Full course description
In this course, you will learn about current social welfare issues in the context of their history and the underlying rationale and values that support different approaches. Emphasis is placed on major fields of social work service such as income maintenance, health care, mental health, child welfare, corrections, and elderly services. There are four main content areas for the course, beginning with the philosophic and practical basis for social welfare provisions. The focus will then transition to the history of social work as a profession, as well as the emergence of specific policies and programs. Using this information, learners will review critical analysis of current social welfare policies and programs in the U.S. and elsewhere. Learners will then focus on the understanding of theory, research, debates, and trends in social welfare.
The course is organized into eight modules that include information lectures, readings, resource videos, interviews with experts, and engaging activities to encourage reflection, growth, and action. We anticipate that it will take you approximately three or four hours to complete each of the modules.
For learners pursuing the full Social Work Essentials Certificate, this course is commonly taken concurrently with 507 and 509. The recommend pacing is 1 module per week per course, working on all 3 courses at the same time.