USF 1996-97 Undergraduate Catalog - Pages 90 - 92 | Course Descriptions |

SOCIAL WORK (SOK)

The University of South Florida offers a program leading to a Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) degree in the School of Social Work, College of Arts and Sciences. This program has been developed in accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Council on Social Work Education, the national accrediting body for social work education programs, and in accordance with the recommendations of the National Association of Social Workers. The B.S.W. program is fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. The primary objective of the B.S.W. program is the preparation of the graduate for beginning level professional practice as a social work generalist.

The secondary objectives of the B.S.W. program are

1. to provide for the social work human resources needs of the University service district (the central Florida west coast area), the State of Florida, and the Southeast Region;

2. to prepare graduates for additional professional training at the graduate level in social work or in related human service professions;

3. to provide an exposure to social work as a profession and to contemporary issues in the social welfare field.

In preparing the B.S.W. graduate for beginning professional practice, the curriculum provides the student with an opportunity to develop a knowledge base and skill base as a "generalist" practitioner. The student will develop an understanding of various interventive methods and skill in their application to a variety of client systems. For example, interventive methods may take the form of individual and group counseling, resource development, consultation, teaching, advocacy, etc. Client systems may be individuals, families, groups, community groups, organizations, or social welfare organizations. The student will develop an understanding of the dynamics of human behavior in individual, group and organizational contexts and the influences of the sociocultural environment upon those behaviors. The student will learn about the development of social welfare systems and institutions and the social, economic, and political processes affecting policy development and program implementation. The student will develop an understanding of the utilization of basic social research skills particularly related to the processes of problem-solving, planning, and evaluation.

The student will also become aware of the value base of the profession and engage in a self-examination process as it relates to the development and reflection of ethical and effective professional practice. The B.S.W. program, as any professional program, places great emphasis on the development of a professionally responsible graduate in terms of one's obligations to the client system served, the profession itself, the organization in which one works, and to the general public which ultimately provides any profession with legitimacy.

Enrollment in the B.S.W. program is limited. Unlike many academic programs where the student may declare a major, the B.S.W. program is a limited access program. Students may apply for admission to the School for the B.S.W. program after having satisfied the admission criteria described below.

However, the completion of the prerequisites does not guarantee the student's admission to the program. Limited state funding places constraints on the size of the social work faculty and in order to maintain a high quality of instruction it is necessary to achieve an appropriate faculty-student ratio. This means that it may be necessary to deny admission to the B.S.W. program solely on the basis of no available space. Any student filing intent to seek admission or actually applying for admission to the program should be aware of this possibility.

Additionally, any student who does not maintain a GPA of at least 2.75 in social work courses while enrolled in the B.S.W. program or who clearly does not exhibit responsible professional behavior, may be subject to dismissal from the program. A social work major receiving a grade of less than "C" in a core course will be required to repeat the course. Furthermore, no student will be allowed to enter field placement with a "D" grade on any SOW core courses, even if the student's GPA is 2.75 or above with the inclusion of the "D" grade.

Admission to the B.S.W. program is a two-stage process. Any student that holds a minimum of Sophomore standing may declare a pre-social work major. This is done by filing a declaration of major form with the College of Arts and Sciences, Records and Advising Office. All pre-majors will be assigned to an advisor within the School who will assist the student in selecting pre-core courses (see listing of pre-core courses.) Many students will have already taken most of the pre-core courses as part of general distribution at USF or in their course of study at a community college. After completing the pre-core courses a student will be ready to apply for admission to the B.S.W. program as a full major. It is necessary to be admitted as a major before taking core social work courses.

Admission requirements for the social work major are as follows:

1. A student must have completed a minimum of one semester as a pre-social work major;

2. A student must have completed required pre-core courses (see listing);

3. A student must complete an application for admission and file it with the School of Social Work before the beginning of the semester in which admission is sought;

4. A student may be asked to complete an admission interview with a favorable action from the Undergraduate Admissions Committee.

5. A student must achieve a grade of "B" or better in SOW 3302, Introduction to Social Work, and SOW 3203, The American Social Welfare System, to be considered for admission.

6. A student must have successfully completed CLAST. CLAST may be repeated and the applicant may reapply to the program after successful completion of CLAST.

A student must achieve a GPA of 2.75 in all Social Work courses to enroll in field placement and subsequently graduate with the B.S.W. degree.

Pre-Core Course

A student must successfully complete:

1. One course in each of the following cognate areas or equivalency--

   Human Biology:

   • Food: Personal and Global Perspectives
   • Sex and Today's World
   • Principles of Biology for Non-majors
   • Human Anatomy & Physiology
   • Human Sexual Behavior

   Political Science:

   • American National Government
   • State and Local Government and Politics
   • Florida Politics and Government

   Psychology:

   • Introduction to Contemporary Psychology
   • Contemporary Problems in Psychology
   • Experimental Psychology
   • Psychology of Adjustment

   Sociology:

   • Introduction to Sociology
   • Contemporary Social Problems
   • Social Psychology
   • Sociology of Sex Roles
   • Social Stratification
   • Sociological Aspects of Deviance

2. One of the following cross-cultural courses or equivalency

   Africana Studies:

   • Introduction to the Black Experience
   • Social Institutions and the African-American Community
   • Black Women in America
   • Culture and Society in Africa
   • Racism in American Society
   • Blacks in the American Political Process

   Anthropology:

   • Introduction to Anthropology
   • Anthropological Perspective
   • Cultural Anthropology
   • Sex Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective
   • Ethnic Diversity in the USA
   • The Individual and Culture

   Sociology:

   • Racial and Ethnic Relations

   Women's Studies:

   • Introduction to Women's Studies
   • Psychology of Women
   • Sex Roles in Cross-Cultural Perspective
   • Women and Politics
   • Issues in Feminism
   • American Women in Contemporary Society I
   • American Women in Contemporary Society II
   • Literature by American Women of Color
   • The Image of Women in Literature (also offered in English)
   • Third World Women Writers (also offered in English)

3. Life Span Development course - The Life Cycle

4. Both of the following Social Work courses - American Social Welfare System and Introduction to Social Work

Requirements for the Major in Social Work (Core Courses)

1. Human Behavior and Social Environment Courses - SOW 3101 (3), SOW 3102 (3)
2. Social Welfare: Policy & Service Course - SOW 4233 (4)
3. Social Research Course - SOW 3401 (4)
4. Social Work Practice Courses - SOW 4341 (5), SOW 4343 (5)
5. Directed Field Experience - SOW 4510 (9)
6. Multi-Cultural America - SOW 4522 (3)

Summary:

• Core Courses - 27 hours
• Field Experience - 9 hours
• TOTAL - 36 hours

USF 1995-97 Undergraduate Catalog - Page 149

SOCIAL WORK FACULTY

USF 1996-97 Undergraduate Catalog - Page 189

SOCIAL WORK COURSES

SOW 3101 HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT I (3)

PR: All pre-core courses. Restricted to Social Work majors, others by School permission. An integrating human behavior-social environment course emphasizing dynamics of behavior and environmental factors as they relate to social work practice with individuals, and families.

SOW 3102 HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT II (3)

PR: SOW 3101. Restricted to Social Work majors; others by School permission. An integrating course emphasizing dynamics of behavior and environmental factors as they relate to social work practice with families, group organizations and communities.

SOW 3203 THE AMERICAN SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEM -SS (3)

A general education introductory course which provides students with a framework for understanding the historical development of American social welfare, its value base, and its response to minorities, women, children, the elderly, and the disabled.

SOW 3302 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL WORK (3)

An introductory course tracing the development of social work as a profession including an examination of the knowledge, skill and attitudinal base of the profession and professional roles and functions.

SOW 3401 RESEARCH AND STATISTICS FOR SOCIAL WORK (4)

PR: All pre-core courses. Restricted to Social Work majors, others by School permission. The purpose of this course is two-fold: to familiarize the student with research as it is practiced in the profession of Social Work; and to equip the student with those theoretical understandings necessary to be a critical consumer of social work research.

SOW 4233 SOCIAL WELFARE: POLICY & PROGRAM (4)

PR: All pre-core courses. Restricted to Social Work majors, others by School permission. An advanced policy course taking an analytical approach to contemporary social welfare policy issues and current social welfare programs.

SOW 4341 MULTI-METHODS OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE I: MICRO-SYSTEM INTERVENTION (5)

PR or CR: SOW 3101; SOW 3401. Restricted to Social Work majors; others by School permission. First practice course emphasizing development of skills and interventive methods with individuals, families and small groups. Course includes both didactic and experiential learning components.

SOW 4343 MULTI-METHODS OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE II: MACRO-SYSTEM INTERVENTION (5)

PR: All pre-core courses, SOW 4341; SOW 4233, and SOW 3102 may be taken as PR or CR. Restricted to Social Work majors, others by School permission. Second practice course emphasizing intervention at the community and organizational level. Builds upon theoretical and practical content of SOW 4341. Course includes both didactic and experiential learning components.

SOW 4510 FIELD PLACEMENT (9)

PR: Completion of all social work core courses except SOW 4522. Restricted to social work majors in Senior year. Supervised field placement in a social welfare organization consisting of 32 hours per week in the field and 4 hours per week in an integrated practice seminar which constitutes the third and final course in the practice sequence.

SOW 4522 MULTI-CULTURAL AMERICA (3)

PR: SOW 4510 is taken as CR for Social Work majors. This course is the final course taken in the BSW curriculum for majors. The course focuses on the students' understanding of multicultural and intergenerational issues.

SOW 4900 DIRECTED READINGS (1-6)

PR: Completion of four social work courses including SOW 3401, upper level standing, and School permission. Content dependent upon student interest and ability. A contract will be jointly developed by student and instructor specifying nature of work to be completed. May be repeated up to 6 credit hours.

SOW 4930 VARIABLE TOPICS IN SOCIAL WORK (1-3)

Restricted to Social Work majors; others by School permission. Variable title courses to expand on the four sequence areas in the Social Work core curriculum. Allows focus on areas relevant to student's educational interest.

SOW 5930C SELECTED TOPICS IN SOCIAL WORK (1-4)

Restricted to Social Work majors, both graduate and undergraduate; others by School permission. Course is taken as an elective. Variable title courses will selectively expand specific social work content areas. May be repeated in varying topic areas.

Send comments to:
Office of Undergraduate Studies
Effective Date: Semester I, 1996