SW5101

Contemporary policies and programs in social welfare are examined in light of their historical origins and evolution. This background serves as an introduction from which to develop a framework for the analysis of concepts and principles in contemporary social policy for social welfare programs and services. The course also examines the emergence of the profession of social work.

This course begins with a review of different approaches to understanding social welfare and the American welfare state. This serves as a jumping-off point for understanding social problems and the social policies that have been created to address those problems. Students learn the outline of a framework for understanding both problems and policies, and practice applying this framework in conducting a policy analysis.

The course also provides a broad survey of the historical evolution of policies and programs that make up the American welfare state and reviews the emergence of social work as a profession. The content focuses on themes that have shaped policies and programs and traces the continuity of these themes across historical periods and in the emergence of different responses to social and economic need.

000430

Every Fall