THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
COURSE NO. & SECTION:
SOWO 530 (Section 959)
COURSE TITLE &YEAR:
Foundations of Social Welfare & Social Work
Fall Semester 2014
MEETING TIME:
Friday 2:00-4:50
INSTRUCTOR:
Iris Carlton-LaNey, Ph.D.
Tate Turner Kuralt Bldg. Room 420
Phone: 919-962-6536
Ibc9717@email.unc.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
Mondays 12:15–1:15
Friday 12:00-12:30 and by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduces public welfare policy through lecture and
discussion of the purposes of public welfare and describes the most important programs
created by those policies.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: By the end of this course, students will:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of current social welfare policies and programs in the
U.S. and the ideals which shaped existing public welfare structures;
2. 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.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of social work and effects of social
policy on historic and contemporary patterns of social welfare service provision;
4. Rigorously evaluate existing research related to social welfare policy and
demonstrate knowledge of the development and implementation of contemporary
social welfare policy;
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the values and ethics of social work that guide
professional behavior in the conduct of public policy activities;
6. Demonstrate skill in strategies for advocacy and social change that advance
social and economic justice;
7. 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.
SKILLS BASE ADDRESSED: By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the origins and unique characteristics of the social work profession.
2. Assess clients for eligibility for major publicly funded programs and/or benefits.
3. Analyze the effects of social welfare policies on well-being and opportunities for
lower-income individuals and families, as well as for other vulnerable
populations.
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4. Articulate the underlying values and principles shaping major public welfare
policies.
5. Describe how legislative and administrative policy is made and how to influence
policy development.
Text:
Carlton-LaNey, I. (2001). African American leadership: An empowerment
tradition in social welfare history. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
{Hereafter referred to as ICL in syllabus}
Jimenez, J., Pasztor, E. M., Chambers, R. M., & Fujii, C. P. (2014). Social policy and
social change: Toward the creation of social and economic justice (2nd edition).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (Hereafter referred to as text)
Additional required readings will be posted on Sakai.
TEACHING METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS:
Teaching methods will include lecture, discussion, multimedia presentations, and
small group activities. We all have much to learn AND much to teach. Full
participation is essential to your learning in the class, and will allow you to apply the
course material in a way that is valuable and meaningful.
You are expected to attend all classes and to complete the readings before class
begins. You are expected to participate in discussions by sharing information from
the reading, your practice, and/or field experiences. Please let me know if you will
not be in class prior to the class meeting time.
POLICIES ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM:
We are each invested in creating a learning environment of respect and
engagement. Your attention is an important sign of respect to your colleagues, and
an important part of your learning. During class, cell phones should be turned off or
silenced. The use of laptops in class for taking notes or completing small group
tasks is welcomed. Please use them only for relevant activities – not for checking
email or surfing the Web. Please do not mistakenly assume that others are
unaware when you are doing so!! If distracting use of electronics is observed, I
will request that you limit your use during class.
Assignments
(10%) Class Participation – Total points awarded are dependent on class attendance,
quality of involvement in class discussion, and performance relative to oral
presentations. Attendance and participation will constitute 10% of the final grade and
can be the deciding factor when grades are marginal.
(30%) Budget Paper: General scope of the assignment:
As social workers you will often work with individuals who are attempting to survive with
very little income, assets and other resources. They face difficult choices about how to
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spend their limited dollars to meet their basic needs. This exercise is intended to help
you learn more about the struggles and dilemmas that families face to meet their basic
needs and the public and private sector resources that can help.
You will be provided with a description of a family living in one of North Carolina’s top
poorest counties along with their income and other resources. Based on this
description, you will complete the following sections:
1) Family expenses: Identify how much it costs your family to meet its basic needs.
Using various tools, consider family size and the particular North Carolina county
to help you estimate these costs. The expense amounts do not need to be exact.
Reasonable estimates, such as for an electric bill, are fine—Do not Guess. You
only have to worry about losing points if you (a) omit a very obvious expense like
rent or food or (b) your estimate is way off, like saying food for a family of 4 would
be $80 a month (too low!). Only identify essential expenses like housing, child
care, food, utilities and transportation and expenses particularly relevant to your
case.
2) Resources: Identify the assistance programs for which the family likely qualifies
that will help them meet their basic needs in addition to their current income and
assets. Be sure to consider both public sector – local, state and federal programs
– and private sector resources – nonprofit organizations, faith communities, etc.
(Make sure those programs exist in your county.) Be sure to clearly distinguish
between public and private sector resources and between in-kind and cash
assistance. You do not need to obtain eligibility confirmation from local
agency representatives. However, you need to do enough research to make
reasonable statements about eligibility. It is okay to “fill in” your assigned
scenario with additional, necessary information to determine eligibility for various
programs – just make your assumptions explicit in your paper.
3) Budget analysis: What can you conclude from your examination of expenses
and resources? Is this a family that can meet its basic needs with help? Why or
why not? Present a simple budget to support your conclusion.
4) Conclusions and Outlook: What is this family’s long-term outlook? Will they
continue to be able to meet their basic needs? What do you think they have to
sacrifice just to meet their basic needs? Do you think they will they be able to
achieve longer-term goals, such as an emergency savings fund, saving for
children’s college education, homeownership, car purchase, etc.? Lastly, what
new insights did you gain and/or suspicions did you confirm about social welfare
in doing this assignment?
This paper should be 3-4 pages, double-spaced, excluding the reference pages.
Table may be in the body of the paper of in an appendix. Papers longer than 4
pages will NOT be accepted. Be sure to identify your sources for information about
resources and expenses and use APA format for different ways in which this information
was obtained (i.e. personal communication, website, and brochure).
.
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Resource for Budget Assignment
NC Living Income Standard
http://www.ncjustice.org/?q=node/198
(35%) Expert Panels & Policy Briefs: Social Welfare & Social Justice Intersection
This assignment will give you the opportunity to develop competence in (a) researching
social policy legislation, (b) analyzing bodies of legislation related to a particular issue,
(c) developing and articulating a position on a given policy, and (d) designing social
work advocacy agendas. Below are brief descriptions of issues to be considered (these
are negotiable, depending on students’ interests):
Disability
Issues: Inclusion, equal rights, employment, education
Examples of legislation: ADA, Ryan White, mental health parity, IDEA
Criminal Justice: Focus on Youth and/or Adults
Issues: Racial profiling & disproportionalities, criminalization of mental illness &/or
homelessness, hate crimes, war on drugs, school violence
Examples of legislation: Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994); Local
Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009); syringe exchange policies; Safe
and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (2001)
Family Violence & Child Welfare
Issues: Child abuse (physical, sexual, moral turpitude) & neglect, partner violence,
adoption for GLBTQ families, inter-ethnic adoptions
Examples of legislation: Adoption & Safe Families Act, sec offender registry laws:
Violence Against Women Act (part of Crime Control Act above); Indian Child Welfare
Act (ICWA) 1978, Multiethnic Placement Act (MEPA) 1994
Reproductive Rights & Health
Issues: Abortion, parental consent, sex education, reproductive rights in the military
Examples of legislation: Abstinence-only education: TANF provisions re; teen parents,
NC Eugenics Board (forced sterilization)
Immigration
Issues: migrant workers policies, health care, education, citizenship, criminalization,
amnesty
Examples of legislation 287g: DREAM Act; amnesty/refugee resettlement legislation,
Arizona Immigration Law Senate Bill 1070
Poverty
Issues: Food insecurity, hunger, child and elder malnourishment
Examples of legislation: SNAP; Free and Reduced Lunches; Congregate Meals
program
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Group Component:
You will team up with class colleagues based on shared interests. Your presentation
should:
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

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
Addresses the history or evolution of the social welfare system’s response to the
population or problem/issue
Identify and discuss the roles that specific social welfare pioneers (social work
pioneers) played. Their efforts may have failed to produce legislation, but planted
a seed of reform.
Summarizes multiple perspectives on the issue
Provide opposing positions/points of view about this legislature or this population
Analyzes key legislation relative to the issue (one piece of legislation per student)
-- including political, economic, ethical, and practice dimensions
Critically appraises that legislation in terms of its underlying assumptions and
internal consistency/inconsistency
Describes advocacy efforts and their impact; and
Proposes an agenda for action that is consistent with the NASW Code of Ethics
addressing the importance of social injustice on specific out-groups
(25%) Individual Component:
You will write a policy brief related to the piece of legislation that you selected to focus
on for your portion of your group presentation. The policy brief should be factual and
evidence-based, and should clearly articulate a recommendation/position on the issue.
REQUIREMENTS
Class Participation
POINT VALUES
10
DUE DATES
Ongoing ~ includes in-class
Budget Paper
30
Friday, October 24
Expert Panel Presentation
35
See schedule below
Policy Brief
25
Paper Due: Nov. 21
activities
GRADING SCALE
H Clear Excellence
P Entirely Satisfactory
L Low Passing
F Failed
94-100.
80-93
70-79
69 and Below
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EXPECTATIONS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:
You are expected to adhere to appropriate scholarly writing guidelines and to use
APA formatting. A portion of the points for each assignment will be allocated to
writing quality. Please use the writing resources provided at orientation. The web
sites listed below provide additional information:



http://ssw.unc.edu/index.php?q=students/academic/advising (Academic
resources from the School of Social Work, including an APA quick reference
guide)
http://www.apastyle.org/apa-style-help.aspx (APA Style basics)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html (general
information about documentation using APA style)
POLICY ON INCOMPLETES AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
Assignments are due on the day noted. You must notify me at least 3 days before a
due date if you would like to request an extension. If this does not happen, you
will lose 5% of the assignment’s points per day (including weekends, and
including the date on which the assignment was due, if submitted late).
Incompletes may be granted if (a) there are extreme and unforeseeable
circumstances that affect your ability to complete the semester’s work, and (b) you
meet with me in advance to develop a plan and timeline for completing your work.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Please follow the UNC Honor Code. Please ensure that the Honor Code statement
“I have neither given nor received any unauthorized assistance in completing this
assignment”, with your signature, is on all assignments turned in. In keeping with the
Honor Code, if reason exists to believe that academic dishonesty has occurred, a
referral will be made to the Office of the Student Attorney General for investigation
and further action as required.
Please refer to the APA Style Guide for information on attribution of quotes,
plagiarism, and the appropriate use of assistance in preparing assignments.
POLICY ON ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
If you have a disability that affects your participation in the course and you wish to
receive accommodations, you should contact the University’s Disabilities Services.
They will then notify me of the documented disability, and we can meet to design the
appropriate accommodations to support your learning.
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Class Schedule & Readings
Additional readings may be assigned as the semester progresses
Class
Sec
1
Week 1
8/22
Week 2
8/29
Topic
Introduction
Focus of the course
Course requirement and grading
The social work profession – “Legacies of
Change-100 Years of Professional Social
Work in the US”
Early responses to need & historical
antecedents
Early Responses to Need & Historical
Antecedents:
Context & Framework for Exploring
Social Welfare
 Social construction
 Ideology
 Definitions of social welfare/social
justice
Social Work Practice
 Charity organization societies
Settlement houses, social gospel
movement
Week 3
9/5
Early Responses to Need & Historical
Antecedents:
Early antecedents
Progressive Era
Required Readings
Text:
Ch. 1: Introduction
Ch. 2: The Nature of Social Policy (read pp.
11-22)
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social
Justice (read pp. 47-66)
Ch. 4: Historical Values Influencing Social
Problems & Social Policies (identify
values with which you feel affinity
&/or antipathy)
Ch. 6: Oppression & Social Justice in the
United States (read pp. 175-184;
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social
Justice (read pp. 254-257)
Text:
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social
Justice (read pp. 66-72)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social
Justice (read pp. 257-258)
Articles/Chapters:
Sabbath, T. F. (2001). African Americans &
social work in Philadelphia, 1900–1930.
In I. Carlton-LaNey (Ed.). African
American Leadership: An Empowerment
Tradition In Social Welfare History.
Washington, DC: NASW Press. (pp. 17-33)
(Hereafter called ICL)
Carlton-LaNey, I. (2001). Birdye Henrietta
Haynes: A pioneer settlement house
worker. In ICL (pp. 35-53)
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Harvey, A. & Carlton-LaNey, I. (2001). Marcus
Garvey and community development via
the UNIA. In ICL (pp. 75-85)
Peebles-Wilkins, W. (2001). Janie Porter
Barrett and the Virginia Industrial School
of Colored Girls: Community response to
needs of African American children. In ICL
(pp. 123-135)
Chandler, S. (2001). E. Franklin Frazier and
social work: Unity and conflict. In ICL (pp.
189-201)
Schoen, J. (2011). Reassessing eugenic
sterilization: The case of North Carolina.
In P. Lombardo (Ed.), A Century of
Eugenics in America: From the Indiana
Experiment to the Human Genome Era
(pp. 141-160). Bloomington, IN: Indiana
University Press.
Park, Y. & Kemp, S. (2006). “Little alien
colonies”: Representations of immigrants &
their neighborhoods in social work discourse,
1875-1924. Social Service Review, 80(4), 705734.
Small group In-class exercise
Week 4
9/12
The Great Depression
 New Deal
 Social Security Act
Text:
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social
Justice (read pp. 72-76)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social
Justice (read pp. 258-265; 282-285)
Social Work Practice
 Professionalization, medicalization,
bureaucratization
Rank & file movement
Week 5
9/19
History
 WWII & postwar America
 “The Great Society”
 Reforms: War on Poverty, civil rights
 Responses: Federalism, devolution,
“ending welfare as we know it”
Text:
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social
Justice (read pp. 76-90)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social
Justice (read pp. 265-277)
Social Work Practice
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Week 6
9/26
Contemporary Social Welfare Policy
 Rubrics for analysis
 Types of social welfare
Universal Social Welfare
 Social Security
 Medicare
Means-Tested Social Welfare
 Temporary Assistance for Needy
Families (TANF)
 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP)
 Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Medicaid
Text:
Ch. 2: The Nature of Social Policy (read pp.
22-46)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social
Justice (read pp. 277-297)
“Seeing the Invisible” series UNC Center
on Poverty, Work and Opportunity
http://www.law.unc.edu/centers/povert
y/
Week 7
10/3
Poverty in America: Contemporary
Issues
 Poverty definitions & rates
 The “poverty line” & critiques (living
income standards)
 Market economy, capitalism, &
poverty (income inequality)
Impact of poverty
Text:
Ch. 5: The Market Economy & Social Justice
(read pp. 138-156)
Video: A Place at the Table”
Week 8
10/10
Approaches to Poverty Relief
 Market-based approaches (asset
building, development accounts)
 “Character” or behavioral approaches
 Public benefit & taxation-related
approaches
 Structural & institutional approaches
Text:
Ch. 5: The Market Economy & Social Justice
(read pp. 156-160 and 162-167)
Cooney, K. & Shanks, T. R. (2010) New
approaches to old problems: Market‐
based strategies for poverty alleviation.
Social Services Review 84(1) 29-56
Rank, M. (2011). Rethinking American
poverty. Contexts (10), 16-21.
Sawhill, I. (2003). The behavioral aspects of
poverty. The Public Interest (153), 79-93.
Week 9
10/17
Fall Break
10/24
Housing & Food Security
 Homelessness
Food Insecurity & Hunger
Text:
Ch. 8: Housing & Social Justice
Libal, K., Tomczak, S., Spath, R., & Harding, S.,
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Budget Paper due via email
ibc9717@email.unc.edu
(2014). Hunger in a “Land of Plenty”: A
renewed call for social work action. doi:
10.1093/sw/swu029
Week
10
10/31
The Health Care Safety Net
Ch. 10: Health, Mental Health, & Social
Justice (read pp. 395-428)
 Health disparities
Healthcare reform & the Affordable Care
Act
Text:
The Mental Health & Substance Abuse
Ch. 10: Health, Mental Health, & Social
Safety Net
Justice (read pp. 428-440)
Week
11
11/7
60-minute Expert Panel 1: Disability
60-minute Expert Panel 2: Criminal
justice w/focus on Adults or youth
Week
12
11/14
60-minute Expert Panel 3: Poverty
60-minute Expert Panel 4: Family
violence/child welfare
Week
13
11/21
60-minute Expert Panel 5: Reproductive
Rights & Health
60-minute Expert Panel 6: Immigration
Policy Brief Due via email
Ibc9717@email.unc.edu
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