Graduate Course Descriptions

The following directory lists the graduate courses which the University expects to offer, although the University in no way guarantees that all such courses will be offered in any given academic year, and reserves the right to alter the list if conditions warrant. Click on the links below for a list of courses in that subject area. You may then click “View Classes” to see scheduled classes for individual courses.

5300. Advanced Macro Practice

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: Corequisite: FED 5352 or Social Work Advanced Standing.

Grading Basis: Graded

Contemporary and historical overview of how the macro practice methods independently and collectively can be leveraged for social change. Provides a foundation for addressing ethical obligations and challenges in macro practice, with particular focus on historically oppressed populations. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the role of leadership and use of power in community organizations and policy and practice.

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5301. Essential Theory and Intervention Practice in Community Organization

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: CORG 5300, which may be taken concurrently.

Grading Basis: Graded

Builds on content covered in micro and macro foundations of social work practice and reviews in greater depth community organization history, values and assumptions, Rothman models of organizing, roles of the community social worker, and strategies used by community organizers to bring about change. Promotes in-depth understanding of the various types of communities and enhances skills for community analysis. Essential information for grassroots organizing and community and coalition building is covered. Incorporates content on providing community based services to oppressed population groups, including leadership development and advocacy. Highlights the importance of power theory and dynamics in selecting models and strategies for intervention. The importance of relationship building and attention to process tasks and goal achievement are covered. Required for students in the Community Organization concentration.

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5302. Theory and Practice of Social Movements For Community Organizers

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: CORG 5354 and FED 5311 must be taken concurrently; open to MSW students in the Community Organization concentration.

Grading Basis: Graded

Integrates Community Organization foundation and advanced method practice knowledge, values and skills. Students will be asked to select an agency-based Community Organization assignment that they have been working on during the academic year as the basis for a capstone assignment. Appropriate literature that will help students in conceptualizing and writing their capstone assignments will also be distributed and discussed. Concentration on addressing social movement theory and implications for social change and community social work. A minimum of two social movements will be analyzed and one or more social movement related projects will be selected as an in-class project(s). Required for students in the Community Organization concentration.

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5310. Program Planning, Development, and Evaluation

Also offered as: POPR 5310

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: Corequisite: FED 5310.

Grading Basis: Graded

Covers a broad range of knowledge and skills needed to develop sound program proposals and to plan, manage, and evaluate social programs. These include assessing social and community needs; setting goals within the context of strategic plans; writing measurable objectives; designing program implementation and evaluation strategies, developing a program budget, and identifying funding sources. Addresses value and ethical issues in program development, as well as constraints and opportunities that support or constrain program planning. Required course for students in the Community Organization, Administration and Policy Practice concentrations. The pre and co-requisites for this course differ for each of these concentrations. Refer to the Student Handbook for pre and co-requisite details.

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5312. Political Advocacy

Also offered as: POPR 5312

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: FED 5310. Corequisite: FED 5311.

Grading Basis: Graded

Builds on the concepts and interventions introduced in the Macro Foundation Practice course. Political decision-making groups, including executive, legislative, judicial and private agency decision-making. The ways macro practitioners use power and political analysis is discussed. Emphasis is on the design, implementation and evaluation of a political advocacy strategy to improve the life situations of populations at risk, such as lobbying, preparing and delivering testimony to a public policy making group and forming and maintaining coalitions. Ethical requirements and dilemmas in doing political advocacy are integrated throughout the course. Required course for students in both the Community Organization and the Policy Practice concentrations. The co-requisites for this course differ for each of these concentrations.

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5340. Advanced Macro Practice Skills Laboratory

1.00 credits

Prerequisites: Corequisite: BASC 5301.

Grading Basis: Graded

Focuses on gaining knowledge and skills in the elements of program planning and proposal writing, and includes application of these through development of a program proposal for funding. The skills laboratory will provide an additional opportunity for students to apply knowledge and skills through a proposal review and evaluation exercise. The exercise will be conducted on the last day of the course after the final projects have been submitted. The instructor will choose one final project for the purposes of the review exercise with the students name removed. Note: more than one proposal can be selected offering an opportunity for ranking them in the exercise.

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5353. Field Education in Community Organization III

4.00 credits

Prerequisites: Open to MSW students in the Community Organization concentration. Corequisite: CORG 5370, FED 5310, and POPR 5310.

Grading Basis: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Focuses primarily on the student's major method, emphasizing preparation for competent, advanced specialized practice. Required for students in the Community Organization concentration.

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5354. Field Education in Community Organization IV

4.00 credits

Prerequisites: Prerequisite: CORG 5353. Corequisite: FED 5311 and POPR 5312.

Grading Basis: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Focuses primarily on the student's major method, emphasizing preparation for competent, advanced specialized practice. Required for students in the Community Organization concentration.

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5355. Block Placement in Community Organization

8.00 credits

Prerequisites: FED 5302 and 5352; open only to MSW students in the Community Organization concentration. Corequisite: POPR 5310 and FED 5350.

Grading Basis: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Field Education in Community Organization for well-prepared students who have completed all course requirements except the second year of field education and the appropriate method course. Required for students in the M.S.W. program completing a Block Field Placement.

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5370. Grassroots Organizing

3.00 credits

Prerequisites: CORG 5300.

Grading Basis: Graded

An advanced methods class focused on building power and powerful organizations among marginalized individuals and oppressed communities. Students learn advanced skills in negotiation, confrontation, and broad-based campaigns to build community capacity which provide critical solutions to structural inequities. Elective course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Urban Issues in Social Work.

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