SOCW 6361

 

Required Readings

SOCW 6361 Webliography
These websites will be required throughout the semester. Become familiar with these websites, especially when doing research for your assignments.

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice  (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
Chapter 8, "Placing Policy Proposals in Policy Briefs in the Second, Third, and Fourth Steps of Policy Analysis” (pp. 246-283)

Plummer, S.-B, Makris, S., Brocksen S. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Concentration year.Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
"Working with Clients with Addictions: The Case of Jose" (pp. 65–68)
"Working with the Aging: The Case of Iris" (pp. 68–69)

Stuart, P. H. (1999). Linking clients and policy: Social work’s distinctive contribution. Social Work, 44(4), 335–347

Midgley, J., & Livermore, M. M. (Eds.) (2008). The handbook of social policy (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Chapter 6: "The Impact of Social Policy" (pp. 83–100) (PDF)

Optional Resources

MSW home page
Use this link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.

 

Project: Part 2: Putting Social Advocacy Skills into Action

Writing a proposal that functions as a focus of change is a significant part of being a social worker/policy advocate. This is your opportunity to use your advocacy skills to change and improve the lives of others.

In this Assignment, you write a proposal for some form of social advocacy that will seek to change a social, organizational, or legislative policy. The proposal may also involve advocacy for the amelioration of a social problem. The purpose of this assignment is to thoughtfully and thoroughly plan how you will advocate changing a social problem or policy that is of interest to you.

The policy practice/advocacy can take whatever form you wish and can be on any level: agency, community, state, or federal. You will submit a prospectus (3–4 pages) that describes the problem that is being addressed and the expected advocacy activities. You are expected to carry out the activities planned in this proposal and will present on your actions and outcomes in the Week 10 Final Project assignment.

By Day 7

• Provide a brief synopsis of your social problem and identification of a policy that you submitted in Week 3.
  
• Describe the social problem or policy you would like to change, and the specific action you plan take to effect change.

Be specific when describing the social problem or policy you would like to change and address the following:

• If you selected a policy, when was the policy enacted, by whom, and for what reason?
• How are you going to work to change the policy/problem (i.e., plan for social advocacy)?
• How will your efforts address the policy/social problem described?
• Is continued policy practice/advocacy needed to make a long-term impact? Why or why not?

The prospectus will need to be well researched and written using APA guidelines. Data should come from at least five sources.

Make sure that your assertions are supported by appropriate research and reputable resources.