Monday 1:00 pm to 2:50 pm
Objectives of Field Seminar I and II:
1. Apply critical thinking skills to practice.
2. Adoption of values and ethics to practice.
3. Demonstrate the professional use of self.
4. Understand oppression and discrimination and apply skills which promote social and economic justice.
5. Understand the nature of the social work profession and its current structures and issues.
6. Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist social work practice to both micro and macro levels.
7. Apply bio-psycho-social knowledge within a theoretical framework to practice with systems of all sizes.
8. Evaluate research and apply findings to practice.
9. Commit to continued professional growth.
10. Function professionally within an organizational environment.
Outcomes:
Students will be able to:
1. Critically assess field experiences and give and receive both support and criticism.
2. To use the values and ethics of social work profession as a guide for practice.
3. To recognize personal values, characteristics, patterns of interaction, preferences and culturally influenced beliefs and to understand ways in which personal identity can be used to promote or hinder effective, ethical, social work practice.
4. To show commitment to social justice and non-discrimination in service deliver on behalf of oppressed groups including racial/ethic minorities, the aged, women, and others who are systematically disadvantaged.
5. To understand the institutional nature of social welfare in our society, the networks by which social services are delivered, and the processes by which social policy and programs are formulated; to access the need for, and to influence change in, this system to better meet the needs of clients.
6. To demonstrate basic knowledge, understanding, and skill in applying the methods of social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
7. To know and understand the commonalities in human development through the life cycle in addition to variations in development, behavior, and social interaction due to individual and cultural diversity in our pluralistic society.
8. To use the basic approaches and tools of systematic inquiry in a variety of practice settings.
9. To demonstrate continued professional growth through systematic self-evaluation, positive participation in the supervisory process, self-initiated efforts to keep abreast of the expanding social work knowledge base, and affiliation with professional colleagues.
10. To work within a structured delivery system in a manner that simultaneously meets the needs of clients and fulfills the functions of the service system, while holding oneself accountable to the values, standards, and ethics of the profession.
Learning Contract:
A learning contract which outlines your goals and objectives for your field placement is to be developed in consultation with your field instructor. If during the year, you feel you need to re-negotiate this contract, the field instructor should be involved. You will be graded on your progress toward meeting the objectives of your learning contract.
Field Evaluations:
a. Field Supervisor’s evaluation of your performance and professional growth.
b. Your evaluation of your placement supervisor and agency.
200-Hour Minimum:
Students must complete a minimum of 200 hours in the Practicum during the semester, and these hours must be verified by the Field Instructor. Completion of these 200 hours must occur no later than the end of week 14.
Logs:
Students are expected to keep a daily log of your observations during Field hours. These logs should include tasks and activities, types of clients seen, and your thoughts and feelings about your observations. Please do not include any information that would violate confidentiality of the client.
A point system will be used to determine the course grade, based on the following performance criteria:
Class Participation 100
Logs 100
Performance in agency setting 600 possible
Total Possible Points 800 points
800-720= A
719-639= B
638-558= C
Any score below 558 is considered failing.
This course is designed to integrate the generalist social work foundation knowledge and skills in actual social work settings. Cooperatively run by faculty and students, Field Seminar 4236 is not simply another lecture class. It provides an open forum for the exchange of ideas, feelings and experiences. It is a vehicle to examine issues and test out practice principles and values. It should also encourage the use of new understanding and the discussion of conflicting messages about theory vs. the “real world.” Students should be able to use the seminar to learn to critically assess their field experiences and to give and receive both support and criticism. Discussions in the seminar are confidential, unless ethical considerations dictate otherwise.
Any assignment not completed will result in the student being dropped one letter grade.
Attendance:
Each unexcused absence will result in subtraction of 50 points from the student’s accumulated total at the end of the course. An absence will be considered officially excused if the student:
a. Presents a written excuse from the Office of Student Affairs.
b. Presents a written excuse from a physician.
c. Presents written documentation of attending a mandatory function (e.g., basketball team, band, etc.)
d. Obtains permission from the instructor in advance of the absence.