SOCIAL WORK 373: Culturally Competent Practice
5 September – 28 September 2007
Buntrock Commons 220

Instructor: Valerie Green, MSW, LICSW
Holland Hall 213 A, e-mail: greenv@stolaf.edu
Office: 507-786-3350
Home: 507-645-1088 (before 9:00pm)
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:00-11:00 and Fridays 3:00-4:00 (others by appointment)

Class Times
Mondays: 8:00-10:00, 11:50-1:50
Tuesdays: 8 hours in field practicum
Wednesdays: 8:00-10:00, 11:50-1:50
Thursdays: 8:00-3:00 (immersions planned for three Thursdays all day)
Fridays: 8:00-10:00, 11:50-1:50

Description
This course immediately precedes the Field Practicum (Social Work 380). Students integrate principles and skills of culturally competent and ethical assessment, planning, and interventions with diverse clients, with an emphasis on populations at risk. They refine skills of termination, evaluation and documentation, and demonstrate knowledge and beginning skills of culturally competent practice with client systems of all sizes.

Program Mission
The St. Olaf 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.

Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

Recognize the interactional nature of multiple diversities and oppression in client systems and how they affect social work practice;
Demonstrate ethical assessment, planning, and intervention skills with a particular client system from a specific population at risk that differs from their own;
On videotape, demonstrate cross-cultural communication techniques that are used in social work practice with certain populations different from their own;
Examine particular practice rewards and challenges that arise with GLBT, First Nations, white ethnic, Hmong, Latino, African immigrant populations, as well as people with mental illness;
Examine potential organizational issues with a population at risk in their field practicum settings;
Understand and articulate the benefits and challenges of incorporating a spiritual dimension to practice in both public and private settings;
Describe policy and research implications of practice across cultural differences;
Articulate the differences and similarities between U.S. social work practice and global social work, using the lens of grief and loss;
Recognize the relationship between the social work profession and representative international bodies, especially the United Nations and international social work associations;
Assess potential privacy, discrimination, documentation, safety and interdisciplinary aspects of practice in their field practicum settings;
Identify personal, familial, organizational, communal and cultural strengths and barriers (including privilege) to their professional use of self in culturally competent practice.

Books
Guadelupe, K.L. & Lum, D. (2005). Multidimensional contextual practice: Diversity and transcendence. Belmont, California: Brooks/Cole. Skip chapter 4 and 5; ISBN#978-0534606244
Sowers, K. & Rowe, W. (2007). Social work practice and social justice: From local to global perspectives. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole; ISBN#978-0534592141
Sheafor, B. W., & Horesji, C. R. (2003). Techniques and guidelines for social work practice (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon; ISBN#978-0205446179
Lyons, K., Manion, K., and Carlsen, M. (2006) International perspectives on social work: Global conditions and local practice. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan; ISBN#978-1403939517

Articles (on electronic reserve, an internet site, or handed out)
Banerjee, M. & Pyles, L. (2004). Spirituality: A source of resilience for African American women in the era of welfare reform. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 13 (2), 45-70. AMANDA
Carlsen, M. (2006). Loss: A core concept with universal relevance. In Lyons, K., Manion, K. and Carlsen, M. International perspectives on social work: Global conditions and local practice. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave.
Dhooper, S. S. (2003). Social work response to the needs of biracial Americans. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 12 (4). 19-47. BRENDEN
IFSW (2005). International Policy on Indigenous People. http://www.ifsw.org/en/p38000138.html MOLLY
Lum, T. (2006). Kaleidoscope. College of Human Ecology. Retrieved June 2006 from:
http://www.che.umn.edu/pf/news/publications/kaleidoscope/f04kaleidoscope/two_worlds.html
http://www.culturalorientation.net/hmong/hthai.html
NASW (2005). Cultural and linguistic competence in the social work profession. Social Work Speaks: NASW Policy Statements, 2006-2009. NASW Press: Washington, D.C.
NASW (2001). NASW Standards for cultural competence in social work practice. Retrieved 8/22/06 from http://www.socialworkers.org/sections/credentials/cultural_comp.asp
Lukes, C.A. & Land, H. (March 1990). Biculturality and homosexuality. Social Work, 35 (2), 155-161. CALLIE
Nderu, E. (Spring, 2005). Somali families and parent involvement in schools. CURA Reporter, 35 (2). Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning.
Okitikpi, T. & Aymer, C. (2003). Social work with African refugee children and their families. Child and Family Social Work, (8), 213-222.
Tsang, N.M. (April, 1998). Beyond theory and practice integration in social work: Lessons from the west. International Social Work, 41(2), 169-180. CAROLINE
Winship, J.P. (Spring, 2004). Integrating spirituality and religion into direct practice assessment. Social Work and Christianity, 21(1), 25-52.
Wylie, M.S. (May/June, 1995). DSM and the medical model. The Family Therapy Networker. 19(3), 27-33.

For Reference
Anderson, S. & Middleton, V. (2005). Explorations in privilege, oppression and diversity. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Green, J.W. (1995) Cultural awareness in the human services: a multi-ethnic approach (2nd Ed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Lum, D. (2003). Culturally competent practice: A framework for understanding diverse groups and justice issues. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Harper, K & Lantz, J. (1996). Cross-cultural practice: Social work with diverse populations. Chicago: Lyceum Books.
McGoldrick, M., et al (1982). Ethnicity and family therapy. New York: The Guilford Press.
Healy, L. (2001). International social work: Professional action in an interdependent world. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rothenburg, P. (1995). Race, class and gender in the United States: An integrated study. New York: St. Martin’s Press.

Guidelines and Expectations
This is the final course in the practice sequence and is your opportunity to complete your preparation for practicum which begins October 1. It is a revised course, changed to address evaluative feedback from recent graduates of our program. Your response to the course, both during and after its implementation, will be valuable to the program. I expect professional behavior throughout the course, will provide you with honest feedback designed to prepare you to work with clients and staff in your agencies. Feedback will also come from your peers, which requires honesty and respect for each other in the classroom. The small size of the class and the intensity of the schedule permit us to operate in many ways as a small group ourselves – we’ll get to know each other well!

All assignments will be typed in 12 point font, double-spaced, with one inch margins and shall not exceed the page number noted. Each will be documented an APA style of reference, as is commonly the case in professional social work writing.

Any student with a disability, whether permanent or temporary, is encouraged to contact me if s/he believes that such a condition may affect course participation. Course materials, evaluation procedures, etc. may be modified at my discretion with student’s participation, to allow for equitable participation. Students with a disability who do not have an accommodation letter to present to me must also contact Ruth Bolstad (bolstadr@stolaf.edu <mailto:bolstadr@stolaf.edu> ) or Connie Ford (ford@stolaf.edu <mailto:ford@stolaf.edu>) in Student Disability Services in the Academic Support Center (x3288) located in the back of the Modular Village.

Assignments and Activities

Leadership in reading/discussing text and articles Due on assigned dates
One reserve article and one chapter from the text is assigned to each of you. All students will read them, as well, and you will be responsible for discussion on the article (20 minutes) and the chapter (20 minutes) on the assigned day. Come with an overview of major concepts, assumptions and/or points made in the article/chapter and (for articles) what strengths or limitations it might have for culturally competent social work practice. Guadelupe and Lum text assignments.

            TBLG G&L Chapter 9; Lukes and Land article: CALLIE
            People living with Disabilities G&L Chapter 10; S&R Chapter 10: KATIE
            Aging Persons G&L Chapter 11; S&R Chapter 6: NICK
            First Nations/Indigenous People G&L Chapter 12; Dhooper article: MOLLY
            White Ethnics G&L Chapter 13; Dhooper article: BRENDEN
            African Americans G&L Chapter 14; Banerjee article: AMANDA
            Asian/Pacific Islanders G&L Chapter 16; Tsang article: CAROLINE
Latino/a Americas (esp. Mexicans): G&L chapter 15:

Learning Plan Preparation Due Tuesday, Sept. 11
On Tuesday, September 11, from 3:30-5:00 pm, you and your Field Instructor will work together on a beginning draft of your learning plan. Before that time, make a list of what you want to learn:

about yourself
about the client population you’ll work with
about the agency or organization and its context
about the social work profession

There should be at least 2-3 items under each heading, but there may be more in some. The learning plan is a “working document.” This is a beginning! You will add to it as you take on new responsibilities in the agency and as you complete some of the objectives you’ve identified.

Toward the end of September, prepare another draft Learning Plan according to the form in the Field Practicum Manual. Review the objectives for the Field Practicum and CSWE Objectives incorporated in the Field Evaluation and include items in your learning plan that will help you accomplish these objectives. (Due in October)

Individual bias paper Due Wed. September 12
Imagine one kind of client with whom you might not be comfortable working. In 3-5 pages, answer the following questions:

What are the concerns or characteristics about this client that are difficult for me?
What in my knowledge or experience might cause me to think I would have difficulty with this client.
What about my knowledge or experience with a client like this am I willing to/not willing to examine further.
Who or what might assist me in further examining my discomfort, if I chose to do so?
What reactions do I have to this assignment? What might be the reasons for these reactions?

Practice Framework and Diversity paper Due Wed. September 19
This assignment is designed to help you to apply certain theoretical perspectives in generalist practice, recognizing both the importance of a theoretical framework and the limitations of it. Choose one model, perspective or theory from the practice frameworks in Shaefer, chapter 6 (you can also reference Guadelupe and Lum pp. 108-109). It should be one that you are most drawn to, or will most likely use in your field practicum site. Choose two of the following three clients:

An individual – 24 year old, African-American, single father, recently unemployed caring for his dying mother and his two children, ages 6 and 4. You are his newly assigned job counselor.
An immigrant family with a runaway daughter (age 13) who is likely the victim of gang rape. You are the child protection social worker.
A group of 6 elderly women, mixed ethnicity and class backgrounds, recently experiencing loss of life partners. You are the social worker at a senior citizen center that runs a support group.

Describe the phases of the planned change process with each client systems, using the practice framework you chose to inform each phase. Write 3-4 pages per case (total 6-8), including:

Overview of major concepts/assumptions of the framework you are using;
2-4 questions you have in your mind about this client system as you begin your assessment;
Describe key information from the client(s) you would consider most crucial for the problem-solving/planned change process from this framework and what you hope might happen;
Discuss limitations of this framework for work with this client system;
Write a concluding summary evaluative statement about the potential effectiveness of this framework with this client system.

While this assignment does not have to involve significant library research, it will strengthen your paper to look for sources on either the client population or the theoretical framework, or both.

Immersion reflection Due Friday, Sept. 14, 21, 28
Write a 1-2 page response to each immersion experience addressing how well you met at least two of the learning objectives for this course through this experience.

Diversity presentation                                                                       Due Sept. 24 & 26
You will research a population at risk, different from those to which you might belong, that is not already addressed in a textbook chapter or in any articles for the class. Read at least four (4) academic articles or chapters, including at least two (2) from social work sources, which discuss practice or policy or research with the population (extra credit if you find a source by someone from that population).
Then, for the class, present in 30 minutes the key concerns and strengths evident in this population and the social work practice implications of which we all need to be aware. Use the Framework for Human Diversity and Transcendence (chapter 2) from the text to outline you oral presentation, considering micro, mezzo, macro, and magna dimensions for this population. Hand in a one page bulleted fact sheet about the population’s strengths, concerns and implications/suggestions for social workers. Include the names and contact information of 2-3 agencies or organizations specifically designed to serve this population. Each student also will hand in a description of your search strategy and a bibliography of the sources you found.
            1. Nick             September 24
            2. Caroline       September 24
            3. Molly           September 24
            4. Brenden       September 24
            5. Amanda       September 26
            6. Katherine     September 26
            7. Callie            September 26

Role Play Due Sept. 28
A discussion of how the class would like to assign and work on these role plays will take place in the first class. Based on the decisions reached at that class, a detailed description of this assignment will be handed out by the next class.
These video-taped role plays will be viewed and discussed in class on September 28.

Role Play Reflection Due Sept. 28
In 2-3 pages, reflect on how it felt to do your role play. What feelings did you experience as a client? As the social worker? What were the reasons for these feelings, do you think? How might you consider addressing those feelings, either as a worker with the client (what did the social worker do/could the social worker have done?) as a supervisor of the worker?

Option for Extra Credit
Talk in person or by phone with a social worker that practices with a diverse population about which you know little or nothing. Through a few minute oral report, share what you learned with the class. 5 points.

Grading
There will be no quizzes on assigned reading unless it becomes evident that you are not completing the readings. The draft learning plan is not graded, but must be handed in on schedule to receive credit for this course. Students are expected to be in class every day. If class must be missed for any reason, the instructor must be notified, in advance, if possible. Note that every day is the equivalent of nearly a week missed in the normal semester, so an absence is significant. I may assign an additional writing assignment for missed class content. Active and helpful participation in discussion and group activities will improve your final grade. The grading will be as follows:

Leadership (article 5 points and chapter 10 points)              15 points
Learning Plan preparation                                                               ungraded
Individual bias paper                                                                       20 points
Practice framework and diversity paper                                           25 points
Immersion reflection            (3@ 5 points each)                               15 points
Diversity presentation                                                                      25 points
Role-play                                                                                       10 points
Role play reflection                                                                5 points
Participation, attendance, punctuality                                               10 points
                                                      Total                                        125 points

A= about 95% B= about 85% C= about 75%

Remember that social work students much achieve at least a “C” in all required
social work courses in order to attain an accredited degree.

Schedule
Wednesday Sept 5
8:00-10:00       Introduction to the Course; cultural competencies standards
            One model of diversity competencies    (VJ Nelson)                 Pre-test
11:50-1:50       Global social work: An emerging perspective                 S&R 1 and 2

Thursday Sept 6

                        No class or immersion

Friday Sept 7

8:00-10:00       Beyond stereotypes: Honoring human complexities                   G&L 1
11:50-1:50       A framework for human diversity & transcendence                    G&L 2

Monday Sept 10
8:00-10:00       Well-being & the multidimensional contextual client        G&L 3
11:50-1:50       Global practice standards; NASW competencies          S&R 3; NASW article
Bibliographic Instruction                                 Ben Bruton, reference librarian

Tuesday Sept 11
8:00-3:00         Field Practicum
3:30-5:00         Meeting with field instructors - Black ballroom
Learning Plan Preparation done

Wednesday Sept 12
8:00-10:00       Immersion/mental illness planning                      S&R 8; Simon Zeller, LICSW
11:50-1:50       Mental health/CD & human diversity            Wylie; Pat Richardson, LICSW
Bias paper due
Thursday Sept 13       Cedar House Immersion                   7:30-3:00?

Latino Heritage Month is September 15 – October 13

Friday Sept 14
7:30-8:30am Professional Networking Breakfast – Rice County Emergency Preparedness; optional learning opportunity for junior and senior majors

8:00-10:00       Domestic violence and culture              “Broken Vows” video
11:50-1:50       Ethical Decision-making and Spirituality   G&L pp. 94-103 and chapter 6;
            Winship
                                                                                                Immersion reflection due
Monday Sept 17
8:00-10:00       Transgender, bisexual, lesbian, gay        G&L 9; Lukes and Land: Callie leader
People Living with Disabilities G&L 10; S&R 10: Katie leader
11:50-1:50       Aging Persons                          G&L 11; S&R 6: Amanda leader
                        First Nations/Indigenous People            G&L 12; IFSW article: Nick leader

Tuesday Sept 18 Field Practicum 8:00-5:00

Wednesday Sept 19
8:00-10:00       MH/CD and diversity (continued)         Pat Richardson, LICSW
11:50-1:50       White Ethnics                           G&L 13; Dhooper article: Brenden Leader
African Americans                    G&L 14; Banerjee article: Molly Leader
Practice framework paper due

Thursday Sept 20 Indian Community Immersion Shaefor 536-561

Friday Sept 21
8:00-10:00       Asian/Pacific Islanders                     G&L 16; Tsang article:Caroline Leader
Latino/a Americans (esp.Mexicans)   G&L 15
11:50-1:50       Grief and loss                                       Video: “To be Old, Black and Poor”
Lyons, Manion & Carlsen, chapter 4
                                                                                                Immersion reflection due

Monday Sept 24
8:00-10:00 Diversity group presentations
11:50-1:50 Poverty and health worldwide S&R 7 and 11

Tuesday Sept 25
Field Practicum 8:00-5:00

Wednesday Sept 26
8:00-10:00 Diversity group presentations
11:50-1:50 Future of global multidimensional contextual practice S&R 15; G&L 17

Thursday Sept 27 Harrison Neighborhood Immersion

Friday September 28
8:00-10:00       Role-play viewing in class
poems in back of Rothernburg on hope and transformation
2 page comparison of pre- and post-tests
Immersion reflection due
11:50-1:50       Final Exam

Monday Oct 1
6:30-9:30 pm First field seminar BC 220

The professor reserves the right to change the schedule and assigned readings as new opportunities for learning present themselves,
particularly in relation to culturally competent social work practice.