SW 261: Inclusive Practice: Groups, Organizations and Communities
Spring 2009
Valerie Thomas, MSW, LICSW
Holland Hall 213 B, E-mail: thomasv@stolaf.edu
Office: 507-786-3350 Home: 507-645-1088 (before 8:00pm)
Hours: Monday 11:00-12:00 and Thursday 2:30-3:30 (others by appointment)
DEPARTMENT MISSION
The Social Work Program prepares liberally educated professional social workers to ethically serve diverse populations and promote a just global community.
DEFINITION OF GENERALIST PRACTICE
Generalist practice is a multilevel intervention with clients (individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities) of diverse backgrounds. It uses the social systems framework, planned change process, empowerment perspective and strengths-based approach to practice. It is grounded in the liberal arts, scientifically informed and ethical.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Social Work majors continue the “how-to” of generalist practice. They assess strengths and problems of diverse groups, organizations and communities and use the systems perspective to help client systems frame goals and plans for social change. Students scientifically assess macro-systems and develop plans for implementing change that are reflective, scientific, just and grounded in the liberal arts.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
After completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Describe the history of professional social work with groups, communities, and organizations in the United States and abroad;
- Apply the definition of generalist practice to groups, organizations and communities;
- Describe the development and process of groups;
- Recognize and practice differentially with groups, including groups that focused on a task, treatment, education, and self-help;
- Describe formal and informal characteristics of networks and organizations, especially those in which he/she is involved, including the proposed practicum site;
- Recognize and apply theories appropriate to assessing and changing organizations - scientific management, human relations, consensus, and team building;
- Compare and contrast alternative theories and methods of community practice in the global context - community building, social development, community or locality development, social action or reform, and social planning;
- Define critical social work and speak to its usefulness in macro-practice;
- Identify and describe leadership and power structures that derive from economic, political, family, religious, value-oriented, and educational institutions; (justice)
- Recognize particular needs and potential contributions to organizations and communities of populations at risk, especially women, youth, the elderly, and the disabled;
- Contrast sources of sanction for social work practice at the group, organizational, and community level with those needed for individual and family interventions;
- Describe the place of practice and program evaluation in group, community, and organizational practice.
POLICY ON DISABILITIES
Any student with a documented intellectual, physical or emotional disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential. Students with disabilities must also contact Ruth Bolstad bolstad@stolaf.edu Student Disability Services Specialist in the Academic Support Center (x3288) located in Room 1 of Old Main Annex.
ASSIGNMENTS
#1 Observe a meeting of a social support, self-help group in the community or on campus. This can be a group that meets your personal needs or a group you observe. If it is not a group you are usually involved with, no more than 3 class members should attend any one group. Please check with the contact person for the group to be sure your presence is appropriate. You will not turn in a written assignment to protect the confidentiality of the group members. Simply turn in a sheet of paper with information on what group and when you attended. Due: before or on March 3.
#2 Observe and critique a Task Group (must be off-campus) Due: on or before March 19
Select a specific formal “task group” about which you have knowledge or can gain information. A task group may be a committee or sub-committee and can include the following: board of directors, counsel of elders in a church, planning council, city council, tribal council, or some similar formal group charged with tasks that are to be addressed. Task groups may be elected, appointed, or ad-hoc and self selected, but the one you choose needs to be identifiable by others in the community. Observe at least two meetings of this group.
- Describe the task group in terms of its purpose and goals, structure (formal and informal linkage), and effectiveness as an agent for bringing about change or helping to improve the quality of life in a community.
- Identify the key actors in the task group. Explain who they are and to the best of your ability explain how they came to be serving on this task group.
- Describe in the paper the interaction of the members of the task group in terms of roles taken or chosen, how you saw them support each other, how they resolved conflicts. How they handled resistance to change, and how well they seemed to have done in meeting the goals of this group.
#3 The Organization in Community Due: on or before April 2
Choose one of the agencies you will interview with for your field practicum. As you are interviewing, or at a later time, ask someone in the agency to talk with you about the following questions. Then write a description using a “systems approach” in your description.
- What is the agency member’s view on networking and coordination with other agencies within the community? Give an example.
- Give an example of how this agency is a subsystem of a larger system.
- Identify the goals of the agency and specify the range of services offered; are there specific eligibility requirements for services (i.e. residence, income, religion, etc.)?
- Name one tradition or unwritten rule of the agency. What are the rewards for good performance? What consequences are there for breaking a rule?
- What are some of the sources for “negative feedback” in this agency? If a worker disagrees with an agency policy or position, what avenues are available to express that? Identify the “control mechanism” for maintaining equilibrium in this agency, etc.
#4 Group assignment (in groups of four) – Community Description and Problem Solving Plan
Paper and presentation in class May 5 and May 7.
The topic of this presentation is a social problem at the community level. Describe a place community using a variety of sources for data. Plan a community change that could be carried out by a group or organization in the community of the group’s choice.
The presentation and paper will include two parts – Community Description and Problem Solving Plan.
More details on assignments:
- Choose a community or organization.
- Describe it using an appropriate community-study method – field, community power, community analysis, or problem/services.
- Describe it using both primary and secondary sources.
- Describe it in a way that provides basic information related to a problem that you will propose solving.
- Describe the problem and it’s parameters – use primary and secondary sources if possible.
- Propose community work of some kind – planning, developing, or organizing – that would address the problem (it might be a solution or might be preliminary to a solution). Note: refer to the several descriptions models, including Weil & Gamble.
- Describe the role of the social worker as specifically as possible, including proposed or possible activities that would be part of the problem-solving.
REQUIRED READING
Both of these texts have been used in the past. Used copies should be available. Additional readings will be available on the L:Drive.
Alinsky, S. (1989). Rules For Radicals – A pragmatic primer for realistic radicals. New York, NY: Vintage Books. ISBN# 0-689-82113-4
Hardcastle, D. & Powers, P. (2004). Community Practice: Theories and skills for social workers. 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Oxford. ISBN# 13978-0-19-514161-0
Toseland, R., & Rivas, R. (2005). An Introduction to Group Work Practice (5th ed.).Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN# 0-205-37606-1
SCHEDULE
February 10 (Tuesday) – Introduction to Macro Practice: Groups Organizations and Communities
Material for class drawn from: 19th Encyclopedia of Social Work (copies can be found in the library and the Social Work Office)
In groups of four, choose one of the Shaefer assignments for February 14 class. As a group, prepare to teach class members how to use the technique or skill in about 20 minutes of class time. Group members can select roles to play during the “lesson.”
February 12 (Thursday) – Understanding Group Dynamics
Toseland and Rivas Chapter 1-3
February 17 (Tuesday) – Group Leadership
Read: Toseland and Rivas Chapters 4-5
Read: Shaefer 11.11. pp. 286-291
Presentation in class by groups from Shaefer text:
13.19 Programming in Group Work
13.27 Leading Small Group Meetings
13.14 The Talking Stick
13.29 The Nominal Group Technique
February 19 (Thursday) – Therapy and Process Groups: self help groups
Read: Toseland and Rivas chapters 9-10
Read: Shaefer 12.0 “The Small Group as a Resource”
Possible speaker on group work with children.
February 24 (Tuesday)
Toseland and Rivas Chapter 6-8
Case Study “A community of coalition” pages 452-466
February 26 (Thursday) Preparing for Practicum
Distribute list of available internships and discuss in class.
Sign up for times to meet with me to discuss possible placement options for interviews.
Due: on or before March 3, Social Support/Self-Help Group assignment
March 3 (Tuesday) Preparing for Practicum Continued
Guest: Pat Smith, Center for Experiential Learning, “Resumes and Interviews”
March 5 (Thursday) - Exam: Group Work
March 10 (Tuesday) - Organizations
Read: Hardcastle chapter 9
Additional opportunity – Social Work Career Night 6:00-8:00pm
March 12 (Thursday) Organizations
Read: Hardcastle chapter 10
Due: on or before March 13, Task Group assignment
March 17 (Tuesday) Organizations
Read: Shaefer 10.11, 10.12, 10.13
World Social Work Day
More information to follow:http://www.ifsw.org/en/p38001263.html
March 19 - Exam: Organizations
MARCH 21-30 SPRING BREAK
March 30th - MONDAY - Strongly encouraged (but optional) - Social Work Day at the Capital
More information at http://www.naswmn.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=56
March 31 (Tuesday) Definitions of Community Practice
April 2 (Thursday) The concept of Community in Social Work Practice
Possible guest presentation
Be reading Rules for Radicals to be discussed next class.
Due: Organizations in Community project
April 7 (Tuesday) Discussion of the reading for class
Read: Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky
April 9 (Thursday) Using Assessment in Community Practice
Read: Shaefer Section: 14.8, 14.9, 14.20, 14.11
April 14 (Tuesday) To Be Announced
April 16 (Thursday) - Field trip all morning to Harrison Neighborhood, Minneapolis
Read: Harrison Neighborhood Materials and review Redeemer Lutheran Church website http://redeemermpls.org/
April 21 (Tuesday) Using Your Agency
April 23 (Thursday) Exam: Community Work
April 28 (Tuesday): Community Work Internationally
Guest speakers to be confirmed.
April 30 (Thursday) Continued discussion of Community Work
May 5 (Tuesday) Group Presentations of a Community Change Project
May 7 (Thursday) Continued Group Presentations of a Community Change Project
May 12 (Tuesday) Last Day of Class – Review for Final and Evaluation of Class
May 16 SATURDAY - FINAL EXAM 9-11am
GRADING
| #1 Observe a meeting of a social support, self-help group | 10 points |
| #2 Observe and critique a Task Group | 20 points |
| #3 The Organization in Community | 20 points |
| #4 Community Description and Problem Solving Plan | 30 points |
| Group Exam | 20 points |
| Organization Exam | 20 points |
| Community Exam | 20 points |
| Final Exam | 50 points |
| Class Participation | 10 points |
| TOTAL: | 200 points |
The guide to letter grades is below. Remember: Social work students must achieve at least a “C” in all required social work courses to attain an accredited degree in social work.
Outstanding A = 195+ Excellent A- =188+ Very Good B+ = 173+
Good B =160+ Generally Good B- =145+ Satisfactory C+ =120+ Sufficient C =110+
