Shawn D. Ginther, M.S.W, Ph.D - Department of Social Work

Overview:This class builds on various theoretical approaches to understanding human behavior learned in prerequisite courses by teaching preadmission social work students how to use theory to understand human behavior in diverse environmental settings from an ecological, developmental framework. This course provides a crucial theoretical foundation for subsequent practice coursework that will use the generalist practice paradigm and the Generalist Intervention Model.

Attendance:
To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies!
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Professional Expectation:
Just as licensed professionals must prepare themselves in advance to practice competently, Social Work 250 places professional expectations on both the instructor and students. The instructor pledges to come to class prepared to study with students the materials for each week. Similarly, students must ready themselves for competent and critical discourse of assigned materials. Therefore, readings listed for a given week are to be read prior to that week in anticipation of critical, in-depth discussions of that material, and other classwork. To assist students in meeting these expectations, Social Work 250 will enable students to develop their critical thinking skills and writing ability since both are germane to professional social work practice. Critical thinking is defined in Social Work 250 as the careful examination of beliefs and actions that ideally leads to creative opinions or conclusions that form the basis for professional action. Critical thinking skills will be developed via the deliberate, judicious, and methodical evaluation -- both verbally ( class discussions ) and in writing ( take-home examinations ) -- of our class material's logic, assumptions, stated conclusions, and practice relevance.
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Curricular Context:
Generalist social work practice is the critical application of an eclectic knowledge base, professional values, and a wide range of culturally competent skills to a planned change process at any system kevel. Social Work 330 enables pre-admission generalist social work students to begin to understand the theoretical basis for human behavior in diverse environmental settings in a developmental framework. This understanding provides the theoretical foundation for subsequent coursework (i.e., the practice sequence: SW420, SW430, SW440, SW450; Social Policy: SW460; Field Internship: SW469; and Senior Seminar: SW470).
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Description:
Social Work 330 builds on students' liberal arts curriculum by critically exploring various theories ( e.g., biological, psychological, sociological, spiritual ) to facilitate students' evolving understanding of human behavior, the reciprocal relationship between human behavior and contextual physical and social environments, and how behavior is understood in various life span developmental frameworks. Social Work 330 uses a systems approach to explore levels of social organization, and how social arrangements facilitate or hinder well-being and differential access to formal and informal resources. Social Work 330 introduces the value / ethical underpinnings of licensed professional generalist social work practice as established by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). This class also demonstrates the significant cultural diversity among people, and models the understanding, affirmation, and respect for cultural and personal diversity necessary for subsequent practice coursework and licensed professional generalist social work practice. This class further examines how behavior and status of select individuals/groups in American society influences (encourages / oppresses) the behavior of others and their access to resources. Opportunity , power, privilege, domination, subordination, as well as various isms, oppression, and discrimination are explored. This course also studies what constitutes being at-risk, and contributing factors. Social Work 330 also allow students to develop themselves professionally via pre-class preparation , in-class interaction, and in-depth writing assignments.
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Goal:
The cardinal goal in Social Work 330 is to enable students to critically apply the social systems and ecological perspectives, as well as multidisciplinary theories from biology, psychology, sociology, and spirituality to assess and interpret human behavior, and analyze influential internal and external variables using a developmental framework.
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Logistics:
Meetings: Tuesdays & Thursdays: 12:30-1:45
Room: Science Lab 118
Faculty: S. D. Ginther, M.S.W., Ph.D .
Office Locale: Lommen 83b
Office Phone: 218.477.2634
E-mail: ginther@mnstate.edu
Social Work Department phone: 218.477.2632
Department Web Page: www.moorhead.msus.edu/socialwk/
Office hours: By appointment
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Requirements:
To accomplish the goal, formal class requirements are:
- Theory Application Paper #1 ( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade);
- Theory Application Paper #2 ( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade);
- Movie Analysis Paper #3( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade);
- Music Analysis Paper #4 ( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade);
- Attendance.
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Late Assignments:

As a pre-professional university student in a CSWE-accreditated social work program, it is imperative to be on time when submitting work. For example, imagine being negligent in providing court reports, administrative reports, other managerial documents, case notes, progress reports, grant applications, etc. Indeed, each document will have strict guidelines regarding submission dates. Therefore, as part of your professional training, 5 points will be deducted for each day (including weekends) assignments are late. A Late assignment will be work that is submitted anytime after the end of the class session when it is officially due. If work is submitted late, the student is responsible for ensuring office staff stamp the date on the assignment at time of submission. If not officially stamped, submission date will be the date graded. No FAXED or mailed assignments will be accepted for any reason, and late points will acrew until the paper copy is submitted! In case of university closure due to weather, the due date will become the next official business day. To avoid penalty under this policy, please consider the following actions: To avoid penalty under this policy, please consider the following actions: For computer (printing) problems:
To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! Illness:
To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! Family death or demise of a friend:
To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! Confusion over the assignment:
To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! (Meet with me A.S.A.P. to discuss your confusion)

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- NASW (2000). Social work speaks: NASW policy statements. Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers. (On reserve)
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Teaching Methods:
Social Work 330 utilizes lectures, readings, cooperative learning group work, videos, in-class experiential exercises, case vignettes, and music recordings to achieve the course goals and objectives below. Social Work 330 then uses mid-term and final exams to measure student learner outcomes relative to stated programmatic and course objectives.
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	SW 330 Human Behavior in the Social Environment Overview:This class builds on various theoretical approaches to understanding human behavior learned in prerequisite courses by teaching preadmission social work students how to use theory to understand human behavior in diverse environmental settings from an ecological, developmental framework. This course provides a crucial theoretical foundation for subsequent practice coursework that will use the generalist practice paradigm and the Generalist Intervention Model. Prerequisites: SW250, Bio 104, Psy 113, Psy 202 Things to do before our first class meeting: Attendance Professional Expectation Curricular Context DescriptionGoal Logistics Application Process Requirements Late Assigments Grading Policy Listserv Principal Reading Materials Teaching Methods Resources Attendance: To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! Back To Top Professional Expectation: Just as licensed professionals must prepare themselves in advance to practice competently, Social Work 250 places professional expectations on both the instructor and students. The instructor pledges to come to class prepared to study with students the materials for each week. Similarly, students must ready themselves for competent and critical discourse of assigned materials. Therefore, readings listed for a given week are to be read prior to that week in anticipation of critical, in-depth discussions of that material, and other classwork. To assist students in meeting these expectations, Social Work 250 will enable students to develop their critical thinking skills and writing ability since both are germane to professional social work practice. Critical thinking is defined in Social Work 250 as the careful examination of beliefs and actions that ideally leads to creative opinions or conclusions that form the basis for professional action. Critical thinking skills will be developed via the deliberate, judicious, and methodical evaluation -- both verbally ( class discussions ) and in writing ( take-home examinations ) -- of our class material's logic, assumptions, stated conclusions, and practice relevance. Back To Top Curricular Context: Generalist social work practice is the critical application of an eclectic knowledge base, professional values, and a wide range of culturally competent skills to a planned change process at any system kevel. Social Work 330 enables pre-admission generalist social work students to begin to understand the theoretical basis for human behavior in diverse environmental settings in a developmental framework. This understanding provides the theoretical foundation for subsequent coursework (i.e., the practice sequence: SW420, SW430, SW440, SW450; Social Policy: SW460; Field Internship: SW469; and Senior Seminar: SW470). Back To Top Description: Social Work 330 builds on students' liberal arts curriculum by critically exploring various theories ( e.g., biological, psychological, sociological, spiritual ) to facilitate students' evolving understanding of human behavior, the reciprocal relationship between human behavior and contextual physical and social environments, and how behavior is understood in various life span developmental frameworks. Social Work 330 uses a systems approach to explore levels of social organization, and how social arrangements facilitate or hinder well-being and differential access to formal and informal resources. Social Work 330 introduces the value / ethical underpinnings of licensed professional generalist social work practice as established by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). This class also demonstrates the significant cultural diversity among people, and models the understanding, affirmation, and respect for cultural and personal diversity necessary for subsequent practice coursework and licensed professional generalist social work practice. This class further examines how behavior and status of select individuals/groups in American society influences (encourages / oppresses) the behavior of others and their access to resources. Opportunity , power, privilege, domination, subordination, as well as various isms, oppression, and discrimination are explored. This course also studies what constitutes being at-risk, and contributing factors. Social Work 330 also allow students to develop themselves professionally via pre-class preparation , in-class interaction, and in-depth writing assignments. Back To Top Goal: The cardinal goal in Social Work 330 is to enable students to critically apply the social systems and ecological perspectives, as well as multidisciplinary theories from biology, psychology, sociology, and spirituality to assess and interpret human behavior, and analyze influential internal and external variables using a developmental framework. Back To Top Logistics: Meetings: Tuesdays & Thursdays: 12:30-1:45 Room: Science Lab 118 Faculty: S. D. Ginther, M.S.W., Ph.D . Office Locale: Lommen 83b Office Phone: 218.477.2634 E-mail: ginther@mnstate.edu Social Work Department phone: 218.477.2632 Department Web Page: www.moorhead.msus.edu/socialwk/ Office hours: By appointment Back To Top Requirements: To accomplish the goal, formal class requirements are: - Theory Application Paper #1 ( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade); - Theory Application Paper #2 ( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade); - Movie Analysis Paper #3( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade); - Music Analysis Paper #4 ( LE 100 points total; 25% of final grade); - Attendance. Back To Top Late Assignments: As a pre-professional university student in a CSWE-accreditated social work program, it is imperative to be on time when submitting work. For example, imagine being negligent in providing court reports, administrative reports, other managerial documents, case notes, progress reports, grant applications, etc. Indeed, each document will have strict guidelines regarding submission dates. Therefore, as part of your professional training, 5 points will be deducted for each day (including weekends) assignments are late. A Late assignment will be work that is submitted anytime after the end of the class session when it is officially due. If work is submitted late, the student is responsible for ensuring office staff stamp the date on the assignment at time of submission. If not officially stamped, submission date will be the date graded. No FAXED or mailed assignments will be accepted for any reason, and late points will acrew until the paper copy is submitted! In case of university closure due to weather, the due date will become the next official business day. To avoid penalty under this policy, please consider the following actions: To avoid penalty under this policy, please consider the following actions: For computer (printing) problems: To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! Illness: To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! Family death or demise of a friend: To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! Confusion over the assignment: To allow yourself some assurance that deadlines can be met, complete assignments well before the due date!! This will allow you time to attend to emergencies! (Meet with me A.S.A.P. to discuss your confusion) Back To Top Grading Policy: The following grading scheme will be used for all students seeking academic credit: A = 90 - 100 B = 80 - 89 C = 70 - 79 D = 60 - 69 F = 00 - 59 REMEMBER: Poorly written and unprofessional work will not be graded! Back To Top Listserv: A Listserv called sw330 is available. Students may join this list to talk with class members and the instructor about class materials and class-related questions! To subscribe, send Email to majordomo@mnstate.edu; the "subject" line must be blank; and the message should read SUBSCRIBE sw330. To unsubscribe, do this in reverse (i.e., "unsubscribe SW330")! Back To Top Principal Reading Materials: - Norlin, J. M., Chess, W.A., Dale, O., & Smith, R. (2003). Human behavior and the social wnvironment: Social systems theory (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon Publishers. - MSUM Social work student handbook (F2005). MSUM Book Store. (Required of students applying to the social work program.) - APA. (2001). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington , DC : American Psychological Association. - NASW Code of Ethics . (Available on the NASW Web Page). - NASW (1995). Encyclopedia of Social Work & Supplement (19th ed.). Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers (Available in the library, in the department, or on the NASW Web Page). - NASW (2003). Social Work Dictionary (5th ed.). Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers (Available in the library, in the department, or on the NASW Web Page). - NASW (2000). Social work speaks: NASW policy statements. Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers. (On reserve) Back To Top Teaching Methods: Social Work 330 utilizes lectures, readings, cooperative learning group work, videos, in-class experiential exercises, case vignettes, and music recordings to achieve the course goals and objectives below. Social Work 330 then uses mid-term and final exams to measure student learner outcomes relative to stated programmatic and course objectives. Back To Top


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