Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for
To see the detailed Instructor Class Description, click on the underlined instructor name following the course description.
TSOCWF 100 Introduction to Social Work (5) I&S
Introduces social work as a profession including exploration of its history, values, ethics, and career options within the field. Emphasizes social work’s historic commitment to economic and social justice, diversity, empowerment, and improving conditions faced by society’s most vulnerable members.
TSOCWF 150 Suicide: Individual and Community Responses (2) I&S
Increases student understanding of historical and contemporary responses to suicide; explores ethical and moral issues; and develops introductory skills used in suicide prevention. Explores psychological and sociological theories of suicide as well as other responses people engage in suicidal behaviors.
TSOCWF 202 Perspectives on Doing Service (5) I&S Johnstone
Explores the philosophical, spiritual, cultural, and value concepts that undergird helping and altruistic behaviors by individuals and groups in a global society. Service learning is included in explorations of what helping and service mean in daily life and the professional work world. Offered: .Sp
TSOCWF 300 Historical Approaches to Social Welfare (5) I&S
Stresses the origin of social welfare policies, beginning with the Elizabethan Poor of 1601. Issues of poverty, as well as development of publicly funded income-maintenance programs, and an understanding of the historical roots of the social work are central. Required for Social Welfare majors. Open to non-majors. Offered: A
TSOCWF 310 Social Welfare Practice I (3) I&S
Provides an introduction to the roles, tasks, and functions of the social welfare practitioner and to theories and methods of intervention; a conceptual framework for social work practice with individuals, families, and small groups; and an opportunity to develop skills in problem assessment, intervention, termination, and evaluation. Offered: A.
TSOCWF 311 Social Welfare Practice II (3)
Examines the roles, tasks and functions of the social welfare practitioner and the theories and methods of intervention; a conceptual framework for social work practice with individuals, families and small groups; and a an opportunity to develop skills in problem assessment, intervention, termination, and evaluation. Prerequisite: T SOCW 310. Offered: W.
Instructor Course Description:
Theodora Drescher
TSOCWF 312 Social Welfare Practice III (5 )
Focuses on macro systems in a diverse society using the generalist perspective. Considers the implications of system resources and configurations for meeting human needs. Emphasizes the role and function of generalist social workers to understand and advocate for system development and change. Prerequisite: TSOCWF 311.
TSOCWF 320 Social Welfare: Contemporary Approaches (3) I&S
Current Policy and program developments in the social welfare field. Topics include income maintenance proposals, the emergence of programs to treat specific social dysfunctioning (mental health services) and the growth of a service-oriented society. Required for social welfare majors. Open to non-majors. Prerequisite: TSOCWF 300. Offered: W.
TSOCWF 350 Biopsychosocial Human Services (5) I&S, NW
Examination of human life contextualized through the social environment from a biopsychosocial perspective. Emphasizes body systems, individual development, and functioning. Coverage of relevant theoretical frameworks commonly used in human services linking biological, psychological, and sociological principles with client issues in social and community contexts.
TSOCWF 351 Applied Statistics for Social and Human Services (5) NW, QSR
Application of statistical methods for use in social and human services. Examines purpose and use of social statistics in include analyzing the relationships between variables as a tool for conducting research; central tendencies and dispersion; probability; descriptive statistics, statistical inference and hypothesis testing; and bivariate analysis. Open to non-majors.
TSOCWF 352 Women in the Criminal Justice System (5)
Explores the history, societal impact, and future of women within the U.S. criminal justice system. Focuses on factors which contribute to female incarceration including poverty, physical and sexual victimization, chemical dependency, and major mental illness. Gender-responsive strategies designed for advocacy and empowerment address major economic and social justice issues.
TSOCWF 353 Mental Illness and Recovery (5) I&S Jackson
Provides an overview of persistent and disabling mental illness among adults. Combines classroom and experimental learning. Students learn directly from service providers and consumers the challenges of living with serious mental illness and within health and social welfare system constraints. Recommended: introductory psychology. Offered: AWSpS.
TSOCWF 354 Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (5) I&S Diehm
Focuses on legal and sociopolitical topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity using social justice and empowerment perspectives. Emphasizes the framing of these topics at the local, national, and global level, and the intersectionality of sexual and gender identity with other aspects of human diversity. Offered: Sp.
TSOCWF 390 Introduction to Social Welfare Research (5)
Introduces the logic of the scientific method as applied to social work and social welfare practice, to the design and conduct of a research study, and to data collection and summarization. Skill development in critical consumption of social welfare research. Prerequisite: program-approved statistics course, minimum 2.0 GPA. Offered: A.
TSOCWF 402 Human Behavior and the Social Environment I (5) I&S faculty
Focuses on person-in-the environment for individuals and family development across the lifespan. Utilizes developmental and social systems perspectives in seeking to understand and influence human behavior across diverse backgrounds. Addresses dynamics and processes of families, small groups, organizations, and community systems. Required for Social Welfare majors. Offered: A.
TSOCWF 403 Human Behavior and the Social Environment II (3) I&S
Focuses on person-in-the-environment for small groups, organizations, community and society as systems. Utilizes developmental and social systems perspectives in seeking to understand and influence human behavior across diverse backgrounds. Prerequisite: T SOCW 402. Offered: W.
TSOCWF 404 Cultural Diversity and Social Justice (5) I&S
History and culture of disadvantaged and oppressed groups served by social welfare generalist practitioners. Offered: Sp.
TSOCWF 405 Practicum Seminar (3, max. 9)
Integrates social work practicum experience with prior and concurrent course work in social sciences, social work, and research. Includes discussion of class presentations and simulations or practice situations that combi8ne knowledge and skill utilization. Student logs provide a basis for individual goal identification and achievement. Prerequisite: TSOCWF 312. Offered: AWSp.
TSOCWF 409 Readings in Social Welfare (1-5, max. 15)
Students work individually with a faculty member on a program of study in some designated, substantive area of relevance to social work. May include areas not addressed in the regular curriculum, or more in-depth work in areas of interest. Offered: AWSPS.
TSOCWF 415 Practicum (4, max. 12)
Students are placed in selected social service agencies and accept beginning social service assignments under the supervision of competent agency personnel. Credit/no credit only. Prerequisite: TSOCWF 312. Offered: AWSp.
TSOCWF 420 Interpersonal Violence and Society (5) I&S
Explores interpersonal violence from both sociological and psychological frameworks. Enhances one's understanding of the nature, dynamics and effects of interpersonal violence, and the threads that connect personal and community violence. Evaluates how best to prevent and decrease the amount of violence in society. Open to non-majors.
TSOCWF 421 Cross-Cultural Grieving (5) I&S
Examines spiritual, psychosocial, physical, and behavioral impacts of major loss on persons, families, and communities as it occurs in diverse North American ethnic and cultural communities. Exploration of death, dying, major family separations, divorce, refugee/immigration changes as it related to grief, loss, and mourning.
Instructor Course Description:
Chuimei Ho Bronson
TSOCWF 422 Aging in American Society (5) I&S
Covers physical and psychological processes of aging. Includes social aspects of aging related to family roles, cultural, social support, and use of health and social services. Reviews home and community based services and how those services may need to change in the twenty-first century.
TSOCWF 423 Risk and Ethics in Human Enterprises (5)
Explores values, ethics, risk management, and the law in depth as they relate to the provision of human services programs, and other professional disciplines. Topics include conflict of interest, duty of care, duty to warn, privacy and confidentiality, risk analysis, and ethical decision making.
TSOCWF 424 Information Technology and Human Services (5) I&S Finn
Examines the impact of information technology on human service agencies and their consumers. Topics include: changing human service practice, human service websites, online therapy and self-help, and technology-based social problems. Experimental learning component. AWSpS.
TSOCWF 425 Comparative Social Welfare Policy (5) I&S Laaskso
Explores current social policy issues in the United States, Canada, and Nordic countries from a comparative perspective. Examines history and political structures that influences implementation of social policies.
TSOCWF 490 Research in Social Welfare (1-3, max. 10)
Individual work with faculty member to assist with current research project(s). Training and supervision in some or all of the following research tasks: literature review, data analysis, record-keeping, interviewing, report writing, data entry and coding, data collection, and other tasks commonly found in research problems in social welfare.