Guidelines for Journal onTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK Course Number: SW 360K / SW 393U5 Instructor’s Name: Eunice C. Garcia, LMSW-ACP Unique Number: 96195/96320 Office Number: SSW3.124G Semester: Summer, 2003 Office Phone: Cell:___________ 471-8213 Email: egarcia@mail. utexas.edu Meeting Time/Place: M/W 5:30-8:00 Rm. 2.116 Office Hours: By appointment, & Wed. from 3:30-4:30PM SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE WITH MEXICAN AMERICAN FAMILY SYSTEMS I. Course Description This course will cover the variety of family systems and circumstances within which Mexican Americans live, the major issues which affect their development through the life cycle, and the manner in which social workers are working with them in different fields of practice. Special issues pertinent to migration, in a bi-national context, will also be addressed. Finally, in preparation for field education and subsequent practice, cultural immersion activities and a communications component will be included to assist students in the development of effective interviewing skills and other cultural competencies. Prerequisites for Undergraduate Students: None Prerequisites for Graduate Students in Social Work: All foundation courses, including HBSE-Life Cycle Course, Social Policy I, Social Work Methods I and II, and Social Work Research Methods. Prerequisites for Graduate Students of other Departments/Schools: See Graduate Advisor in respective program. (Instructor will contact outside advisors, upon student’s request, for clarification of course content, etc.) II. Course Objectives: By the end of the course, students will be able to: 1. Describe diversity among and within Mexican American family systems, including differences related to economic, geographic and national origin, age, personal identity, gender, sexual orientation, and religion, - 1 -2. Identify Mexican Americans’ resources, their special needs, and the social policies and social justice issues that impact their development and well-being throughout the life cycle. 3. Demonstrate skill in the application of values and professional ethics as they relate to needs assessment, policy formulation, service planning and implementation, and research with Mexican Americans. 4. Identify, select and apply key principles of cultural competence for social work practice with Mexican American individuals and families. 5. Explore and analyze how social workers apply and/or adapt practice theories for assessment and intervention with Mexican Americans in selected fields of practice. 6. Use a systemic, strengths approach and effective communication skills for engagement, assessment, planning and intervention with Mexican Americans who have limited proficiency in English. 7. Describe how social work practice can be more effectively offered to Mexican American individuals and families facing specific problems, such as health and mental health problems, domestic violence, incarceration, alienation in educational and/or occupational environments, and/or extended family separation/conflicts, etc. III. Teaching Methods Lectures, audiovisual content, guest speakers and cultural immersion activities will be used. There is no Spanish prerequisite. At least five class sessions will include communication techniques for developing culturally sensitive, professional relationships within which cultural nuances can be incorporated and the client(s) assisted in the exploration of culture-based strategies for goal attainment. Students with limited skills in Spanish will be trained in the use of interpreters. Teaching strategies are selected to help students become more comfortable with cultural contexts and the pronunciation of words and names often encountered while working with Mexican American families in the US/MX Border and Central Texas regions. IV. Required and Recommended Texts and Materials A Course Supplement with all required readings for this course will be ready for purchase on June 5th. Please obtain your copy as soon as possible. Additional readings (not required) will be available in the Learning Resource Center (between June 5th and July 7th.) to assist in the preparation of term papers and as a reference guide for future learning in this area. V. Course Requirements There will be a total of 10 clock hours devoted to cultural immersion activities. Each student will be required to plan and carry out 9 hours in cultural immersion activities pertinent to the course and the individual student’s learning needs for development of cultural knowledge and skills. The nine hours are to be subdivided as a 5/4 plan or a 4/5 plan, depending on how individual immersion time and group service activity are to be divided. An additional hour is allowed for development of a journal (to be submitted on July 21st) in which the most significant experiences are described and reflected upon. A plan for such time investment must be written and submitted to the instructor on June 16th. These activities and journal will be reviewed but not graded since they cover class time otherwise devoted for July 2nd and July 28th. The journal entries should be comprehensive, including presentation of key activity, observations made, and the significance of each experience for learning more about Mexican Americans. (See attached guidelines.) Potential activities, for personal/individual immersion could be anything that would facilitate practicing Spanish and/or give more exposure to diversity among Mexican American families. Additional ideas will be provided during the initial class sessions. The main idea is to make it educationally worthwhile and - 2 -enjoyable. The second component of the immersion experience will be one of two service options presented to the class by the instructor on June 11th. It is preferable to do this with classmates, but, depending on personal circumstances, individual service projects may be discussed with the instructor. (Based on previous class group’s experiences and outcomes, individual immersion or service project time within place of employment or current volunteer job will not be approved.) A one-hour exam, covering content regarding diversity among Mexican Americans and the issues they face, will be administered in class on June 30th. This exam will be half objective-type questions and half essay-type questions. Content will cover understanding of required