COURSE DESCRIPTION

Field Practicum 763 is a second-year seminar course offered in conjunction with supervised field placements. These hybrid courses require students to engage in 14 hours of fieldwork weekly throughout the fall and spring semesters, totaling a minimum of 225 hours per semester (900 hours for the master’s program). In addition, students attend a virtual field seminar class every other week for 1.5 hours.

Designed to integrate social work knowledge, skills, and values, these courses utilize ecosystems and strengths perspectives alongside a cultural competence model to develop foundational practice competencies for entry-level social work practice. As core elements of the educational program, they bridge academic learning with practical application, enabling students to apply classroom knowledge in real-world settings. The practicum experience emphasizes strategies for engaging with diverse populations, advocating for human rights, and promoting social and economic justice. This hands-on experience fosters the development of practice skills that enhance social well-being and prepare students for effective, ethical social work across micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice.

To better prepare students for their transition into the social work field, the course includes components focused on professionalism, job acquisition, and workforce readiness. These additions equip students with the necessary skills to successfully navigate the job market, present themselves professionally, and sustain a successful career in social work. Topics such as resume writing, interview preparation, networking strategies, and ongoing professional development are covered, ensuring that students are fully prepared to enter and excel in the workforce.

 

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Integrate Social Work Theories and Models into Practice:

1. • Students will demonstrate the ability to integrate and apply key social work theories and models, including ecosystems and strengths perspectives, as well as cultural competence frameworks, in diverse fieldwork settings. This objective focuses on developing foundational practice competencies and ethical decision-making skills required for entry-level social work practice.                                                                             
2. Engage Effectively with Diverse Populations:
   • Students will develop and refine interpersonal and professional skills to engage effectively with diverse populations, advocating for human rights and social and economic justice. This includes employing strategies that enhance understanding and support for clients’ diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, and fostering inclusive practices that promote social well-being across micro, mezzo, and macro practice levels.  
3. Prepare for Professional Social Work Practice and Career Development:
   • Students will acquire and demonstrate essential skills for professional development and career readiness, including resume writing, interview preparation, and networking. This objective aims to prepare students for successful job acquisition and long-term career sustainability in the social work field, emphasizing ongoing professional development.

 

CSWE COMPETENCIES AND PRACTICE BEHAVIORS

 

Students in this course will be evaluated on the following standards outlined by the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS 2022, Field Evaluation Form). 

 

1.     PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY 
  
The student identifies as a professional social worker and conducts self accordingly. Social workers serve as representatives of the profession, its mission, and its core values. They know the profession’s history. Social workers commit themselves to the profession’s enhancement and to their own professional conduct and growth.

 

2. ETHICAL PRACTICE
     
   The student applies social work ethical principles to guide professional practice. Social workers have an obligation to conduct themselves ethically and to engage in ethical decision-making. Social workers are knowledgeable about the value base of the profession, its ethical standards, and relevant law.

 

3. CRITICAL THINKING
     
   The student applies critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments. Social workers are knowledgeable about the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and reasoned discernment. They use critical thinking augmented by creativity and curiosity. Critical thinking also requires the synthesis and communication of relevant information.

 

4. DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENCE IN PRACTICE
     
   The student engages in diversity and difference in practice. Social workers understand how diversity characterizes and shapes the human experience and is critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, political ideology, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. Social workers appreciate that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim.

 

5. HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL ECONOMIC JUSTICE
     
   The student advances human rights and social and economic justice. Each person, regardless of position in society, has basic human rights, such as freedom, safety, privacy, an adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Social workers recognize the global interconnections of oppression and are knowledgeable about theories of justice and strategies to promote human and civil rights. Social work incorporates social justice practices in organizations, institutions, and society to ensure that these basic human rights are distributed equitably and without prejudice.
6. RESEARCH & PRACTICE
     
   The student engages in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. Social workers use practice experience to inform research, employ evidence-based interventions, evaluate their own practice, and use research findings to improve practice, policy, and social service delivery. Social workers comprehend quantitative and qualitative research and understand scientific and ethical approaches to building knowledge.

 

7. HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
     
   The student applies knowledge of human behavior and the social environment. Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development.

 

8. POLICY PRACTICE
   
   The student engages in policy to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services. Social work practitioners understand that policy affects service delivery, and they actively engage in policy practice. Social workers know the history and current structures of social policies and services; the role of policy in service delivery; and the role of practice in policy development. 

 

9. PRACTICE CONTEXT
     
   The student responds to contexts that shape practice. Social workers are informed, resourceful, and proactive in responding to evolving organizational, community, and societal contexts at all levels of practice. Social workers recognize that the context of practice is dynamic, and use knowledge and skill to respond proactively.

 

10. ENGAGEMENT, ASSESSMENT, INTERVENTION, EVALUATION
      
    The student social worker (a) engages, (b) assesses, (c) intervenes, and (d) evaluates with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.