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San José State University
School of Social Work
SCWK 140: Introduction to Community Service
(Course Code: 46872; Section 2)
Fall 2013
Sang E. Lee, PhD, MSW
WSQ 215I
(408) 924-5815 sang.lee@sjsu.edu
Tuesday 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm or by appointment
Friday 12:00 pm – 2:45 pm
MH 222
ScWk 110 is a prerequisite or co-requisite for ScWk 140 or consent of advisor
Canvas and MYSJSU Messaging
Our course, ScWk 140, will be using San Jose State’s online learning management system Canvas for the upcoming semester.
Login URL: https://sjsu.instructure.com
Please note that it should NOT have the “www” at the start of the URL like many other websites.
Username : SJSU 9-digit ID number.
Password: Self-generated password for your SJSUOne account.
Courses:
Once logged into Canvas, you will see your course or courses listed in the Courses
Heading on the top of the page. From the dropdown menu, click on the course name, and you will be entered into the course. Note: That link will not be active until the start date of the course.
It is recommended that you visit the eCampus Canvas website at http://www.sjsu.edu/at/ec/canvas/ . This website offers a number of Quick Start Learning
Guides to help you navigate Canvas tools. Also, detailed guides can be found at http://guides.instructure.com/ .
For questions regarding the course or course materials, please contact me, the instructor.
For issues related to Canvas, please contact the eCampus Help Desk.
The Help Desk can give technical support for issues encountered in Canvas Courses.
 Phone: (408) 924-2337
 Submit a help ticket using the following

URL: https://isupport.sjsu.edu/ecampus/ContentPages/Incident.aspx
.
While logged into Canvas, click on the word Help on the upper right corner of the screen .

You are responsible for regularly checking with the messaging system through MySJSU (or other communication system as indicated by the instructor).
Catalog Description
Volunteer experience with a community service organization that will provide the student with exposure to clients/client systems prior to Field Practicum I. Six to eight hours weekly in community based agencies and on-campus seminars. (3 Units)
Course Description
This pre-professional preparation course combines classroom and field learning by placing students in community service agencies as an introduction to the field practicum. Students are acquainted with at risk populations served by community agencies as well as the agency's service delivery system by completing six hours a week of direct service. The volunteer experience is augmented by a bi-monthly mandatory seminar on campus which focuses on issues of diversity, values and ethics, social and economic justice and populations at risk. Students will have an opportunity to explore their areas of interest and new areas of practice in the field of Social
Work. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the organizational structure, function, and financing of social service agencies. The course is particularly important for those students who have limited social work experience and/or may be seeking an opportunity to develop themselves professionally.
Course Competencies & Practice Behaviors (Student Learning Objectives)
Core Competencies
The following Competencies are realized through this course:
1. Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly
2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice
3. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments
4. Engage diversity and difference in practice
5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice
9. Respond to contexts that shape practice
10. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations and
communities
Students Learning Objectives (SLOs) and Practice Behaviors for Competencies
Upon completion of ScWk 140 students will be able to:
1.
Understand the importance of self-awareness regarding personal knowledge limitations and biases and practice self- reflection in action while pursuing professional development.
Program Objectives: 1(b, c) (Professional identity)
2.
Demonstrate knowledge of oppressed, underserved, and underprivileged populations and of community resources for meeting the needs of clients.

Program Objectives: 5(b, c) (Justice)
3.
Present self in a manner consistent with respectful professional conduct and use supervision and consultation effectively.
Program Objectives: 1(f) (Professional identity), 2(a) (Ethical Principles)
4.
Demonstrate beginning competence in serving clients from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and adapt methods of communication to consumer, colleague, and community language and cultural needs.
Program Objectives: 4(c, d) (Diversity)
5.
Demonstrate beginning capacity to comprehend changing local and social contexts with an emerging ability to identify and provide relevant resources that will make services more effective and efficient.
Program Objectives: 9(a) (Respond to contexts that shape practice)
6.
Demonstrate the knowledge base and readiness to assess and intervene constructively with various clientele populations, demonstrate the capacity to exercise empathy, and use of self in engagement and service delivery.
Program Objectives: 10 (a-a, b) ((Engagement), 10(b-a, b) (Assessment)
7.
Demonstrate beginning capacity to have effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities & colleagues.
Program Objectives: 3(c) (Critical thinking)
Required Texts/Readings
Textbook
The textbook used for ScWk 110 is the required text for this course:
DuBois, B. & Miley, K. K. (2013). Social Work: An Empowering Profession , (8 th
ed.).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon. ISBN-13: 978-0-205-84894-2
* The textbook is available at SJSU Spartan Bookstore ( www.spartanbookstore.com
)
Required readings
Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 from Samantrai, S. (1996). Interviewing in Health and Human
Services, Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall. An electronic copy will be provided.
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics of the National
Association of Social Workers.
Washington, D.C.: NASW Press. Available at: http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
Supplemental Reading
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association (6 th
ed.). Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
ISBN-13:978-1433805615

Library Liaison
For assistance in the library go to the King Library Reference Desk (2 nd
floor; 808-2100) and/or utilize the Social Work Research Guide available at http://libguides.sjsu.edu/scwk. The Social
Work Library Liaison is: Teresa Slobuski, who may be reached by phone (408.808.2015) or email (Teresa.Slobuski@sjsu.edu).
Classroom Protocol
Students are expected to arrive on time, participate in class discussions and exercises, and to be attentive to lectures and discussions. Students are expected to share ideas, listen to the ideas of others and participate in class discussions. It is important to be courteous and respectful to ones’ peers as well as to the instructors. There will be periodic in-class assignments of written review/summary of presentations, discussions, and/or exercises.
Note: If you are not attending class, you are not participating . According to University policy
F69-24, “Students should attend all meetings of their class, not only because they are responsible for material discussed therein, but because active participation is frequent essential to insure maximum benefit for all members of the class. Attendance per se shall not be used as a criterion for grading.”
During the class session, personal business is the secondary priority. This includes cell phone conversation, text messaging, emailing, web surfing, making social plans, or reading/studying for other classes. Laptops are allowed for note-taking only.
For expectation about classroom behavior, see Academic Senate Policy S90-5 on Student Rights and Responsibilities found at: http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/s90-5.htm
BASW is a professional degree and appropriate professional behavior expected. Chronic tardiness, more than one unexcused absence, and/or disruptive behavior (including the use of laptops for other than class-related activities, texting during the class) will be reflected in the participation grade. Class attendance will be usually taken and recorded during the first part of class sessions. Timely communication with the instructor is expected. All class time is valuable, and if a student needs to leave due to illness or emergency, I expect to be informed.
Dropping and Adding
Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drops, academic renewal, etc. Refer to the current semester’s Catalog Policies section at http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the current academic calendar web page located at http://www.sjsu.edu/academic_programs/calendars/academic_calendar/. The Late Drop Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/ . Students should be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes. Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/ .

Assignments and Grading Policy: CR/NC Grading
The course grade of Credit/No Credit will be based on the following:
Assignment Points
10
Course Student Learning
Objective/Competency (SLO)
SLO: 3, 7 1. Completion of volunteer packet (contract, timesheet & evaluations)
2. A weekly journal of volunteer service - twice
3. Reflection paper
4. Student Presentation (about reflection paper)
Class Participation
40 (20 each)
20
15
15
SLO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
SLO: 1, 5, 6, 7
SLO: 1, 5, 6, 7
SLO: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Completion of this course with a grade of CR will be an indication of readiness for field placement. A grade of NC may prevent the student from moving forward to field placement.
Students must satisfactorily complete all of the following in order to receive a grade of Credit for the course.
Penalty for Late Work
Late submission will result in deduction in points and delayed review. If you submit an assignment after the due date and time without discussing with me, 10% of the total assignment point value will be deducted automatically. For example, if an assignment is worth 20 points,
2.0 points will be deducted prior to grading. Another 10% of the total grade will be deducted for each additional week, or fraction thereof, that the assignment is late. You can avoid the late deduction(s) by planning ahead and contacting me to make alternative arrangements. If you are unable to submit an assignment by the date and time indicated on this syllabus (or announced in class), you must discuss your situation with me at least 48 hours prior to the time the assignment is due.
Written Assignment Submission and Due Dates
As noted earlier, your assignments should be submitted through CANVAS by 6pm on the due date. Due date of each assignment is indicated in the weekly course schedule.
1.
Completion and timely submission of all volunteer packet papers :
1-1) Agency-Student Contract (4 points)
1-2) Mid Semester Student Evaluation and the time-sheet signed by supervisors (3 points)
1-3) Final Student Evaluation and the time-sheet signed by supervisors (3 points)
Note: forms for this assignment are available on Canvas course page

The course requires six hours per week for 12 weeks of volunteer service in an agency setting serving at risk populations and weekly supervision at the agency. Weekly supervision includes weekly contact with supervisor and/or agency staff regarding issues related to clients, agency policies, practices and services.
2.
A weekly journal of volunteer service will be turned into the class instructor twice during the semester: 2-1) Mid-semester submission and 2-2) Final semester submission (due dates indicated in the weekly course schedule).
1) Weekly journal entries shall record the responses to, and reflections on, the student's experiences at the field site.
2) The journal is designed to offer you an opportunity to reflect on your experiences at your volunteer placement. All journal material will be held confidential.
3) Each entry should be typed and 1-2 pages long.
4) In each journal entry, you should write about thoughts and feelings related to the following areas: a) Understanding yourself and your clients – value and cultural difference b) Ethical dilemma(s) and decision making steps you took c) Addressing self-disclosure and other boundary issues d) Working in and with teams – working under supervisor e) Other professional issues (e.g., self-care)
In all areas, you need to provide a brief description about the situation.
Besides the above listed topics, the journal entry also may include reflection on meaningful experiences and how these experiences have affected attitudes about at risk populations, and/or knowledge of the agency (function, mission, and delivery system).
You can also use social work principles, concepts and theories you learned in ScWk
110, 130 and/or 130.
3.
Reflection Paper is a vehicle to assist you through the process of closure - the end of the academic semester and the service learning practicum at your respective agencies. Several questions are posed for you to consider concerning your professional growth and development working directly with clients and within the agency system.
1) Briefly describe your agency; mission and goals, structure/organization, programs and staffing, service delivery, and funding sources. (No more than one page)
2) Discuss your observations and impressions about how systems (individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities) impact on your ability to help your clients.
Provide examples from your experiences this semester to illustrate. Also, discuss any changes you would make in order to improve service delivery to better meet the needs of clients. (No more than two pages)
3) Discuss the overall impact your volunteer experience with vulnerable populations, how you exercised empathy and use of self, and how that impact your professional

development. Special focus should be on attitudinal changes you might have experienced. (No more than two pages)
4) The paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, no less than 5 pages in length. The due date is the last seminar class.
4.
Oral presentation of your reflection paper: This is an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to communicate verbally by presenting the overall volunteer experience in classroom. The content of the presentation will be based on your “Reflection paper” about various topics such as adhering to the NASW Code of Ethics, dealing effectively with change and/or challenging situations, and taking an active role in one's professional development.
Your presentation will be during one of the last three class meetings. A total of 10 minutes will be allotted. Prepare any visual aids for your presentation (PowerPoint presentation is preferred).
In order to receive “Credit” for this course, all assignments must be completed and your total class score must be 83.0% or higher. In addition, one or more of the following reasons will result in a grade of No Credit:

Inadequate understanding or adherence to the NASW code of ethics

Missing three or more seminars

Incomplete hours for volunteer service

Minimal class participation in seminar

Incomplete or inadequate performance on assignments

Consistent delays in submission of assignments

Poor performance appraisal of student by agency supervisor
Request a Waiver Policy
Students currently employed in a social services agency may request a waiver for the volunteer hours required for this course. Previous experience is not acceptable since you must be currently working with clients in some capacity to complete the assignments for this course. The purpose of this policy described below is to set forth the circumstances and procedures for requesting a waiver of volunteer hours.
Students should contact the instructor to request a waiver of volunteer hours. A waiver review will be initiated upon receiving a written request by the instructor. The written request must include the following:
1) Your information - name, contact information, and student identification number.
2) The justification for your request, including your social work experience, detailed description of your agency, your work responsibilities, and types of clients served.
3) Plan for how to fulfill the assignments for this class – Your supervisor or agency should submit a written document to show that your plan is approved.

4) Name and contact information of your supervisor.
After receiving written request, the instructor will contact the party or parties identified in the request and any other person(s) with knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the request.
Once the instructor approves the waiver of volunteer hours, the instructor will sign at the end of the request and turn it into the School of Social Work office for the student record.
Class Participation
Students will be assessed on the frequency, punctuality, quality, and depth of their in-class participation in class discussions. As part of class participation, students are expected to critically analyze information that is presented/discussed, bring examples and applications of the concepts being covered, be prepared to discuss readings, and provide additional insights on issues from their own special knowledge and expertise.
Students should notify the instructor in advance if they are not able to attend class or if they need to leave class early. Social work is a verbal profession, thus being verbally involved in class discussions, activities, and your ability to share how your personal learning experience is evolving is crucial. Please respect the instructor and your colleagues. Texting, IMing, and being on Facebook or other social networking sites during class are not an example of participation or respect. Also see “Classroom Protocol” in earlier pages for classroom expectations.
APA Format and Writing Requirements
All papers must follow current American Psychological Association (APA) format guidelines
(6th edition) with the following exceptions: the use of running heads is optional . All papers must use standard, 12-point fonts (e.g., Times Roman) and be free of typographical, formatting, spelling, and content errors, as the quality of the writing will be evaluated as part of the grade for all written assignments . Be sure to carefully review and edit all drafts prior to submission. All ideas, quotes, and information taken or derived from other sources must be appropriately cited and referenced in accordance with APA rules.
You must use appropriate grammar and style for a college paper.
Include a title page on top of the body of your paper. The title page should include (centered on the page): the title, your name, the name of the university, the course and the date.
Word-processed and double-spaced with one inch margins OR typed using double-spacing with one-inch margins.
You will lose points if your written assignments do not follow these minimum requirements. The instructor will hand back each assignment with suggestions for clarification. Keep these returned assignments for your future revisions.

University Policies
Academic integrity
Your commitment as a student to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State
University. The University’s Academic Integrity policy, located at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.htm, requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of Student Conduct and
Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical Development website is available at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/index.html.
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism
(presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another person’s ideas without giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. For this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual student unless otherwise specified. If you would like to include your assignment or any material you have submitted, or plan to submit for another class, please note that SJSU’s Academic Policy S07-2 requires approval of instructors.
Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential Directive 97-03 at http://www.sjsu.edu/president/docs/directives/PD_1997-03.pdf requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must register with the Accessible Education Center
(AEC) at http://www.sjsu.edu/aec/ to establish a record of their disability.
University Resources
Student Technology Resources
Computer labs for student use are available in the Academic Success Center located on the 1 st floor of Clark Hall and on the 2 nd
floor of the Student Union. Additional computer labs may be available in your department/college. Computers are also available in the Martin Luther King
Library. A wide variety of audio-visual equipment is available for student checkout from Media
Services located in IRC 112. These items include digital and VHS camcorders, VHS and Beta video players, 16 mm, slide, overhead, DVD, CD, and audiotape players, sound systems, wireless microphones, projection screens and monitors.
SJSU Peer Connections
The Learning Assistance Resource Center (LARC) and the Peer Mentor Program have merged to become Peer Connections. Peer Connections is the new campus-wide resource for mentoring and tutoring. Our staff is here to inspire students to develop their potential as independent learners while they learn to successfully navigate through their university experience. Students are encouraged to take advantage of our services which include course-content based tutoring, enhanced study and time management skills, more effective critical thinking strategies, decision making and problem-solving abilities, and campus resource referrals.

In addition to offering small group, individual, and drop-in tutoring for a number of undergraduate courses, consultation with mentors is available on a drop-in or by appointment basis. Workshops are offered on a wide variety of topics including preparing for the Writing
Skills Test (WST), improving your learning and memory, alleviating procrastination, surviving your first semester at SJSU, and other related topics. A computer lab and study space are also available for student use in Room 600 of Student Services Center (SSC).
Peer Connections is located in three locations: SSC, Room 600 (10th Street Garage on the corner of 10 th
and San Fernando Street), at the 1st floor entrance of Clark Hall, and in the Living
Learning Center (LLC) in Campus Village Housing Building B. Visit Peer Connections website at http://peerconnections.sjsu.edu for more information.
SJSU Writing Center
The SJSU Writing Center is located in Room 126 in Clark Hall. It is staffed by professional instructors and upper-division or graduate-level writing specialists from each of the seven SJSU colleges. Our writing specialists have met a rigorous GPA requirement, and they are well trained to assist all students at all levels within all disciplines to become better writers. The Writing
Center website is located at http://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/about/staff/ .
Peer Mentor Center
The Peer Mentor Center is located on the 1 st
floor of Clark Hall in the Academic Success Center.
The Peer Mentor Center is staffed with Peer Mentors who excel in helping students manage university life, tackling problems that range from academic challenges to interpersonal struggles.
On the road to graduation, Peer Mentors are navigators, offering “roadside assistance” to peers who feel a bit lost or simply need help mapping out the locations of campus resources. Peer
Mentor services are free and available on a drop –in basis, no reservation required. The Peer
Mentor Center website is located at http://www.sjsu.edu/muse/peermentor/

Social Work 140: Introduction to Community Service
(Course Code: 46872; Section 2)
Fall 2013
Course Schedule
This schedule is subject to change with fair notice. I will announce any changes in class.
Table 1 Course Schedule
Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
1
2
3
8/23
9/6
9/20
Overview of course
Student profiles: Experience, Interests, Motivation, and Selfawareness
Volunteer Agency Discussion/Sign-ups
Volunteer packet - Agency-Student Contract, Mid Semester Student
Report, and Final Student Report)
Social Work Practice
Social work: A helping profession
Definition of generalist social work practice
Understanding the client system – micro, mezzo, and macro level
Introduction to the basic knowledge and skills for the first contact with clients
Reading: DuBois & Miley, Chapter 1 & 2
Social Work with Diverse Populations
Introduction to Transcultural Perspectives
Five domains and linkage to the course:
1) cultural competence, 2) cultural knowledge, 3) power, privilege and oppression, 4) respectful partnership, and 5) positionality and self-reflexivity
Reading: DuBois & Miley, Chapter 7
[PB: 3(c) (Critical thinking); 4(c,d) (Diversity); 5(b, c) (Justice)]
Ethics in Social Work Practice
Values and ethics: NASW Code of Ethics
Confidentiality and mandatory reporting
Reading: DuBois & Miley, Chapter 5
Social work with organization and community
Understanding social service settings and delivery system
Working within an agency
Community Resources –Referral process and how to build, maintain and utilize a resource directory

Week Date
4
5
6
7
10/4
10/18
11/15
11/22
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
Reading: DuBois & Miley, Chapter 4
[PB: 1(c) (Professional identity)]
Assignment 1-1: Agency-Student Contract Due by 9pm
Communication skills
Importance of communication skills
Relationship Building
Basic communication skills
[PB: 10(a-a, b) (Engagement); 10(b-a,b) (Assessment)]
Assignment 1-2: Mid Semester Student Evaluation & Timesheet
(signed by supervisors) Due by 9pm
Assignment 2-1 (1 st submission): Weekly Journals Due by 9pm
Social work with oppressed populations
Issues facing children and families; Child maltreatment & child welfare system ; Child Protective Services – the process
Working with people with health and mental health problems
Social work and disabilities
Social work and criminal justice
Social work with aging seniors
Termination with clients and agency
Things to consider for termination with clients
Review of weekly journal feedback and class discussion
Reading: DuBois & Miley, Chapter 11, 12, 13 &14
[PB: 1 (b, f) (Professional Identity); 9(a) (Respond to contexts that shape practice)]
Oral presentation sign-up
Semester reflection and integration of the volunteer experience
Student’s Terminating/closure experience
Reflection Paper Presentation (Assignment 4)
[PB: 1 (b, c, f) (Professional Identity); 3(c) (Critical thinking); 9(a)
(Respond to contexts that shape practice); 10(a) (Assessment); 10(b)
(Engagement)]
Semester reflection and integration of the volunteer experience
-
Student’s Terminating/closure experience
Reflection Paper Presentation (Assignment 4)

Week Date
8 12/6
Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
[PB: 1 (b, c, f) (Professional Identity); 3(c) (Critical thinking); 9(a)
(Respond to contexts that shape practice); 10(a) (Assessment); 10(b)
(Engagement)]
Semester reflection and integration of the volunteer experience
-
Student’s Terminating/closure experience
Reflection Paper Presentation (Assignment 4)
[PB: 1 (b, c, f) (Professional Identity); 3(c) (Critical thinking); 9(a)
(Respond to contexts that shape practice); 10(a) (Assessment); 10(b)
(Engagement)]
Assignment 1-3: Final Semester Student Evaluation & Timesheet
(signed by supervisors) Due by 9pm
Assignment 2-2 (2 nd submission): Weekly Journals Due by 9pm
Assignment 3: Reflection Paper due by 9pm