2211 Riverside Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55454
612-330-1000


Social Work Dept. Contact Info

612-330-1189
Fax: 612-330-1493
cronk@augsburg.edu

Social Work Department - Course Descriptions

COURSES OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS

SWK 210  Environmental Justice and Social Change
This course examines the relationship between environmental justice issues and principles and methods of social change. It explores the relationship between environmental damage and damage to human populations, the differential effect of environmental damage on specific populations, and the ways social change agents can mobilize action to correct these injustices. (Elective credit)

SWK 230
  Global Peace and Social Development
This course offers a framework for understanding sustainable social and economic development and non-violent social change. Case studies present examples of how social work and human services function in a global context and are vital to fostering peace, human rights, and well-being. (Elective credit)

SWK 257  Exploring Human Services
In this service learning course, students explore human services and especially social work as a major and as a career. In addition to attending class, students work alongside helping professionals in the community. Students gain a foundational understanding of the intersections between basic human needs, allocation of resources, and political structures, and they examine how the allocation of resources affects diverse groups.

SWK 260  Humans Developing
This course helps students to examine critically factors influencing human growth and development within diverse and oppressed groups. Students come to understand human growth throughout life and the biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors that influence the development of individuals, groups, and families.

SWK 280  Diversity and Inequality in Professional Practice
This course explores diversity and social inequality as they relate to professional practice in social work and other helping professions. Building cultural competence in work with diverse populations, students learn through dialogue, reading, experiential exercises, and community observation. (Prereq. or concurrent registration: SOC 265 Race, Class and Gender)

SWK 301 
History and the Analysis of Social Policy
The history of social workers, social movements, and changing social norms in Europe, North America, and globally profoundly affects social welfare policy today and tomorrow. In this course, students learn how historical events, policies, and programs influenced today’s social responses to human needs. (Prereq.: junior standing or consent of instructor)

SWK 406  Social Work Practice 3: With Communities and Policies
Students learn how community organizations, human service agencies, and social policies emerge in Western society. Students study how to organize communities for empowerment, how to assist human service agencies to adapt, and how to influence local, regional, and national policies. (Prereq.: senior standing or consent of instructor)

COURSES RESERVED FOR SOCIAL WORK MAJORS ONLY

SWK 306  Social Work Practice 1: With Individuals
Students develop foundational social work practice knowledge, skills, and values while learning to interview, assess, set goals, and work with individual clients. Course readings, class participation, simulations, and role-plays provide learning opportunities for students to build skills necessary for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, and groups. Emphasis is on holistic practice applying the strength-based problem solving approach and working with diverse populations.

SWK 307 
Field Work 1: Integrative Seminar
Students begin applying practice knowledge and skills in their first social work practicum. Social work professionals in regional human service agencies supervise students in a full-year field placement. Students also synthesize their course-based learning with their supervised training through participation in weekly integrative seminars. Students complete a minimum of 120 hours of supervised practice in the fall term. (SWK 307 is concurrent with SWK 306 and is the first of two courses required in the junior year practicum, P/N grading only.)

SWK 316
  Social Work Practice 2: With Families and Groups
Students continue to develop generalist social work practice knowledge, skills, and values while learning to interview families and facilitate groups. Emphasis is on holistic practice applying the strength-based problem solving approach and working with diverse groups and families.

SWK 317  Field Work 2: Integrative Seminar
This course is a continuation of SWK 307. Students apply practice knowledge and skills in their first social work practicum. Students synthesize their course-based learning with their supervised training through participation in weekly integrative seminars. Students complete a minimum of 120 hours of supervised practice in the spring term. (SWK 317 is concurrent with SWK 316 and is the second of two courses required in the junior year practicum, P/N grading only.)

SWK 402 
Research 1: Fundamentals of Social Work Research and Evaluation (0.5 course)
Students are introduced to basic social research methods commonly used in social work research. Students learn how to access and understand current knowledge and evidence for effectiveness in social work practice and programs. Students also learn the foundational skills in planning and proposing research strategies as applied to practice evaluation. (This half course is in sequence with SWK 403 and is concurrent with SWK 406 and SWK 407.)

SWK 403  Research 2: Evaluation of Social Work Practice and Programs (0.5 course)
Building on the work in SWK 402, students plan and complete an evaluation of agency-based social work interventions. Students learn to gather and interpret evidence for change using data analysis strategies for both quantitative and qualitative information. (Prereq.: SWK 402 and MPG 3. This course is concurrent with SWK 417 and SWK 490.)

SWK 407 
Field Work 3: Integrative Seminar
Social work professionals in regional human service agencies supervise students in a senior year field placement. Students synthesize their advanced course learning with their supervised training through participation in weekly integrative seminars. Students complete a minimum of 120 hours of supervised practice in the fall term. (SWK 407 is concurrent with SWK 402 and SWK 406, and is the first of two courses required in the senior year practicum, P/N grading only.)

SWK 417
  Field Work 4: Integrative Seminar
This course is a continuation of SWK 407. Social work students synthesize their advanced course learning with their supervised training through participation in weekly integrative seminars. Students complete a minimum of 120 hours of supervised practice in the spring term. (SWK 417 is concurrent with SWK 403 and SWK 490, and is the second of two courses required in the senior year practicum, P/N grading only.)

SWK 490  The Social Worker as Professional
This course, which meets the senior keystone course requirement in the Augsburg Core Curriculum, is the summative seminar in the social work major. Students learn organizational analysis and methods for agency change as well as reflect on vocation in social welfare, engage in career planning, study ethical practice principles, and prepare to engage in professional social work practice. (Prereq.: senior social work status required. This course is concurrent with SWK 403 and SWK 417.)

Internships and Independent Study Courses:


SWK 199
Internship

SWK 295
  Topics:
Special themes in social work specified in subtitle.

SWK 299  Directed Study

SWK 399
  Internship

SWK 499 
Independent Study/Research

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