The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
School of Social Work
Course No:
Course Title:
Instructor:
Office Hours:
SOWO 570
Social Work Practice with Organizations & Communities, Fall 2011
Tina Souders, MSW, LCSW, JD
Office: 336-703-3398
tsouders@email.unc.edu
By appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course, participants explore frameworks, values, and skills to meet
individual and family needs through interventions with work groups, organizations, and communities.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Articulate and define social work roles and effective engagement, communication and use of
self skills in organizations and communities working with diverse populations by age,
race/ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, abilities and
immigrant/refugee status.
2. Relate social work roles in organizations and communities to the NASW Code of Ethics,
particularly concerning social justice, self-determination, cultural competence and social and
political action in working with disadvantaged populations.
3. Understand basic explanatory theories and perspectives that guide social work practice with
work groups, organizations, human service systems and communities.
4. Demonstrate how to assess a community issue(s), including the strengths and needs of
neighborhoods and various population groups - racial and ethnic minorities, older adults,
children and youth, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people, people with disabilities,
immigrants, refugees – or other groups who have experienced disadvantage.
5. Understand organizational structure, culture, climate, power and decision-making processes in
human service organizations.
6. Articulate strategies for how human service organizations can increase cultural competency,
multiculturalism and anti-oppression.
7. Articulate how to support self-advocacy efforts among consumer and population groups that
have experienced disadvantage.
8. Understand various evidence-based intervention approaches to community change through
social planning, social action, community organizing and community development practice
models.
9. Demonstrate how to plan an organizational, human service system or community intervention
aimed at measurably improving the quality of life for a group of people.
EXPANDED DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on helping students developing the following
introductory social work practice skills, which correspond to graded assignments:
1. Community assessment – collecting and analyzing primary (new) and secondary (existing)
quantitative and qualitative data to better understand a community issue or problem.
2. Program or intervention planning – explaining how a set of coordinated activities of one or
more organizations that will result in quality of life improvements (increased job skills, lower
neighborhood crime) for a group of people.
3. Organizational assessment and development – understanding key aspects of human service
organizations, ways that they can be improved, and how they can help facilitate community
change.
4. Advocacy – learning how to advocate for organizational and/or community change with key
decision makers.
The key assumptions of this course include:
1. Communities have both problems (risk factors) and assets (protective factors) that influence
people’s behavior outside of the family or household.
2. Social and economic opportunities are not equally distributed in communities. Certain groups of
people experience disadvantage and/or discrimination that stands in their way of getting what
they need for a decent life.
3. The best efforts to help a group of people are those with a) a clear focus on outcomes (intended
quality of life improvements for a group of people); b) the involvement of people most affected
by the problems; c) clearly stated ideas about how change will occur; and d) are well evaluated
and guided by the best available evidence.
4. Human service organizations need to work together and with groups of residents, businesses,
and fait communities to improve community conditions.
5. Human service organizations are nothing more than vehicles to organize sets of activities to
improve the quality of life for people. They are imperfect and in constant need of improvement
and community support.
6. Sometimes it is better for people to help or advocate for themselves than to be helped by
human service organizations or the government. Sometimes our role as social workers is to
figure out how to support people in their efforts to do so.
RESOURCES
All course lectures, syllabus, assignment information, and external links to useful web sites are or will be
available on Sakai, at http://sakai.unc.edu
REQUIRED TEXTS & READINGS:
Gibelman, M. & Furman, R. (2008). Navigating human service organizations (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL:
Lyceum Books, Inc. (referred to as “GF” in Class Schedule and Reading Assignments, below)
Unless otherwise noted, all other required readings are available on the Sakai course site. Additional
readings may be identified throughout the semester that represent promising, best, or evidence based
practices.
TEACHING METHODS
My goal is to make course content as practical as is possible in a classroom setting. We will use case
examples, role plays, multimedia, problem-solving exercises and discuss students’ field placement and
prior professional experiences. Students’ active participation is critical.
CLASS ASSIGNMENTS
Student performance will be evaluated based on the following assignments, which are briefly described
below (full, detailed assignment instructions and grading guides are available on Blackboard in the
“Assignments” folder):
SOWO 570 Syllabus Fall 2011 Souders
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Requirement
Class Participation & Attendance
Community Assessment
Logic Model & Theory of Change
Organizational Assessment
Community Advocacy
Extra Credit (optional)
Due Date*
Ongoing
10/7
11/4
12/2
12/9
12/9
Points
15
20
30
15
20
5
*Except for the Community Advocacy assignment and extra credit
assignment, students have the option of turning in one assignment one
week later than the due date without being penalized.
All written assignments should be submitted by the start of class time on the due date.
Class Participation & Attendance (15 points)
Students are expected to make active and thoughtful contributions to class discussions and participate
in other learning activities that demonstrate that they are critically engaged in course content. Fewer
points will be awarded when this is not the case at the discretion of the instructor. In extenuating
circumstances (medical or family emergency), absences will be considered excused. Being on time for
class is very important and is a sign of respect for the learning environment. Being late and/or leaving
early may result in the loss of class participation points. Participation will be judged by the degree to
which students participate in class discussions, exercises, role plays and other learning activities such as
those identified in the study guide.
Community Assessment (20 points; Due 10/7/2011)
Students will select a social problem for which they will conduct an abbreviated community assessment,
such as the need for coordinated mental health and substance abuse services for homeless adults with
children. Students will demonstrate the ability to access and use online secondary data (data that has
already been collected) sources and conduct one key informant interview to assess the problem. In
addition, students will identify community assets relevant to a subsequent change effort to address the
community problem, describe how they would understand the problem from the perspective of persons
directly affected by it, and discuss the implications of their findings. Detailed instructions and a grading
guide are available on Sakai in the Assignments folder.
Logic Model & Theory of Change (30 points; Due 11/4/2011)
Students will create a logic model that depicts the major components of a new program or intervention
(not an existing one) that they think is needed to address the social problem discussed in the
Community Assessment assignment. Students will also develop a theory of change that explains the
assumptions underlying the logic model, particularly why they think the selected activities and/or
services of the program or intervention will result in the desired outcomes. The theory of change must
be supported with no fewer than 5 scholarly sources to demonstrate the ability to use the best available
evidence to support ideas for a program or intervention. Detailed instructions and a grading guide are
available on Sakai in the Assignments folder.
Organizational Assessment (15 points; Due 12/2/2011)
Students will complete a profile of an organization which they think would be a good home for the
program or intervention that they outline in the Logic Model/Theory of Change assignment and explain
why they think the organization is a good home. Detailed instructions and a grading guide are available
on Sakai in the Assignments folder.
SOWO 570 Syllabus Fall 2011 Souders
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Community Engagement and Advocacy (20 points; Due 12/9/2011)
In small teams of three, students will demonstrate advocacy skills by conducting a 15 minute
presentation or discussion in class before a mock group of students who play roles as the targeted
audience. Students will form teams of three around shared interests (e.g. homelessness) and decide
upon which previous assignment that they wish to focus their findings and/or discussion. For example, a
team interested in housing issues may present Community Assessment findings related to homelessness
and affordable housing before a county Board of Commissioners from whom they wish to secure greater
funding. The targeted audience will be a group that has the power or influence to address the social
problem. Detailed instructions and a grading guide are available on Sakai in the Assignments folder.
Extra Credit (5 points - OPTIONAL; Due 12/9/2011)
Students have the option of completing a 2 to 4 page (single spaced) paper that contains a
recommendation to the organization identified in the organizational assessment assignment regarding
the integration of social media for advocacy, fundraising, promotional or educational purposes.
Expected outcomes of utilizing social media and potential challenges should also be discussed.
EXPECTATIONS FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
Students are expected to use good academic English; grades will be lowered for poor grammar, syntax,
or spelling. Those who have difficulty writing are STRONGLY encouraged to use online resources of the
campus Writing Center (http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/) and/or seek assistance from Diane Wyant
or Susan White in the School of Social Work.
The School of Social Work faculty has adopted APA style as the preferred format for papers and
publications. All written assignments for this course should be submitted in APA style. Exceptions to
this requirement are that students are expected to format and present their written work based on 1)
assignment instructions and 2) single spacing and any format the student desires for presenting bulleted
and numbered lists, tables, charts and other in-text objects that results in a professional and attractive
presentation expected by human service organizations.
Information concerning APA style and writing resources are listed below:
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association, 6th Edition. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
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http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html (APA Style for material in electronic formats)
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html (general information about
documentation using APA style)
http://www.bartleby.com/141/ (electronic version of Strunk's The Elements of Style which was
originally published in 1918)
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/resources.html (The Writing Center, links to on-line reference
material and many other useful sites for authors)
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/ (The UNC writing center—on-line and tutorial help at Phillips
Annex 962-7710)
GRADING SYSTEM:
The School of Social Work operates on an evaluation system of Honors (H), Pass (P), Low Pass (L), and
Fail (F). The numerical values of these grades are:
SOWO 570 Syllabus Fall 2011 Souders
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H: 94-100
P: 80-93
L: 70-79
F: 69 and lower
A grade of P is considered entirely satisfactory. The grade of Honors (“H”) — which only a limited
number of students attain -- signifies that the work is clearly excellent in all respects.
Grading Guides
Grading guides for all written work can be found on Sakai. These guides identify grading criteria for each
assignment, including the relative weight of each criterion. Therefore, students are advised to closely
follow the guides, as they constitute the Instructor’s expectations and evaluation methodology for these
assignments.
POLICY ON INCOMPLETES AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
A paper is considered late if it is handed in any later than the start of class on the day it is due. The
grade for late papers will be reduced each day it is late, including weekends. Except for the Community
Advocacy and extra credit assignment, students have the option of turning in one assignment one week
later than the due date without being penalized.
A grade of Incomplete is given only in exceptional and rare circumstances that warrant it, e.g. family
crisis, serious illness. It is the student’s responsibility to request and explain the reasons for an
Incomplete. The instructor has no responsibility to give an Incomplete without such a request.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
It is the responsibility of every student to obey and to support the enforcement of the Honor Code,
which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing in actions involving the academic processes of this class.
Students will properly attribute sources used in preparing written work and will sign a pledge on all
graded coursework certifying that no unauthorized assistance has been received or given in the
completion of the work. All written assignments should contain a signed pledge from you stating that,
“On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this assignment.” Credit will not
be awarded for unpledged work. Please refer to the APA Style Guide, The SSW Manual, and the SSW
Writing Guide for information on attribution of quotes, plagiarism and appropriate use of assistance in
preparing assignments. In keeping with the UNC 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.
POLICY ON ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Students with disabilities that affect their participation in the course and who wish to have special
accommodations should contact the University’s Disabilities Services (http://disabilityservices.unc.edu)
and provide documentation of their disability. Disabilities Services will notify the instructor that the
student has a documented disability and may require accommodations. Students should discuss the
specific accommodations they require (e.g. changes in instructional format, examination format) directly
with the instructor.
POLICIES ON THE USE OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN THE CLASSROOM
Use of all electronic devices is prohibited. Please set your cell phones to vibrate. Use of laptops is
permitted only as a tool for small group activities and in-class assignments or as an approved
accommodation for students with disabilities (see above).
SOWO 570 Syllabus Fall 2011 Souders
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Class Schedule & Reading Assignments
Class 1 - 8/26
Introduction & Understanding Communities
Objectives
1. Course overview, syllabus review, class norms.
2. Discussion of macro social work practice models, principles and roles.
3. Understand key characteristics and functions of communities, including different types of
capital.
4. Describe key concepts and ideas related to how communities change.
Readings
Homan, M.S. (2011). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world. (Read Chapter
2: Theoretical frameworks for community change, pp. 34-69). (S)
Mancini, J.A. & Bowen, G.L. (2009). Community resilience: A social organization theory of action and
change. In J.A. Mancini & K.A. Roberto (Eds.), Pathways of human development: Explorations of
change, (pp. 245-265). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. (S)
Class 2 - 9/2
Community Assessment
Objectives
1. Describe the purpose of and methods for conducting community needs and asset assessments.
2. Explain ways in which assessments can include the participation of residents and other
stakeholders.
3. Understand the needs and assets of diverse groups of people.
Readings
The Community Tool Box. (2011). Chapter 3: Assessing community needs and resources. Read the
following sections:
Section 2: Understanding and describing the community.
Section 3: Conducting public forums and listening sessions.
Section 4: Collecting information about the problem.
Section 5: Analyzing community problems.
Small groups will be assigned one of the following articles to lead a larger group discussion.
Magaña, S. & Ybarra, M. (2010). Family and community as strengths in the Latino community. In R.
Furman & N. Negi (Eds.), Social work practice with Latinos: Key issues and emerging themes.
Chicago: Lyceum. (S)
Manning, M.C. (2001). Culturally competent assessments of African American communities and
organizations. In R. Fong & S. Furuto (Eds.), Culturally competent practice: Skills, interventions
and evaluations. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. (S)
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Belkin-Martinez, D. (2010). “Solidaridad y justicia”: Latinas, community organizing, and empowerment.
In R. Furman & N. Negi (Eds.), Social work practice with Latinos: Key issues and emerging
themes. Chicago: Lyceum. (S)
Class 3 – 9/16
Solving Community Problems: Different Strategies
Objectives
1. Understand and compare and contrast different strategies for addressing community problems.
2. Explain when collaborative efforts involving multiple organizations are needed rather than the
efforts of a single organization.
3. Describe the different professional roles social workers adopt in community change efforts.
Readings
Gamble, D. & Weil, M. (2010). Table 2.1 Eight models of community practice with twenty-first century
contexts & Table 2.2 Primary and related roles for social workers/community practice workers in
the eight models). (S)
Johnson Butterfield, A.K., Chisanga, B. (2008). Community development. In T. Mizrahi and L.E. Davis
(Eds.) Encyclopedia of Social Work (20th Edition). Washington, DC: . National Association of Social
Workers. (e-reference edition). (Access via UNC Libraries; Click “Browse” and enter “Community
Development”)
Lopez, M.E. (2003). Transforming schools through community organizing: A research review. Harvard
Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA.
Sherraden, M.S. (2008). Community economic development. In T. Mizrahi and L.E. Davis (Eds.)
Encyclopedia of Social Work (20th Edition). Washington, DC: . National Association of Social
Workers. (e-reference edition). (Access via UNC Libraries; Click “Browse” and enter “Community
Economic Development”)
National Technical Assistance and Evaluation Center for Systems of Care. (2008). A closer look:
Interagency collaboration. (S) Retrieved from
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/acloserlook/interagency/interagency.pdf
Class 4 – 9/23
Solving Community Problems: Using Logic Models
Objectives
1. Articulate outcome objectives – quality of life improvements for a target population – and relate
them to evidence concerning an identified problem(s) from a community assessment.
2. Draft a logic model to identify the inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes of a program or
intervention that address the identified problem(s).
Readings
W.K. Kellogg Foundation. (2004). Logic model development guide. (Read Chapters 1-3, pp. 1-34). Battle
Creek, MI. (S)
SOWO 570 Syllabus Fall 2011 Souders
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Class 5 – 9/30
Solving Community Problems: Theories of Change
Objectives
1. Articulate a theory of change for a program or intervention – a coherent, evidence-based
explanation of how program or intervention activities will result in desired outcomes.
2. Understand how to use the best available evidence to support your theory of change.
Readings
ActKnowledge and the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community Change. (2003). Guided example:
Project Superwomen. (S)
Class 6 – 10/7
Solving Community Problems: Engagement & Facilitation Skills, Part 1
** COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT DUE TODAY! **
Objectives
1. Describe key interpersonal skills needed to engage and work effectively with diverse client and
resident populations to solve community problems.
2. Articulate strategies and tactics for fostering collaboration with other organizations.
Readings
Homan, M.S. (2011). Promoting community change: Making it happen in the real world. (Read Chapter
8: People – the most valuable resource, pp. 206-231). (S)
Class 7 – 10/14
Solving Community Problems: Engagement & Facilitation Skills, Part 2
Objectives
1. Understand how to facilitate a productive and effective task group meeting.
2. Articulate strategies for improving participation, performance and accountability in task groups
and community coalitions.
3. Explain how to engage disadvantaged groups in self-advocacy in addition to offering direct
services.
Readings
Hardcastle, D. A. & Powers, P. R. (2004). Community Practice: Theories and skills for social workers (2nd
ed.) (Chapter 10: Using work groups: committees, teams, and boards). (S)
Tropman, J.E. (2006). Producing high-quality group decisions. In R.L. Edwards & J.A. Yankey (Eds),
Effectively managing non-profit organizations. NASW Press. (S)
10/21
Class 8 – 10/28
Fall Break – NO CLASS
Social Media, Community Organizing and Advocacy
Objectives
1. Describe the differences between various forms of popular social media.
SOWO 570 Syllabus Fall 2011 Souders
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2. Understand the functionality of popular social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+,
Blogger, YouTube, and Twitter.
3. Articulate how social media communication tools can be used for community organizing and
advocacy efforts.
Readings
Mishra, G. (n.d.) The 4Cs Social Media Framework. Retrieved from
http://www.gauravonomics.com/blog/the-4cs-social-media-framework/
Edelman, D.C. (2010, Dec). Branding in the digital age: You’re spending your money in all the wrong
places. Harvard Business Review. Pg. 62-69. (S)
Quain, J.R. (2010, Nov). Social network cause and effect. U.S. News & World Report. (S)
Schipul, E. (2010, May/June). Accelerating fundraising through social media. Nonprofit world, 28(3), 2021. (S)
Class 9 – 11/4
Understanding Human Service Organizations
** LOGIC MODEL & THEORY OF CHANGE ASSIGNMENT DUE TODAY! **
Objectives
1. Identify the key differences among nonprofit, for profit and public human service organizations.
2. Understand the professional roles that social workers play in different host settings.
3. Explain what it means for an organization to be considered “community-based” and how this
affects service delivery and participant outcomes.
Readings
GF
Chapter 1: Getting to know the human service organization
Chapter 2: Distinguishing features of organizations
Chapter 7: Social work practice in host settings
Class 10 - 11/11
Human Service Organization Culture
Objectives
1. Understand how organizational culture can affect service delivery and outcomes for client
populations
2. Explain how organizational culture can perpetuate discrimination and oppression and how this
affects service delivery and participant outcomes.
3. Describe steps organizations can take to become culturally competent, multicultural or antioppressive and understand the differences in these competencies.
Readings
GF
Chapter 4: Who has the power? Roles in human service organizations
Hemmelgarn, A.L., Glisson, C. & James, L.R. (2010). Organizational culture and climate: Implications for
services and intervention research. In Y. Hasenfeld (Ed.), Human services as complex
organizations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (S)
SOWO 570 Syllabus Fall 2011 Souders
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Class 11 - 11/18
Organizational Development
Objectives
1. Understand how organizations can improve their performance.
2. Explain ways in which social workers can exert leadership in human service organizations –
influencing others to improve organizational performance – regardless of their formal title.
Readings
GF
Chapter 11: Coping with change
Chapter 12: Lending a helping hand: Making your organization better
James, J., Green, D., Rodriguez, C. & Fong, R. (2008). Addressing disproportionality through undoing
racism, leadership development, and community engagement. Child Welfare, 87(2), 279-296. (S)
Class 12 – 12/2
Advocating for Change in Organizations and Communities
** ORGANIZATIONAL ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT DUE TODAY! **
Objectives
1. Describe basic differences between advocating on behalf of a group of people and supporting
self-advocacy efforts.
2. Demonstrate various advocacy skills.
3. Understand how to identify and engage targets for change.
Readings
Hardcastle, D. A. & Powers, P. R. (2004). Community Practice: Theories and skills for social workers (2nd
ed.) (Chapter 13: Using the advocacy spectrum). (S)
Class 13 – 12/9
Community Advocacy Presentations, Course Review, Evaluations
** COMMUNITY ADVOCACY PRESENTATIONS TODAY! **
** EXTRA CREDIT DUE TODAY! **
Readings – None assigned.
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