SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENTS

All reading material will be available on Bb for students to access. 

This course offers a historical and contemporary examination of legislation and resulting programs, policies, and services in  the context of the social welfare system in the United States. Special attention is given to the political, economic, environmental, and social conditions that prompted the development of legislation to meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Societal responses to legislation are also considered. This course is primarily designed to challenge students to become better critical thinkers so that they can identify strengths and weaknesses in the current U.S. social welfare system. Hence, encouraging students to envision and work towards creating a more effective social welfare system in the U.S.A.

Skills: E Prerequisites: SOCW 2361 (Introduction to Social Work).

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Describe characteristics of legislation. 

2. Differentiate between legislation and policy. 

3. Explain how legislation influences service delivery and identify current proposed or recently passed state or federal legislation that will influence services. 

4. Trace the history of major pieces of social welfare legislation, including the political, economic, environmental, and social conditions affecting vulnerable populations that prompted the legislation’s development.  

5. Describe how political ideology and social constructions of vulnerable populations influences the development of social welfare legislation.

6. Describe how political ideology and social constructions of vulnerable populations influence societal responses. 

7. Compare and contrast the residual, versus institutional, view of social welfare. 

8. Articulate how social workers can actively and ethically engage in the political process to address social justice issues.