1 Student Handbook BACCALAUREATE PROGRAM in SOCIAL WORK DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY Tacoma, Washington 98447-0003 Revised: FALL 2019 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. 4 Welcome to the Department of Social Work. 4 Introduction to the Student Handbook. 4 SOCIAL WORK AS A PROFESSION.
5 The Field of Social Work. 5 Generalist Social Work Practice. 6 Career Opportunities in Social Work. 7 SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION AT PLU.
7 The Social Work Program at PLU. 7 Mission & Philosophy of the Social Work Program. 8 Social Work Education. 9 Goals & Objectives of the Social Work Program.
9 Social Work Curriculum. 17 Social Work Minor. 18 SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM POLICIES. 18 Social Work Course Requirements Policy.
18 Social Work Study Away Policy. 19 Social Work Grading Policy. 20 Late Work Policy/Academic Integrity & the Social Work Program. 21 Dismissal from the Social Work Program.
23 A) CSWE Educational Policy and Standards. 25 B) NASW Code of Ethics. 40 C) Selection and Retention Record. 42 D) Program Planning Guide.
43 E) Social Work Assessment Plan for PLU Regional Accreditation. 45 F) Non-Academic Dismissal Behaviors. 49 4 INTRODUCTION A Welcome from the Department of Social Work We are pleased that you are interested in pursuing a career in Social Work and that you have chosen to study at Pacific Lutheran University. Our program is dedicated to the principle that as professionals, we should strive to improve the quality of individual and community life through the enhancement of social justice and opportunity.
Graduates of the baccalaureate level program are prepared for generalist practice with individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations. Our graduates are employed in social service agencies throughout the region. They also are employed and are providing leadership throughout the state as well as in other parts of the country and in international positions. Many of our graduates return to universities to complete the Master of Social Work degree, or a degree in a related field.
Our faculty bring years of experience as social workers, educators, consultants, and agency administrators. The faculty and staff are committed to maintaining a quality educational program, to meeting the needs of our students, and to providing leadership and service to the profession and community. Pacific Lutheran University’s B. in Social Work is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
We look forward to having you as a student in our program. We hope you will find it a challenging and rewarding experience. Introduction to the Student Handbook This handbook provides a concise summary of the Social Work program of study for the student who has declared or is considering a social work major. It provides information about the profession of social work, PLU’s curriculum, the Council on Social Work Education’s standards for social work education, prerequisites for the program, degree requirements, policies and procedures.
It is intended to supplement, not replace, regular meetings with your academic advisor. This handbook is designed to answer the most frequently asked questions about the social work major. Your handbook is intended for your personal use as well as for reference during registration/advising meetings. The staff and faculty are ready to assist you in achieving your personal and academic goals.
The primary objective of the Social Work major is to prepare students for beginning generalist practice. The program also provides a foundation for continued study in social work. This handbook will provide information about generalist practice and give you an idea of what types of employment opportunities may be available for you with this major. Program Overview The 128 semester hours of required course work leading to a B.
in Social Work degree from the Social Work Program at PLU are covered in four curriculum areas: General Education: Students may complete either the General Education elements or the International Honors Core (separate applications required). Social Work majors must ALSO complete the Arts and Sciences requirement. Please refer to the catalog and your advisor for details. 5 Social Work Major Requirements: There are 44 hours in Social Work required for the major, including research methods (SOCW 232 or SOCI 232) and one Social Work or Sociology elective.
In addition, students must complete introductory courses in Sociology, Psychology, Cultural Anthropology, and Human Biology. Students also must complete the Sociology section of Statistics (STAT 233) with computer lab. University Electives: Students select courses in consultation with their advisor. College of Arts & Science: Transfer students should be certain they have met the entrance requirement for language and math, as well as planning to meet one of the three options of the College of Arts and Sciences requirement.
SOCIAL WORK AS A PROFESSION The Field of Social Work If you are interested in tackling some of today’s major social challenges and enjoy working with people, social work may be the career for you. Social work focuses on the person-in environment and uniquely prepares graduates to work effectively with individuals, families, households, small groups, communities and organizations, locally and globally. Social work is a challenging and fulfilling profession that attracts those with a spark of idealism, a belief in social justice and a natural love of working with people. The roots of the social work profession lie in historical efforts to meet the needs of people in poverty, neglected children, and exploited workers.
Today, social work is a dynamic, growing profession, throughout the world, grounded in the social sciences as well as its own knowledge and research base. Social workers have the humanity to reach out to others, the vitality to unearth or develop needed resources, the intellect and compassion to perceive how critical issues affect human lives, and the imagination and initiative to develop responses as new needs arise. Social workers are integrally involved in the community, knowing the people, the services and how things get done. Yet, at the same time, social workers are keenly aware of the need of those not in the mainstream, and are sensitive to the discrepancy between the reality they see and the dream of an ideal society.
While working toward empowering people, whether intervening with individuals, families, small groups, or larger systems, social workers address issues of social justice, becoming aware of and taking action against oppression and discrimination, locally and globally. Social workers have a dual commitment to service and social change. Like other helping professions, social workers are motivated by a desire to help others, to empower those with whom they work. The profession is often viewed as a calling.
While there are many considerations which enter into career decisions, the decision to go into social work is often based upon the belief that doing so will contribute to the greater good of humankind. Social workers practice in many arenas, including agencies that are public, private, for profit, non-profit, and faith based. Social work is the primary profession in the development, provision, and evaluation of social services. Professional social workers provide leadership in a variety of organizational settings and service delivery systems within a global context.
The National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics states that social work is based on the values of service, social and economic justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, and integrity and competence in practice. “The purpose of the social work profession is to promote human and community well- being. Guided by a person-in-environment framework, a global perspective, respect for human diversity, and knowledge based on scientific inquiry, the purpose of social work is actualized through its quest for social and economic justice, the prevention of conditions that limit human rights, the elimination of poverty, and the enhancement of the quality of life for all persons, locally and globally.” (CSWE EPAS, 2015) 6 Generalist Social Work Practice Though students are often attracted to social work because they want to work one-on-one with people in a counseling relationship, counseling is only one of the many roles assumed by social workers. Even in settings where the primary focus is on working with individuals, the social work emphasis always includes the larger social context, looking at the interface between the person and their environment.
One’s work with individuals may therefore include intervening with the social and/or physical environment. Generalist social workers, then, are change agents who use a variety of methods to intervene effectively with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. They are trained to use a wide variety of assessment and intervention techniques with the goal of identifying client strengths, empowering people, and enhancing the fit between people and their environments. There is a broad knowledge base for generalist practice.
The generalist model relies upon a strong liberal arts background, such as what is found at Pacific Lutheran University. This liberal arts base emphasizes intellectual breadth, the ability to communicate orally and in writing, awareness of diverse perspectives, critical and abstract thinking, and a commitment to lifelong learning. Generalist practice requires a foundation in professional values, ethics, knowledge, and skills. The foundation knowledge base of generalist practice consists of an understanding of human behavior in the social environment, social welfare policy, social research, and human diversity.
The generalist practitioner is skilled in working with individuals, groups, households, larger organizations, and communities and assumes a wide range of professional roles practiced within an organizational structure. Knowledge and skills are integrated within a context of social work values and ethics and the professional use of self. The Council and Social Work Education (CSWE) develops standards for accreditation (see Appendix A) and monitors the program’s application of those standards. Social work values and ethical standards are emphasized throughout the curriculum.
Social workers respect individual and cultural differences and acknowledge the unique contributions all people make to society. At the same time, social workers recognize that diversity is not necessarily valued by society as a whole, and as a result, various groups of people experience oppression and discrimination. The effects of oppression and discrimination on human development and interpersonal relationships can be devastating. Social workers, then, are compelled to work against oppression.
The goal is empowerment of individuals, families, groups, communities, so that all have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. Another curriculum emphasis is the integration of research with practice. There is continuous feedback between research and practice, so that interventions are based on theories which have been tested and practice wisdom informs research questions. The goal of research is to contribute to knowledge which will enhance practice effectiveness.
Social work practitioners are concerned about the effectiveness of their own interventions as well as the effectiveness of social programs. This knowledge and values base provides the foundation for generalist social work practice. The focus is on enhancing the person-environment fit. That may involve working to change the environment by helping people to organize to change systems and policies.
It may involve advocating for individuals, families, groups or communities. Generalist social work practice utilizes a problem-solving process to empower client systems and advance social and economic justice. As a catalyst for empowerment and justice, generalist practice utilizes a model of engagement, assessment, planning, intervention, evaluation, termination, follow-up, and the evaluation of practice, which is grounded in a strengths-based perspective. Problems and opportunities are approached from a wide variety of perspectives and change is targeted within micro, mezzo, and macro systems.
The focus is always on the interface between the person and the environment. A basic assumption of this approach is the belief that each person has inherent motivation toward growth and well-being. When the positive capacities or strengths of a person are supported, the person is more likely to act on those strengths. 7 Unmet human need creates a demand for social workers who can bring skills of generalist practice to work in public agencies, private non-profit organizations, profit-based agencies, and, globally, non-governmental agencies (NGOs).