Faculty of Arts
Bachelor of Arts in Social Work

Course Description

SOWK 131  Introduction to Social Welfare and Social Work  (Cr.3)
This course introduces students to the history and nature of social welfare emphasizing social work as one of the major professions of this system. It overviews the nature and characteristics of social work, its functions and principles and some of basic concepts the social worker will be dealing with, as human needs, social problems, social services. These topics are discussed with special interest in their relationship to the Palestinian society.

SOWK 221  Fields of Social Work (Cr.3)
This course introduces students to different fields of social work practice.  It focuses on the following fields: family welfare, school social work; correctional social work; social work in health settings, psychiatric social work; social work with the elderly, and vocational social work. 
Prerequisite:  SOWK 131

SOWK 231  Human Behavior and Social Environment  (Cr.3)
This course is designed to elucidate the range of human needs and behavior as related to various conditions of rural and urban scenes in Palestine. It examines social, political, economic and cultural factors which influence individual, group and community social functioning in contemporary Palestine and the function and mission of welfare institutions.  
prerequisite:  SOWK 221

SOWK 235  Helping Skills in Social Work Practice (Cr.3)
This course is designed to provide students with basic skills in conducting an effective interview with a variety of clients. In addition, focus is on basic helping skills in social work practice, as verbal and nonverbal behaviors, different modes of continuing responses, leading responses, self-referent responses, identifying and understanding one’s own needs in helping relationships. The course is both didactic and experiential.
Prerequisite:  SOWK 131

SOWK 245  Statistics for the Social Sciences  (Cr.3)
The objective of this course is to familiarize students with the basic concepts of statistics used in social work research, including descriptive statistics and measures of central tendency, t-test, and chi-square.

SOWK 331  Group Work  (Cr.3)
The aim of this course is to develop both a theoretical base for the practice of group work and a broader understanding of its contemporary forms from various  theoretical perspectives. Issues of group composition including age, race and religion and "personality style" are examined. Group dynamics such as power and authority, group roles beginnings and endings, development phases and group sub-culture and cohesion are discussed.   
Prerequisite:  SOWK 131

SOWK 332  Methods of Social Research  (Cr.3)
This course acquaints students with the basics of research methods in social work.  Emphasis is placed on sampling and research design, data collection, coding, and data analysis.
Prerequisite:  SOWK 245

SOWK 333  Community Organization  (Cr. 3)
This course introduces students to the macro practice of community work with emphasis on the organizing and advocacy skills needed to implement organizational and community change.  Social work students learn how to identify these needs and mobilize agencies and communities to meet them. They learn how to advocate on behalf of clients and empower people at the grassroots level to participate in decisions that affect their lives.  The course is both didactic and experiential. 
Prerequisite:  SOWK 331

SOWK 334 Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families I  (Cr. 3) This is the first in a sequence of three courses.  It is designed to introduce the philosophy and principles of direct social practice and provide students with basic skills in developing and enhancing professional relationships.  The course also explains the methods of case study, needs and problems identification and diagnosis.  The course is both didactic and experiential.     
Prerequisite:  SOWK 221

SOWK 335  Organization Theory, Practice and Change  (Cr.3)
This is an introductory course in organization and administrative practice and theory. It covers classical theories of bureaucracy and scientific management, neoclassical human relations theories and their applications in organizations, contemporary concepts of contingency, open systems, organizational environments and interorganizational networks. Emphasis is given to the application of theories to human and social services in contemporary Palestinian society.  
Prerequisite:  SOWK 333

SOWK 336  Field Work Practicum I  (Cr. 3)
This course enables students to apply theoretical content learned in class to real problem-solving activities in community agencies. Students are placed in a community agency in the second semester of their junior year and are expected to practice in the agency for two and a half days per week. Students will receive intensive individual and group supervision.
Prerequisite:  SOWK 334

SOWK 337  Strategic Planning for Human Services  (Cr. 3)
This course focuses specifically and in depth on the early stages of the problem-solving process, namely exploration, assessment, goal formulation and planning. Under the general theme of "strategic planning," students examine key theoretical bases of social planning and the important issues, methodologies and technologies relating to both the strategic and technical aspects of planning, which are dealt with both as an early stage in the problem-solving process and as the setting for a field of practice.
Prerequisite:  SOWK 335

SOWK 338  Application of Research Methods (Cr.3)
This course  provides students with the opportunity to put into practice the research methods, techniques, and statistical analysis that have been studied in SOWK 332 and SOWK 245.  Emphasis is placed on the use of statistical packages such as SAS or SPSS in data analysis.
Prerequisite: SOWK 332, SOWK 245

SOWK 389 Senior Seminar in Social Work  (Cr.1)
This course is designed to provide seniors with an opportunity to review, organize and integrate material from previous major courses. Seminar participants conduct research and present a paper for open discussion and defense, with faculty members assisting as resource consultants. Seniors in Social Work are expected to make use of the basic skills they have acquired from the methodology and statistics courses. The seminar course is required for graduation.

SOWK 433  Brief Social Work Practice Modalities  (Cr.3)
This course examines the theory and application of brief practice modalities, as task-centered, crisis intervention, as they are used in a variety of settings. Strategies for contact, data collection, assessment, intervention, evaluation and termination are explored within the context of short-term models. Students are asked to apply theory to specific systems, drawing upon knowledge of appropriate techniques, socio-cultural factors and types of problems presented. The course is both didactic and experiential.
Prerequisite:  SOWK 436

SOWK 434  Social Work Practice with Individuals & Families II  (Cr. 3)
This is the second in a three-course sequence and it focuses on introducing students to diagnostic skills and on developing and building intervention strategies and plans.   Focus is on the application of the following models in direct social work practice: the psychosocial model, the cognitive model, the task-centered model, the problem-solving model, the functional model and the ecological model. The course is both didactic and experiential.
Prerequisite:  SOWK 334

SOWK 436 Social Work Practice with Individuals & Families III  (Cr. 3)
Course sequence and it examines theory and research as they apply to direct practice with the family system. Differential use of theory provides a framework for intervention strategies in troubled families. Patterns of family functioning are examined and implications for intervention are discussed. Content, process and goals of all phases of practice from contact through termination are examined. Implications of practice with caring family constellations are addressed. The course is both didactic and experiential. 
Prerequisite:  SOWK 434

SOWK 437  Field Work Practicum II  (Cr.3)
This course enables students to apply theoretical content learned in class to real problem-solving activities in community agencies. Students are placed in a community agency in the first semester of their senior year and are expected to practice in the agency three days per week. Students receive intensive individual and group supervision.
Prerequisite:  SOWK 336

SOWK 439  Field Work Practicum III  (Cr.3)
This course enables students to apply theoretical content learned in class to real problem-solving activities in community agencies. Students are placed in a community agency in the second semester of their senior year and are expected to practice in the agency three days per week. Students receive intensive individual and group supervision. 
Prerequisite:  SOWK 437

SOWK 440 Field Work Practicum IV  (Cr.3)

it in the community. Student receive intensive and continues reflectors by using different types of reflection strategies.This course enables students to apply theoretical content learned in class to real community needs. Student will learn the principles of critical thinking to theories they have been learned. Through this course students will learn about services learning methods and apply

 

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