DateWeek 1Patterson, pp. 33 - 93Patterson, pp. 193 - 244Fighting hunger in the US--food stamps and nutritional programsDiNitto, Chp. 3, "Fighting Hunger: Nutritional Policy and Programs in the US," pp. 213-249Week 13DiNitto, Chp. 4, "Preventing Poverty: Social Insurance Programs," pp. 102 - 132The "crisis" in health care --do Americans have the right to medical care?A. One-page response paperB. Policy analysis paperThe University of Texas At Austin School of Social Work Course Number: SW323K Instructor: Nancy Kelly, PhD., LMSW-ACP Unique Number: 61775 Office Number: SSW3.122A Semester: Spring 2003 Phone: 458-4646 (urgent msgs.) Email: [email protected] Meeting Time: M,W 9:30-10:45 Office Hours: M 10:45-11:45 & SSW 2.116 by appointment Social Welfare Programs, Policies and Issues I. Course Description This course is the second course in the social policy curriculum area required for undergraduate program majors. This course is designed to provide students with the ability to analyze contemporary social welfare policy issues and programs and to understand the relationship between social policy and social work practice. The course focuses on historical, economic, political, and other social conditions that influence policy development in the United States. Specific policy areas discussed are those in which social workers play major roles: income maintenance (with a focus on social insurance and public assistance), health, mental health, child welfare, and aging. Policy issues and programs are addressed as they affect major groups as well as populations at-risk (e.g. people of color, people with disabilities, women, gay men and lesbians) with a particular emphasis on social and economic justice. Students will learn to use policy analysis tools in order to understand how policy influences practice and planning decisions and how social workers can influence social welfare policy. Pre-requisites for this course include Government 310L and 312L (or their equivalents), an introductory economics course, and SW 310 (the first course in the policy sequence). SW 323 contains a substantial writing component. University regulations require that courses with a substantial writing component include written assignments that comprise more than 50% of the final grade. II. Course Objectives By the end of this course, the student should be able to: 1. Define social policy from a variety of perspectives; - 1 -2. Discuss and interpret the history of development of social policy and the impact of economics, politics, and social values on policy formation in the United States and the ways that issues of diversity (such as culture, class, gender, physical or mental ability, age) have been addressed; 3. Define key concepts in social welfare policy (e.g. universal, residual, public assistance, social insurance, cash, in-kind benefits); 4. Apply frameworks for analyzing the development of social welfare policy; 5. Apply frameworks for evaluating the effects of social welfare policy; 6. Identify and explain contemporary issues in the development of social welfare policy (e.g., centralized and decentralized policy-making, types of transfers, alternatives for addressing social welfare concerns), including values and ethical dilemmas; 7. Discuss issues and apply theoretical frameworks related to the policy areas of income maintenance, health, mental health, child welfare, and aging; 8. Analyze the impact of social welfare policy in terms of social and economic justice (i.e., differential effects on minority groups and particular populations including people of color, people with disabilities, women, gay men and lesbians, etc); 9. Analyze the roles of social workers in the social policy process and the effects of social policies on social work practice. III. Teaching Methods As professional advocates, social workers need to be able to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively. To enhance the development of this skill, this course will require a high level of class participation by students. A variety of teaching methods will be used including weekly readings, instructor lectures, video presentations, small group discussions, and guest speakers on topics related to social welfare policy. I encourage your collaboration with me in creating an exciting learning experience for all of us. IV. Required Texts DiNitto, D. (2003). Social welfare: Politics and public policy, (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Patterson, J. (2000). America's struggle against poverty in the twentieth century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Students will also be required to read one additional text from a list of optional books, as well as several articles provided by the instructor. V. Course Requirements Final grades for the course will be determined by the following: Class participation 10% (10 pts) Quizzes (5 total) 20% (20 pts) Book review 20% (20 pts) Policy analysis paper 50% (50 pts) - 2 -Note: there will be no mid-term or final exam given in this course. Grading will be based on a total 100 percentage points accrued by the end of the course: 90-100 points A 80-89 points B 70-79 points C 60-69 points D Below 60 No pass Criteria for Evaluating Student Learning Class participation (10 points): All students begin with 10 points at the beginning of the semester. Students who miss more than two classes or who do not participate in discussions will lose 1 point per class (including portions of class). Your class participation grade also requires attendance at either Social Work Student Day at the Legislature (Tues, Feb. 11) or a Texas state legislative committee hearing. You will document your attendance by turning in a one-page response paper, reflecting on your experience. Students who do not attend one of these will lose 5 points from their class participation grade. Quizzes (20 points or 4 points each): Students will be given six (6) quizzes throughout the semester. The quizzes will ask basic questions taken from the class lectures and readings, so it is important that students read each week's assigned readings before class. Quizzes will be administered on a random basis and may be given at any time during the semester. Students will be allowed to drop the lowest grade they receive (total score will be based on the five best quiz scores). Hence no make-up