills are used to identify group strengths, weaknesses, and challenges in formulating effective social work practice with groups.
47-533. Foundations for Advanced Social Work Practice with Families
This course provides students in with a foundation for assessment and intervention with families as a component of advanced social work practice utilizing an ecological perspective. The focus is on the critical analysis and differential application of selected family therapy approaches. Social work, values and skills for assessment and intervention with families are emphasized.
47-534. Foundations for Advanced Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities
This course uses an ecological perspective to apply advanced social work practice with organizations and communities. It focuses on planning, implementing, and evaluating interventions with communities and human service organizations. Special emphasis is placed on the use of an ecological perspective in addressing the needs and issues of vulnerable populations.
47-547. Advanced Social Work Research: Practice Evaluation
This course prepares students to understand and critically use research in evaluating social work practice with individuals, families and small groups. This course will critically review the theoretical underpinnings of evidence-based social work practice that emphasizes the integration of research and professional practice. Quantitative and qualitative methods appropriate for the evaluation of social work practice with individuals, families and small groups will be explored.
47-550. Social Work Values, Ethics and Anti-Oppressive Practice
This course serves as an overview of the profession of social work and an introduction to advanced generalist practice with an anti-oppressive focus. The goal is to provide an understanding of the nature, history, traditions, and issues of the social work profession as they relate to the development of a distinct knowledge-base, set of values, and code of ethics. During the course, students will examine ethical questions and value dilemmas encountered by social workers in various fields of practice. Through value analysis and the application of ethical principles, the meaning of professionalism and its expression in social work are considered using contemporary practice case studies.
47-570. Field Integration Seminar
This seminar course focuses on the integration of academic and field work experience to advance knowledge, values, and skills as they relate to the development of advanced practice competence. Students will use structured reflection and self-evaluation to understand their own practice in terms of values, ethics, policies, theoretical models, and agency expectations. Students will reflect upon personal values and beliefs and explore solutions to actual issues during their field placements. (This course is evaluated on a pass/fail basis.)
47-571. Master of Social Work Foundation Year Practicum
This course is offered in a field education setting and is designed to assure the practice of advanced social work from the ecological perspective.The foundation practicum comprises 450 hours of supervised social work practice (Prerequisites: 47-503, 47-504, 47-515, 47-523, 47-531, 47-532, 47-533, 47-534, 47-547, 47-550.)
47-610. Advanced Direct Social Work Practice
From an ecological perspective, this course will examine the application of a range of advanced professional social work theories and models to direct practice with specific vulnerable populations. Founded on a strengths perspective, this course will analyze client empowerment and constructive transactions with the environment. Aimed at enhancing social justice, the course will involve critical analysis of the prevailing worldviews affecting clients. The use of evidence-based practices with clients to bring about change will be analyzed.
47-611. Advanced Indirect Social Work Practice
From an ecological perspective, this course will critically analyze the application of advanced social work theories and models to indirect practice with specific vulnerable populations. Founded on a strengths perspective, the course will analyze indirect practice related to community and organizational empowerment aimed at social justice through activities such as program planning and development, leadership, administration, management, research, policy development, education, mediation, and advocacy. The course will involve a critical analysis of the social, political, and economic conditions affecting vulnerable populations.
47-621. Social Justice and Vulnerable Populations
This seminar focuses on the history, meaning, and dynamics of barriers that threaten, preclude or compromise the normal participation of selected vulnerable groups in social, economic and political institutions. Using a framework of social justice, it employs concepts such as deviance, dependence, need, social control, and oppression.
47-622. Social Policy Analysis and Development
This course focuses on the processes involved in policy formulation, implementation, social change, and advocacy. It applies specific analytic frameworks and theories to issues of social policy and social justice in relation to vulnerable populations. These are: problem analysis, policy analysis and program analysis.
47-625. Law and Social Work: Advanced Practice Research Methods and Policy Analysis
This course prepares students to use the practitioner-researcher model in the analysis of social policy, as it relates to law, in Canada. This model includes problem formation, qualitative and quantitative research design, data analysis and interpretation, and the dissemination of findings. Students will learn to apply specific analytic frameworks and theories, drawn from law and social work, to issues of Canadian social policy. In addition, students will learn essential elements of program evaluation including needs assessment, program logic models, implementation and process evaluations, and impact evaluations. Particular attention will be given to the implications of social policy for vulnerable and oppressed populations. Credit Weight 4.0. (Crosslisted with Law 98-930.).
47-640. Advanced Social Work Research: Program Evaluation
This course prepares students to use the evidence-based practitioner-researcher model to critically evaluate social work practice with organizations and communities. Students will learn essential elements of program evaluation including needs assessment, program logic models, implementation and process evaluations, and impact evaluations. Students will learn to develop research proposals, including grant proposals, and to disseminate research findings through formal research reports.
47-680. Internship Seminar
This capstone course must be taken concurrently with students’ advanced practice internship 47-681. This course provides a structured forum for students to discuss, synthesize and integrate the knowledge they have acquired throughout the program including practice theories, professional ethics, policy development, research and program evaluation. Students utilize peer and instructor consultation to apply best practices which includes developing a research or evaluation proposal based on a need identified by their placement. This proposal is developed outside the students’ placement hours and is presented as a poster presentation in a public forum.
47-681. Advanced Practice Internship
This course is offered in a field education setting. Students develop skills which will equip them for leadership in advanced social work practice. The internship comprises 450 hours of supervised social work practice. (Prerequisites: 47-610, 47-611, 47-621, 47-622, 47-640.)
47-696. Thesis Seminar*
This seminar provides students an opportunity to write a formal thesis proposal. It includes developing a plan of study for presentation to a thesis committee.
47-720 Epistemology and philosophy of science in Social Work
This course examines the epistemological foundations of social work research. The nature of knowledge, the different ways we come to know, and the social process in the distribution of knowledge are discussed. Critical analysis of the historical context, philosophical assumptions, and current debates related to each paradigm--positivist/postpositivist, interpretative, critical and postmodernism are explored. Students identify their own standpoint with respect to their dissertation research. The process by which social work researchers can advance evidence for practice within social justice principles for each of the available paradigms is emphasized.
47-730. History and theory in Social Work
This course provides an in-depth examination of the development of the social work profession over the last one hundred years. An exploration of the impact of changing social, political, economic, moral, and historical contexts on the practice, theoretical and scholarly orientations of the profession will be highlighted. Key debates regarding the mission and development of professions in general and social work in particular; the relationship between practice, scholarship, and social policy; and tensions between disciplinary (and inter-disciplinary) approaches to social work knowledge development will be discussed within its national and international contexts. This seminar will also provide an examination of selected issues facing the profession today.
47-731. Promoting social justice through civic engagement
This course focuses on using advocacy and leadership skills to promote social justice through civic engagement with communities, social programs, and policy developers. Students examine oppression and discrimination and devise methods of addressing related issues using individual and collective strategies. This includes methods of creating partnerships between higher education and the broader community, exploring ways to collaborate with relevant key informants and consumers during the research development process, involving community partners in the teaching of university courses and participation on university committees, and strategies for influencing positive change within communities, social programs, and policy development processes.
47-740. Qualitative methods in Social Work research
This course provides an overview of qualitative research design and application. It is intended to facilitate students’ understanding in both designing, and in implementing their doctoral dissertation research or a sample of research involving qualitative methods. A number of designs are discussed as well as debates related to the position of the researcher, interviewing, ethics and diversity. The contribution of qualitative research to current models/issues of evidence-based social work practices, knowledge, truth and representation is also discussed. (3 lecture hours)
47-741. Qualitative Data Analysis
This course examines various approaches to qualitative data analysis and their grounding in various theoretical foundations. Students learn and practice multi-level approaches to data analysis, using software applications as data organization tools. Building on the qualitative methods course, students articulate the reasons for choosing certain approaches to analysis, referring to their consistency with various methodologies and theoretical foundations. The course applies the standards for rigour in qualitative analysis as a tool for evaluating various approaches.(3 lecture hours)
47-742. Mixed methods in Social Work research
Building on the epistemology course, and the qualitative and quantitative research methods courses, this course examines the current conceptualizations of mixed methods in social work research. Students learn how to develop research questions appropriate for mixed research designs, how to select from the varying types of mixed research, and how to critique mixed methods studies in the literature. The course also addresses the emerging debates and tensions about the use and application of mixed methods, and the implications of these for knowledge translation and civic engagement..(3 lecture hours)
(3 lecture hours)
47-743. Quantitative methods in Social Work research
This course introduces students to quantitative research methods, including research designs, sampling methods, standardized measures, questionnaire design, meta-analysis and ethical consideration in conducting research. The course also covers the operationalization of social science concepts and scale construction, validity and reliability, and measurement error. Students gain knowledge about the current trends in evidence-based practice..(3 lecture hours)
47-744 Quantitative data analysis
This course provides an examination of the principles of quantitative data analysis with a focus on conducting and interpreting common bivariate and multivariate statistical procedures used in social science research. Parametric and non-parametric approaches are examined. Students gain competency in the assumptions underlying statistical tests, the criterion for test selection, and the utilization of computer software analysis for analyzing small and large datasets..(3 lecture hours)
47-750. Scholarship of teaching and learning in Social Work education
This course provides conceptual frameworks and practice approaches toward comprehensive and inclusive social work pedagogies. The goal is to prepare students to function as effective social work educators through an understanding of theories of teaching and learning; curriculum development; reflective and critical instruction; diversity and equity issues; and the role of research and evaluation..(3 lecture hours)
47-795. Dissertation seminar
This course guides students through the process of developing a dissertation proposal. It covers each step of the research development process, from examining current knowledge to a description of how the data analysis will be conducted. It encourages students to consider the most appropriate methodology for their purposes (i.e., mixed, qualitative, and quantitative approaches). Students will also be supported through the process of obtaining approval for their project from the University of Windsor Research Ethics Board..(3 lecture hours)
47-797. Thesis
The thesis will integrate knowledge of research and evaluation methods to promote the acquisition of evidence-based practice to specific vulnerable populations. The thesis is supervised by the student's thesis committee..(3 lecture hours)
*Given annual enrolment numbers, 47-680 and 47-696 may be offered together, concurrently in module formats.