SW 515 - Social Welfare Policy And Prog

Credits: 3

“The history, philosophy, and structure of social welfare and social work within the American social system are presented in a model that students may use to understand social welfare issues, programs, and services and to enhance social work practice with clients. The role of social policy in helping or deterring people in the maintenance or attainment of optimal health and well-being, and the effect of policy on social work practice, will be explored. Students will be taught to analyze current social policy within the context of historical and contemporary factors that shape policy. Course content will include the political and organizational processes used to influence policy, the process of policy formulation, and the frameworks for analyzing policies in light of principles of social and economic justice. This course also includes interprofessional education (IPE) experiences with students from social work, pharmacy, public health, and nursing. The goal of IPE is to prepare health and behavioral health students to deliberately work together with the common goal of building a safer and improved, patient-centered and community-population-oriented U.S. healthcare system. IPE is based in shared professional competencies that include values/ethics for interprofessional practice, roles/responsibilities, interprofessional communication, and team and teamwork as defined by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC). Students will be preassigned to interprofessional groups to complete an assignment related to healthcare policies in the United States. Prerequisite: admission to MSW program. Offered: fall only. “