SWO – Social Work

This course is a one semester overview of the complexities underlying domestic violence in America, with a particular focus on Pennsylvania. Experts define domestic violence as behavioral patterns that are purposeful, often violent and used to maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Students will examine the historic and cultural context and expanded definition of domestic violence along with the current best practices to prevent and eliminate this problem. This course is designed to enhance the knowledge of students interested in the field of social work as they critically evaluate the complex overlapping of family dynamics, work place concerns and other social problems with the impact of physical, sexual, emotional, economic and psychological abuse. Special attention will be paid to the current best practices designed to assist children, individuals, families and communities with the goals of safety and self-determination.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Define domestic violence, the cycle of violence and related concepts.
Identify and explain the roles of the perpetrator, victim and bystander.
Describe the support/benefits and limitations of the current legal and police responses to domestic violence incidents.
Identify governmental and social service agencies available to assist victims, perpetrators and bystanders.
Describe the structure, content and limitations of a professional helping relationship.
Identify local agencies and models of strength-based interventions and treatment practices.
Demonstrate how knowledge of oppression, privilege, culture, racism, institutional racism, stereotypes, discrimination, and ethnic identity relate to the skills necessary to perform the tasks of a culturally competent social worker.
Evaluate the ethical dilemmas surrounding the concept of self-determination and mandated-treatment as these relate to people who experience domestic violence.
Identify the emotional and physical symptoms and causes of professional burnout along with the methods designed to prevent it.

Prerequisite: ENG 100 and PSY 140.

This experiential course is a one-semester introduction to the basic skills used in the helping process. The course is designed for individuals pursuing a career in social work, or other related human service fields of study. The focus is on development, synthesis, analysis and demonstration of critical reasoning in the use of the core skills that facilitate effective and culturally responsive helping relationships. This course includes both didactic instruction and the development of basic techniques through frequent, applied counseling skills lab activities and written self reflection assignments.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Apply the knowledge, values and skills of the Social Work or Psychology or Counseling profession at the introductory level and analyze the decisions made for use of certain counseling skills in practice lab activities.
Demonstrate the effective use of basic counseling skills for introductory practice.
Assess self-awareness by personal reflection and self-correction in periodic written personal evaluations showing the development of a professional identity and cultural competency.
Analyze and synthesize multiple sources of knowledge, including: prevention, intervention, theory, cultural competency and evaluation in the applied lab activities.
Demonstrate, in alignment with the NASW or APA or ACA Standards for Cultural Competency, the introductory level knowledge, values and counseling skills necessary to work from a strengths perspective with diverse populations.

College Academic Learning Goal Designation: Critical Reasoning (CR), Diversity and Social Justice (DJ)

Prerequisite: ENG 100 and (PSY 140 or SWO 101).

This course focuses on the internal and external variables that influences human development across the lifespan. Students will study the range of social systems in which people live, describe empirically-based knowledge of human behavior in the social environment, identify concepts, assumptions and critiques of developmental theories and assess the level of impact that diversity and socio-economic levels have on human development. In addition to exploring bio-psycho-social theories students will utilize social work conceptual frameworks to guide evaluation of existing case studies, programs, and interventions. Various constructs from the Social Work profession will be utilized throughout the course. These include but are not limited to: bio-psycho-social, Person in Environment (PIE), strengths-perspective, Problem Solving Process/Generalist Intervention Model, NASW Code of Ethics and systems theory. This course is a required course for the DCCC, Associate in Arts Degree in Social Work. NOTE: Students who are planning to transfer to a 4-year institution and complete a Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW) are advised to plan early for transfer and meet with an advisor and transfer specialist.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Describe, compare and contrast empirically-based theories of human behavior in the social environment throughout the lifespan, including: the Person in Environment Perspective, strengths-perspective, Problem Solving Process/Generalist Intervention Model, NASW Code of Ethics, systems theory and bio-psycho-social contexts.
Demonstrate beginning knowledge of the various aspects of diversity and socio-economic levels that impact human development and behavior, including their own, by identifying concepts, assumptions and critiques of developmental theories related to all stages of life.
Assess client functioning within the social environment from various perspective, including the eco-system perspectives and explain how social institutions impact a client’s functioning in the dynamic environment over the lifespan.
Evaluate results from a client case study, published within an academic Social Work textbook or journal (or related discipline), by applying the theories presented in this course to the case study and describe the individual’s functioning from an eco-systems perspective and how the interventions were used to support the client.
Identify concepts, assumptions and critiques of developmental theories related to the stages of life across the lifespan.
Utilize technology to access information.

Prerequisite: ENG 100 and (SWO 101 or HUS 101).

This course is designed to prepare the beginning social work practitioner with an awareness of the range and complexity of problems addressed by the social welfare system. Students will gain knowledge of the historical development of social welfare programs, in the United States, and the evolution of these programs over time. Students will identify and examine their own attitudes and values toward social issues. Knowledge of the social work profession and its’ contributions to social policy development will also be examined within this framework. This course supports the introductory competencies of one of the four major-specific content areas of the TOAC-PA agreement for transfer and is a required course for the Associate of Arts in Social Work degree at Delaware County Community College. NOTE: Students who are planning to transfer to a 4 year institution and complete a Bachelor of Social Work degree (BSW) are advised to plan early for transfer and meet with a transfer advisor.

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of the concept that the present social welfare system is a product of historical forces.
Develop an understanding of the history of social work as a profession and identify its values associated with social issues and related social policies.
Identify key existing social problems as they relate to vulnerable populations.
Demonstrate an awareness of how society has chosen to cope with and resolve a current social problem.
Identify, discuss and analyze key societal components and systems that have supported the systematic devaluation and discrimination toward certain groups in our society.
Examine one’s own attitudes and values as they relate to social issues.
Articulate directives from the Social Work Code of Ethics which relate to social issues and social welfare policies.
Explain what is meant by the Statement, “policy directs practice”.
Explain how poverty is defined and measured in the US.

Prerequisite: ENG 100 and (SWO 101 or HUS 101).