University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
School of Social Work
Foundations of Social Welfare & Social Work – SOWO 530, Section 003
Fall 2008
Instructor
Susan Parish, PhD, MSW, parish@unc.edu
Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, Suite 563
Office Hours
Fridays, 8-9am & by appointment
Course Meetings
Fridays, 9-11:50, Tate-Turner-Kuralt, Room 101
Accessibility
To obtain disability-related academic accommodations, students
with disabilities must contact me and the Department of Disability
Services as soon as possible. You may reach the Department of
Disability Services at 919-962-8300 (Voice/TDD) or
http://disabilityservices.unc.edu
Course Description
Introduces public welfare policy through lecture and discussion of
the purposes public welfare serves and describes the most
important programs created by those policies.
Objectives
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Skills Base
Demonstrate familiarity with existing public welfare structures in the U.S. and
the ideals which shaped existing public welfare structures;
Identify and describe the social concerns which those structures have or
have not been able to address successfully. Special attention will be given to
their impact on various family types.
Demonstrate an understanding of the role of social work and effects of social
policy on historic and contemporary patterns of social welfare service
provision;
Identify and describe the analytic issues involved in the development of
contemporary social welfare policy;
Demonstrate an understanding of the values and ethics of social work that
guide professional behavior in the conduct of public policy activities;
Demonstrate a working knowledge of social policies that address
contemporary public welfare issues and the way these policies impact
families’ health and well-being;
Identify conditions that promote or deter equal access to resources for
minorities and women and be able to discuss concerns related to race,
disability, gender and sexual orientation.
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Assess clients for eligibility for major publicly funded programs and/or benefits.
2. Analyze the effects of social welfare policies on the well-being of and opportunities for
lower-income individuals and families and other vulnerable populations.
3. Articulate the underlying values and principles of major public welfare policies.
4. Describe how legislative and administrative policy is made and how to influence policy
development.
Required Texts
There are two texts and a number of articles & book chapters required for this class. The texts
are available for purchase at the Health Affairs Bookstore. You may also obtain them at
competitive prices from internet bookstores, such as www.amazon.com or
www.bestbookbuys.com. Other readings are available online, or they can be accessed
through my website. Additional readings will be distributed in class.
Carlton-LaNey, I. (2001). African American leadership: An empowerment tradition in social
welfare history. Washington, DC: NASW Press. {referred to as CL in syllabus}
Davis, K. E. & Bent-Goodley, T. B. (Eds). (2004). The color of social policy. Alexandria, VA:
Council on Social Work Education. {referred to as DBG in syllabus}
Readings and Course Material
Many readings, copies of the powerpoints, and other related material can be found on my
website:
http://bhrp.sowo.unc.edu/susanparish/
The class site is password protected. To access it, enter the username SOWO530 and enter the
password: password
Grading
Budget Exercise
Exam #1
Testimony Assignment (written)
Testimony Assignment (presentation)
Testimony Assignment (Senator role)
Final Exam
20 points
15 points
25 points
3 points
2 points
35 points
Grade Scale
The grade scale that is used for this course and the entire School of Social Work is as follows:
H
P
L
F
Clear Excellence
Entirely Satisfactory
Low Passing
Failed
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
94-100 points
80-93 points
70-79 points
<70 points
page 2
Honor Code
You are expected to complete assigned and independent readings, contribute to the
development of a positive learning environment, and demonstrate your learning through
written assignments and class participation. Original written work is expected and required.
The University of North Carolina has a rich and longstanding tradition of honor. If you have not
yet done so, carefully read the Student Code of Honor. All submitted work must conform to
the Honor Code of the University of North Carolina. For information on the Honor Code,
including guidance on representing the words, thoughts, and ideas of others, please see:
http://instrument.unc.edu
Please note that plagiarism is defined in the Code as “the intentional representation of
another person’s words, thoughts, or ideas as one’s own.” Violation of the Honor Code will
result in a grade of 0 points for the assignment, referral to the Honor Court.
From the Code: “It is the responsibility of every student to obey and support the enforcement
of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve
academic processes or University, student or academic personnel acting in an official
capacity. Students will conduct all academic work within the letter and spirit of the Honor
Code, which prohibits the giving or receiving of unauthorized aid in all academic processes.”
You must submit your assignments electronically with only your PID number (not your name) on
them. However, I will provide an Honor Code statement for you to sign in class. Work will not
be graded for which this affirmation is not submitted. The statement reads as follows:
I have neither given nor received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment.
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
page 3
Class Schedule & Readings
Class
Date
Topic
Required Readings
Introduction, Concepts of
Social Welfare, Framework
1
8/22
None
for examining social welfare
programs
Early Responses to Need &
DBG chapters 1-2; Stewart et al, chapters
2
8/29
Historical Antecedents
1-2; Braddock & Parish; Blau
DUE: COPY OF BILL FOR YOUR TESTIMONY ASSIGNMENT – bring to class 9/5
3
9/5
Progressive Era
ICL chapters 3-8,10,14
Gordon; Social Security Administration
New Deal & Social Security
4
9/12
(2007d)
Act
Future of Children(to be covered on
Exam #2 NOT Exam #1)
Abramovitz; Beverly; NC Policy Watch
6
9/26
(human needs); US Department of
Agriculture; US Department of Housing &
Urban Development; Johnson & Rector;
Economic Opportunity
7
10/3
Stewart et al, chapter 11; DBG chapter
Policies
11; Besharov
HOMEWORK: Carefully review the health care plans of Senators McCain & Obama at their
respective websites – be prepared to thoughtfully and comprehensively discuss for 10/10 class
DUE: BUDGET EXERCISE – BEFORE 9AM ON FRIDAY OCTOBER 17 – BY EMAIL
8
10/10 Health Care Policy
NC Policy Watch (Medicaid);
10/17 NO CLASS – FALL RECESS
Oberlander; Searing; Hacker; Haislmaier;
Health Care Policy – MEET IN
Zamora & Moffit; DBG chapters 8 & 9
10
10/24
ROOM 227 (COMPUTER LAB)
DBG chapter 5; Hartmann & Lee; Social
11
10/31 Social Security
Security Administration (2007a)
Social Security Administration (2007b &
12
11/7
Disability policy
2007c); Parish et al
DUE: TESTIMONY PAPER – BEFORE 9AM ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14 – BY EMAIL
13
11/14 Testimony Presentations
Action for Children North Carolina;
Testimony Presentations &
Boushey & Weller
14
11/21
review for Exam #2
12/1
OPTIONAL: Extra Review Session for Exam #2 from 12-2PM in Room 101
12/2
5
9/19
12/5
Exam #1 in the TTK
Auditorium
Current US social welfare
systems
Exam #2 in TTK Auditorium, 9am - noon
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
page 4
Class participation: In order to maximize everyone’s learning, we will rely on the contributions
and insights of all students when issues are discussed. The participation of each student is
essential, and responsibility for class discussion is shared. Class participation includes
attendance, being prepared to discuss readings and assignments, sharing your opinions on
the topic at hand, facilitating the participation of other students, and engaging with guest
speakers.
Attendance: Attendance is crucial to both your learning experience and the learning of your
peers. Students with more than one absence will not earn an H. Students with more than two
absences will not earn a P.
Reading assignments: You are responsible for reading all assigned material before the class
date for which the readings are assigned.
Written assignments: You are to submit written assignments by email to me before the 9am
deadline (parish@unc.edu). You also must upload your papers electronically to the Turnitin
website, which is a program designed to detect plagiarism. The Turnitin website can be
accessed at the following URL: http://www.turnitin.com/static/index.html. To upload a paper,
you first need to enroll, which is done by entering the class name: SOWO 530 Fall 2008 and the
password: password. You will then be permitted to upload your paper to the site. Papers that
have not been uploaded to Turnitin will not be graded.
All written assignments must follow APA* guidelines regarding formatting of the paper, proper
citations, and so forth. Papers that do not follow APA guidelines will be returned to the student
for revision. Papers are to be submitted electronically via email BEFORE 9am on the day they
are due, without exception. Late papers, including those needing revisions to conform to APA
style, will be reduced by 20% for each 24-hour period for which they are late, without
exception. Paper copies of assignments will not be accepted.
All assignments are graded anonymously, so you must not put your name or any other
identifying information on your paper. Instead, use your PID number as a running head.
Students are expected to use good academic English; grades will be lowered for poor
grammar, syntax, or spelling. Anyone interested in improving his or her writing is STRONGLY
encouraged to contact the Writing Center at 962-7710 or
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/.
*American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, 5th ed. Washington, DC. Available from university libraries or
bookstores.
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
page 5
ASSIGNMENT: Budget Exercise – 20 points
DUE: October 17 BEFORE 9am
General scope of the assignment:
As social workers you will often work with individuals who are attempting to survive on very little
money. They face difficult choices about how to spend their limited dollars. This exercise
provides you with the opportunity to learn more about the dilemmas that families face and
the decisions they make to survive.
You will be provided with a description of a family and their income. Given the family’s
circumstances, you will develop a budget allocating their income to cover their expenses. This
will require you to research the cost of living – such as housing, medications, and child care, as
well as to explore resources available in your community for low income families. Depending
on the family’s needs, you will need to find specific local resources to assist them. In addition
to the table with the budget, you will need to discuss the rationale for your decisions. Your
response should be approximately 4-5 five pages, excluding tables and references. Papers
longer than 5 pages of text will NOT be accepted.
ASSIGNMENT: Testimony – 30 points
Written paper DUE November 14 BEFORE 9am
Oral presentations, class sessions 13 & 14, exact date to be assigned
The North Carolina legislature has invited you to testify before it regarding legislation it is
considering. For the proposed legislation, your educational training, professional experience,
and reputation qualifies you as an expert.
General scope of the assignment:
This is a multi-part assignment in which you will play two roles: that of expert, testifying on a
social welfare issue before the North Carolina legislature, and that of legislator, questioning the
experts. For the first part of the assignment, you will need to carefully craft your testimony
before the North Carolina legislature. You will need to make the logical, financial, and
emotional case for your perspective on the proposed legislation. You have the difficult task of
persuading a body of individuals who generally will lack knowledge and experience in your
subject area. As such, you must try to avoid jargon, be clear and concise, persuasive and
authoritative. Your goal is to obtain or block passage of legislation which will affect the lives of
your clients.
For the second part of the assignment, you will serve as a state senator on the legislative panel
that is hearing testimony. Your job will be to question the experts about their testimony, trying
to learn as much as you can to determine how you will vote on the issue. Your questions are
expected to be thoughtful and probing. You strongly oppose the position supported by the
person testifying before you.
The written assignment requires you to submit your completed testimony to me. You also must
give your panel of Senators a copy of the bill you are addressing, and a statement of whether
you will oppose the bill.
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
page 6
A copy of the bill itself is due to me in class per the schedule on page 4 of this syllabus. On the
bill, write your name and whether you intend to oppose or support the bill (no cover sheet,
please). You decide the aspect of the bill about which you direct your testimony.
You must choose a bill that is either currently before the North Carolina legislature, or another
state legislature, or that has been considered within the last 2 years.
Any bill you choose must address a substantive issue related to social welfare – technical,
regulatory or language changes will not be accepted. Federal bills are NOT acceptable. If
you wish to use a bill under consideration by another state, that is fine. However, I must receive
a full text copy of the bill and I MUST approve all bills in advance. Changes after this approval
will not be accepted except under extraordinary circumstances
Oral presentation of testimony:
You will orally present your final testimony in class during the 13th and14th class sessions, with
actual dates assigned in class. Your testimony will be limited to 5 minutes, and consistent with
real-life legislative testimony, this time constraint will be enforced. You MUST practice your
testimony in advance to ensure that you will not exceed the time limit, or fail to adequately
use the opportunity to address the legislators.
You will present your testimony to a panel comprised of several peers. This panel will serve as
your legislative committee, and each will have two minutes to question you about your
testimony. To prepare for their two minutes of questioning, I will give each (student) legislator a
copy of the bill prior to the oral presentations. Like real testimony situations, your legislative
panel may or may not have substantive knowledge of the bill topic. Your job is to present your
testimony in a compelling way.
Written assignment:
The final written testimony will be 5-7 pages in length, excluding citations. Papers longer than 7
pages will NOT be accepted. Papers shorter than 5 pages are unlikely to meet the
requirements of the assignment.
Legislative panel assignment:
You will serve as a Senator who is hearing expert testimony. You will receive a copy of the bill,
and the presenter’s position on the bill. Regardless of your personal feelings, for this exercise
you will STRONGLY OPPOSE the position taken by the person giving testimony. You will prepare
two thoughtful, well-considered questions for each expert who testifies before you. You may
raise any concerns or questions related to the expert’s testimony, or draw on your own
knowledge of the subject.
Sources of background information and supporting data:
Like any expert giving legislative testimony, you will rely primarily on the evidence generated
by sound research on your topic. In constructing your testimony, you must rely on scholarly
sources, and you must use NO FEWER than:
•
4 articles published in at least three different peer-reviewed research journals (e.g.,
Social Work, Research on Social Work Practice, Social Services Review, Health and
Social Work, Child Development, American Journal of Public Health, Mental
Retardation, Social Work Research, Annals of the American Academy of Political and
Social Science). At least one of these four articles must be drawn from a peer-reviewed
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
page 7
social work journal. The other two may be drawn from any peer-reviewed journals,
including social work journals.
•
3 reports published by (two separate) think tanks or philanthropic and/or research
organizations (e.g., Kaiser Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Children’s
Defense Fund, Institute for Women's Policy Research, Commonwealth Fund, Brookings
Institute, Urban Institution, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Families USA).
•
2 substantive reports from two different governmental agencies. These may be
generated by federal or state sources. Good federal sources for social welfare data
include: US Census Bureau, the General Accounting Office, the Congressional Budget
Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, and its constituent agencies.
You are welcome to use more references than these minimum requirements, but all cited
material must be drawn from similar scholarly sources. “Popular culture” sources (newspapers,
websites, magazines) are not acceptable in research papers such as this testimony. The only
acceptable use of such sources is to provide personal emotional examples that illustrate why
your position is important.
The late Paula Hinton, a fabulous reference librarian at the Davis Library, created a website of
sources useful for securing social welfare policy materials. You may access this website at:
http://www.unc.edu/~pphinton/swpolicy.html
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
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Required Readings
Abramovitz, M. (2001). Everyone is still on welfare: The role of redistribution in social policy.
Social Work, 46, 297-308.
Action for Children North Carolina (2008). Child poverty in North Carolina: A preventable
epidemic. (Economic Security Issue Brief).
Besharov, D. (2006). Two cheers for welfare reform. University of Maryland, School of Public
Policy, Welfare Reform Academy. Retrieved August 10, 2007, from:
http://www.welfareacademy.org/pubs/welfare/twocheersforwelfarereform.pdf
Beverly, S.G. (2002). What social workers need to know about the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Social Work, 47, 259-266.
Blau, J. (2007). Social welfare history in the United States. In J. Blau, The dynamics of social
welfare policy (pp. 232-288). New York: Oxford University Press.
Boushey, H. & Weller, C.E. (2005). What the numbers tell us. In J. Lardner & D.A. Smith (Eds.),
Inequality matters, (pp. 27-40). New York: The New Press.
Braddock, D. & Parish, S. L. (2001). An institutional history of disability. In G.L. Albrecht, K. D.
Seelman, & M. Bury (Eds.), Handbook of disability studies, (pp. 11-68). Thousand Oaks,
CA: Sage.
Carlton-LaNey, I. (2001). African American leadership: An empowerment tradition in social
welfare history. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Davis, K. E. & Bent-Goodley, T. B. (Eds). (2004). The color of social policy. Alexandria, VA:
Council on Social Work Education.
Future of Children. (Fall 2007). R. Haskins & I. Sawhill (Eds.). 17 (2).
Gordon, L. (2001). Who deserves help? Who must provide? Annals of the American Academy
of Political and Social Sciences, 577: 12-25.
Hacker, J. (2007). Health care for America: A proposal for guaranteed, affordable health care
for all Americans building on Medicare and employment-based insurance. EPI Briefing
Paper #180. Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved August 10, 2007 from:
http://www.sharedprosperity.org/bp180/bp180.pdf
Haislmaier, E..F. (2008). Health care reform: Design principles for a patient-centered, consumerbased market (Backgrounder #2128). Washington, DC: Heritage Foundation. Retrieved
May 28, 2008 from http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/bg2128.cfm
Hartmann, H., & Lee, S. (2003). Social Security: The largest source of income in retirement for
women and men. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Available
from: http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/D455.pdf
NC Policy Watch. (2006). Medicaid fact sheet. Available at:
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
page 9
http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/docs/pdfs/medicaid_factsheet.pdf
NC Policy Watch. (2006). Fast facts about human needs and inequality in North Carolina .
Available at: http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/docs/pdfs/ncfacts.pdf
Oberlander, J. (2002). The US health care system: On a road to nowhere? Canadian Medical
Association Journal, 167, 163-168.
Parish, S. L., Rose, R.A., Andrews, M.E., Grinstein-Weiss, M., & Richman, E.L. (2008). Material
hardship among U.S. families raising children with disabilities. Exceptional Children, 75,
71-92.
Johnson, K.A., & Rector, R.E. (2007). Debate 14: Has welfare reform worked? In H.J. Karger, J.
Midgley, P.A. Kindle & C. Brene Brown (Eds.) Controversial issues in social policy, 3rd ed
(pp. 200-216). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Searing, A. (2006). It’s not the uninsured stupid: Two hurdles on the track to affordable
healthcare coverage for all in North Carolina. North Carolina Journal of Medicine 67(3):
230-233.
Sherraden, M. (2000). From research to policy: Lessons from Individual Development
Accounts. The Journal of Consumer Affairs, 34(2): 159-181.
Social Security Administration. (2007a). Qualify and apply (Social Security retirement).
Retrieved August 10, 2007, from: http://www.ssa.gov/r&m2.htm
(read all eligibility and benefits information and sub-links)
Social Security Administration. (2007b). Supplemental security income home page. Retrieved
August 10, 2007, from: http://www.ssa.gov/ssi/
(read all eligibility and benefits information and sub-links)
Social Security Administration. (2007c). Disability benefits. Retrieved August 10, 2007, from:
http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10029.html
(read all eligibility and benefits information and sub-links)
Social Security Administration. (2007d). Social Security: A brief history (read pp. 1-19) (SSA
Publication No. 21-059). Retrieved May 21, 2008 from
http://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/2007historybooklet.pdf
Stewart, J., Hedge, D.M. & Lester, J.P. (2008). Public policy: An evolutionary approach. Boston:
Thomson Wadsworth.
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2007). Nutrition Assistance Programs. Retrieved August 10,
2007 from: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/default.htm
(please read background information on Food Stamps, Women, Infants and Children,
and School Meals programs)
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (n.d.). Housing choice vouchers fact
sheet. Retrieved August 10, 2007 from:
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/hcv/about/fact_sheet.cfm
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
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Zamora, M.F., & Moffit, R.E. (2007). Debate 4: Does the United States need national health
insurance? In H.J. Karger, J. Midgley, P.A. Kindle & C. Brene Brown (Eds.) Controversial
issues in social policy, 3rd ed (pp. 45-61). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Parish – SOWO 530 – Fall 2008
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