Human Behavior in the Social Environment
HB720
Fall 2013
Section A1: Mondays, 10 am – 12 noon
Section A2: Mondays, 2 pm – 4 pm
Room 119, School of Social Work
Daniel P. Miller, PhD
Assistant Professor, Human Behavior
dpmiller@bu.edu
Boston University School of Social Work
264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215
617.353.3752
Office Hours by Appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Human behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) is designed to help you chart a
knowledgeable course through the complexity of human experience. We will explore a
select set of theories that help us understand how individuals and communities develop
and interact. Because empathic and skillful interventions with individuals, groups, and
communities require understanding ourselves as well as others, the course provides an
opportunity for increased self-awareness. At the beginning of the course, we focus on
the key theories that help us understand the dimensions and expression of human
behavior in the social environment. This discussion is followed by an examination of
how dimensions of culture and cultural contexts can shape individuals values, beliefs,
worldviews, and identities, all of which play a role in the helping process. Through
discussion and analysis, we will explore areas of universality and difference in the
context of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, spiritual beliefs, and
socioeconomic class, as well as the realities and influence of multiple forms of
oppression. Finally, we will examine human development throughout the lifespan,
considering the developmental scientific knowledge base regarding opportunities and
vulnerabilities present during the different stages of the lifecycle, and the
biopsychosocial and cultural factors that can influence individual development. The
ability analyze human behavior in the social environment, drawing from theoretically and
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empirically grounded evidence bases, is essential for all methods of social work
practice, whether the primary focus is clinical or macro.
HB 720 constitutes the foundation course in the human behavior department and is the
underpinning of all courses in the HBSE sequence.
The goal of the course is to enable students to develop a culturally competent
framework for analyzing human behavior in order to create empathic, empowering
relationships with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social
work theory and practice has a distinct perspective that articulates the interconnection
between an individual and his or her environment. The framework draws from other
disciplines, including anthropology, economics, psychology, biology, and sociology. The
course will provide an understanding of the interactions among biological, social, and
psychological, and cultural systems. Forces that facilitate optimal growth and
development will be contrasted with forces that impede development. The course will
build on your undergraduate knowledge of basic human behavior theories, adding
theoretical breadth, critical contextualization, and professional application.
SOCIAL WORK COMPETENCIES
THIS COURSE SUPPORTS THE ATTAINMENT OF COMPETENCY IN:
Competency 2.1
Competency 2.1.2
Competency 2.1.3
Competency 2.1.4
Competency 2.1.5
Competency 2.1.6
Competency 2.1.7
Competency 2.1.8
Competency 2.1.9
Competency 2.1.10
Professional Identity
Ethical Practice
Critical Thinking
Diversity in Practice
Human Rights and Justice
Research Based Practice
Human Behavior
Policy Practice
Practice Context
Engage, Assess, Intervene Evaluate
Specific Assignments in this course will assess your attainment of this
competency.
Information about the specific competencies and related practice behaviors addressed
in this course and your other MSW courses can be found beginning in mid-September
at: http://www.bu.edu/ssw/students/current/competency-map/.
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COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students who successfully complete this course are able to:
1. Demonstrate a beginning understanding of how to apply major human behavior
theories to social work practice as evidenced by a brief analysis of Mills’ concept
of public issues/private troubles and consideration of the application of this
concept to social work practice
2. Articulate how ecological and resilience theories can inform conceptualizations of
human behavior in the social environment and be applied to social work practice.
3. Articulate how cultural beliefs and values, as well as oppression, shape
perceptions of self and others and influence the worker-client relationship, as
evidenced by a written analysis of cultural influences on their own personal
development and how this can shape their social work practice.
4. Demonstrate a critical understanding of how culture, oppression, power, and
privilege can influence the development of personal and professional identities
and the construction of social problems.
5. Articulate the complexity of individuals’ growth and development through the
lifespan within key domains (biological, cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual)
and how this knowledge informs social work practice.
6. Demonstrate how human behavior theory and research inform practice through a
written critical examination of the current evidence base on a self-selected topic
of interest and its implication for social work practice.
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TEXTS
Class time is used to integrate the reading material through lectures, discussions, and
experiential learning. Students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss,
analyze, and critique all assigned readings.
Required
Rogers, A.T., (2013). Human Behavior in the Social Environment (3rd ed.). New York:
Routledge.
Recommended
Also, the following book may be a resource for the second assignment in this course,
Analysis of Cultural Influences on Personal Development:
McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (Eds.). (2005). Ethnicity and family
therapy (3rd ed.). New York: Guildford Press.
READINGS AND OTHER MATERALS
Accessing Course Materials
Each course has a Blackboard Learn (learn.bu.edu) site. Instructors post the course
syllabus, announcements, handouts, and any other pertinent information on the course
blackboard site. In addition iinstructors often compile a collection of articles to
supplement readings from textbooks. These readings are available electronically at the
Boston University Mugar Library or the course Blackboard Learn site. To access the
supplemental readings, students must be registered for the course, have their log in
name and Kerberos password.
Accessing Required and Recommended Course Readings via Mugar Library:
The new library catalog offers a variety of ways to find but here is the easiest way to find
what you need: Go to the main Boston University Library webpage:
http://www.bu.edu/library/. In the center of the page is the Search box. At the right of
the box is a white spy-glass on a blue field. Double clicking on the spy-glass will take
you to the Advanced Search box. Just above that box are two tabs: Library
Resources and Course Reserves. After clicking on Course Reserves, type your
course number into the box and hit Return. This will take you to the list of all materials
on Reserve for this course number.
To refine your search, click on the “Sorted by” tab near the top right of the page.
Choose either author or title, whichever is easiest for you. Scroll through the list until
you come to the needed resource, then click on the item’s blue View It tab. This should
offer you, in blue, a link to View Full Text. Clicking on this link takes you to the
Kerberos log in page; log in, and the resource file will open for your viewing.
Please note that articles for the following courses are listed under the SSW Department
Chair rather than your course instructor:
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HB720 – Spencer; HB735 – Moore; WP700 & WP701 - Hudson; SR743 & SR744 –
Gonyea; MP759 – Delgado; SP741- Ruth; CP759, CP770, CP771 & CP772 – Amodeo.
Some Search Tips
“View It” vs. “Get It”
Because this system is new, and changes are being made to it weekly, you may come
across a handful of online resources which instead of having a View It link, will have
one that says Get It. In this case, click on the More Information option, which is next
to the Get It link. In the box that opens is a smaller box entitled Links, and within that
box is the actual Link to Resource line. Clicking that will take you to the requested
resource.
Unable to locate a reading
Try a different search parameter: if you’ve searched by title, instead use the author. Try
using the “Library Resources” tab rather than the “Reserves” tab. Be sure you’re
searching the reading’s title, rather than that of the original source. That is, search for
the title of the chapter or article, not the title of the original book or journal. The same is
true for authors – be sure to use the name of the author of the specific reading you
need, rather than that of the editor or author of the monograph or journal from which the
reading came.
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SYLLABUS SUMMARY 2013
Session
Date
Topic
1
9/9
Course Overview, Human Behavior and the
SW Profession
2
9/16
Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and
Interventions: The Person in the
Environment
3
9/23
Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and
Interventions: Biopsychosocial Dimensions
4
9/30
Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and
Interventions: Sociocultural Dimensions
5
10/7
Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and
Interventions: Social Change Dimensions
6
10/15
Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and
Interventions: Social Change Dimensions
cont.
7
10/21
Grief, Loss, and End of Life Issues
8
10/28
9
11/4
Development in Infancy and Early
Childhood
Development in Middle Childhood
10
11/11
Development in Adolescence
11
11/18
Development in Early Adulthood
12
11/25
Development in Middle Adulthood
13
12/2
Development in Late Adulthood
14
12/9
Review and Synthesis
6
Assignments
Assignment 1
Due
Assignment 2
Due
Assignment 3
Due
COURSE OUTLINE
Session 1. Course Overview, Human Behavior and the SW Profession (Date: 9/9)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify the purpose and expectations of the course and its grounding in social work
values.
2. Discuss the strengths-based perspective and its application to human behavior
theories and social work practice.
3. Recognize the inter-relationships between historical time, public issues, and private
troubles.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 1: Human Behavior and the Social Work Profession
Mills, C.W. (1959). The promise. In The sociological imagination. (pp. 3-13). New
York: Oxford University Press.
Saleebey, D. (2000). Power in the people: Strengths and hope. Advances in Social
Work, 1(2), 127–136.
Recommended:
Furstenberg, F. F. (2003). Teenage childbearing as a public issue and private concern.
Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 23–39.
Hartman, A. (1989). Homelessness: Public issue and private trouble. Social Work, 34,
483–484.
Session 2. Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: The Person in
the Environment (Date: 9/16 )
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Describe the ecological systems and risk and resiliency perspectives used in
examining human behavior in the social environment.
2. Apply ecological systems and risk and resiliency theories to understanding and
assessing human behavior.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 2: Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: The Person
in the Environment
Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005). Ecological systems theory. In U. Bronfenbrenner (Ed.),
Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human
development (pp. 106–173). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Especially pp. 106–
120, 146–151.
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Sanders, G. R., Fitzgerald, M. A., & Bratteli, M. (2008). Mental health services for older
adults in rural areas: An ecological systems approach. Journal of Applied
Gerontology, 27(3), 252–266.
Riley, J. R., & Masten, A. S. (2005).Resilience in context. In R. D. Peters, B.
Leadbeater, & R. J. McMahon (Eds.), Resilience in children, families, and
communities: Linking context to practice and policy (pp. 13–25). New York:
Springer Verlag.
Recommended:
Eamon, M. K. (2001). The effects of poverty on children’s socioemotional development.
An ecological systems analysis. Social Work, 46 (3), 256-266.
Masten, A. S. (2007). Resilience in developing systems: Progress and promise as the
fourth wave rises. Development and Psychopathology, 19, 921–930.
Schweiger, W. K., & O’Brien, M. (2005). Special needs adoption: An ecological systems
approach. Family Relations, 54(4), 512–522.
Voisin, D. R., DiClemente, R. J., Salazar, L. F., Crosby, R. A., & Yarber, W. L. (2006).
Ecological factors associated with STD risk behaviors among detained female
adolescents. Social Work, 51(1), 71–79.
Session 3: Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions:
Biopsychosocial Dimensions (Date: 9/23)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify and discuss basic elements of a biopsychosocial framework.’
2. Recognize the contributions and limitations of life-span development theories.
3. Consider how developmental science can inform social policies and practices.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 3: Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions:
Biopsychosocial Dimensions
Shonkoff, J.P. (2010). Building a new biodevelopmental framework to guide the future of
early childhood policy. Child Development, 8 1). 357-367.
Masten, W., & Wright, M.O. (2009). Resilience over the lifespan. Handbook of adult
resilience, 213-237.
Miller, G.E., & Chen, E. (2013). The biological residue of childhood poverty. Child
Development Perspectives, 7(2), 67-73
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Haight, W.L., & Taylor, E.H. (2013). Using social science evidence to understand
human development and enhance social work practice. In Human behavior for
social work practice: A developmental-ecological framework (pp.58-86). Chicago:
Lyceum.
Session 4. Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: Sociocultural
Dimensions (Date: 9/30)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Recognize different definitions of culture.
2. Distinguish between race and culture.
3. Recognize social class as a form of culture.
4. Discuss the dimensions of culture and different worldviews and their roles in
influencing human behavior.
5. Discuss how culture influences the helping process.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 4: Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: Sociocultural
Dimensions
McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (2005). Overview. In McGoldrick, J.
Giordano, & N. Garcia-Preto (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd ed., pp. 140). New York: Guildford Press.
Lareau, A. (2007). Unequal childhoods. In M.L. Andersen & P.H. Collins (Eds.), Race,
class, & gender: An anthology (6th ed., pp. 348-358). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Dolnick, E. (1993(, September). Deafness as a culture. Atlantic Monthly, 272, 37-53.
Recommended:
Costello, E. J., Compton, S. N., Keeler, G., & Angold, A. (2003). Relationships between
poverty and psychopathology: A natural experiment. Journal of the American
Medical Association, 290(15), 2023–2029
Lui, W. M. (2005). The study of men and masculinity as an important multicultural
competency consideration. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61(6), 685–697.
Waters, M. C. (2004). Optional ethnicities: For whites only? In M. L. Andersen & P. H.
Collins (Eds.), Race, class, and gender: An anthology (5th ed., pp. 418–427).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Session 5: Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: Social
Change Dimensions (Date: 10/7)
9
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Describe the dynamics of racism and prejudice and how they operate at the
individual, institutional, and societal levels.
2. Recognize how dynamics of racism and prejudice may impinge on the helping
relationship.
3. Discuss the concept of White privilege.
4. Define microaggressions and identify examples in practice.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 5: Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: Social
Change Dimensions
Collins, P.H. (1991). Mammies, matriarchs, and other controlling images. Black feminist
thought: Knowledge , consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. New
York: Routledge, 67-90.
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M. B., Nadal, K.
L., et al. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical
practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271–286.
Fitzpatrick, K., & LaGory, M. (2011). Unhealthy cities: Poverty, race and place in
America (Chapters 1,3, & 5). New York: Routledge
Recommended:
Abelev, M. S. (2009). Advancing out of poverty: Social class worldview and its relation
to resilience. Journal of Adolescent Research, 24(1), 114–141.
Ridgeway, C. L. (2009). Framed before we know it: How gender shapes social
relations.Gender & Society, 23(2), 145–160.
Green, S., Davis, C., Karshmer, E., Marsh, P., & Straight, B., (2005). Living stigma: The
impact of labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination in the
lives of individuals with disabilities and their families. Sociological Inquiry, 75(2),
197-215.
Session 6: Lenses for Conceptualizing Problems and Interventions: Sociocultural
and Social Change Dimensions cont. (Date: 10/15)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify four components of cultural competence.
2. Discuss multiple dimensions of cultural competence in social work practice.
3. Identify ways prejudices associated with other dimensions of culture, such as
gender, sexuality, and social class, operate at multiple levels.
Required:
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Sue, D.W. (2005). Becoming culturally competent in social work practice. In Multicultural
social work practice (pp. 23-40). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
McGoldrick, M. & Ashton, D. (2012). Culture: A challenge to concepts of normality. In F.
Walsh (Ed.). Normal family processes (4th ed.) (pp.249-272). New York: Guildford
Press.
Burdge, B.J. (2007). Bending gender, ending gender: Theoretical foundations for social
work practice with the transgender community. Social Work, 52(3), 243-250.
Visser, M. J., & Schoeman, J. B. (2004). Implementing a community intervention to
reduce young people’s risks for getting HIV: Unraveling the complexities. Journal
of Community Psychology, 32(2), 145–165.
Recommended:
Mantsios, G. (2004). Media magic: Making class invisible. In M.L. Andersen & P.H.
Collins (Eds.), Race, class, and gender: An anthology (5th ed., pp. 329-337).
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Pitts, L., Jr. (2002). Crazy sometimes. In B. Singley & D. A. Bell (Eds.), When
Race becomes real: Black and white writers confront their personal histories (pp.
21–27). Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books.
Session 7: Grief, Loss, and End of Life Issues (Date: 10/21)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Understand distinctions between bereavement, grief, and mourning.
2. Contextualize experiences of loss, death and dying within ecological,
developmental, and cultural perspectives.
3. Identify distinguishing characteristics between normal and complicated grief.
4. Consider who developmental issues may influence experiences of grief and loss.
Required:
Christ, G. H., Siegel, K., & Christ, A. E. (2002). Adolescent grief: “It never really
hit me … Until it actually happened.” Journal of the American Medical
Association, 288(10), 1269–1279.
Corr, C.A., & Coolican, M.B. (2010). Understanding bereavement, grief, and mourning:
Implications for donation and transplant professionals. Progress in
Transplanation, 20, 169-177.
Nelson, J.K. (2010). Separation, loss, and grief in adults: An attachment perspective. In
S. Bennett & J.K. Nelson (Eds.), Adult attachment in clinical social work:
Practice, research, and policy (pp. 79-95). New York: NY: Springer.
11
Shear, M.K., Simon, N., Wall, M., Zisook, S., Neimeyer, R., Duan, N., Keshaviah, S.
(2011). Complicated grief and related bereavement issues for DSM-5.
Depression and Anxiety, 28, 103-117.
Steinhauser, K. E., Christakis, N. A., Clipp, E. C., McNeilly, M., McIntyre, L., & Tulsky, J.
A. (2000). Factors considered important at the end of life by patients, family,
physicians, and other care providers. Journal of the American Medical
Association, 284(19), 2476–2482.
Bonanno, G.A. (2004). Loss, trauma, and human resilience: Have we underestimated
the human capacity to thrive after extremely aversive events? American
Psychologist, 59(1), 20-28.
Recommended:
Cagle, J. G., & Kovacs, P. J. (2009). Education: A complex empowering social work
intervention at the end of life. Health & Social Work, 34(1), 17–27.
Connor, S. R. (2007). Development of hospice and palliative care in the United
States.OMEGA, 56(1), 89–99.
Kastenbaum, R. J. (2007). Bereavement, grief, and mourning. In Death, society, and
human experience (7th ed., pp. 312–355). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Session 8: Development in Infancy and Early Childhood (Date: 10/28)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify and apply multiple theoretical perspectives for understanding
development of infants and toddlers.
2. Describe the relational and neurobiological processes related to the development
of attachment and self-regulation and their implications for healthy development
and resilience.
3. Recognize the role of temperament in the context of infant development.
4. Identify key emerging cognitive, social, and emotional capacities that influence
development in early childhood.
5. Understand the role parent-child relationships play in development during infancy
and early childhood.
6. Describe ways that child care environments can support and/or impede
development in infancy and early childhood.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 7: Development in Infancy and Early Childhood
Blackwell, P. L. (2004, March). The idea of temperament: Does it help parents
understand their babies? Zero to Three, 37–41.
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Bloom, P. (2010, May 7). The moral life of babies.The New York Times Magazine, 44–
49, 56, 62–63, 65.
Engle, P.L., & Black, M.M. (2008). The effect of poverty on child development and
educational outcomes. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1136 24356.
Recommended:
Harkness, S., Super, C. M., Moscardino, U., Rha, J.-H., Blom, M., Huitron, B., et al.
(2007). Cultural models and developmental agendas: Implications for arousal
and self-regulation in early infancy. Journal of Developmental Processes, 2(1),
5–39.
Hirschland, D. (2008). Seven building blocks of development. In Collaborative
intervention in early childhood: Consulting with parents and teachers of 3- to 7year-olds (pp. 16–54). New York: Oxford University Press.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2007). The science of early
childhood development: Closing the gap between what we know and what we do.
Retrieved April 30, 2009, from http://www.developingchild.net
Session 9: Development in Middle Childhood (Date: 11/4)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify developmental milestones associated with physical, cognitive, and
emotional development in preschool and middle childhood.
2. Articulate and apply an understanding of the influence of the family as well as
larger systems, including day care, on development in preschool.
3. Articulate and apply an understanding of the influence of family, peers, schools,
communities, and larger social and cultural systems on children’s behavior and
diverse pathways of development in middle childhood.
4. Recognize the relationship between the developmental science knowledge base
and social policy development related to children.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 8: Development in Middle Childhood
Coll, C. G., & Szalacha, L. A. (2004). The multiple contexts of middle childhood.
Children of Immigrant Families, 14(2), 81–97.
Salmivalli, C. (2010). Bullying and the peer group: A review. Aggression and Violent
Behavior, 15, 112–120.
Schweiger, W.K., & O’Brien, M. (2005). Special needs adoption: An ecological systems
13
approach. Family Relations, 54(4), 512-522.
Recommended:
Lewis, M. L., & Ippen, C. G. (2007). Rainbows of tears, souls full of hope: Cultural
issues related to young children and trauma. In J. D. Osopsky (Ed.), Young
children and trauma (pp. 11–46). New York: Guilford.
Social Policy Brief Report (2006). Over-scheduled is over-stated: After school activities
are good for kids. Society for Research in Child Development, 20 (4).
Session 10: Development in Adolescence (Date:11/11)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify developmental milestones associated with physical, cognitive and
emotional development in adolescence.
2. Discuss the central assumptions of key frameworks for understanding human
behavior in adolescence, namely positive youth development and developmental
psychopathology.
3. Identify how attachment relationships with primary caregiving adults shift and
change in adolescence.
4. Identify how economic disadvantage can influence the parent-child relationship
and may contribute to adultification in adolescence.
5. Understand the influence of immigration on adolescent development.
6. Discuss risks and opportunities associated with developmental changes in
adolescence associated with increasing independence sexuality (e.g., risk-taking
behaviors).
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 9: Development in Adolescence
Burton, L. (2007). Childhood adultification in economically disadvantaged families: A
conceptual model. Family Relations, 56(4), 329–345.
Damon, W. (2004). What is positive youth development? Annals American Academy of
Political and Social Science, 59(1), 13–24.
Powell, K. (2006). How does the teenage brain work? Nature, 442, 865–867.
Stieglitz, K.A. (2010). Development, risk, and resilience of transgender youth. Journal of
the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 21, 192-206.
Suarez-Orozco, M. & Suarez-Orozco, C. (2007). Moving stories: Immigrant youth adapt
to change. Du Bios Review, 4(1), 251-259.
Luthar, S.S., & Barkin, S.H. (2012). Are affluent youth truly “at risk”? Vulnerability and
14
resilience across three diverse samples. Development and Psychopathology,
24(2), 429-449.
Recommended:
Brown, S. A., McGue, M., Maggs, J., Schulenberg, J., Hingson, R., & Swartzwelder, S.
(2008). A developmental perspective on alcohol and youths 16 to 20 years of
age. Pediatrics, 121(Suppl. 4), S290–S310
Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2002). A developmental psychopathology perspective
on adolescence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70(1), 6–20.
Session 11: Development in Early Adulthood (Date: 11/18)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify developmental milestones associated with physical, cognitive, and emotional
development in early adulthood.
2. Identify the impact of sociocultural contexts, including issues of social and economic
justice, on the ways young adults assume adult roles and negotiate developmental
tasks.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 10: Development in Early Adulthood
Arnett, J. J. (2007). Suffering, selfish, slackers? Myths and reality about emerging
adults. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 23–29.
Courtney, M. (2009). The Difficult Transition to Adulthood for Foster Youth in the US:
Implications for the State as Corporate Parent. Social Policy Report, 23(1), 2-19.
Society for Research in Child Development.
Hooks, B. (1989). Keeping close to home: Class and education. In Talking back:
Thinking feminist, thinking black (pp.73-83). Boston: South End Press.
Hines, A. M., Merdinger, J., & Wyatt, P. (2005). Former foster youth attending college:
Resilience and the transition to young adulthood. American Journal of
Orthopsychiatry, 75(3), 381–394.
Recommended:
Gibson-Davis, C. M., Edin, K., & McLanahan, S. (2005). High hopes but even higher
expectations: The retreat from marriage among low-income couples. Journal of
Marriage and Family, 67, 1301–1312.
Paris, R. (2008). “For the dream of being here, one sacrifices…”: Voices of immigrant
mothers in a home visiting program. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78(20,
141-151.
15
Session 12: Development in Middle Adulthood (Date: 11/25)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Identify developmental milestones associated with physical, cognitive, and
emotional development in middle adulthood.
2. Describe the ways that social class influences the ways that adults balance work
and family responsibilities.
3. Understand the role of protective factors, such as spirituality, in promising
resilience in midlife.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 11: Development in Middle Adulthood
Dodson, L. (2007). Wage poor mothers and moral economy. Social Politics,
International Studies in Gender, State and Society, 14(2), 258-280.
Gianino, M. (2008). Adaption and transformation: The transition to adoptive parenthood
for gay male couples. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 4(2), 205-243.
Riley, L. D., & Bowen, C. P. (2005). The sandwich generation: Challenges and coping
strategies of multigenerational families. The Family Journal: Counseling and
Therapy for Couples and Families, 13(1), 52–58.
Walsh, F. (2008). Spirituality, healing and resilience. In M. McGoldrick & K.V. Hardy
(Eds.), Re-visioning family therapy: Race, culture, and gender in clinical practice (pp.
61-75). New York: Guildford Press.
Recommended:
Almeida, D. M., & Horn, M. C. (2004). Is daily life more stressful in middle adulthood? In
O. G. Brim, C. D. Ryff, & R. C. Kessler (Eds.), How healthy are we? A national study
of well-being at midlife (pp. 425–451). Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Miller, G.E., Lachman, M.E., Chen, E., Gruenewald, T. L., Karlamangla, A.S., &
Seeman, T.E. (2011). Pathways to resilience maternal nurturance as a buffer
against the effects of childhood poverty on metabolic syndrome at midlife.
Psychological Science, 22(12), 1591-1599.
Van Volkman, M. (2006). Sibling relationships in middle and older adulthood: A review
of the literature. Marriage & Family Review, 40(2/3), 151–170.
Session 13. Development in Late Adulthood (Date: 12/2)
Objectives: The student will be able to:
1. Recognize the unique opportunities and challenges of late adulthood related to
16
family and peer relationships, employment, health, sexuality, stress, and
cumulative loss.
2. Develop an understanding of the sociocultural contexts within which late
adulthood is defined and assigned meaning.
3. Identify how economic resources influence the aging process.
Required:
TEXT: Chapter 12: Development in Late Adulthood
Dominus, S. (2004, February 22). Life in the age of old, old, age. New York Times
Magazine, pp. 26–33, 46, 58–59.
Ferraro, K.F., & Shippe, T.P. (2009). Aging and cumulative inequality: How does
inequality get under the skin? Gerontologist, 49(3), 333-343.
Gonyea, J. (2006). Housing, health, and quality of life. In B. Berkman & S. D’Ambruoso
(Eds.), Handbook of social work in health and aging (pp. 559–567). New York:
Oxford University Press.
Hillman, J. (2008). Sexual issues and aging within the context of work with older adult
patients. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 39(3), 290–297.
Recommended:
Barker, N. N., & Himchak, M. V. (2006). Environmental issues affecting elder abuse
victims in their reception of community based services. Journal of Gerontological
Social Work, 48(1/2), 233–255.
Hilton, J. M., Kopera-Frye, K., & Krave, A. (2009). Successful aging from the
perspective of family caregivers. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for
Couples and Families, 17(1), 39–50.
Min, J. W. (2005). Cultural competency: A key to effective social work with racially and
ethnically diverse elders. Families in Society, 86(3), 347–358.
Moon, A., & Rhee, S. (2006). Immigrant and refugee elders. In B. Berkman & S.
D’Ambruoso (Eds.), Handbook of social work in health and aging (pp. 205–217).
New York: Oxford University Press.
Morgan, M. (2007). Prescription drug abuse among older adults: A family ecological
case study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 26(5), 419–432.
Nimrod, G., & Kleiber, D. A. (2007). Reconsidering change and continuity in later life:
Toward an innovation theory of successful aging. International Journal of Aging
and Human Development, 65(1), 1–22.
17
Session 14: Review and Synthesis (Date: 12/9)
18
GRADE CALCULATION
Assignment 1:
Assignment 2:
Assignment 3:
Class Participation:
TOTAL:
5%
35%
45%
15%
100%
ASSIGNMENTS
You will complete three written assignments for HB720. Students are expected to utilize
both course readings and additional peer-reviewed professional journal articles and
scholarly texts for these assignments. LIMITED use of website information is
permissible.
DUE DATES
Assignment 1: Reaction Paper
Assignment 2: Culture Paper
Assignment 3: Research Paper
9/16
10/21
12/9
ASSIGNMENT 1: REACTION PAPER
Due: 9/16
In a brief paper, i.e., no more than two double-spaced pages using a 12-point font,
apply C. W. Mills’ concept of public issues/private troubles to a current social situation of
your choice, e.g., homelessness, unemployment, teenage pregnancy, domestic
violence, elder abuse. (Please see the recommended readings in Session 1 for
examples.) Discuss areas in which you might agree and/or disagree with this theory and
how you might find it useful in your role as a social worker.
This assignment is intended to support the attainment of competence in critical thinking
(SWC 2.1.3) and the application of human behavior theory to understanding the interrelatedness of people and their environments (SWC 2.1.7). The purpose of this
assignment is twofold - to demonstrate your ability to (a) understand and critique a
theory and to think about how theory can inform macro and clinical practice and (b)
communicate your ideas effectively in writing. You will be provided with feedback on the
clarity and accuracy of your thinking and writing. Although this paper will not be graded,
it will count toward your class participation grade. Comments can be used to help you
prepare assignments 2 and 3 and to determine whether you may want to engage
additional support to further develop your written communication skills.
19
th
Please use APA format (6 ed.) when referencing articles in the text and include a
reference list at the end of the paper. See the BUSSW Student Services website for
detailed information on APA format.
Grading: This assignment is worth 5% of your course grade.
ASSIGNMENT 2: ANALYSIS OF CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Due: 10/21
A core competency of social work practice as defined by CSWE is the ability to “engage
diversity and difference in practice” (SWC 2.1.4), or what many call cultural
competence. As Sue (2006) notes, cultural competence is comprised of three central
components: awareness, knowledge and skills. The goal of this assignment is to
deepen your awareness of how culture, oppression, power, and privilege have
influenced (a) the development of your own personal identity, (b) how you perceive and
engage with others in social work practice, and (c) how others perceive and engage
with you. To achieve this, please reflect on the following questions and write a 5-7 page
essay that demonstrates your engagement with the course material and a thoughtful
process of self-reflection:
1. What have been the cultural influences (e.g., group memberships, salient
background characteristics, sources of worldviews and core values) on your own
personal identity development? Please offer specific examples.
2. What role have processes associated with oppression, power and privilege
played in the development of your personal identity?
3. In what ways have these cultural influences shaped who you are today, both
positively and/or negatively?
4. How might these cultural influences facilitate and/or hinder your social work
practice? (The readings by Sue in Session 3 can be especially helpful here.)
This assignment is an opportunity to think deeply about, explore and clarify your ideas
about yourself in relation to the course material and your work in a professional context.
Such self-examination supports the attainment of competency in ethical practice (SWC
2.1.2) as the capacity for self-reflection and identification of one’s own personal values
is fundamental to the ability to identify and productively address conflicts in values and
ethics in professional social work practice.
This paper requires a good deal of reflective thought prior to writing your analysis.
Please plan ahead and leave time for both the reflective and writing processes. You
may find it helpful to approach this paper by first considering the major values and
beliefs you hold and then identifying their cultural roots.
20
th
Paper Format: 5–7 page paper, double-spaced, 12-point font, APA style (6 Ed.).
• Please cite a minimum of four references in your paper, at least two of these
from the syllabus.
•
Your paper should be an "integrated" written statement, with appropriate
introductory and concluding paragraphs, not simply a list of discrete answers to
questions 1–3.
Grading: This assignment is worth 30% of your course grade.
Please remember you will not be graded on your life experience. However, you will be
graded on the clarity of your analysis and application of the concepts discussed in the
course. Specifically, the following will be considered:
•
How accurately and thoroughly you address the paper's topic, and discuss each
of the questions posed. This includes not simply recounting parts of your life
story, but rather examining a specific set of your experiences in light of how
cultural influences have shaped your own personal beliefs and behaviors.
•
How clearly you present your overall analysis, state your individual points, and
support them with relevant examples.
•
How accurately you draw on and cite appropriate references using APA style (6
Ed.).
•
How well you present your ideas in written form (i.e., grammar, editing).
th
ASSIGNMENT 3: CRITICAL LITERATURE REVIEW OR LIFE HISTORY INTERVIEW
Due: 12/9
For the final assignment, you may choose to complete either Option 1 or Option 2.
For Option 1, you would consider the use of evidence to inform social work practice in a
particular area by conducting a critical literature review. For Option 2, you would
consider the impact of a particular life event at different stages in the life cycle by
conducting a life history interview project.
Both assignments facilitate the integration and application of your learning in this course
and provides an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to (a) examine and appraise
multiple sources of knowledge related to a specific issue of concern to social work
(SWC 2.1.3), (b) apply relevant human behavior and developmental theories (SWC
2.1.7) and (c) reflect on how a synthesis of multiple forms of knowledge can be applied
to social work practice in current contexts to the maximum benefit of those served
(SWC 2.1.6 and 2.1.9).
21
OPTION 1: USING EVIDENCE TO INFORM SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: A CRITICAL
LITERATURE REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Sackett and colleagues (1996) have described evidence-based practice (EBP), which is
a process of inquiry, as the “...conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best
evidence in making decisions about the care of individual [clients]" (p.71). This requires
integrating varying forms of knowledge and information from multiple sources to
determine the most appropriate course of action – one that succeeds in promoting the
health and well-being of our clients and that does not harm them.
For this assignment, you will select a topic of interest, locate this topic within a particular
life cycle stage, and consider the implications of this developmental timing for the issue
of interest. To do this, you will critically review the theoretical, empirical, and practice
literature addressing this topic and make reasonable recommendations for social work
practice informed by your critical reading of the evidence.
Step 1: Formulating your question
Select a topic of interest that corresponds to a particular life cycle stage that is
discussed in class, e.g., birth to three, adolescence, late adulthood. Listed below
are sample topics from previous years.

Prenatal Exposure to Heroin and Methadone: Effects on Infant Development

Perinatal Loss and Attachment Theory

The Impact of the Foster Care System on Infant and Toddler Development

Autism Spectrum Disorder: Birth to Three

Development of Children in Lesbian Families

The Impact of Witnessing Domestic Violence on Childhood Development

Art Therapy in Middle Childhood

The Psychological Impact of HIV/AIDS on African Orphan Children

Navigating Uncharted Territory: Exploring the Formation of Peer
Relationships among Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome

Juvenile Prostitution in the United States

The Effects of War on Adolescents

Resilience in Adolescent Refugees

Spiritual Development in Adolescence

Self-Injurious Behavior in Adolescence

Parental Loss and Early Adulthood Development

Occupational Transitions in Middle Adulthood
22

Middle Adulthood: The Sandwich Generation

Late Adulthood and Sexuality: Old People Getting It On?

Death and Dying: Hospice
Step 2: Identify and Describe Your Topic
 Provide justification for the importance of your topic by summarizing relevant
data (e.g., recent trends, demographic statistics, and epidemiological data, if
available) and indicate why this topic is important to social welfare.
Step 3: Systematically search and synthesize the literature
 Summarize the current scholarship on what is known about your chosen topic
from peer-reviewed journals and scholarly texts. You may need to contextualize
the evidence in some historical perspective but be sure to draw from the most
current scholarship.
*Please note: A literature review is a critical synthesis of available information. It is
distinguished from an annotated bibliography, which separately summarizes the
methods and findings of a group of articles. Thus, in your literature review you should
attempt to consider the body of scholarship as a whole. Consider things like: what are
key findings in the studies you have reviewed? Do approaches vary across these
studies? Is there agreement/disagreement among different scholars about the topic or
the appropriate methods to investigate? Are finding consistent or inconsistent across
studies? Are there any gaps in our knowledge or understanding pertaining to your topic,
etc.
Step 4: Apply the findings to practice
Applying what you have learned, consider what we know and don’t know about your
topic: what should social workers do? Offer your recommendations for macro and/or
clinical social work practice. Please do the following:





Consider the evidence from your literature review from a theoretical perspective.
Select one of the theories (e.g. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development or
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory) or theoretical frameworks (e.g., ecological
theory, risk and resilience) examined in this course and apply it to your topic:
• Briefly describe the theory and its components.
• Interpret the findings of the studies you reviewed using your theory.
• Describe what else this theory might suggest about your topic.
Summarize the quality of the evidence base (do we know a lot with a high level
of certainty, know some things but not others, know very little about this topic at
all?)
Using explicit reference to at least 3 readings from our course, summarize the
cultural relevance of the evidence base summarized in your literature review.
Consider relevant field or professional work experience (see description below)
Based on the above, make 3-5 concrete recommendations for social work
practice
23
Field or professional work experience:
Can be any direct engagement with clients or stakeholders that is relevant to the
specific population described in your paper. It may be clinical or macro in focus, e.g.,
individual work with a client, group work, community organizing, legislative efforts. If you
do not have any relevant field or professional work experience from which to draw on,
you will need to: (a) talk with a person who has first-hand experience with your selected
topic, e.g., an individual from the population you described in your paper, program
director, practitioner, or community advocate; or (b) read a first-person account written
by an individual who is part of the population you discussed in your paper.
Paper Format:
Approximately 15 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, APA style (6th Ed.). The number
of references for this paper is unlimited. That is, you need to have a sufficient number to
substantiate the claims you make in your paper and demonstrate that you have a
command of the literature. An estimated range of references for this assignment is 2030.
Suggested Outline:
Here is a possible outline for your paper, along with suggested page lengths. Please
note that these are guidelines only. There will be great variety in the length of different
sections. Feel free to use your own format as long as your paper (sufficiently) considers
all of the points detailed above.
Section
Suggest Page Length
Identify and Describe your Topic
1 page
Synthesize the Literature
5 pages
Apply Findings to Practice
Theory Description
Interpret Findings with Theory
1-2 pages
2-3 pages
What Else Might Theory Suggest
1-2 pages
Summarize Quality of Evidence
1-2 pages
Summarize Cultural Relevance
1-2 pages
Consider Relevant Work Experience
1-2 pages
Make 3-5 Concrete Recommendations
1-2 pages
24
OPTION 2: LIFE EVENTS AND ADAPTATION THROUGHOUT THE LIFESPAN
For this assignment, please select a life event as your primary area of focus. This life
event can be a marriage, birth of a child, a divorce, graduation from school, loss of a
loved one, surviving a traumatic event (e.g., natural disaster, car accident, or violent
crime), etc. Life events are circumstances (can be positive or negative) that occur in all
of our lives that require us to adapt to them. You will then examine the empirical
literature on this life event and the effects it has no development and gather first person
experiences of this life event from individuals during at least two life stages.
Life Stage:
For the purpose of this paper, a life stage is a distinct developmental time point, such as
childhood, early adulthood, and older adulthood.
Oral History Interviews:
To consider the impact of the selected life event, you will interview two people who
experienced this life event as different life stages. To gather rich information about
these individual’s experiences, you will need to develop questions that help you to
understand their experience of and response to the life event. For example:
 How did the event affect them (their thinking, their behavior, and their attitudes)?
 How did the person react or adapt to the event? (Explore certain coping or
adaptive patterns)
 How did the event impact their relationships with others?
In the interview, strive to understand how each person perceived the event and identify
the differences in how they reacted to the event. Formulate your interview questions
prior to the interview. Try to ask some form of the same questions to each person you
interview to allow for comparison but make sure that your questions are age appropriate
if you are interviewing children.
You will need to first obtain permission of each interviewee to interview them. Have
them initial a statement indicating their willingness to participate in the assignment. Let
them know the information you gather will be confidential and will only be used for the
purpose of this assignment. Use false or pseudo names in the write-up of the interview.
Example
Katrina was a hurricane that impacted many people in Louisiana and Mississippi. Mary’s
Aunt and nephew lived in the New Orleans area and had to be evacuated as a result of
the storm. There was much disruption in their lives because of leaving their home and
losing personal items. Mary, a middle aged adult and Bill, a 19 year old were
interviewed about how the storm impacted them to include their thoughts, perspective,
behaviors, reactions, and lessons learned.
25
Writing the Paper
After you have finished interviewing each person and recording their repsones, you are
ready to write the paper. Use the organizational scheme being described here. These
are the major sections of the paper.
Step 1: Introduction
 Describe the life event that would be the focus of your literature review and
interviews and why you chose this topic.
Step 2: Literature Review
 Provide a synthesis of the literature you reviewed on your selected life event and
what is known about how this life event influences development.
Step 3: Interview
 Describe the settings in which your interviews took place
 Briefly describe the people you interviewed and your relationship to them (e.g.,
friend, co-worker). No identifying information is necessary other than
demographic data such as “51 year old Asian woman.”
 What was your hypothesis about the likely repsonses of the individuals you
interviewed to the life event?
 How did their responses differ or coincide with what you had expected?
Step 4: Analysis
The content in this part of the paper is an analysis of what you have learned and is the
most important part of the paper.
 Consider what you have learned from your literature review and your interviews
together.
 Consider the influence of the larger cultural and social contexts within which the
individuals you interviewed experienced the life event
 Apply relevant human behavior and developmental theory in your analysis. How
can these theories explain some of the reactions or forms of coping that were
utilized by those you interviewed? What insights did you develop as a result of
these interviews?
Step 5: Conclusion
What did you learn about how one’s place in the life course impacts how various life
events affect people? What are the implications for understanding human behavior in
the social environment? How will this assignment inform your future work as a social
worker?
Suggested Outline:
Here is a possible outline for your paper, along with suggested page lengths. Please
note that these are guidelines only. There will be great variety in the length of different
sections. Feel free to use your own format as long as your paper (sufficiently) considers
all of the points detailed above.
26
Section
Identify and describe your topic
Synthesize the literature
Interviews
Description of people interviewed and
setting
Discussion of hypotheses for individual
responses
Discussion of actual individual
responses
Analysis
Discussion of what you have learned
Application of relevant theory
Consideration of influence of larger
social and cultural contexts
Implications for social work practice
Suggested Page Length
1 page
5 pages
1-2 pages
1-2 pages
2-3 pages
1-2 pages
2-3 pages
2-3 pages
1-2 pages
27
COURSE GRADING CRITERIA
The course grade will be based on the quality of your class participation and
performance on written assignments, weighted as follows:
5%: Assignment #1 Reaction Paper
35%: Assignment #2 Analysis of Cultural Influences
45%: Assignment #3 Using Evidence to Inform Social Work Practice
15%: Class Participation – class attendance, active participation, and engagement with
course material, completion of course readings, completion of Assignment #1 (Reaction
Paper).
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance:
Students are expected to attend all class sessions and to inform the instructor in
advance of any absences. Failure to attend class sessions is likely to have a negative
effect on your course grade.
Academic honesty:
Papers and presentations in the School of Social Work must meet standards of
academic honesty and integrity, avoiding any possibility of plagiarism or other forms of
academic misconduct. For specific information about the BUSSW policy regarding
academic misconduct, see Student Handbook: Ways & Means
(http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/stud_hb/index.shtml).
Pages 64–68 of the BUSSW Ways & Means Handbook (distributed to all entering
students) describes forms of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, that can result
in a student's referral to the School's Status Review Committee for review of the
student's overall performance and readiness to continue in professional social work
education. Plagiarism (p. 64) "is the act of representing someone else's creative and/or
academic work as one's own, whether in full or part. It can be an act of commission, in
which one intentionally appropriates the words, pictures, or ideas of another; or it can be
an act of omission, in which one fails to acknowledge/document/give credit to the
source, creator, and/or copyright owners of those words, pictures, or ideas. Any
fabrication (i.e. making up) of material, quotes, or sources other than created in a work
of fiction, is also plagiarism.
Plagiarism also includes, but is not limited to, the purchase, copying, or uncited use of
another's work; use of material translated from another language as though it were
original to the student; copying material word for word without quotation marks and
attribution to its source; and presenting collaborative work as though it were the
presenter's work alone.
Students may not submit the same material for two courses without prior written
approval of both instructors involved. Making false statements regarding academic
misconduct or attributing the misconduct wholly to others is also misconduct. Pressuring
a faculty member or fellow student to behave unethically is also academic misconduct
and grounds for Status Review.
28
Writing style and references:
Students are expected to follow the editorial and reference standards set out in the
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (2010). This manual is
available at the Mugar Library reference desk. A helpful BUSSW APA Style Guide can
be found at http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/academic/index.shtml.
Students with disabilities:
If you have a disability and want to request reasonable accommodation, the University
requires that you consult with Boston University’s Office of Disability Services for
information regarding this process (http://www.bu.edu/disability/).
Academic writing assistance:
If you would like academic writing assistance, information can be found at
http://www.bu.edu/ssw/current/academic/assistance/index.shtml or contact the BUSSW
Office of Student Services.
Electronic devices in the classroom:
Computers may be used to support the learning activities in the classroom, with
permission of your instructor. These include such activities as taking notes and
accessing course readings under discussion. However, non-academic use of laptops
and other devices are distracting and seriously disrupt the learning process for
everyone. Neither computers nor other electronic devices are to be used in the
classroom for non-academic reasons. This includes e-mailing, texting, social
networking, and use of the Internet. The use of cell phones during class time is
prohibited. Please turn off cell phones and refrain from taking calls unless you are “on
call” and have cleared this with the instructor prior to class.
Under such circumstances, please put your phone on vibrate, sit close to a door, and
step out of the room to take the call.
Religious holidays:
The school, in scheduling classes on religious holiday, intends that students observing
those holidays be given ample opportunity to make up work. Faculty members who wish
to observe religious holidays will arrange for another faculty member to meet their
classes or for canceled classes to be reschedule
OTHER COURSE POLICIES
Class Participation
Students are expected to participate actively in class, and in a manner that is respectful of
each other's contributions, of clients and client confidentiality, and of the instructor and the
shared learning process. Full participation creates an effective learning environment. I
expect that each student will contribute to the in-class learning experience by actively
listening, speaking, and sometimes leading class discussions. Each student is a learning
resource for other students and faculty. The common foundation for discussion rests with
the readings. I believe that both verbal and written skills are important to social workers.
You will have the opportunity to participate in small groups as well as in larger class
29
discussions. Class participation counts for 15% of your grade and is evaluated on the
following criteria: attendance, level of preparation demonstrated in oral questions and
comments in small and large group discussions, and quality of written responses to in-class
exercises.
Late Assignments
It is your responsibility to submit assignments on time.
Late assignments will be not be given full credit.
If you submit an assignment after the due date and time, 10% of the total assignment
point value will be deducted automatically. For example, if an assignment is worth 25
points, 2.5 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.
30