Academic Catalog

Policy Practice (Social Work) (POPR)

POPR 5300.  Advanced Macro Practice.  (3 Credits)  
This initial course provides a contemporary and historical overview of how the macro practice methods independently and collectively can be leveraged for social change. It provides a foundation for addressing ethical obligations and challenges in macro practice, with particular focus on historically oppressed populations. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the role of leadership and use of power in community organizations and policy and practice.
Enrollment Requirements: Corequisite: FED 5352 or Student Group Social Work Advanced Standing.  
  
POPR 5301.  Policy Practice: Process and Finances.  (3 Credits)  
The definition of policy practice, the phases of policy practice and the skills needed for policy practice especially advanced analytical and interactional skills, including the conscious use of self in practice, as well as persistence, creativity, and pragmatism and taking appropriate risks in the pursuit of policy practice goals. Other content includes the use of large data sets, data management systems, quantitative analysis, qualitative methods, especially focus groups. Emphasis is given to the use of policy practice to achieve distributive justice and implement and evaluate effective social service policies for populations at risk. Ethical requirements and dilemmas in policy practice are integrated throughout. Required course for students in the Policy Practice concentration.
Enrollment Requirements: Prerequisite or corequisite: POPR 5300.  
  
POPR 5302.  Policy Practice: Careers, Contexts, and Quantitative Analysis.  (3 Credits)  
Begins with content on career planning. Students will be helped to understand the complexity of social service funding, including the sources of funds and the mechanisms for transferring funds to social service programs, including federal and state tax policies and implication for social service programs. Critical current issues such as the growth of faith-based and profit-making social service strategies will be debated. Other topics will include the use of the media and public relations expertise, cutting edge social theories, micro and macroeconomic theories, and global economic policies and how they impact social service policies. Students will be expected to demonstrate an ability to integrate and critically evaluate their practice skills as they prepare to leave the program. Emphasis will be given to the use of policy practice intervention strategies to achieve distributive justice and effective service policies for populations at risk. Ethical requirements and dilemmas in policy practice will be integrated throughout the course. Required course for students in the Policy Practice concentration.
Enrollment Requirements: POPR 5353. Corequisite: POPR 5354.  
  
POPR 5310.  Program Planning, Development, and Evaluation.  (3 Credits)  
(Also offered as CORG 5310.) Covers a broad range of knowledge and skills needed to develop sound program proposals and to plan, manage, and evaluate social programs. These include assessing social and community needs; setting goals within the context of strategic plans; writing measurable objectives; designing program implementation and evaluation strategies, developing a program budget, and identifying funding sources. Addresses value and ethical issues in program development, as well as constraints and opportunities that support or constrain program planning. Required course for students in the Community Organization, Administration and Policy Practice concentrations. The pre and co-requisites for this course differ for each of these concentrations. Refer to the Student Handbook for pre and co-requisite details.
Enrollment Requirements: Corequisite: FED 5310.  
  
POPR 5312.  Political Advocacy.  (3 Credits)  
(Also offered as CORG 5312.) Builds on the concepts and interventions introduced in the Macro Foundation Practice course. Political decision-making groups, including executive, legislative, judicial and private agency decision-making. The ways macro practitioners use power and political analysis is discussed. Emphasis is on the design, implementation and evaluation of a political advocacy strategy to improve the life situations of populations at risk, such as lobbying, preparing and delivering testimony to a public policy making group and forming and maintaining coalitions. Ethical requirements and dilemmas in doing political advocacy are integrated throughout the course. Required course for students in both the Community Organization and the Policy Practice concentrations. The co-requisites for this course differ for each of these concentrations.
Enrollment Requirements: FED 5310. Corequisite: FED 5311.  
  
POPR 5340.  Advanced Macro Practice Skills Laboratory.  (1 Credit)  
Focuses on gaining knowledge and skills in the elements of program planning and proposal writing, and includes application of these through development of a program proposal for funding. The skills laboratory will provide an additional opportunity for students to apply knowledge and skills through a proposal review and evaluation exercise. The exercise will be conducted on the last day of the course after the students' final projects have been submitted. The instructor will choose one final project for the purposes of the review exercise with the student's name removed. (Note: more than one proposal can be selected offering an opportunity for ranking them in the exercise.) Required course for students in the Advanced Standing Option in the Administration, Community Organization, and Policy Practice Concentrations and must be taken in the summer prior to the beginning of full time study for the M.S.W. degree.
Enrollment Requirements: Corequisite: BASC 5301.  
  
POPR 5353.  Field Education in Policy Practice III.  (4 Credits)  
Focuses primarily on the student's major method, emphasizing preparation for competent, advanced specialized practice. Required course for students in the Policy Practice concentration.
Enrollment Requirements: Open only to M.S.W. students in the Policy Practice concentration. Corequisite: FED 5310 and POPR 5310.  
  
POPR 5354.  Field Education in Policy Practice IV.  (4 Credits)  
Focuses primarily on the student's major method, emphasizing preparation for competent, advanced specialized practice. Required course for students in the Policy Practice concentration.
Enrollment Requirements: POPR 5353; Open only to Social Work M.S.W. students in the Policy Practice concentration. Corequisite: FED 5311 and POPR 5302.