SWK 110 Introduction to Social Work
Spring 2004
Internet
 

Instructor: Sheri Narin
Office: L130
Office Hours: Posted by Office Door
Virtual Office Hour: To be announced each week.
Phone Number: (336) 599-1181 Ext. 424
E-mail: narins@piedmont.cc.nc.us
Website: http://www.courses.piedmont.cc.nc.us/
Faculty website: http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/faculty/NarinS
Textbooks: Morales, A. and Sheafor, B. Social Work: A Profession of Many Faces.
Tenth Edition. Allyn and Bacon, 2004.

Other Required Materials: A working email address (One that can both send and receive email). Access to Microsoft Word processing program for projects.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines the historical development, values, orientation, and professional standards of social work and focuses on the terminology and broader systems of social welfare. Emphasis is placed on the various fields of practice including those agencies whose primary function is financial assistance, corrections, mental health, and protective services. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate the knowledge, values, and skills of the social work professional. This course is a unique concentration requirement of the Social Service concentration in the Human Services Technology Program.
Classroom 3 Lab 0 Clinic 0 Credit - 3

Prerequisite/Corequisites: None

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1. Student will develop a timeline of the history of social welfare and social programs, and link that knowledge to evolution of current social welfare programs.
2. Student will identify, list and describe the central themes underlying social work.
3. Student will demonstrate the development of critical thinking skills through evaluating social welfare systems and programs and identifying strengths and weaknesses in the programs.
4. Student will identify at least two fields or settings of social work practice in which they are interested in working and identify at least two skills needed to work in those fields.
5. Student will identify at least three different needs/practices in working with each of the following special populations: women, lesbian, gay and bisexual people, children and youth, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
6. Student will identify at least three different needs/practices in working with each of the following special cultural populations: Asian Americans, Native Americans and Alaskan Natives, Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Puerto Ricans.
7. Student will develop an understanding of social work in other countries through contacting and getting information from a social worker in another country.
8. Student will develop a chart comparing and contrasting social work in rural, urban, and suburban contexts.

ATTENDANCE POLICIES

Attendance is taken from your quantity and quality of postings to the Discussion Board. Discussion Board participation counts as 34% of your final average.

GRADING POLICIES

The activities in this course will be worth approximately 1000 points. Note that this is subject to change.

The grade breakdown is as follows:

Introductory activities, to be completed in the first week of class, are worth 30 points, or 3% of your grade. These include changing your email address on blackboard, emailing the instructor, completing a syllabus quiz, and completing first discussion board posts. 

Discussion board postings are worth a total of 340 points, or 34% of your overall grade. You get two discussion board grades each week, one for your response to the question(s), and one for your responses to other students’ responses. Each grade will be worth up to 10 points.

Exams will be worth a total of 260 points, or 26% of your overall grade. You will have an exam for each module (each week) and the exams will be worth 15 or 20 points each.
You have three projects that are due through the semester for a total of 200 points. Project One is due on Friday, September 24, 2004 and is worth 65 points. Project Two is due by Friday, October 29, 2004 at 8:00 p.m. and is worth 70 points. Project Three is due on Friday, November 26 2004 by 8:00 p.m. and is worth 65 points. There is also an extra credit opportunity with project three.

The small group project will include working in a group (to be assigned) and there will be several steps along the way. The total for the work in the group project will be 150 points, or 15% of your final grade.

There are 20 points available for miscellaneous items.

Overall,

Introductory and concluding activities: 30 points
Discussion Board activities: 340 points
Module Exams: 260 points
Projects: 200 points
Small Group Project: 150 points
Miscellaneous: 20 points

The approximate scale for the class (subject to change!) is:

1000 to 900 = A
899 to 800 = B
799 to 700 = C
699 to 600 = D
Below 600 - F

 

DISCUSSION BOARD POLICIES

Discussion Board Requirements

1. Read the assigned chapter.
2. Post your answer to at least one of several questions posted in the Discussion Board by the instructor.
3. Provide feedback to at least two other student's answers.
4. Each student is expected to log in to the course 3 times per week or about every 48 hours to participate in the Discussion Board.

Criteria for Discussion Questions

 EXAMS

 There will be exams on each module. Each module covers one or two chapters. The exams will include multiple choice questions, true/false questions, fill-in-the-blank questions, matching questions and short-answer/essay questions. There will be between 15 and 30 questions per exam, and each exam will be worth 15 points. You will have the length of the module to take the exam, starting on the Monday that the module starts through the Sunday that marks the end of that module. All exams are online. You can access them through a link on assignments. You will generally have an hour to complete these exams, and they will be open-book exams.

 PROJECTS

Click on the "Projects" folder for detailed information on projects for this class. Projects will be submitted by dropbox or as an email attachment, and must be completed in Microsoft Word. Make sure you follow exact guidelines for submission.roject One is due on Friday, September 24, 2004 and is worth 65 points. Project Two is due by Friday, October 29, 2004 at 8:00 p.m. and is worth 70 points. Project Three is due on Friday, November 26 2004 by 8:00 p.m. and is worth 65 points.

SMALL GROUP PROJECTS

This is a group project. You can find out which group you are assigned to by clicking on communications, clicking on group pages, and you will see the group to which you have been assigned. You can click on that group and use the various functions to communicate, including the discussion board that will only be accessible to the people in the group (and the instructor). You can also set up a virtual chat just for your group.

This project is related to chapter nine and the principles of prevention. You can find out more about his project by clicking on the "Small Group Project" folder on the Assignments page.

VIRTUAL OFFICE HOUR

Each week there will be a virtual office hour. This is an opportunity to chat with the instructor and any other students who chose to attend. The time will be announced on the announcements that are posted at the beginning of each week. You can access this by clicking on virtual classroom. You then click on “Join” for “Office Hours.” If you do not have a Java program already on your computer, the first time you try to access this, you will see “Java Plug-in is required for the Chat to run. Java Plug-in should download and begin installation automatically. Download time will vary by connection speed. “ After the Java program has loaded, you will see the chat room come up and you can start typing a message in the space where it says, “compose.”

 STUDENT SUCCESS CENTER

 Student Success Center: Piedmont Community College now offers a comprehensive package of services to assist students with their academic success. The Student Success Center, located in Room G-204, provides a variety of free learning support services including computer access, tutoring, supplemental instruction, study groups, and other academic services. Visit or call Gloria Bennett, Coordinator of the Student Success Center, at 599-1181 ext. 276 to access this valuable student resource.

 STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

 If you have a disability that may affect your academic performance and need accommodations, you may contact the Special Needs Counselor, Shelley Stone in E-Building.  It is important to request accommodations early in order to give the counselor adequate time to consider your request and recommend reasonable accommodations. Information provided to Ms. Stone will remain confidential.

 FINANCIAL AID

 It is important to be aware that withdrawing from a class or failing a class may adversely affect financial aid availability, and at times will result in your having to pay back money to the school. You are strongly encouraged to talk with the financial aid office before withdrawing from a class.

 OTHER CLASS POLICIES

1. You are expected to treat this class as you would a job. This includes completing assignments in a timely manner. Discussion Board postings will lose 1 point per day late. Projects and related assignments will lose 3 points per day late. Being late is defined as being turned in any time after 8:00 p.m. on the due date.
2. Respect other students' opinions, even if you do not agree with them
3. Respect confidentiality. Being actively involved in class may involve some level of sharing of personal information. You are expected to treat the classroom with the same level of ethical responsibility with which you would treat a job or internship. Do not share personal information about other students outside of the blackboard forum. This includes discussing this information with your fellow classmates.
4. If you choose to drop the class, you are responsible for completing and turning in the withdrawal slip. If you have stopped coming to class but not turned in a withdrawal slip or contacted the instructor to discuss this, you will receive an 'F' for the class.
5. Blackboard postings and homework are expected to be on time. If there are problems with the blackboard system and it is not accessible for more than 5 hours, an exception may be made. However, you will always have at least three days to post responses and have access to computers on campus, thus, computer problems are not an acceptable excuse for late work.
6. Copying directly from the textbook or any resource for assignments or tests, or taking someone else's thoughts or ideas without giving them credit is plagiarism and is illegal and unethical, and will not be tolerated! This also includes printing information from the Internet without identifying and referencing the source. The consequences for plagiarism are as follows:
· For the first occurrence, rewrite of the assignment and loss of 50 % of the grade
· For the second occurrence, failing the assignment and reduction of overall class grade by 100 points
· For the third occurrence, a grade of 'F' in the class
· Please note that this applies to all assignments in the class.

8. According to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary on the internet (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary), to cheat is:
(transitive senses)
1 : to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud
2 : to influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice
3 : to elude or thwart by or as if by outwitting
(intransitive senses)
1 a : to practice fraud or trickery b : to violate rules dishonestly (as at cards or on an examination)

Cheating includes copying someone else's work, taking credit for someone else's work, as well as what is traditionally thought of as cheating. An example would be: Copying someone else's homework, when it is an assignment that is supposed to reflect your work/thoughts. An example would be an assignment of finding words you do not understand and finding definitions for them; copying someone else's homework in this instance would be considered cheating. The consequences for cheating are the same as for plagiarism.

9. Please contact me by phone or email with any questions or problems. There is also a distance-learning counselor available. Her name is Libbie McPhaul-Moore and she can be contacted at 599 - 1181 ext. 445.

 EMAIL POLICIES

 When sending an email to your instructor, please make sure that in the title, you put the course code (PSY 255, SWK 220, HSE 110, etc.), your name, and to what this is in reference (Module two homework assignment, etc.). Emails that do not identify the speaker in the title line may be deleted to protect from viruses.

 You are also encouraged to look at the link in External Links in “Netiquette,” for further guidelines on email.

The last day to drop this class with a "W" is October 13, 2004.

COURSE SCHEDULE

Remember that you will have discussion board assignments and exams every week, as well as the assignments listed below.  Each week, your initial posting of an answer to the discussion board question is due by Thursday at 8:00 p.m.   Your responses to two students are due Sunday at 8:00 p.m.  You must take the exam for that module by Sunday at 8:00 p.m.  Small group activities are due by Sunday at 8:00 p.m. The three projects are due on Fridays.