10am-12pm - Monday - SE02 (South Extension Center - Watseka)
The student will explore the principles, techniques, and educational requirements for professional practice. The philosophy and values of the profession will be emphasized. The fields of social work practice and their relationship to the other helping professions will be studied.
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Critical Thinking
- Responsibility
ntroduction to Social Work was designed to meet specific student needs either individually or within a programand is designed to transfer to other colleges and universities. KCC participates in the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), a statewide transfer agreement for general education courses. All colleges and universities participating in the IAI agree to accept a collective “package” of IAI general education courses; transfer of
courses separately is not guaranteed. For more information about IAI and the transferability of courses to specific four-year institutions, go to itransfer.org and mycreditstransfer.org.
Faculty Contact Information
I am here to support you on your educational journey in the classroom and beyond. I am available to respond to questions or concerns by email, Zoom, or in person appointment. To schedule an appointment outside of class hours, please email me directly at mpfeifer@kcc.edu
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Define Social Work
- Understand how historical developments within the field of Social Work impact the profession today
- Specify the values and principles of the profession
- Understand Social Systems: Communities and Families
- Describe the relationship of Social Work to public welfare
- Define social work methods of intervention and how they are applied to empowering specific client populations
- Develop an awareness of the various areas of professional Social Work practice: school, medical, child welfare, mental health, and counseling.
- Defining the profession of Social Work:
- History of SW - From late 19th century social service activism to contemporary practice, we will trace the development of the practice of Social Work over the last 150 years.
- Social Work and the Ecological Perspective - We will look at how general systems theory and ecology have provided social workers with a framework to understand social systems and the complicated dynamics therein.
- Values of Social Work - We will look at how a special focus on the helping most marginalized and oppressed populations of the world along with egalitarianism and Intersectionality inform the soul of Social Work.
- Code of Ethics
- Social Justice
- Diversity
- Define Generalist Social Work:
- We will examine how the core Social Work functions of consultancy, resource management, and education as intersected by practice, policy, and research provide the generalist framework that all social workers will utilize regardless of speciality.
- We will look at how Counseling, Casework, Group-work, Community Organizing, and political advocacy are utilized as methods of intervention to empower individuals, families, and communities served by social workers.
- Develop an awareness of contemporary issues in Social Work fields of practice - This will include the topics of mental health, schools, poverty, the various 'isms, the healthcare system, the criminal justice system, homelessness, Labor, lifespan care throughout the community, and the intersection of many of these topics with each other amongst many other contemporary issues in the lives of individuals, families, and communities.
Gladden, J. (2024, June 13). Introduction to Social Work (PDF). LibreTexts via Open Educational Resources.
***Textbook provided for you!***
Evaluation:
Grading Scale
A 90% 333 points
B 80% 296 points
C 70% 259 points
D 60% 222 points
F <60%
Graded criteria:
Final Project - 60 points
Discussion Posts (10 points each) -160 points
Exams (50 points each) - 150 points
Attendance & Participation ------
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370 points
Description of each criteria:
Final Project (60 points): A final project will be assigned to enhance learning and apply concepts outside the classroom. This project must be completed and turned in by the due date to receive full credit. You can find a full description and grading rubric on Canvas under ‘Assignments’.
Exams (150 points): Three exams (questions including multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blank, or short answer) will be given through the course of the semester. Though most of the exam will focus on the chapters covered during that point of the term, due to the cumulative nature of course, some questions may draw upon information learned earlier in the course. These will be taken online using Canvas. Each exam must be taken within a specified time period.
Discussion Posts: (160 Points): You will be assigned two discussion post to complete each week. The discussion question(s) will be based on in-class materials, content from your assigned readings, or a combination of both. You do not need to reply to your peers unless you would like to do so. Due dates will be provided on Canvas.
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700
Plagiarism, is defined in section 16.2 of the Code of Conduct: “Representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own. Plagiarism includes claiming credit for assignments completed by someone else.” All instances of “intentional plagiarism” on any major assignment for this course will lead to the immediate failure of the course with no opportunity for the student to withdraw. The instance of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Student Development. If the student has a second instance of plagiarism reported to the Dean of Student Development, the student may be suspended from the institution.
Academic Integrity: Students are expected to submit honest, original work. Examples of cheating include copying another students’ work, using another’s work without appropriate references, or submitting your own work that has already been used in another class. The college regards cheating as a very serious offense and may result in failure of the class.
Late Assignments: You will learn early on that communication is key in my class. All assignments and papers are expected on the due date assigned. However, should unusual circumstances arise that delay your work, please communicate with me so we can make a plan that works for you without negatively impacting your grade. My goal is to help you succeed and pass my course. Keep me in the loop, do the best you can do complete your work and show me you are trying, and I can promise you a successful term.
Writing style: All coursework must be typed. Abbreviations such as those use when texting (i.e., “u” instead of “you”) is NOT appropriate and work containing such abbreviations will not be graded. Papers should be in APA format
Attendance & Participation: Please note that if you are habitually texting in class, sleeping, or otherwise distracted, you will be counted as “absent” for that day. This means in-class activities, bonus activities, assignment passes, or other “freebies” will not be granted to students who were not present (that includes mentally) in class to receive them.
- Participation in class: Although a part of participation does mean speaking in class, if you are uncomfortable with speaking in front of the group, there are other ways to ensure that you maintain a high participation grade. First, part of participation means that you come to class prepared having done the reading. Second, participation is also gauged by whether you are engaged in active listening as well as taking notes. This means that you are awake and alert and seem to be engaged in the material
- Attendance in class: While I do not give points for attendance specifically, I expect you to be in class.
- Please be aware and mindful that Canvas shows your instructors exactly how much time you spend on your course page.
Extra Credit/Bonus Points: Those who attend class will be given the opportunity to receive points for simply coming to class. Assignments will vary. Students with a reasonable excuse for missing class who let me know they cannot make class that day will be allowed to make up these assignments. Opportunities to make up these points will not be provided to those who chose to skip entirely. Total points given, and what days additional points are provided will vary.
*If you require additional time for assignments or exams due to an accommodation through the Office of Disability Services, please contact me at the beginning of the semester so that I can make alternative arrangements.
| Week 1 (Monday 8/17) |
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| Week 2 (Monday 8/24) |
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| Week 3 (Monday 8/31) |
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| Week 4 (Monday 9/7) NO CLASS - CAMPUS CLOSED |
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| Week 5 (Monday 9/14) |
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| Week 6 (Monday 9/21) |
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| Week 7 (Monday 9/28) |
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| Week 8 (Monday 10/5) |
***Note this is a shortened week! All work is due by FRIDAY, not Sunday!***
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College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.