THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK
COURSE NO. & SECTION:
SOWO 530 (Section 004); Room 102
COURSE TITLE &YEAR:
Foundations of Social Welfare & Social Work
Fall Semester 2014
MEETING TIME:
Tuesday 2:00 – 4:50 am
INSTRUCTOR:
Lisa de Saxe Zerden
Tate Turner Kuralt Bldg. Room 350
Phone: 919-962-6430 lzerden@email.unc.edu
OFFICE HOURS:
Tuesdays 12 – 1:30pm or stop by anytime. Appointments are
encouraged as I occasionally attend meetings during these hours
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 lowerincome individuals and families, as well as for other vulnerable populations.
4. Articulate the underlying values and principles shaping major public welfare policies.
5. Describe how legislative and administrative policy is made and developed.
TEXT:
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. (Note: this will be referred to as “text” in the assigned readings).
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Additional required readings will be posted on Sakai.
TEACHING METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS:
Teaching methods will include lecture, discussion, multimedia presentations, and small group
activities. My perspective is that 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 successfully apply
the course material in a way that is personally and professionally 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 their reading and/or
field experiences. I ask that you contact me, in advance, if you will miss a class. Any student
with significant difficulty with these requirements should speak with me at the beginning of
the semester so that alternative forms of contribution can be identified.
POLICIES ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM:
I expect that we will all be 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. I
welcome the use of laptops in class for taking notes or completing small group tasks.
However, I ask that you 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 need to strictly limit their
use to specific times during class.
OVERVIEW OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
The following is a brief description of assignments – additional detail will be provided:
Social Construction Paper
This 5-6 page paper will assess your integration of readings, class discussions, and personal
thinking about history, social construction, and social work practice addressed in the early
part of the course.
Budget Exercise
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 may be
available to them. You will be provided with a story of a family living in a North Carolina
county, along with their income and other resources. You will conduct research (abundant
resources will be posted on Sakai) to estimate what the family will require to meet its basic
needs, and what assistance is available.
You will enter your information on a worksheet (to be provided). Accompanying your
worksheet will be a brief (~ 3 pages) paper addressing your working assumptions, conclusions
about the bottom line, challenges encountered, and learning reflections.
Expert Panels & Advocacy Briefs: Social Welfare & Social Justice Intersections
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):
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Health and Disability:
Examples of issues: Inclusion, equal rights, employment, education, housing, parenting,
access to care
Examples of legislation: ADA, Ryan White, mental health parity, IDEA
Criminal Justice: Focus on Adults
Examples of issues: Racial profiling & disproportionalities, criminalization of mental illness
&/or homelessness, hate crimes, war on drugs, death penalty
Examples of legislation: Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994); Local Law
Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (2009); Racial Justice Act; syringe exchange
policies; death penalty legislation
Criminal Justice: Focus on Youth
Examples of issues: School violence, juvenile sentencing policies, school-to-prison pipeline
Examples of legislation: Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (2001); Raise the
Age
Family Violence & Child Welfare
Examples of issues: Child abuse (physical, sexual) & neglect, partner violence, adoption for
LGBTQI families, inter-ethnic adoptions, kinship care
Examples of legislation: Adoption & Safe Families Act, sex offender registry laws; Violence
against Women Act; U-Visas; Indian Child Welfare Act; second parent adoption policies
Reproductive Rights & Health
Examples of issues: Abortion, parental consent, teen pregnancy and childbirth, sex
education, reproductive rights in the military
Examples of legislation: Abstinence-only education; TANF provisions re: teen parents; Burris
Amendment; emergency contraception legislation
Immigration
Examples of issues: Migrant worker policies, health care, education, citizenship,
criminalization, amnesty
Examples of legislation: 287 g; DREAM Act; amnesty/refugee resettlement legislation
The assignment has a group component and an individual component, summarized here:
Group Component/Expert Panel: You will team up with classmates based on shared interests in
social welfare policy issues with significant history, landmark legislation, continued social
injustices, advocacy efforts, & success stories. You will work in teams to develop a presentation of
about 30-45 minutes (depending on the size of the class) that:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Addresses the history or evolution of the social welfare system’s response to the
population
Summarizes multiple perspectives on the issue
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 successes; and
Proposes an agenda for action that is consistent with the NASW Code of Ethics
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Individual Component/Advocacy Brief: Focusing on the policy or legislation that you
discussed in the expert panel, you will develop one of the following: (a) a letter to the editor of a
news publication, (b) an editorial or blog post, or (c) a fact sheet. Your brief should be factual and
evidence-based, and should clearly articulate a recommendation or position on the issue.
Guidelines for each of the above formats will be provided and discussed.
OVERVIEW OF ASSIGNMENT AND DUE DATES:
Assignment
Points
Social Construction Paper
Budget Exercise & Reflection
Expert Panel Presentation
Advocacy Brief
Meaningful Participation
Total
Due Date
25 points
Week 5 (Sept. 23, 2014)
25 points
25 points
15 points
10 points
100 points
Week 9 (Oct. 21, 2014)
Week 14 (Nov. 25, 2014)
Week 15 (Dec. 2, 2014)
Ongoing
H: 94 and above; P: 93-80;
L: 79-70; F: 69 and below
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 at the beginning of class 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 10% of the assignment’s points per day (including weekends, and
including the date on which the assignment was due, if submitted after the beginning
of class).
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:
I assume that all students 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.
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Please refer to the APA Style Guide, the SSW Manual, and the SSW Writing 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.
CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY:
Students will be awarded participation points for their presence and engagement in
class. However, student’s attendance will impact participation scores in concrete ways.
For example, even if you are participating in class but miss more than two classes, you
will be scored as follows (10 points):
No more than one class missed
10 points
Two classes missed
5 points
Three classes missed
0 points
CLASS SCHEDULE & ASSIGNED READINGS
Date
Topics Addressed
Readings
Week 1
Aug 26
Welcome & Overview:
 Introductions and review
of syllabus
 Introduction to social
construction as a lens for
understanding social
welfare policy
Ch. 1: Introduction
Week 2
Sept 2
Context & Framework for
Exploring Social Welfare
 Social construction
 Ideology
 Definitions of social
welfare/social justice
Text:
Ch. 2: The Nature of Social Policy (read pp. 11-22)
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social Justice (read pp. 4766)
Ch. 4: Historical Values Influencing Social Problems & Social
Policies (skim as desired; try to identify values with
which you feel affinity &/or antipathy)
Ch. 6: Oppression & Social Justice in the United States (read pp.
175-184 for an overview of race & racism as constructs
that powerfully shape social policy; skim to p. 210 as
desired) (Note: Much of this duplicates content in the
online History of Oppression & Resistance course, but is
included to foster greater appreciation for the ways in
which oppression & history intersect).
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social Justice (read pp. 254-257)
History to 1900
 Elizabethan poor laws
 Colonial America
 Civil War era &
aftermath
Social Work Practice
 Charity organization
societies
Articles/Chapters:
5
Date
Topics Addressed
Readings
 Settlement houses, social
gospel movement
Schneider A & Ingram, H. (1993) Social construction of target
populations: Implications for politics & policy. The American
Political Science Review 87(2), 334-347.
Thyer, B. A. (2010). Social justice: A conservative perspective,
Journal of Comparative Social Welfare, 26(2), 261 – 274.
Optional:
Fleming, D. (1963). Social Darwinism. In M. White & A.
Schlesinger, Jr. (Eds.), Paths of American Thought (pp.123146). Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin.
Katz, M. (1996). The theory and practice of scientific charity. In
M. Katz, In the shadow of the poorhouse: A social history of
welfare in America (2nd ed., pp. 60-87). New York, NY: Basic
Books.
Week 3
Sept 9
The Progressive Era
 Industrialization
 Social reform
 Social Darwinism
 Eugenics
Social Work Practice
 African American social
work pioneers
 Social workers’
involvement in Eugenics
 Professionalization
Text:
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social Justice (read pp. 6672)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social Justice (read pp. 257-258)
Articles/Chapters:
Carlton-LaNey, I. (2001). African American leadership: An
empowerment tradition in social welfare history. Washington,
DC: NASW Press. Read: Chapter 2: African Americans &
social work in Philadelphia, 1900–1930
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.
Optional:
Blau, J. & Abramovitz, M. (2010). Chapter 7: Social welfare
history in the United States. In J. Blau & M. Abramovitz.
Dynamics of Social Welfare Policy (pp. 237-250). New York,
NY: Oxford 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),
705-734.
Week 4
Sept 16
The Great Depression
 New Deal
 Social Security Act
Social Work Practice
Text:
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social Justice (read pp. 7276)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social Justice (read pp. 258-265;
282-285)
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Date
Topics Addressed
 Professionalization,
medicalization,
bureaucratization
 Rank & file movement
Week 5
Sept 23
History
 WWII & postwar
America
 “The Great Society”
 Reforms: War on
Poverty, civil rights
movement
 Responses: Federalism,
devolution, “ending
welfare as we know it”
Social Work Practice
□ Social Construction
Paper Due Today
Week 6:
Sept 30
Contemporary Social
Welfare Policy
 Rubrics for analysis
 Major types of social
welfare
Universal Social Welfare
 Social Security
 Medicare
Readings
Optional:
Blau, J. & Abramovitz, M. (2010). Social welfare history in the
U.S. In J. Blau & M. Abramovitz, Dynamics of Social Welfare
Policy (pp. 257-271). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Text:
Ch. 3: The Social Work Profession & Social Justice (read pp. 7690)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social Justice (read pp. 265-277)
Articles/Chapters:
Linhorst, D. (2002). Federalism & social justice: implications for
social work. Social Work, 47(3), 201-208.
Optional:
Urban Institute (2007). Assessing federalism: ANF and the recent
evolution of American social policy federalism. Retrieved
from:
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411473_assessing_federa
lism.pdf
Text:
Ch. 2: The Nature of Social Policy (read pp. 22-46)
Ch. 7: Income Support Policies & Social Justice (read pp. 277-297)
Gilbert, N., & Terrell, P. (2010). A framework for social welfare
policy analysis (chpt 3). In Dimensions of social welfare
policy (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Means-Tested Social
Welfare
 Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families
(TANF)
 Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program
(SNAP)
 Supplemental Security
Income (SSI)
 Medicaid
Week 7
Oct 7
Poverty in America:
Contemporary Issues
 Poverty definitions &
rates
Text:
Ch. 5: The Market Economy & Social Justice (read pp. 138-156;
skim the remainder as desired)
Articles/Chapters:
7
Date
Topics Addressed
 The “poverty line” &
critiques (living income
standards)
 Market economy,
capitalism, & poverty
(income inequality)
 Impact of poverty
 Ideological differences in
explaining poverty
Readings
Berlin, G. (2010). Rethinking welfare in the great recession: Issues
in the reauthorization of Temporary Aid to Needy Families.
Washington, DC: MDRC.
Sirota, A., Mitchell, T., & Johnson, C. (2014). Living income
standard 2014. NC Justice Center. Retrieved from
http://www.ncjustice.org/?q=budget-and-tax/living-incomestandard-2014-boom-low-wage-work-means-many-northcarolinians-dont-make (read pp. 1-11 & skim remainder as
desired)
Action for Children North Carolina (2011). Children in the
recession (Economic Security Issue Brief). Read: pp. 4-16.
Boushey, H. & Weller, C.E. (2005). What the numbers tell us. In
J. Lardner & D.A. Smith (Eds.), Inequality matters, (pp. 2740). New York: The New Press.
Optional:
Abramovitz, M. (2001). Everyone is still on welfare: The role of
redistribution in social policy. Social Work, 46, 297-308.
doi: 10.1093/sw/46.4.297
Week 8
Oct 14
Movie:
meet in
auditorium
“Inequality
for All”
Approaches to Poverty
Relief
 Market-based
approaches (asset
building, development
accounts)
 “Characterological”
(behavioral) approaches
 Structural & institutional
approaches
Text:
Ch. 5: The Market Economy & Social Justice (read pp. 156-160
and 162-167)
Articles/Chapters:
Cooney, K. & Shanks, T. R. (2010) New approaches to old
problems: Market‐based strategies for poverty alleviation.
Social Services Review 84(1) 29-56. (Note: we will split this
reading among students).
Rank, M. (2011). Rethinking American poverty. Contexts (10), 1621.
Sawhill, I. (2003). The behavioral aspects of poverty. The Public
Interest (153), 79-93.
Optional:
Lim, Y., DeJohn, T. V., & Murray, D. (2012). Free tax assistance
and the Earned Income Tax Credit: Vital resources for social
workers and low-income families. Social Work, 57(2), 175-184.
Shapiro, T. (2004). Assets for equality (pp.
183-204). In The hidden cost of being African-American: How
wealth perpetuates inequality. New York: Oxford
Week 9
The Health Care Safety Net
Text:
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Date
Oct 21
Movie:
Meet in
auditorium
“Escape
Fire”
Topics Addressed
 Health disparities
 Healthcare reform & the
Affordable Care Act
Readings
Ch. 10: Health, Mental Health, & Social Justice (read pp. 395428)
Articles/Chapters:
Andrews, C. M., Darnell, J. S., McBride, T. D., & Gehlert, S. (2013).
Social work and implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
Health & Social Work, 38(2), 67-71.
□ Budget Assignment and
Reflection Due Today
Keefe, R. H. (2010). Health disparities: A primer for public health
social workers. Social Work in Public Health, 25(3/4), 237257.
Woolf, S. H. (2009). Social policy as health policy. [Opinion].
JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 301(11),
1166-1169.
Optional:
Horton, S. (2006). The double burden on safety net providers:
Placing health disparities in the context of the privatization
of health care in the US. Social Science & Medicine, 63(10),
2702-2714.
Week 10
Oct 28
The Mental Health &
Substance Abuse Safety
Net
 MH reform in North
Carolina
 Intersections with
criminal justice & other
safety net systems
Text:
Ch. 10: Health, Mental Health, & Social Justice (read pp. 428440)
Articles/Chapters:
Baillargeon, J., Hoge, S., & Penn, J. V. (2010). Addressing the
challenge of community reentry among released inmates
with serious mental illness. American Journal of Community
Psychology, 46(3/4), 361-375.
Newman, S., & Goldman, H. (2008). Putting housing first, making
housing last: housing policy for persons with severe mental
illness. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165(10), 1242-1248
Week 11
Nov 4
Housing & Food Security
 Homelessness
 Hunger
Movie:
Meet in
auditorium
“Place at
the table”
Week 12
Nov 11
Text:
Ch. 8: Housing & Social Justice
Chilton, M., & Rose, D. (2009). A rights-based approach to food
insecurity in the United States. American Journal of Public
Health, 99, 1203–1211.
Libal, K. Tomczak, S. M., Spath, R., & Harding, S. (2004). Hunger
in a “Land of Plenty”: A renewed call for social work action.
(Commentary). Social Work doi: 10.1093/sw/swu029
Policies Impacting Children
& Families
Text:
Ch. 9: Child Welfare Policies & Social Justice
9
Date
Topics Addressed
 Child maltreatment &
child welfare
 Disproportionalities &
disparities
 Issues related to
marginalized groups
(American Indian,
LGBT)
Readings
Articles/Chapters:
Haskins, R., Paxson, C., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2009). Social science
rising: A tale of evidence shaping public policy. Princeton, NJ:
The Future of Children. Retrieved from
http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/do
cs/19_02_PolicyBrief.pdf
National Conference of State Legislatures (2013). The US Supreme
Court and the Indian Child Welfare Act. Retrieved from
http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/tribal/the-supremecourt-and-the-indian-child-welfare-act.aspx
Norris, C. (2013). Dirty secret no. 1 in Obamacare. Retrieved from
http://townhall.com/columnists/chucknorris/2009/08/11/dir
ty_secret_no_1_in_obamacare/page/full
Week 13
Nov 18
Policy Advocacy & Activism
Articles/Chapters:
Faulkner, A., & Lindsey, A. (2004). Grassroots meets
homophobia: A rocky mountain success story. Journal of Gay
& Lesbian Social Services, 16(3/4), 113-128.
Figueira-McDonough, J. (1993). Policy practice: The neglected
side of social work intervention. Social Work, 38(2), 179-188.
Week 14
Nov 25
Friday,
Dec 2
Expert Panel Presentations
Letter to Editor, Editorial, or Fact Sheet Due via Sakai
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