undergraduate major: Social Work

Curriculum

The purpose of the social work department and the role of the faculty are to educate future social worker. The design of the social work program at Xavier as an accredited program is grounded in the vision of social work education as set forth by the Council on Social Work Education. However, each school of social work while following the overarching principles of the curriculum is encouraged to develop their own program as a unique entity grounded in the mission of the institution.

Students take major courses that reflect 10 core competencies as outlined by the Council on Social Work Education.

  1. Identify and conduct oneself as a professional
  2. Apply ethical principles to practice
  3. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional practice
  4. Engage diversity
  5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice
  6. Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research
  7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment
  8. Engage in policy practice to advance social justice
  9. Respond to context that shape practice
  10. Engage, assess, intervene and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

Social Work at Xavier

Social work at Xavier is unique in that it is grounded in and reflects the mission of Jesuit education. The shared values of service and social justice and an emphasis on human diversity as well as the faculty’s commitment to the development of the “whole” student make social work at Xavier a challenging and rewarding program for our students.

Requirements

  • Core Curriculum: 64 credit hours. Several courses offered by the social work department fulfill the fourth societal focus course in the Core Curriculum’s Ethics/Religion and Society (E/RS) Focus: SOCW 318 Race Relations; SOCW 315 Social Institutions; and SOCW 404 Religion, Ethics & Professional Practice.
  • Major in social work: 50 credit hours including the following topic areas:
    • Survey of Society in Social Work
    • Human Behavior and the Environment
    • Child Welfare
    • Gender and Diversity
    • Social Policy
    • Values, Poverty, and Social Institutions of Society
    • Theory & Methods
    • Research Methods & Paper
    • Field instruction (460 clock hours of internship)
  • Social science support core elective courses: 9 credit hours which can be taken from social work or other social science courses such as:
    • Addictive Behaviors
    • Child Abuse
    • Religion, Ethics, & Professional Practice
    • Introduction to Criminal Justice
    • Juvenile Justice
    • Abnormal Psychology
    • Social Psychology
    • Political Sociology
    • Academic service-learning coursework

View a general framework for the flow of courses throughout the four year program »

6 Cool Classes

Religion, Ethics and Professional Practice

Designed for majors entering practice professions such as social work, nursing, psychology, criminal justice, medicine, and education, the primary goal of this course is for students to understand and use a justified reasoning process for ethical decision making that recognizes the role of religion and/or spirituality for both clients and professionals using intriguing and complex real-life case studies. With emphasis on the importance of cultural competence and diversity when interpreting ethical dilemmas, this course is a support core elective for social work majors, is designated as a Gender & Diversity Studies Minor elective, and satisfies core curriculum theology and E/RS requirements.

Values, Poverty and Society

This course serves as a core curriculum social science elective, designated as a Gender and Diversity studies minor elective and/or a Diversity curriculum requirement elective, and an Ethics/Religion & Society fourth course elective. Required for all social work majors, it offers students basic knowledge and understanding of the overall concept of social welfare in our society, including its historical development from religious roots. The social institution of social welfare, and how its services and systems are implemented, is examined and analyzed in relationship to the five other social institutions considered to be the pillars of any society: the political, economic, education, religious, and family institutions. Emphasis is placed on critical analysis of the influence of society values as well as student exploration of individual values. Theories of power, privilege, and poverty are examined as they relate to the evolution of social welfare policies and programs nationally and internationally.

Women/Men: Myth & Reality

In this course students examine the changing roles of men and women in American culture, sex roles, sex stereotyping, and socialization of the sexes. This course will also look at the social conditions and attitudes which affect the role and status of women and men in the institutions of society are explored. Course attributes include: core curriculum Social Science elective, Peace Studies minor elective, Gender & Diversity studies minor elective, and Cultural Diversity elective.

Social Work Field Instruction

Field Instruction is referred to as the capstone experience, the course that often distinguishes social work from other undergraduate degrees. This course provides the social work student with an opportunity to work in an agency under the supervision of a professional social worker. The real life cases and work experience provide the vehicle through which the student integrates the course work of the program and becomes a professional social worker.

Survey of Society in Social Work

The course is designed to offer students a basic knowledge and understanding of societal institutions and the core concepts, skills, and activities necessary to practice within them. The course also examines the historical roots of the profession; social work interventions in practice, policy, and research; the knowledge, values, ethics, and skills underpinning the practice of social work with diverse populations. Students will gain an understanding of the various roles social workers perform and the settings in which they practice. Course attributes include: core curriculum social science elective, Gender & Diversity Studies Minor Elective, and Diversity Curriculum Requirement elective.

Child Welfare and Development

This is a course designed to offer social work majors knowledge and understanding of human development from conception and birth through infancy, early childhood, and middle childhood for use in social work practice. Materials will stress both normative and problematic aspects of human behavior. A core of theories, concepts, skills, and information is given to prepare the student with knowledge for viewing human transitions through social interaction from conception through middle childhood. Biological, psychological, and social aspects of growth and development are examined using a systems orientation (e.g. the influences of family, groups, organizations, communities and society). In addition, special emphasis is given to the examination of child welfare and child welfare services. The course fulfills the university core social science elective.