MSW Courses

SW 600; Cultural Competency for Social Work.

This course examines cross-cultural practices and values, with emphasis on the commonalities and differences among individuals, groups, organizations, and communities. Emphasis is given to critical analyses of people based on age, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, spirituality, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, veteran, and/or disability status. Three credits.

SW 601; Social Work Foundations.  

Examines social welfare as an institution, and social work as a profession in American society. Included are basic knowledge, values, and skills required for advanced generalist practice. Emphasis is on values and ethics, populations-at-risk, social and economic justice, and engagement with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Three credits.

SW 603; Integrated Methods. 

Prerequisite for advanced practice course enrollment. Examines theories, goals, and processes relevant to Advanced Generalist social work practice. Focus is on social systems theory, social work roles, theories, and skills necessary to implement processes for achieving desired outcomes in practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Three credits. Prerequisite SW 601.

SW 610; Social Welfare Policy and Services I.  
This course examines social services delivery systems in the United States, including the profession of social work; an analysis of the historical development in economic, political, and social contexts. Three credits.    

SW 613; Human Rights and Social Work.  
This course will provide the theoretical, conceptual, and practical foundation for social workers to engage in a human rights-based approach to social work. Students will gain an understanding of how the international human rights principles can be applied to social work practice in domestic and international settings. Prerequisite: SW 610. Three credits.

SW 620; Human Behavior and the Social Environment.   
The course synthesizes and applies theories of human behavior and the social environment into social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, based on the person-environment construct and biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment models. Special attention will be the effects of diversity and difference, and lifespan development.  Three credits.

SW 622; Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.
Provides a comprehensive body of knowledge, organized and integrated in both theoretical and practical terms. Includes an awareness of the dimensions of mental health and mental disorders in adulthood. Provides a bio-psychosocial spiritual strength-based perspective on engagement with, assessment of, and intervention in normal and abnormal behavior. Prerequisites: SW 600 and SW 620. Three credits.

SW 629; Communities and Organizations: Engagement, Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation.
This course provides an orientation to macro social work as a core method for advanced generalist practice. Students learn foundational theories and practice skills for engaging, planning, implementing, and evaluating change in communities and organizations. This course emphasizes principles of inclusion, social and economic justice, human rights, and empowerment. Offered every semester. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 630; Social Work: Global Service-Learning.   
Examines social work practice in a location outside the United States, using a service-learning approach. Students learn the social service system, politics, policies and history of the culture(s) in an experiential manner. The advanced social worker develops greater interconnectedness between social work, social justice, and civic/global responsibility. Prerequisites: SW 610 and instructor permission. Three credits.

SW 631; Social Work: U.S. Community-Based Service Learning.
Examines social work practice in a location with the U.S., using a service-learning approach. Students learn the social service system, politics, policies, and history of the culture(s) or communities served in an experiential manner. The advanced social worker develops greater interconnectedness between social work, social justice, and civic responsibility. Prerequisites: SW 610 and instructor permission. Three credits.

SW 640; Seminar in Advanced Generalist Practice. (Capstone)   
A broadening of student\break knowledge of the professional foundation for practice across populations-at-risk. Students will identify and develop individual topics. (May be taken only once.) Must be taken concurrently with SW 654 and SW 655. Three credits.

SW 650; Field Education I.  
The first in a series of applied field education courses involving 300 clock hours in a university approved and supervised social work field setting. Emphasis is on the application of core competencies within M.S.W. generalist perspective. Concurrent with SW 651. Offered on a credit/no credit basis. Three credits.

SW 651; Field Education Seminar I.    
Focus on the integration of knowledge, skills, and values with Advanced Generalist practice for students in field education placements. Illustrations from students' work in agency setting included. Concurrent with SW 650. Offered on a credit/no credit basis. One credit. 15 clock hours.

SW 652; Field Education II.   
A continuation of SW 650. A 300-clock-hour applied field practicum that has been contracted for by students. Emphasis on the advanced application of assessment, intervention, and evaluation skills within Advanced Generalist framework. Prerequisites: SW 650 and SW 651. Concurrent with SW 653. Three credits.

SW 653; Field Education Seminar II.   
Continuation of SW 651 with focus on the advanced application of assessment, intervention, evaluation, knowledge, and skills required of students in field education agency setting as generalist practitioners. Prerequisites: SW 650 and SW 651. Concurrent with SW 652. Offered on a credit/no credit basis. One credit. 15 clock hours.

SW 654; Field Education III.   
A continuation of SW 652. A 300-clock-hour applied field practicum that has been contracted by students. Emphasis on the advanced application of assessment, intervention, and evaluation skills within the Advanced Generalist framework. Prerequisites: SW 650, SW 651, SW 652, and SW 653. Concurrent with SW 654 and SW 640. Three credits. Offered on a credit/no credit basis.

SW 655; Field Education Seminar III.   
A continuation of SW 653 with emphasis on evaluation skills and demonstration of knowledge, values, and skills required of Advanced Generalist practitioners in field education placements. Prerequisites: SW 650, SW 651, SW 652 and SW 653. Concurrent with SW 654 and 640. Offered on a credit/no credit basis. One credit. 15 clock hours.

SW 660; Grant Writing and Resource Development.   
This course provides students with instruction in how to find grant resources, develop grant proposals, and associated budgets and evaluate outside proposals.  Students will learn to diversify agency financial resources through planned giving, corporate requests, endowment campaigns, and special events. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 662; Substance Abuse and Social Work Practice.   
This course focuses on the social work impact on substance abuse issues.  Examines the etiology(ies) of substance abuse and/or chemical dependency; epidemiology of substance use; methods of prevention, assessment, and treatment; and global policy related to substance use and abuse. Issues of economic and social justice will be emphasized.  Issues of economic and social justice will be emphasized. Prerequisites: SW 600 and SW 620.  Three credits.

SW 664; Social Work Practice in Schools.   
Required for social work practitioners in Michigan public schools. Provides an overview of social work practice in a host (public school) setting. The school as an institution, its staff, students, community, and laws that affect education and social work practice, as well as methods of practice. Prerequisites: SW 600, SW 601, SW 603, SW 610, and SW 620. Four credits.

SW 665; Aging in Contemporary Society.   
This course details specialized knowledge of social work practice with older adults, their families, caregivers, and professionals. Theories of aging and social work practice principles are applied to address contemporary issues that impact older adults' goals for individual autonomy, appropriate health care, income security, and social supports.  Three credits.

SW 667; Holistic Practices in Social Work.   
Explores health from a holistic/ integrative perspective. Introduces energy management for behavioral transformation. Interventions to address the physical, emotional, relational, spiritual/energetic, and nutritive are addressed, through mind, body, and spirit dynamic application for holistic health and self-actualization. Prerequisite: SW 603.  Three credits.

SW 668 - Child and Adolescent Trauma
This course explores intervention with traumatized children and adolescents. Assessment foci include the role of development, culture, and evidence based trauma-specific practice with children, adolescents and their families. Other topics include: trauma focused CBT, identification of risk and protective factors that foster resiliency, caregiver interventions, and strengths-based practice. Offered winter and spring/summer semesters. Prerequisite: SW 670.  Three credits.

SW 669 - Responses to Loss and Death
This course examines death, grief, and loss in America including theories, cultural rituals, social traditions, and taboos before and after death. Psychological and spiritual foundations of death, grief, and loss are explored from multiple perspectives and cultures including the experience of grief and bereavement for individuals, groups, and communities. Course offered winter semester. Prerequisite: Postbaccalaureate status or permission of instructor. Three credits.

SW 670; Social Work Practice with Individuals.   
Focuses on selected knowledge and skills from a person-in-environment perspective and approaches working with individual clients, the cognitive/behavioral and psychosocial models and their application to social work practice. Emphases on approaches that enhance social function, strengthen problem-solving capacities, and support the coping capacities on individual adults. Prerequisite: SW 603 and SW 622. Three credits.

SW 671; Social Work Practice in Health Care. 
Social work skills pertinent to health care settings, including assessment of the impact of illness, treatments, and inter-professional health care work are examined. Students appraise the effects of illness on patients and families.  Models of the intervention process and health care theories are compared and applied to practice.  Prerequisite: SW 603.  Three credits.

SW 672; Social Work Practice with Groups.   
This experiential course helps students increase their awareness of group dynamics and processes, and integrate underlying theories and concepts of both task and personal change group structures. Includes content on treatment groups with diverse populations, group planning in a variety of situations, task groups, educational groups, and crisis groups.  Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 673; Social Work Practice with Children and Adolescents.   
The course prepares students for direct practice with children and adolescents who are experiencing developmental stress, disruptions and challenges, life crises, trauma, separations, and mental health risks.  Content encompasses multiple perspectives in the advanced application of theories, models and skills utilized in various treatment models. Prerequisites: SW 603 and SW 622. Three credits.

SW 674; Social Work Practice: Families and Children.   
Examines an integrated model of family practice focusing on family development and dysfunction at various stages in the family life cycle. Using a family system and ecological systems perspective, students are taught specific assessment and intervention knowledge and skills. Concepts from several current models of family practice are studied and drawn upon. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 675; Child Welfare and Family Services.   
Prepares students for practice in child welfare and family services in the public or private sector. Addresses social work's historic mission to serve poor and vulnerable families with a variety of direct practice methods in the Advanced Generalist perspective. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three Credits.

SW 676; Community and Social Planning.   
Prepares students for professional practice in social planning and community organization. Focuses on a range of theories, concepts, and their application in practice situations. Includes theories of community power and influence, inter-organizational relationships and action strategies for problem solution. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 677 Principles of Supervision
This course examines the various tasks and techniques related to supervision in social service agencies. Dimensions of the supervisor/worker relationship are discussed with an emphasis on the impact of race and gender, interactional processes and clinical skill development. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 678; Human Services Administration.   
Provides a conceptual, theoretical, and methodological foundation in the organization and administration of human services. Inter and intra-organizational characteristics that impinge upon the effective delivery of human services are examined. Forces affecting the social welfare enterprise are analyzed along with factors that differentiate human service organizations from other organizational types. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 679; Program Monitoring and Evaluation.   
Provides a comprehensive examination of all phases of program development, from the point when an idea is first generated through the process of determining the nature of the program, the steps taken to ensure the effort is proceeding as planned and finally, the assessment of outcomes and impact. Prerequisite: SW 603. Three credits.

SW 680; Special Topics in Social Work.   
Students study issues and concerns important to the social work profession not ordinarily covered in other courses. Offered in response to the special interests of faculty and students. Topic(s) to be announced in advance of registration. Prerequisites: SW 600, SW 601, SW 603, SW 610 and SW 620. One to four credits.

SW 690; Social Research I.   
The first of two courses in social work research. Foundation concepts and methodology used for scientific practice, including the investigation and evaluation of social work practice problems, an understanding of techniques and issues in measurements, options in research designs, data collection and analysis, and the development of new knowledge. Three credits.

SW 691; Social Research II.  (formerly SW 693) 
Examines qualitative research methods in a small scale project, including interviewing and observational data collection methods, with attention to research ethics and the protection of human subjects. Qualitative data analysis techniques, the generation of conclusions, and writing in-depth implications for social work will be addressed. Prerequisite: SW 690. Three credits.

SW 695; Master's Thesis.   
Faculty-supervised study and research on a subject approved by the student's advisor and committee. Prerequisites: SW 690, SW 691 and consent of thesis committee. Six credits.

SW 699; Independent Study.   
Independent study of an issue related to social welfare or social work theory or practice. Prerequisite: Approval of advisor and faculty member directing the study. One, two, or three credits.