1 The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work Course Number: SW 323K Instructor: Miguel Ferguson E-mail Address: [email protected] TA: Sarah Diem [email protected] Unique Number: 65200 Office Number: SSW 3.122b Semester: Fall 2006 Office Phone: 232-5914 Meeting Time/Place: Mon-Weds 11:00-12:15/SSW 2.122 Office Hours: After class or by appt. SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND ISSUES Course Description This course is the second course in the social policy curriculum area. Prerequisites include Government 310L and 312L (or their equivalents), an introductory economics course, and admission to the social work major. 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 the historical, political, economic, and other social conditions that influence policy development in the United States. Specific policy areas that are 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 majority groups as well as populations-at-risk (e.g., people of color, people with disabilities, women, GBLTs) with a particular emphasis on social and economic justice. Students 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. Standardized Course Objectives: By the end of the course, the student will be able to: 1. Understand significant historical events and persons that influenced the field of social work and social welfare policy; 2. Analyze the connections between the history and contemporary structures of social policy; 3. Understand the impact of economics, politics, and social values on the identification of social problems and policy formation in the United States and the ways that issues of diversity (such as culture, class, gender, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, and age) have been addressed; 4. Apply conceptual frameworks for analyzing the development of social welfare2 policy; 5. Define key concepts in social welfare policy (e.g. universal, residual, public assistance, social insurance, cash, in-kind); 6. Understand the major policies that form the foundation of social welfare policy in the U.S.; 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 and the promotion of social work values; 9. Discuss trends in comparative international social policy; 10. Understand roles social workers play in the formation of social policy and the effects of social policies on social work practice; 11. Exercise policy advocacy skills at the legislative and organizational levels. 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 Students 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. 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 developed. 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 contemporary3 problems and policies. Since the course is taking place in a presidential election year and 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 with contemporary policy responses we will be better equipped to understand and evaluate current social problems and attempts to address them via policy. A packet of required readings is available at University Duplicating Service (471-1615) in the Business School. Please call ahead to make sure copies of the reading packet are available. Course Requirements There are no in-class midterms or final exams. Students will be graded on a series of proportionally weighted requirements, including: A) Class Participation (10%) B) Weekly Quizzes (25%) C) Book Exam (20%) D) Food Stamps Paper (20%) E) Opinion Editorial (25%) ⊗ Class Participation Students will be graded on the quality of their contribution to the collective learning pursuits