Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

BSSW Program Courses

This course introduces students to the profession of social work. This course is intended to facilitate prospective social workers’ understanding of the vast breadth of professional practice while providing students with comprehensive knowledge of the profession’s historical evolution, scope of service, consumers of service, rewards, challenges, and commitment to social justice. Additional topics covered in this course include professional skills, values, ethics, practice settings, career patterns, and practice methods.

This course assists prospective social workers by providing a holistic understanding of the social work profession and its contribution to social welfare. This course examines the development of social welfare policies, programs, and areas of service provision within domestic and international contexts. Students taking this course will study the construct of social welfare as it relates to social justice and wellbeing.

This course introduces social work students to professional interpersonal practice specific to individuals, families, and small groups. This course integrates the social work code of ethics, theoretical models, and culturally responsive practice techniques with an emphasis on social justice, trauma-informed care, and interprofessional practice. The course assists students with identifying appropriate evidence-based service interventions with consideration to intersecting identities, professional standards, and ethical code.

This experiential course will apply the essential skills of social work practice to simulated learning activities. Students taking this course will have the opportunity to model various service provision techniques related to empathy, engagement, assessment, intervention, evaluation, and termination. Students will understand the appropriate use of self in professional practice, and learn strategies to promote self-care. Skills are reinforced through multiple service frameworks integrating trauma-informed care, interprofessional practice, and social justice.

This course examines biological, psychological, and social theories and frameworks for practice with individuals and families. This course emphasizes the interaction between neurophysiological development and environmental contexts. Students explore topics such as risk and protective factors that influence and shape development while promoting resilience, and the influence of culture, oppressive systems, and dynamic processes critical to risk and resilience for vulnerable populations. Additionally, students examine practice implications for promoting healthy development including early prevention policies, practices, and services. 

This course addresses systems-level macro practice specific to communities, organizations, and professional leadership. Strategies, methods, and skills applicable to a wide range of macro practice settings are examined. Students taking this course will explore issues surrounding inequity, exclusion, and oppression while learning effective strategies to promote social justice and systemic change. 

This course is designed to increase students’ awareness of the dimensions of human diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students will learn to articulate and apply multicultural and social justice practice frameworks, critical theories, and a human rights perspective to address complex social problems. Students will be prepared to integrate these concepts into future ethical decision-making and practice with historically excluded and underserved populations. 

This honors course is designed to increase students’ awareness about the dimensions of human diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students will learn to articulate and apply multicultural and social justice practice frameworks, critical theories, and a human rights perspective to address complex social problems with special consideration to the impact of discrimination, oppression, and historical trauma on client outcomes. Students will be prepared to engage in culturally responsive social work practice with at-risk and underserved populations.  

This course examines biological, psychological, and social theories and frameworks for practice with individuals and families. This course emphasizes the interaction between neurophysiological development and environmental contexts. Students explore topics such as risk and protective factors that influence and shape development while promoting resilience, and the influence of culture, oppressive systems, and dynamic processes critical to risk and resilience for vulnerable populations. Additionally, students examine practice implications for working with adults including family and social relationships, behavioral health challenges, chronic illness, and death and dying.   

Explores professional ethics for entry level generalist practice.  

Examines Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the potentially detrimental effects that these traumatic events, including maltreatment, neglect, and witnessed violence, can have on the development of children. This course will also examine the effects of traumatic events on the adult population in the context of various types of traumatic events. 

Provides the knowledge, values, and skills for entry level generalist practice in a crisis intervention setting.

Supervised field experience with practice situations for developing professional skills, values, and attitudes. Concurrent seminar focuses on integration of knowledge with practice experiences.

The purpose of field seminar is to enhance the academic and supervisory support for social work practicum students.

This course is designed to help students understand and appreciate the role of research in evidence-based practice. Students are introduced to quantitative and qualitative concepts and skills underlying a systematic approach to social work research, including basic research terminology, scientific methods and the value of research in social work. Students will learn about historical and present-day inequities in research and how to apply social work values to engage in ethical research. Students taking this course engage in research techniques such as problem formulation, measurement, design, sampling, data gathering, and use of analytic software. 

This course explores the policies and programs that shape the welfare system and influence social work practice. The course assesses organizational and legislative systems at the federal, state, local levels and their impact on social services. The course links social welfare policy and social work practice by critically analyzing the historic and contemporary contexts of social welfare practice. The processes of analyzing, influencing, developing, implementing, and advocating for policies and programs through the lens of social work values and ethics are addressed.

This honors course is designed to help students gain an understanding of and appreciation for the role of research in evidence-based practice. Students are introduced to methodological concepts and skills underlying a systematic approach to social work research, and the value of research in social work. Students learn about historical and present-day inequities in research and how to apply social work values to engage in ethical research. Students taking this course engage in problem formulation, measurement, design, sampling, data gathering, and use of analytic software. Students participate in each step of the scientific research process by designing and implementing an empirical study relevant to their practice interest.

This honors course explores the policies that shape the welfare system and influence social work practice. The course will emphasize organizational and legislative systems at the federal, state, local levels and their impact on social services. The course links social welfare policy and social work practice by critically analyzing the historic and contemporary contexts of social welfare practice. The processes of analyzing, influencing, developing, implementing, and advocating for policies and programs through the lens of social work values and ethics are addressed. Students enrolled in this honors course engage in professional lobbying strategies within a simulated legislative environment.

Examines the generalist social work role in working with individuals and families affected by mental illness.

Provides an introduction to and overview of the field of forensic social work. Course content focuses on practice settings, generalist skills, ethics and trans-system interactions.

Provides a generalist social work understanding of substance abuse related to etiology, epidemiology, neurophysiology, and behavioral consequences of specific drugs as well as explore screening, assessment and treatment/referral for substance abuse treatment.

Addresses core concepts and contemporary topics about human sexuality. Human sexuality is an integral part of being human and as such, social workers have the responsibility to be knowledgeable about sexuality to treat and provide resources for people in a holistic manner. Social workers can play a key role in helping people heal from sexual trauma, access necessary resources and provide education around healthy sexuality.

This integrative seminar provides a platform for students to reflect and synthesize their awareness, knowledge, and skills across all BSSW program competencies through completion of the Senior Portfolio assignment.  

Study of the child welfare system examining history, policies, and programs, both state and federal, pertinent to child maltreatment and juvenile justice.  

Emphasis on the special challenges, needed skills, and different strategies and interventions in the provision of culturally responsive child welfare services.

This integrative honors seminar provides a platform for students to reflect and synthesize their awareness, knowledge, and skills across all BSSW program competencies through completion of the Senior Portfolio assignment.  Students in this seminar further develop their professional competency through the evaluation and dissemination of an original research project.

Supervised agency field practicum for integration of theory and practice and critical examination of oneself as a professional helping person. Concurrent field seminar on integration of knowledge with practice experiences.

Supervised agency field practicum for integration of theory and practice and critical examination of oneself as a professional helping person. Concurrent field seminar on integration of knowledge with practice experiences.

Social work field practicum for integration of theory and practice. Concurrent field seminar. Course is equivalent to SOWK 480N and/or SOWK 481N* and intended for students requiring alternate field practicum hours.

The second seminar in a sequence of three. The purpose of field seminar is to enhance the academic and supervisory support for social work practicum students.

The final seminar in a sequence of three. The purpose of field seminar is to enhance the academic and supervisory support for social work practicum students.

This course must be taken concurrently with SOWK 483N Block Field Practicum. The purpose of field seminar is to enhance the academic and supervisory support for social work practicum students.