Social Work

  • Courses
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  • Social Work/Sociology Course Descriptions(Brooklyn Campus)
  • SWK/SOC 101: Introduction to Human Services and Social Work
  • This course is an examination of contemporary practice in human services and social work. It focuses on the nature of social service work, career opportunities, intervention techniques and controversial policy issues involving values and practice approaches. (Three credits)

  • SWK/SOC 102: Field Experience
  • In this course, students do a minimum of seventy two hours of mini practicum in a social service placement as an initial introduction to practice in the field. Students integrate classroom knowledge with field experience in a seminar. Students learn about agency function, structures, assessment and interviewing techniques, and approaches to problem solving. (Three credits)

  • SWK/SOC 112: Race and Ethnicity
  • This course is an exploration of the variety of meanings of race and ethnicity in the social, political and economic life of American and other societies. Special emphasis is placed on the experience of African Americans, Latinos and immigrant groups, especially the effects of racism on personal and societal levels. In order to build a foundation for culturally sensitive social interaction and effective interventions, the goal is to enhance students' awareness of the subtlety of stigmatization and stereotyping attitudes. Students are required to complete a field research project. (Three credits)

  • SWK/SOC 114: Social Welfare Institutions
  • This course introduces the major social welfare institutions and programs. Students learn about the historical development of Western social welfare responses within the context of the creation of capitalist market economies and industrialization. Special attention is devoted to the history of social welfare in the United States. Current social welfare programs addressed to the poor are presented and critically discussed. (Three credits)

  • SWK/SOC 115: Social Welfare and Public Policy
  • In this course students discuss, analyze, and debate recent trends in social welfare policies and programs in the United States and Europe. These trends are connected to the economic impact of the global economy and technological changes impacting the workplace. Possibilities for the future are discussed. The course also focuses on controversial issues of public policy, such as welfare reform, euthanasia, affirmative action, and sexual orientation. (Three credits)

  • SWK 121: Social Research
  • This course is a general introduction to social work research. The fundamentals of research methods provide the necessary skills to evaluate practice, conduct small scale studies such as needs assessments, and to be intelligent consumers of research. Qualitative and quantitative approaches are taught as well as the use of the computer in the analysis of data. (Three credits)

  • SWK/SOC 123: Human Behavior in the Social Environment I
  • A biological perspective on the human development life cycle and factors affecting human behavior is provided in this course. The interaction of heredity and environment is examined within a life cycle perspective. Psychological, social, cultural, political and economic theories are used to understand behavior at the individual, family, group, organization, community and societal levels. (Three credits)

  • SWK 124: Human Behavior in the Social Environment II
  • Human Behavior in the Social Environment I and II draw a large-scale map of human behavior using various theories, research data and organizing principles. HBSE II places particular emphasis on helping the social work practitioner understand how people negotiate developmental tasks throughout the life cycle and how social stressors influence that process. Understanding how these dynamics interact with social work values is fundamental to social work practice. (Three credits)

  • SWK/SOC 170: Social Work Practice
  • The course focuses on a critical evaluation of the social work profession's value base and on basic micro- practice concepts and skills. It also provides a generic base for social work practice, including knowledge about intervention at the individual, group and community levels. Intervention techniques are acquired through analysis of case materials, role-play, and the use of practice related videos. The course also confronts major ethical issues in practice and seeks to develop commitment to organizational and social change. (Three credits)

  • SWK 171: Social Work Practice II
  • Building on the content learned in SWK 170, this course deals with theories and methodologies of macro social work. It develops skills necessary to perform assessment and intervention with individual, family, group and communities in diverse settings. The course introduces the functions of record keeping, evaluation and administration. Students also learn about the needs of particular subgroups of clients (e.g. families, teenagers and the elderly) and the interventions most effective with each group. The use of role-play is enhanced through audio/visual recordings, allowing students to assess their own performance. (Three credits)

  • SWK 180, 181: Social Work Fieldwork I, II
  • During their senior year, students complete an intensive field internship (a minimum of 400 hours) at approved social service programs with professional social work supervision. Students apply the theories and knowledge learned in the classroom, thereby developing and strengthening their social work skills in practice. An integral part of the experience is ongoing faculty advisement on individual and group levels. (Four credits per semester)

  • SWK 182, 183: Fieldwork Seminar I, II
  • Concurrent with the senior year field placement, students participate in a seminar to assist in integrating the experiential component with their theoretical knowledge. Students are also made aware of the implications of field experience for policy, research and for ethical and value issues. (Three credits per semester)