uh.edu/socialwork
COURSE TITLE/SECTION: SOCW 7397 (23818) Building Financial Capability with Vulnerable
Populations
TIME: Tuesday 1:00 - 4:00 PM
FACULTY: Liza Barros Lane
OFFICE HOURS: By appt. in room 337
E-mail: labarros@central.uh.edu
I.
Course
A. Catalog Description
The course builds students’ professional capacity to work with individuals,
families, communities, financial institutions, and policymakers to improve the
financial capability of vulnerable low- and moderate-income populations.
B. Purpose
This course trains social workers to help financially vulnerable individuals and
families solve immediate financial problems and build financial security. The
course examines the economic and political contexts that impact financial wellbeing and create barriers for financial stability. Students will learn to incorporate
financial capability and asset building into their professional practice with clients,
as well as how to collaborate with others to develop policy and programmatic
solutions to increase family and community financial capability.
II.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate the
following objectives:
1. Assess personal and institutional barriers to financial stability
experienced by individuals, families, and communities
2. Identify economic principles and policies related to the financial wellbeing of vulnerable populations
3. Discuss the central concepts of financial capability and asset building, as
they apply to underserved communities.
4. Identify differences in financial behavior based on culture, race, ethnicity,
gender, and immigration status, and discuss culturally competent
strategies for expanding clients’ financial literacy
5. Integrate financial and economic principles and interventions into direct
practice with low-income families
6. Discuss ways to strengthen programs and policies that support financial
capability within families and communities
SOCW 7397, Section 23818, Spring, 2016
Page 1
III.
Course Content
This course will include the following topical (content) areas:
1. Contextualizing financial capability and asset building in financially
vulnerable households
2. Financial concepts, including budgeting, savings, investing, credit, debt,
as well as tax deductions and credits
3. Integrating financial capability into micro, mezzo, and macro practice
IV.
Course Structure
This is an active learning course. Interactive lectures and discussion will be the
primary formats; however, in-class exercises, guest speakers, and peer
presentations may play a role in class instruction. Students are expected to
complete all readings before the class meets, as they are a major source of
learning in this course.
The professor reserves the right to alter readings, course topics, and
assignments as needed to better accommodate learning goals and time
constraint.
V.
Textbooks
Readings are required as noted in the syllabus, and as assigned during the
course of the semester. Readings will be in the required class text-books,
available on Blackboard or distributed by the professor.
Smith,T., Shelton,V., & Richards, K. (2015) More than Numbers: Every Financial
Therapy Facilitator's Guide. Southeastern Professional Books
Garman, E. T., & Forgue, R. (2011). Personal finance. Cengage Learning.
VI.
Course Requirements
The final grade for this course will be based on the following assignments:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Class Participation - 5%
Personal Finance Assignments - 25%
Client Case Study Assessment and Treatment Plan - 30%
Group Community Education Project - 40%
All assignments are due by the dates specified in the syllabus. All assignments
due on class meeting days are due before the start of the class session
that day. Late submissions will be accepted for all assignments until the end of
the week it is due (Saturday at 11:59 pm); however, the grade value will be
SOCW 7397, Section 23818, Spring, 2016
Page 2
reduced by 15 points for each day late, including turning in an assignment after
the time deadline on the day it is due.
VII.
Evaluation and Grading
The following standard grading scale has been adopted for all courses taught in
the college.
A =
A- =
B+=
B =
B- =
VIII.
96-100% of the points
92-95.9%
88-91.9%
84-87.9%
80-83.9%
C+ = 76-79.9%
C = 72-75.9%
C- = 68-71.9%
D = 64-67.9%
F = Below 64%
Policy on grades of I (Incomplete):
The grade of "I" (Incomplete) is a conditional and temporary grade given when
students are either (a) passing a course or (b) still have a reasonable chance of
passing in the judgment of the instructor but, for non-academic reasons beyond
their control have not completed a relatively small part of all requirements.
Students are responsible for informing the instructor immediately of the reasons
for not submitting an assignment on time or not taking an examination. Students
must contact the instructor of the course in which they receive an “I” grade to
make arrangements to complete the course requirements. Students should be
instructed not to re-register for the same course in a following semester in order
to complete the incomplete requirements.
The grade of "I" must be changed by fulfillment of course requirements within
one year of the date awarded or it will be changed automatically to an "F" (or to a
"U" [Unsatisfactory] in S/U graded courses). The instructor may require a time
period of less than one year to fulfill course requirements, and the grade may be
changed by the instructor at any time to reflect work completed in the course.
The grade of "I" may not be changed to a grade of W.
IX.
Policy on academic dishonesty and plagiarism
Students are expected to demonstrate and maintain a professional standard of
writing in all courses, do one’s own work, give credit for the ideas of others, and
provide proper citation of source materials. Any student who plagiarizes any part
of a paper or assignment or engages in any form of academic dishonesty will
receive an “I” for the class with a recommendation that a grade of F be assigned,
subsequent to a College hearing, in accordance with the University policy on
academic dishonesty. Other actions may also be recommended and/or taken by
the College to suspend or expel a student who engages in academic dishonesty.
All presentations, papers and written assignments must be fully and properly
referenced using APA style format (or as approved by the instructor), with credit
given to the authors whose ideas you have used. If you are using direct quotes
from a specific author (or authors), you must set the quote in quotation marks or
use an indented quotation form. For all direct quotes, you must include the page
SOCW 7397, Section 23818, Spring, 2016
Page 3
number(s) in your text or references. Any time that you use more than four or five
consecutive words taken from another author, you must clearly indicate that this
is a direct quotation. Please consult the current APA manual for further
information.
Academic dishonesty includes using any other person’s work and representing it
as your own. This includes (but is not limited to) using graded papers from
students who have previously taken this course as the basis for your work. It also
includes, but is not limited to submitting the same paper to more than one class.
It also includes securing another person to complete any required activities,
assignments, quizzes, papers, or exams in an online course, or in any on-line
environment. If you have any specific questions about plagiarism or academic
dishonesty, please raise these questions in class or make an appointment to see
the instructor. This statement is consistent with the University Policy on
Academic Dishonesty that can be found in your UH Student Handbook.
X.
Course Schedule and Reading Assignments – The instructor reserves the
right to make changes to the topics and readings as needed. Blackboard will
have the latest readings or changes to the lecture topics.
Week
Due Dates
Topic
(Due Tuesdays by 12:59 pm,
unless noted)
1
Jan. 19:
Begin tracking
expenditures for week 5
2
Jan 26:
Due: Balance sheet
discussion board
Topics: Introduction to the course/ Pre-assessment/ Introduction to
Financial Capability
Readings:
Sherraden, M. S. (2013). Building blocks of financial capability
Topics: Financial Institutions, Products and services/Policy Context
for FCAB/Focus on Household Finances
Readings: Chapter 5 - Garman & Forgue
Birkenmaier, J. M. (2012). Promoting bank accounts to low-income
households: Implications for social work practice. Journal of
Community Practice, 20(4), 414–431. 5
Karger, H. (2005). Shortchanged: Life and debt in the fringe
economy. San Francisco, CA:
Koehler Publishers, Inc.
(Chapters 5 & 6)
SOCW 7397, Section 23818, Spring, 2016
Page 4
3
Feb. 2:
Due: Debt-to-income
Discussion Board
Topics: Earning and Job Benefits/Public Financial Benefits/Taxes,
Tax Deduction, and Tax Credits
Readings: Chapter 1 - Garman & Forgue
TIAA Cref. (n.d.). Understanding your pay stub.
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.
4
Feb 9:
Topics: Financial Values, Goals, and Decisions/Budgeting and
Spending Plans
Readings: Chapter 3 - Garman & Forgue
North Dakota State University (2003). Financial values, attitudes,
and goals.
5
Feb 16:
Due: Tracking Discussion
Board
6
Feb 23:
Due: Budget Discussion
Board
Topics: Cash Management/Financial Therapy
Guest lecturer: Kristin Richards, Ph.D.
Readings: TBA
Topics: Financial Therapy/ Time Value of Money/Emergency, ShortTerm Savings/Long-Term Savings/Investing
Readings: Chapter 13 - Garman & Forgue
Other: Assign the individual cases
7
8
Mar 1:
Bring credit report to class
(it will not be shared with
anyone)
Mar 8:
Topics: Credit/ Debt, Problem Debt, and Debt Negotiation
Guest lecturer: Richard Simonds, MSW – Family Services
Readings: Chapters - 6 & 7 - Garman & Forgue
Topics: Homeownership/ Vehicles and Durable Goods
Guest lecturer: Yvonne Norwood, LMSW – Bank on Houston
Due: Client Case Study
Readings: Chapters 8 & 9 - Garman & Forgue
9
Mar. 14-18
10
Mar 22:
Bring balance sheet to
class (it will not be shared
with anyone)
Topics: Risk Management and Insurance
Guest lecturer: Carl Nofuente, Certified Financial Educator- MaCa
Mar 29:
Topics: Identity Theft/ Bankruptcy/ Designing Products, Services,
and Programs
11
Spring Break
Readings: Chapters 10 & 12 – Garman & Forgue
Readings:
Wells Fargo Bank, N. A. (2013). Protecting yourself financially. In
Hands on banking: Adult’s version instructor guide (Topic 3,
Lesson 1).
SOCW 7397, Section 23818, Spring, 2016
Page 5
12
Apr 5:
Due: Group Piktochart
Topics: Leading, Organizing, Coalition Building, and Research for
FCAB/ Micro FCAB Practice/ Financial Coaching at the Financial
Clinic
Guest lecturer: Richard Simonds, MSW
Readings:
Cramer, R., Lopez-Fernandini, A., Guge, L., King, J., & Zimmerman,
J. (2010, September). The assets agenda 2011: Policy
options to promote savings and asset development.
Collins, J. M., & Birkenmaier, J. (2013). Building the capacity of
social workers to enhance financial capability and asset
development.
Collins, J. M., & O’Rourke, C. M. (2010). Financial education and
counseling—Still holding promise. The Journal of Consumer
Affairs, 44(3), 483–498.
13
Apr 12:
Due: Resource Handbook
Topics: Career opportunities in FCAB
Readings:
Despard, M. R., Chowa, G.A.N., & Hart, L. J. (2011). Personal
financial problems: Opportunities for social work
interventions. Journal of Social Service Research, 38(3),
342–350
Sherraden, M. S., Slosar, B., & Sherraden, M. (2002). Innovation in
social policy: Researcher, practitioner, advocate, and
student collaboration. Social Work, 47(3), 209–224.
XI.
14
April 19:
15
Apr 26:
Due: Individual Reflections
Topics: Group Project Presentations
Topics: Group Project Presentations/ Final assessment
Americans with Disabilities Statement
The University of Houston System complies with Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
pertaining to the provision of reasonable academic adjustments/auxiliary aids for
students with a disability. In accordance with Section 504 and ADA guidelines,
each University within the System strives to provide reasonable academic
adjustments/auxiliary aids to students who request and require them. If you
believe that you have a disability requiring an academic adjustments/auxiliary
aid, please contact the UH Center for Disabilities at 713-743-5400.
XII.
Addenda
Consultation. Scheduled office hours are by appointment as indicated on page
one of this syllabus. Please contact me by email to schedule appointment times,
and only use my email, labarros@central.uh.edu, to send me messages. I do not
check messages through blackboard. I encourage students to meet with me to
SOCW 7397, Section 23818, Spring, 2016
Page 6
discuss grades (I do not discuss grades through email), assignment topics,
questions related to course content, or other topics that arise as a result of
course content, assignments, and discussions. While the instructor may contact
students with concerns about performance in the class, the students are
ultimately expected to initiate conversations about concerns regarding their
grades or problems in the class.
Course expectations. Regular, on-time attendance is expected; absences will
be reflected in your class participation grade. If you cannot attend class for
whatever reasons, you are expected to inform me in advance. If you miss
class, it is your responsibility to contact fellow students to obtain missed
information. More than two absences will likely result in an automatic failure in
the class unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor.
Blackboard. The course information and readings are posted on this course’s
Blackboard site. Please use Blackboard to submit assignments and follow course
announcements.
Electronic Devices. You are expected to conduct yourself as a professional in
this class. Distractions should be kept to a minimum; cell phones should be
turned off before class; no laptops should be utilized during class sessions,
except as permitted by the professor.
SOCW 7397, Section 23818, Spring, 2016
Page 7