SWK 214 Social Work Law, syllabus, Spring 2009

SWK 214 Social Work Law

Instructor Contact Information

Instructor Name: Sheri Narin

Office Phone: (336) 599 – 1181 ext. 424, Office Location: L130 on the Person County Campus. Office Hours are posted by door. Virtual office hour is announced in the weekly announcement.

Email Address: narins@piedmontcc.edu

Fax: (336) 598-0453

Secretary Phone: Nancy Watts, (336) 599-1181 ext. 437

Faculty Website Address: http://www2.piedmontcc.edu/faculty/narins

Course Information

Course Description:
This course introduces the major provisions of social services law, current trends, legislative developments and court procedures. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation of the laws and court decisions related to various social services populations. Upon completion, students should be able to interpret these laws and their implications for social services practice. 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

Course Objectives:

Student will be able to identify the four major political perspectives, as they exist in the United States today, and discuss how each perspective influences social welfare policy.
Student will be able to describe the function of social welfare in society.
Student will be able to identify and discuss some of the major social work methods and roles, practice settings, professional education and job opportunities for social workers.
Student will be able to identify and discuss some of the major generalist practice methods and roles, including case management.
Student will be able to define the concepts of prejudice, discrimination, institutional racism, assimilation, and cultural pluralism, and discuss how these concepts influence social welfare policy.
Student will be able to compare and contrast absolute and relative definitions of poverty, and describe, in general terms, the distribution of income and wealth in the United States.
Student will be able to discuss the evolution of ideas about the causes of poverty and trends in anti-poverty programs in the United States.
Discuss current social welfare issues and trends in child welfare services, the criminal justice system, health care, mental health and developmental disability care and housing, homelessness and community development.

Prerequisites and Co-requisites: Prerequisite: SWK 110 Introduction to Social Work

Course Topics:
Unit One: Overview of Policy and Profession

Module One: Introduction and Chapter One: Competing Perspectives on Social Welfare

Module Two: Chapter Two: Social Welfare: Basic Concepts

Module Three: Chapter Three: Social Work as a Profession

Module Four: Chapter Four: Generalist Social Work Practice

Unit Two: Differences

Module Five: Chapter Five: Responses to Human Diversity

Module Six: Chapter Six: Religion and Social Work

Unit Three: Poverty

Module Seven: Chapter Seven: Poverty: The Central Concept

Module Eight: Chapter Eight: The Nature and Causes of Poverty

Module Nine: Chapter Nine: The Development of Antipoverty Programs

Unit Four: Specific Populations

Module Ten: Chapter Ten: Child Welfare

Module Eleven: Chapter Eleven: Crime and Criminal Justice

Module Twelve: Chapter Twelve: Health Care

Module Thirteen: Chapter Thirteen: Mental Health and Developmental Disability

Module Fourteen: Chapter Fourteen: Housing, Homelessness and Community Development

Module Fifteen: Chapter Fifteen: Aging

Unit Five: Developing Your Own Perspective

Module Sixteen: Chapter Sixteen: Developing Your Own Perspective on Social Welfare on Social Welfare

Specific Course Requirements:
Access to the Internet and Rich Text Format

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks: Popple, P.R. & Leighninger, L. (2008). Social work, social welfare, and American society, 7^th ed. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Supplementary Materials: None

Course Website address: http://courses.piedmontcc.edu, log in and click on SWK 214

Hardware Requirements: Please follow the hardware recommendations mentioned at : http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/DL/hardware.htm, with the addition of access to Microsoft Word or rich text format

Software Requirements: You may need Acrobat Reader for some assignments. You can get information on downloading it through http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/DL/plugins.htm. You will need JAVA to access the virtual classroom. There is no cost for the downloads..

Assessment and Grading

Testing Procedures:
Each module has an exam. You will have a week to complete the exam through Blackboard. Exams cannot be taken after that week. Exams will contain multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank and short answer questions. You will have two hours to take the exam and once you have started the exam, you must complete it (you cannot save it and return to it).

Grading Procedure:
Grades are based on a point system. Points are earned through exams, homework assignments, projects and discussion board posts and responses. You will earn a certain number of points out of the total points for that assignment. For example, you complete a homework assignment and receive 15 points out of a possible 20 points. Your grade would be 15. You can translate this into a percentage or letter grade by dividing the top number (15) by the bottom number (20). This would give you a percentage of 75, or a “C.” The specific types of assignments are explained in more detail below. The specific information given below is subject to change.

Evaluation: A combination of exams, homework assignments, projects and discussion board posts and responses will comprise the basis of evaluation for this course. Evaluation will be based on an accumulative point system with a total of approximately 1800 points available. Total point value is subject to change.

Grading Scale: Subject to change!

Exams 16 at approx. 25 points (20 to 30 points each) = 400

Homework 16 at 30 (20 to 40 points each) = 480

Discussion Board Question and responses (40 points per week) = 640

Projects: 2 projects at 100 points each = 200

Miscellaneous, including introductory activities = approx. 80 points

Total points: 1800 (Subject to change!)

Grade scale: (Subject to change!)

A = 1620 to 1800. B = 1619 to 1440. C = 1439 to 1260. D = 1259 to 1080. F = Below 1080.

Academic Integrity

In addition to good academic performance, students should exhibit honesty and integrity. If there is any question that academic honesty and integrity are not honored, students may be required to redo assignments in the presence of an instructor-selected monitor. Proof of dishonesty, including plagiarism, will make students subject to disciplinary action. Please consult your college catalog for more information.

Piedmont Community College Plagiarism Policy

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

Plagiarism tutorial: http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/whatisplag.php

In furtherance of its Plagiarism Policy, Piedmont Community College has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism in student assignments. Students may also be asked to submit assignments through the Blackboard tool, SafeAssign. To encourage original and authentic written work, any written assignment created in this course may be submitted for review to Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com) or SafeAssign and will become a searchable document with the Turnitin-protected and restricted use database or the SafeAssign institutional or global database.

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and Projects:

Exams:

There are sixteen regular exams as well as the syllabus quiz. Each exam is worth between 20 and 30 points and may consist of questions in the following formats: multiple choice, fill in the blank, true/false and short answer. You will have two hours to complete each exam, although the exams should not take that amount of time, and all the exams are open book and through Blackboard. Each exam covers one module and is available Monday morning, when that module week starts, and will be available through 8:00 p.m. on the Sunday of that module. Exams cannot be taken after 8:00 p.m. on the Sunday that is the last day of the module, and missed exams cannot be made up. You will find the link to the exam under “Assignments.” Once you click on the link to take the exam, you must complete it; you cannot save it and go back to it later.

Homework:

Each module includes a homework assignment related to that chapter. The homework assignments may include opinion papers, research, experiments, interviewing others, or other activities. Some homework assignments may involve working with other students in the class as well. Some weeks you may have a choice of two assignments to complete. Homework assignments will be submitted through Blackboard and should be saved in Rich Text Format (rtf). Homework Assignments are due by the Sunday of that module week by midnight. Homework assignments that are late (late being defined as anytime after midnight on that Sunday) will be worth “0” points, except for when the virtual late cards are used. You do have three virtual “freebie” cards that you may use during the semester, entitling you to turn in an assignment one day late (one assignment), three days late (one assignment) and one week late (one assignment). If you do not use any of your virtual freebie cards by the end of the semester, you may exchange them for 30 points extra credit. The virtual freebie cards are only good on homework assignments and projects; they may not be used for exams, or discussion board posts. The specific homework assignment information can be found on the assignments page, under that specific module’s assignments.

Discussion Board Posts and Responses:

Each module will involve at least one discussion board question for you to answer, and require you to respond to your fellow students’ responses as well. Your response to the original question(s) is due by Wednesday at midnight and your responses to other students are due by Sunday at midnight. Please review the discussion board guidelines for information on the expectations for your answers and the grading parameters for your post. If there are not enough student posts for you to write the required number of responses, then you are required to respond to your own post in order to get credit. This means challenging your own answer, and again, should be done by using the posted guidelines.

Projects:

There will be two larger projects due this semester. One project will be due mid-semester, and one project will be due at the end of the semester. You can obtain more specific information about the projects under the “Projects” link on the assignment pages. The projects will reflect the textbook materials as well as original research. Each project is worth 100 points. There is an additional extra credit project as well.

Guidelines for Blackboard Discussion Boards:
Discussion Board Answer Grading Policies:

The criteria for earning an A or B on a discussion board post:

The discussion clearly answers the question.
There is some supporting information from a source other than the text and these sources are cited correctly, using the APA style guide to references. This includes electronic references.
The references used are from legitimate websites; these websites will present information in a fair and balanced matter, i.e. it is not a website whose sole purpose is to promote a specific agenda or point of view.
Material used in answering a question is pertinent and related to the question. Just listing a website without tying the information in to your answers will result in your answer being graded as though no references were used.
There is evidence of your thinking on the subject and not simply parroting the ideas of others.

The criteria for earning a B or C on a discussion board post:

The discussion clearly answers the question.
There may be supporting information from a source other than the text (the same criteria applies as is stated above)

Material used in answering a question is pertinent and related to the question.

The criteria for earning a D or F on a discussion:

The discussion answers the question.

If no response is posted, the student will receive a “0” for that grade.

Feedback should be helpful to the student receiving it. Feedback will be evaluated for the following:

Clarity
Specificity
Usefulness to student (will it help the student to get a better grade on next discussion question?)
Balance - does the feedback point out strengths in the discussion as well as areas of weakness?
Helpfulness - Does the feedback provide resources to assist student in further research?

You can find an example of “A” quality work under course information on Blackboard.

Class Participation or Attendance:
From the Piedmont Community College Catalog:

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.

For this class, no campus visits are required. Attendance is monitored through participation in the course, and you are expected to log in to the course at least twice a week. Missing discussion board posts, exams, or assignments may count as an absence.

You will see a column in the grade book for each week and this will reflect whether you participated in the online course that week. Lack of participation will strongly affect your grades and you may be dropped from the class if there are more than three weeks in which you did not participate. As with a face to face class, perfect attendance, as calculated by no missed assignments, is also rewarded at the end of the semester, with a 1.5% extra credit; the exact number is subject to change, however, that may add 30 points or more to your final grade.

Punctuality:
Assignments are due at specific dates and times, and information on all assignments is posted on the course website. Assignments may be completed early when available. Late discussion board posts will not be graded. Late homework assignments will not be accepted, except as follows, also explained above: You have three virtual “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. Late discussion board posts will not be graded and exams may not be taken late. You have a week to complete the exam, and the discussion board questions are posted at least two weeks in advance; there is plenty of time to complete those assignments.

Course Ground Rules

Please contact your instructor with any problems or concerns!

As noted in the attendance policy, excessive absences will reflect negatively on your grade.

The ability to write well is an important skill for your professional development. All assignments must be typed. Assignments with excessive grammatical or spelling errors (excessive as subjectively defined by the instructor) will be returned with one opportunity to make corrections.

If you decide to withdraw from the class, you must complete the paperwork for the withdrawal. If you simply stop attending the class, you will receive an “F” for the class. Communications

Guidelines for Communications

Email:

· Always include a subject line, with your name, the course number and the topic of the email.

· Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases.

· Use standard fonts.

· Do not send large attachments without permission.

· Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication.

· Respect the privacy of other class members.

Discussion Groups:

· In addition to the guidelines for grades on the discussion board, please use the following guidelines:

· Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant.

· Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic.

· Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other’s ideas.

· Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks.

· Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks.

· Be positive and constructive in group discussions.

· Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner.

Chat:

· Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session.

· Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements.

· Be concise in responding to others in the chat session.

· Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time.

· Be constructive in your comments and suggestions.

Web Resources:
Web Resources for distance learning (but may be useful for other classes as well):
Information on References for Electronic Sources

American Psychological Association, Electronic References, 5^th edition of the APA Publication Manual, 2001, Retrieved 21 July 2006 from http://www.apastyle.org/elecgeneral.html

Online Services for Distance Learners

Learning Resources Center, Online Services For Distance Learners, Piedmont Community College, Retrieved July 21, 2006 from

http://www2.piedmont.cc.nc.us/DL/online_services.htm

Blackboard Student Support

The North Carolina Conference of English Instructors offers this site with support information for online learners.

North Carolina Conference of English Instructors, CEI Blackboard Support, North Carolina Conference of English Instructors web site, Retrieved 21 July 2006 from

http://www.nccei.org/blackboard/students.html

Netiquette, Or How to Mind Your Manners When Using E-Mail, Virginia Shea, Netiquette , May 1994, http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html, Netiquette Home Page, Retrieved 21 July 2006 from http://www.albion.com/netiquette/index.html

Library

The Piedmont Community College Library Website includes links and services for: an online catalog, basic library information, Help, electronic resources, distance education library services, interlibrary loan, instructional services, citation help, reserves, searching the web, and periodicals. http://www2.piedmontcc.edu/lrc/

Students With Disabilities

If you have a learning or other disability, and you want to request special accommodations to ensure equal access to education at PCC, please see Brian Totten in the Office of Student Development on the main campus, 599-1181, ext. 296. The information that you provide will be kept confidential. If you are on the Caswell campus, please see Sarah Humphrey, 336-694-5707, ext. 226.

Student Success Center

Piedmont Community College now offers a comprehensive package of services to assist students with their academic success. The Student Success Center (SSC) is located in Room G-204 on the Person County Campus and in Room K-152 on the Caswell County Campus. The SSC 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.

Syllabus Changes

A statement that any necessary changes to the course syllabus will be sent to the student by e-mail and posted on the bulletin board.

Technical Support

Libbie McPhaul-Moore, 336-599-1181, ext. 445, mcphaul@piedmontcc.edu
and Earl Stenlund, 336-599-1181, ext. 225, stenlue@piedmontcc.edu
maybe able to assist you with troubleshooting access to Blackboard and navigation of Blackboard. The College does not provide technical support for any problems with your ISP accounts or software, to include AOL.port

Class Dates

· Week One Monday, January 12, 2009 to Sunday, January 18, 2009 Introduction and Chapter One: Competing Perspectives on Social Welfare

· Week Two Tuesday, January 20, 2009 to Sunday, January 25, 2009 Chapter Two: Social Welfare Basic Concepts

· Week Three Monday, January 26, 2009 to Sunday, February 1, 2009 Chapter Three: Social Work as a Profession

· Week Four Monday, February 2, 2009 to Sunday, February 8, 2009 Chapter Four: Generalist Social Work Practice

· Week Five Monday, February 9, 2009 to Sunday, February 15, 2009 Chapter Five: Responses to Human Diversity

· Week Six Monday, February 16, 2009 to Sunday, February 22, 2009 Chapter Six: Religion and Social Work

· Week Seven Monday, February 23, 2009 to Sunday, March 1, 2009 Chapter Seven: Poverty: The Central Concept

· Week Eight Monday, March 2, 2009 to Sunday, March 8, 2009 Chapter Eight: The Nature and Causes of Poverty

· Week Nine Monday, March 16, 2009 to Sunday, March 22, 2009 Chapter Nine: The Development of Antipoverty Programs

· Week Ten Monday, March 23, 2009 to Sunday, March 29, 2009 Chapter Ten: Child Welfare

· Week Eleven Monday, March 30, 2009 to Sunday, April 5, 2009 Chapter Eleven: Crime and Criminal Justice

· Week Twelve Monday, April 6, 2009 to Thursday, April 9, 2009 & Wednesday, April 15, 2009 to Sunday, April 19, 2009 Chapter Twelve: Health Care

· Week Thirteen Monday, April 20, 2009 to Sunday, April 26, 2009 Chapter Thirteen: Mental Health and Developmental Disability

· Week Fourteen Monday, April 27, 2009 to Sunday, May 3, 2009 Chapter Fourteen: Housing, Homelessness and Community Development

· Week Fifteen Monday, May 4, 2009 to Sunday, May 10, 2009 Chapter Fifteen: Aging

· Week Sixteen Monday, May 11, 2009 to Saturday, May 16, 2009 Chapter Sixteen: Developing Your Own Perspective on Social Welfare on Social Welfare