Social Work 235A: Human Behavior in the Social Environment

SWRK 235A Theoretical Bases of Social Behavior

Fall 2010 Class meets Wednesday 6:30 to 9:20 in Mariposa Hall, Rm. 1016

Dr. Santos Torres, Jr., Professor

Office: 4002 Mariposa Hall

For an appointment please use sign-up sheet on my office door for times on Wednesday, 3:30 -5:00 pm.

Phone: (916) 278-7064Fax: (916) 278-7167Email:

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Course Description

Theoretical Bases of Social Behavior is taught in two semesters and is designed to provide the foundation generalist social work knowledge, from an ecological perspective, concerning the application of bio-psycho-social /cultural / spiritual theories to contemporary social work practice situations. The course sequence is designed according to the Curriculum Policy Statement (CPS) on Human Behavior in the Social Environment (HBSE) for Master’s Degree Programs in Social Work Education.

In addition, the profession of social work aims to work respectfully within a diverse (i.e., age, gender, ethnicity, mental and physical ability, sexual orientation, religion/spirituality) society. Therefore, the course stimulates student thinking about the role of privileged, oppressed statuses, and resilience and their influence on human development. This emphasis is supported by the NASW Code of Ethics, which states “Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, and mental or physical disability” (NASW Code of Ethics, 1.05c).

The Professional Foundation of the MSW Program must provide content concerning the following:

Theories and knowledge of the human bio-psycho-social development
A range of social systems in which individuals live (families, groups, organizations, communities, institutions)
Interactions among biological, social, psychological, and cultural systems
Impact of social and economic forces on diverse groups
Analysis of how systems promote or deter optimal health and well-being
Exploration of values and ethical issues related to bio-psycho-social / cultural / spiritual theories particularly addressing the ways they enhance or hinder promotion of social justice

The purpose of this course sequence is to enable students to understand the multi-level, multi-dimensional processes of development. This is a prerequisite course for advanced practice courses and/or co-requisite for field internships to assist students in developing a knowledge base to draw from in preparation for micro, mezzo, macro, and magna social work practice.

The course is based on a diversity perspective emphasizing close attention to culture, gender, socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. The approach is eco-systemic, multidimensional, eclectic, postmodern/constructivist, and empirical. The course integrates theories and content about diversity (class, race, ethnicity, age, gender, and sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities) into a multi-dimensional framework to insure that it is comprehensively covered. The course sequence is built upon and extends the Liberal Arts Perspective by incorporating ideas from such areas as ethics, cultural anthropology, economics, political science, history, biology, psychology, social psychology, sociology, and philosophy. Students may expect to gain an understanding of the nature of theory, theoretical application, and a critical analysis of theoretical constructs.

During the fall semester course (SW 235A) emphasis will be placed on optimal human growth and lifespan development from conception through late adulthood and death & dying in the context of family, community and society. Theories are explored to gain an understanding of how individuals develop within various systems (groups, families, organizations, communities and society). The mutual impact of systems on individuals and of individuals on systems will be of special interest. Careful attention is paid throughout the course to the impact of different theories upon the social worker’s craft, the nature of practice applied as service, and the social work profession itself. The course perspective is strongly centered in client strengths and empowerment perspectives.

The spring semester course (SW 235B) continues the study of human behavior, drawing again from a multi-dimensional framework. While SW235A addressed human development within the context of expected environments, the second semester course (SW 235B) will be organized around human behavior in contexts of challenges and vulnerable life conditions: poverty and its impact, homelessness, social injustice and institutional discrimination, strengths and risks, attachment and separation, dynamics of trauma, interpersonal and institutional violence, family dysfunction and transition, mental and behavioral disturbances, physical illness, disability and death and loss, oppression and challenges to group, organizational community, societal and global functioning.

Statement of Course Sequence Goals:

The goal of the HBSE course sequence is to assist students in understanding and critically analyzing theories as well as developing a grounded base of knowledge about human behavior and lifespan development using multi-dimensional frameworks. This knowledge base is intended to empower the social worker to create effective and empowering relationships with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities in the profession of social work and to work toward social change in an effort to obtain social justice for vulnerable populations.

Core Objectives of the HBSE Sequence:

It is expected that students will be able to demonstrate the objectives listed below by the completion of the course sequence (SWK 235A and 235B).

Students will be able to think critically about paradigms, “empirically based theories” – strengths and restrictions, and processes of human development, as demonstrated by class discussion, written assignments and oral presentations.
Students will be able to begin to develop their individualized theoretical frameworks for social work practice / professional identities, as demonstrated by class discussions, written assignments and oral presentations.
Students will be able to demonstrate their comprehension of the person-in-environment perspective (the dynamic transactions that occur among the biological, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual, environmental, ecological, economic and political systems) as measured by class discussion, written assignments and oral presentations.
Students will be able to apply the concepts of the ecological model of human development and relate those concepts to the process of human development as measured by class discussion, written assignments and oral presentations.
Students will be able to describe various theories of identity development / meanings and interpretations of experiences as they play out in a context of social-political privileges and oppressions as demonstrated by class discussion and written work.
Students will be able to explain how environmental conditions (i.e. poverty, unsafe living quarters, inadequate nutrition, lack of health care, deteriorated schools, and other manifestations of oppression or social stratification, material deprivation and inequitable distribution/ access to life sustaining resources) impact human development as measured by classroom discussion and small group activities.
Students will be able to recognize the negative social attitudes and behaviors, such as racism, sexism, ageism, able-ism, homophobia, social exclusion, and social stigma that negatively influence human development as demonstrated in class discussions and written work.
Students will be able to reframe deficit-based perspectives of human development by employing the strengths and the empowerment models as a means to understand human behavior and resistance to oppressive social and political circumstances as demonstrated in classroom discussion and small group activities.
Students will be able to integrate values and ethics compatible with the profession of social work as demonstrated in class discussion and small group activities.

Required Text & Readings

Additional readings via handouts and/or those posted on SacCT.

Course Format/Requirements

This course is conducted utilizing a discussion- lecture-laboratory approach. The use of multimedia resources is also a critical part of this course. The emphasis in this course is on critical analysis, not memorization. There will be a considerable amount of reading and writing in this course, plus a great deal of critical analysis. Assignments are based on readings (i.e., required texts and/or other source materials) and on class lecture/discussion.

Students are expected to have read all assigned readings prior to scheduled class sessions. Student preparation and participation are integral parts of this learning process. Students are encouraged to meet individually with the instructor to further explore issues and to clarify assignments as well as course content as the need arises. Students are expected to complete all assignments for the course on time and, without exception, when they are due, unless special circumstances have arisen and permission is granted.

I value your interest, time, and commitment to the course, but more importantly to your personal and professional development as a social worker. I expect and require that you arrive to class on time, be well prepared, and attend all scheduled class sessions.

Incompletes are not given automatically.A grade of Incomplete may be assigned only in cases of illness, accident, or other occurrences clearly beyond the student's control and affecting only a portion of the course. It is the student's responsibility to learn about and fulfill the University's and/or Division's policies and procedures for obtaining an Incomplete for a course grade. Students who fail to follow this policy will automatically be assigned a grade of FAIL for the course.

Written work must conform to the APA (latest guidelines) format. Written work must be original, clear, and grammatically correct. Use of direct quotes is not encouraged. Students’ analytical presentation of content from the readings is indispensable for their voices to be heard. Serious deficiencies in areas such as spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, and coherent organization will result in a lower grade (approximately 10% of written assignments are related to its organization, clarity, and syntax, etc). Students are encouraged to use the writing lab as need arises.

General guidelines for written assignments:

All papers are to be typewritten, double spaced, and printed in 12-point font, utilizing one-inch margins.
All papers are evaluated for proper use of knowledge: the integration of concepts, theories, models, and information from readings, lectures and class discussions is used in a way that demonstrates your grasp of the material.
All papers are evaluated for proper use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling and coherently and logically arranged thoughts.
All papers should demonstrate accurate citation of references (both text and Internet) in the style of the American Psychological Association (APA Style).

The evaluative criteria used by the instructor are described below:

(+) = Thoroughly Covered = Points made in the essay/oral presentation answer are all relevant to the thesis and support it. The essay / oral presentation makes all the points essential to the thesis. Content demonstrates a correct understanding of the material covered, and, where room for disagreement exists, present thoughtful and plausible interpretations of difficult material. Content use terms, concrete examples, comparisons, criticisms, analysis, as needed, to unambiguously convey a coherent view or explanation of the ideas or arguments being explained.

(√) = Well Covered= Points made in the essay/oral presentation answer are all generally relevant to the thesis and tend to give it solid support. The essay / oral paper makes most of the points essential to the thesis. Content evince a mostly correct and a competent understanding of the material covered, and, where room for disagreement exists, present, overall, thoughtful and plausible interpretations of difficult material, even if one or two key elements are not covered or are given questionable treatment.

() = Partially Covered = The essay/oral presentation makes one or more of the points essential to development of the thesis, although a number of points essential to the thesis may be overlooked or glossed-over, and the argument advanced may include more than a few elements that lend little if any support to the thesis. Some important and obvious points may be misunderstood or missing. Some points may be undeveloped or unrelated to each other. Connections may have to be supplied by the reader.

() = Not Covered = The essay/oral presentation has a thesis and appears to argue for it, but the essay/oral presentation is a series of scattered or unrelated points. The content of the essay/oral presentation evinces misunderstanding of several key concepts (relative to the purposes of the assignment) or understanding of them is not conveyed, yet some key concepts are covered and are not entirely misunderstood. (Students are reminded to retain a duplicate copy of all written assignments prior to submitting them for grading in the event of accidental loss or destruction.).

Clear and concise writing are key ingredients for your future in the field of social work. Each of you will be called upon to write letters and reports that will impact the lives of individuals, groups, funding, and social policies. It is in this spirit that I encourage you to use the written assignments in this class to hone your writing skills. We are fortunate to have access to writing support in both the college and the division. The development of writing skills is a life long endeavor; therefore I encourage you to seek out the assistance of the writing tutor whenever you feel the need. Additionally, after I read your assigned work I may refer you to the writing tutor.

As a guideline for organizing your workload, note that it is a standard educational expectation that students spend at least 5 hours outside of class time “studying & preparing”. Homework is an expected part of classand is counted as part of your classroom participation. Homework may include in-class informal writing, take-home assignments, readings, preparing for tests, watching multimedia resources and other assignments given by the instructor.

Academic Honesty Policy: My interactions with students are based on the expectation of mutual trust and honor. You are required and expected to do your own work on all class assignments, papers, etc.

A. Cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of any dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Cheating includes but is not limited to:

Copying, in part or in whole, from another’s test or other assignment.
Using crib notes, "cheat sheets," or any other device, including electronic devices, in aid of completing an exam or quiz when source materials are not approved by the instructor.
Submitting work previously graded in another course unless doing so has been approved by the course instructor or by department policy.
Submitting work simultaneously presented in more than one course, unless doing so has been approved by the respective course instructors or by the department policies of the respective departments.
Altering or interfering with grading or grading instructions.
Sitting for an exam or quiz by a surrogate or as a surrogate.
Any other act committed by a student in the course of his or her academic work that defrauds or misrepresents, including aiding or abetting in any of the actions defined above.

B. Plagiarism is a form of cheating. Plagiarism is the use of distinctive ideas or works belonging to another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of that person’s contribution. Regardless of the means of appropriation, incorporation of another’s work into one’s own requires adequate identification and acknowledgement. Plagiarism is doubly unethical because it deprives the author of rightful credit and gives credit to someone who has not earned it. Acknowledgement is not necessary when the material used is common knowledge. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:

The act of incorporating into one’s own work the ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, or parts thereof, or the specific substance of another’s work without giving appropriate credit thereby representing the product as entirely one's own. Examples include not only word-for-word copying, but also the "mosaic" (i.e., interspersing a few of one’s own words while, in essence, copying another’s work), the paraphrase (i.e., rewriting another’s work while still using the other’s fundamental idea or theory); fabrication (i.e., inventing or counterfeiting sources), ghost-writing (i.e., submitting another’s work as one’s own) and failure to include quotation marks on material that is otherwise acknowledged; and
Representing, as one’s own another’s artistic or scholarly works such as musical compositions, computer programs, photographs, paintings, drawing, sculptures, or similar works.

Cheating or plagiarism will result in a failing grade for that assignment. Additionally, if you turn in an assignment that has been “lifted” from others, you will receive a failing grade for that assignment, without the opportunity to redo the assignment. Finally, the instructor will follow the policies as outlined in the relevant Sacramento State student rights and responsibility documents regarding all occurrences and/or possible occurrences of cheating and/or plagiarism. This information can be obtained through the University Policy Manual in the section pertaining to Academic Honesty (see CSUS website:

Cell Phones, Pagers & Laptops: Students are expected to turn off ALL cell phones and/or pagers, and laptops. If there is a reason to have a phone on (i.e., family emergency, on-call at work) please set the device to vibrate mode. Students should not be surfing the internet, emailing, playing games, or answering calls during class time. If a student is using their cell phone during class to surf the net, play games, text others he/she will lose attendance/participation points for that day.

Availability: I am most accessible via email for quick inquires to clarify an assignment or general questions. Additionally, my office location, hours, and means to schedule an appointment can be found at the beginning of the syllabus.

Support Services: Should you have any physical, psychological, or cultural considerations that may affect your ability to learn in this course or complete course assignments, please see me immediately during the first week of the course. There are counseling and support services available here at Sacramento State designed to help you succeed. More information can be obtained by contacting the Office of Disability Services at (916) 278-6955.