The University of Texas at Austin School of Social WorkCourse DescriptionCourse ObjectivesTeaching MethodsRequired ReadingsCourse Requirements( Class Participation Weekly QuizzesCourse EvaluationCourse ScheduleDateDescriptionText/ReadingsRules for being a conscious social workerNo class on Monday due to holidayTheories of the welfare stateHighlights of social work historyThe Children’s BureauWeek 1Week 15 – No Readings AssignedSelected Web Sites on Poverty, Antipoverty Policy, and Welfare ReformThe University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work Course Number: SW 323K Instructor: Miguel Ferguson E-mail Address: [email protected]: Laura Whitekettle ([email protected]) Unique Number: 65700 Office Number: SSW 3.122b Semester: Fall 2006 Office Phone: 232-5914 Meeting Time/Place: Mon-Weds 11:00-12:15/SSW 2.132 Office Hours: After class or by appt. SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND ISSUES Course Description This course is in the social policy curriculum area required for undergraduate program majors, and 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 social problems and 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 vulnerable populations (e.g. people of color, people with disabilities, women and children, and the elderly) 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.) Note on safety: As part of professional social work education, students may have assignments that involve working in agency settings and/or the community. As such, these assignments may present some risks. Sound choices and caution may lower risks inherent to the profession. It is the student's responsibility to be aware of and adhere to policies and practices related to agency and/or community safety. Students should also notify instructors regarding any safety concerns. Note on UT disability policy: Any student with a documented disability (physical or cognitive) who requires academic accommodations should contact the Services for 1Students with Disabilities area of the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259 (voice) or 471-4641 (TTY for users who are deaf or hard of hearing) as soon as possible to request an official letter outlining authorized accommodations. Course Objectives By the end of the course, students should be able to: 1. Articulate why our understanding of social policy is essential to performing social work responsibilities and understanding the issues; 2. Define social policy from a variety of perspectives; 3. Discuss and interpret the historical development of social policy and the impact of economics, politics, and social values on policy formation in the U.S. and the ways that issues of diversity (such as culture, class, gender, physical or mental stability, age) have been addressed; 4. Apply conceptual frameworks for analyzing the development of social welfare policy; 5. Define key concepts in social welfare policy (e.g. universal, residual, public assistance, social insurance, cash, in-kind); 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. Apply relevant research frameworks for evaluating the effects of social welfare policy on national, state, and local populations and economically vulnerable sub-groups; 8. Analyze the impact of social welfare policy in terms of social and economic justice (i.e. differential effects on minority groups and vulnerable populations including ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, women, gay men and women, etc.); 9. Discuss issues and apply theoretical frameworks related to the policy areas of income maintenance, health, mental health, child welfare, and aging; 10. Analyze the roles social workers play in the formation of social policy and the effects of social policies on social work practice; Teaching Methods The method of the course is founded upon student participation. As professional advocates, it is essential for credentialed social workers to be able to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively. All students are encouraged to participate through discussions in class, via e-mail, or with the instructor or teaching assistant during office hours. The format will include lectures, videos, guest presentations, weekly readings, framed discussions, group exercises, and student briefings. Required Readings This course does not use a textbook. Rather, course readings are drawn from an extensive assortment of articles, book chapters, essays, and electronic media sources. The semester begins with a brief review of the evolution of social welfare policy in the U.S. Frameworks for understanding the origins of the modern welfare state are then 2developed. In particular, these frameworks seek to explain the patchwork of services that form the foundation of, as the title of a popular textbook describes, the “reluctant” U.S. welfare state. The course proceeds to examine trends in poverty, inequality, and social welfare across major historical eras, culminating in an examination of contemporary problems and policies. Since the course is taking place while U.S. troops are engaged in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the impact of U.S. foreign policy and electoral politics will be interwoven throughout the course. Because the past is prologue to the devolution that is currently taking place in the structure of relief and social welfare, by connecting historical efforts