SWK 113 Working with Diversity
Spring 2006
M 11:05 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.
One and a half hours or more Blackboard each week
Instructor: Sheri Narin
Office: L130
Office Hours: Posted by Office Door
Phone Number: (336) 599-1181 Ext. 424
E-mail: narins@piedmontcc.edu
Course Website: http://courses.piedmont.cc.nc.us/
Faculty Website: http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/faculty/narins
Textbooks:
Diller, J. (2004). Cultural Diversity: A Primer for the Human Services, 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishers.
Plous, S. (Ed). (2003). Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination, Boston: McGrawHill Publishers
Other Required Materials: Access to the Internet and a working email address.
Course Description: This course examines and promotes understanding, sensitivity, awareness, and knowledge of human diversity. Emphasis is placed on professional responsibilities, duties, and skills critical to multicultural human services practice. Upon completion, students should be able to integrate and expand knowledge, skills, and cultural awareness relevant to diverse populations.
Classroom ? 3 Lab ? 0 Clinic ? 0 Credit - 3
Prerequisite/Corequisites: None
Course Objectives:
1. Student will be able to describe and demonstrate what it means to be culturally competent.
2. Student will be able to define racism and prejudice and describe its personal and professional effects.
3. Student will demonstrate an understanding and respect for cultural diversity through exercises and oral presentations.
4. Student will be able to identify and describe the impact of institutional bias in service delivery.
5. Student will demonstrate an understanding of how to integrate culturally diverse practices into a workable practice approach through role-plays and workbook activities.
Evaluation: A combination of classroom activities, homework assignments, oral presentations/projects, journals, examinations and Blackboard activities will comprise the basis of evaluation for this course. Evaluation will be based on an accumulative point system with a total of approximately 1000 points available. Total point value is subject to change.
Classroom Activities: The learning process in this class involves strong participation in small group activities, as well as presenting information to your fellow classmates. Your input is essential for your own learning as well as that of your classmates. You will be asked to play various roles in group activities and will be graded on fullness of participation and quality of participation. The grade will include evaluation of your ability to work out conflicts within small groups, using the principles gained in studying issues of diversity. Group members will be responsible for the full participation of all group members. In-class assignments cannot be made up.
Homework Assignments: You will be given several homework assignments. Assignments are to be turned on the due date and at the beginning of the class period due. Homework assignments that are late will lose 5 points per day late, including weekends, with the exception of your three “freebie” cards, which can be used for either in class assignments or Blackboard assignments (except for discussion boards) If you are not going to be in class, assignments can be emailed or faxed or left early. . These assignments are different from the assignments on Blackboard.
Oral Presentations/Projects: You will give at least two group presentations and may have other small projects. You will be assigned a different cultural or religious group about which to learn and will present this information to the class. You will also have a project developing a book for young children to explain prejudice. You will be graded on thoroughness and creativity of presentations and projects.
Journal: You will be asked to keep a journal about responses to class content and how the class may other areas of your life. At the end of each class, you will also be given a question to answer in the journal as well. You are responsible for a journal entry each class day even if you are not in class. Thus, each journal entry should answer the following questions:
Journals will be collected approximately every four weeks. Journals that are turned in late will lose 10 points per day. Journals will be kept in one notebook and will be turned in with that format. Loose pages or stapled pages will not be accepted.
Examinations: There may be examinations during the semester. Examinations will involve a variety of question types and will focus on applying information learned. . Exams may be given on Blackboard.
Blackboard Activities: There will be weekly Blackboard discussion board/assignments to be completed on the Internet. You can find more specific instructions on the Blackboard site.
Grade Breakdown (subject to change):
Total: 2000 points
GRADING SCALE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE DEPENDING ON FINAL POINT VALUE TOTAL):
2000 to 1800 = A; 1799 TO 1600 = B; 1599 TO 1400 = C; 1399 TO 1200 = D; Below 1200 = F.
ATTENDANCE: Regular attendance at all class meetings is
necessary for students to learn important concepts. In this regard, the
following class attendance policy is established:
1. A student is expected to be regular and punctual in meeting all classes. To
receive credit for a course, the student must attend prior to the census point
and a minimum of 80 percent of classes, labs and shop hours. Failure to attend
class is an absence, regardless of the reason. Absences are counted from the
first scheduled meeting of the class, not the first day the student attends. All
work missed during absences must be made up to the satisfaction of the
instructor. Failure to complete required assignments will negatively affect the
student's final grade.
2. A student who exceeds the 20 percent limit of absences may be dropped by the
instructor through the eighth week of the semester. If a student exceeds the 20
percent limit after the eighth week, the instructor is authorized to award the
student the "I" or "F" grade as warranted by the student's performance.
3. Any exceptions to this policy must be authorized by the instructor.
Attendance Policy for this class
Attendance and participation are important components of learning. In addition
to the Piedmont Community College attendance policy, the following policies will
apply: Perfect attendance in class at the end of the semester will raise your
overall grade by 1.5% points. Thus, if your average at the end of the class is
an 88.5 % and you have perfect attendance, your grade will be increased to a
90%, or an A. Being on time for every class will result in another .5% grade
increase. After three absences, every subsequent absence will result in an
overall grade reduction of 3%. Every fifteen minutes missed of class counts as
1/3 absence; thus, three incidences of being late or leaving early or not coming
back from a break within the specified time will count as an absence. For
example, if you have 2 absences, were late three times and left early three
times, this would count as 4 absences and your final grade would be reduced by
3% points, such as an 82% being reduced to a 79%.
CLASS POLICIES:
1. You are expected to be on time and prepared for class. If you are unable to
be in class, you are expected to let the instructor know by leaving a message by
phone or email previous to the class period.
2. Assignments are to be turned in on the date due and at the beginning of the
class period due. You are responsible for making up any missed in-class
assignments; however, some assignments cannot be made up.
3. As noted in the attendance policy, excessive absences will reflect negatively
on your grade.
4. The ability to write well is an important skill for your professional
development. Assignments that are difficult to read due to handwriting will be
returned with one opportunity to redo the assignment, within 2 days. Typing is
strongly recommended. Some assignments require typing and will not be accepted
if not typed. Assignments with excessive grammatical or spelling errors
(excessive as subjectively defined by the instructor) will be returned with one
opportunity to make corrections.
5) Below is the PCC policy on plagiarism:
7.5.1
PLAGIARISM
Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is ?the wrongful act of taking the product of another person's mind and presenting it as one's own" (Alexander Lindey, Plagiarism and Originality, 1952).
The following acts are examples of intentional plagiarism:
Copying material from a published source to avoid having to devise one?s own ideas.
Failing to give clear and proper credit to an idea, phrase, or quotation taken from a source.
Purchasing a pre-written paper.
Having someone other than the stated author complete an assignment, or part of an assignment.
Unintentional Plagiarism occurs when a student provides sources for his or her work, but the sources are cited incorrectly or inadequately. Handbooks with documentation rules for Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychology Association (APA), two source documentation styles, are housed in the Caswell County Campus Resource Center and in the Person County Campus Learning Resource Center. Students are also encouraged to speak with their instructors when they are uncertain about documenting their sources in class assignments.
Plagiarism will result in disciplinary action, and repeated offenses will lead to increased penalties that may ultimately result in expulsion from the College, as set out below:
A student who unintentionally plagiarizes will receive a warning and instruction on proper citation, style, and usage for the first offense.
A student who unintentionally plagiarizes a second time in a single course will receive a course grade of F in the course in which the student plagiarized.
A student who intentionally plagiarizes will receive a course grade of F in the course in which the student plagiarized.
If a student receives a course grade of F due to plagiarism, the course instructor will notify the Dean of Student Development using the Plagiarism Incident Report Form.
If a student receives three course grades of F due to plagiarism, as determined by records kept in the office of the Dean of Student Development, he or she will be expelled from the College.
Legal Reference: G.S. 115 D-20
History Note: Effective January 20, 2004
6) Assistance: 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.
7) Email policies: When sending an email to your instructor, please make sure that in the title, you put the course code (SWK 113, SWK115, 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.
8) Late Assignments: Homework assignments that are late lose 5 points a day. Late discussion board entries will not be graded. However, you have three “freebie” cards for this class. You may turn one homework assignment in up to seven days late without penalty. You may turn one homework assignment in up to three days late without penalty, and you may turn one homework assignment in up to one day late without penalty. If you do not use any of your cards during the semester, you can “turn them in” at the end of the semester for 30 points extra credit.
Reminder: The “freebie” cards apply only to homework assignments, not discussion board assignments or projects or journals.
9) Dropping the class: If you choose to drop the class, you must complete a drop form. If you do not complete the drop form you will receive an ?F? in the class.
10) Cell phones and beepers should be turned off or
on vibrate in class. If you do get a call, please leave the classroom before
answering the call.
Discussion Board Answer Grading Policies:
a. Clarity
b. Specificity
c. Usefulness to student (will it help the student to get a better grade on next discussion question?)
d. Balance - does the feedback point out strengths in the discussion as well as areas of weakness?
e. Helpfulness - Does the feedback provide resources to assist student in further research?
The following is an example of “A” quality work. The discussion board question was, “What do you think are the most common mistakes made by social workers working in child protective services? What causes these mistakes to be made? How can these mistakes be avoided or reduced? Remember to consider the role of other agents or agencies in these decisions and the multiple party responsibilities in these situations.” The student’s answer is below:
I believe that some of the most common mistakes made by social workers working in child protective services are: ?misidentifying serious cases, wrongful removal of children, inaccurate and incomplete data entry for tracking abuse and neglect and monitoring children in foster care, not establishing relationships with the families to make the necessary decisions, and hurting the children that they are supposed to protect.? I read an article that didn?t speak too favorably about child protection workers, but I believe the points made are very real. The article states that low salaries, high turnover rates, and staffing shortages put pressure on the remaining staff members of the agencies; this causes insufficient time for workers to establish relationships with the families and make the necessary decisions to ensure safe and stable permanent placements for the children. The heavy caseloads breed errors in documentation of case information. Another mistake is the unnecessary removals ? misidentifying serious cases or wrongful removal of children. The article calls it ?defensive social work.? It stated that child protection workers are possibly trying to protect themselves from liability (danger creation theory); if they question the safety of a child, they remove that child, which is also what they do when they actually identify safety risks for children in identifiable, abusive homes. It has been identified as the ?better safe than sorry? mentality. Some child protection workers do not want to be held accountable for ?inappropriately returning a child to an abusive parent? for fear of liability. What is most unfortunate is the fact that children can and are being hurt by abusive parents and/or child protection workers alike.
I think it is important to provide some additional oversight of child protection cases; have some form of checks and balances to ensure effective and efficient service provision. Agencies should address the recruitment and retention of its child protection workers so to ensure that the children and families are not being shuffled from one worker to another; this would increase the familiarity of the cases and reduce the number of cases per worker. Also, adequate documentation should be kept to help back up the claims of child abuse and neglect. Adequate documentation can also help in identifying what interventions are working within the agency and with the child protection workers. And, what I think is most important to the accuracy and efficiency of providing services to children and families is to engage in self evaluations at the agency and personal level. Agencies can evaluate whether or not their vision, mission, and values all support creating better results for children and families. Child protection workers can evaluate who they are, including, what their morals and values are, what biases they may have, and what drives them to do what they do. Regular self evaluations are necessary for providing children and families the best possible assistance and can also ensure better results for children and families.
Works Cited:
A Critical Look at Child Welfare: Defensive Social Work, 5 Feb 2006, Rick Thomas. 6 Feb. 2006 http://www.liftingtheveil.org/defensive.htm
Alexander, R., Jr., Understanding Legal Concepts That Influence Social Welfare Policy and Practice, 2003, Brooks/Cole Publishers. ISBN: 0-534-59661-4
Child Welfare: Improved Federal Oversight Could Assist States In Overcoming Key Challenges GAO-04-418T, 28 Jan. 2004, Government Accountability Office (GAO): Report Abstract. 6 Feb. 2006 http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/summary.php?recflag=&accno=A09174&rptno=GAO-04-41
The following is a response to another student?s post. This response is also ?A: quality work:
I can understand your concern for the safety of others when a threat of harm has been established. My only concern is that maybe we (me included) are forgetting that sometimes people say things out of anger and with a limited vocabulary or means to express themselves completely. For instance, a mother speaking about the way she feels when her adolescent daughter stays out all night without calling. The mother, out of pure anger says, ?I am going to strangle that child when I see her!? Do you automatically report this information to the authorities or the Department of Social Services? I wouldn?t. What I would do is reflect back to the client the message that I am receiving. I might follow up with, ?It sounds like you are angry with your daughter because of her behavior. Is strangling her something that you would do?? Not saying that this mother would not strangle her daughter, but she may have used those terms for lack of better word choices. Like using the terms, ?I could kill ?em.? I think it is important to get as much information from the client as possible. Now if the mother says to you, ?When my daughter walks in the door, I am going to walk up to her, put my hands around her neck, and choke her until she can no longer breathe and falls over lifeless? there is definite reason to be alarmed and to contact the authorities. Sometimes clients don?t have the ?words? to express themselves or their feelings. They use what they know?regardless of how incriminating it can sometimes be. Just something to consider.
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 be kept 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.
Location Schedule:
All classes will meet in B103, unless otherwise noted.
Class Meeting Days:
Blackboard Weeks:
Week One: Monday, January 9, 2006 to Sunday, January 15, 2006
Week Two: Tuesday, January 16, 2006 to Sunday, January 22, 2006
Week Three: Monday, January 23, 2006 to Sunday, January 29, 2006
Week Four: Monday, January 30, 2006 to Sunday, February 5, 2006
Week Five: Monday, February 6, 2006 to Sunday, February 12, 2006
Week Six: Monday, February 13, 2006 to Sunday, February 19, 2006
Week Seven: Monday, February 20, 2006 to Sunday, February 26, 2006
Week Eight: Monday, February 27, 2006 to Sunday, March 5, 2006
Week Nine: Monday, March 13, 2006 to Sunday, March 19, 2006
Week Ten: Monday, March 20, 2006 to Sunday, March 26, 2006
Week Eleven: Monday, March 27, 2006 to Sunday, April 2, 2006
Week Twelve: Monday, April 3, 2006 to Sunday, April 9, 2006
Week Thirteen: Monday, April 10, 2006 to Thursday, April 13, 2006 and Wednesday, April 19, 2006 to Sunday, April 23, 2006
Week Fourteen: Monday, April 24, 2006 to Sunday, April 30, 2006
Week Fifteen: Monday, May 1, 2006 to Sunday, May 7, 2006
Week Sixteen: Monday, May 8, 2006 to Saturday, May 13, 2006