SOCIAL WORK Courses

SW–110 INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNITY SERVICES ON GUAM
FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This is a course designed to familiarize the student with services available in the local community to meet human needs and to help with social problems. Emphasis is on the development of knowledge from the perspective of a consumer and of skills necessary to locate, gain access to and effectively utilize such services. Open to all students, including those on restricted status.

SW–201 SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT: GLOBAL CHALLENGES
FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This introductory course critically examines social welfare and social work from an international and comparative perspective with a focus on the importance of cultural and value systems on a society's allocation of resources, on the development of informal and formal systems of care, and on the evolving mission, roles and functions of social work.

SW–313 RESEARCH METHODS FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course offers an overview of research methods and their application in health and social service systems. Prerequisite: MA151 with a grade D or better.

SW–330 GENERALIST SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE METHODS I
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This is first in a series of four social work practice methods courses. Initially, the course offers a brief overview of theories underlying generalist social work with individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Subsequently the course emphasizes basic concepts, principles, and assumptions in working with individuals. These theoretical concepts are then applied to individual case studies, and students learn generalist social work skills through dynamic role-plays. Prerequisites: SW201 or permission of instructor.

SW–331 GENERALIST SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE METHODS II
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This is the second in a series of four social work practice methods courses. It offers theories underlying generalist social work practice and has a strong focus on skills development for working with a variety of groups in diverse settings. These generalist social work skills pertain in particular to group formation, group participation, group leadership, and group termination. Prerequisite: SW201 or permission of instructor.

SW–332 GENERALIST SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE METHODS III
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This is the third in a series of four social work practice methods courses. It offers theories underlying generalist social work practice and emphasizes skills development for working with organization and communities. These generalist social work skills pertain to the analysis of organizing with multiple change agents towards positive social development. Prerequisites: SW201 or permission of instructor.

SW–333 GENERALIST SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE METHODS IV
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This is the fourth in a series of four social work practice methods courses. It offers theories underlying generalist social work practice and emphasizes skills development for working with families, couples and individuals. A broad range of assumptions, concepts, and principles are examined and applied in the development of generalist social work skills which are required to work effectively with families, couples, and individuals of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Prerequisites: SW201 or permission of instructor.

SW–344 AGING: MYTH & REALITIES
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course explores the major issues and concepts pertinent to gerontology, the study of the aging process. The prevailing theories of the social/biological aging process, and the economics, physical and psychological problems that might arise in late life are presented, and students learn how these factors impinge on the well-being of the older person and the social structure of a community. Aging as it occurs in different societies and throughout history are discussed. Social myths and stereotypes are explored. An overview of existing aging policies and special programs for the older population is included, as is a section on dying, death and grieving.

SW–345 SOCIAL JUSTICE
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course examines the dynamics and consequences of social and economic injustice, including various forms of human oppression and discrimination. Students gain skills to promote social change and to implement interventions that advance individual and collective social and economic justice and combat the causes and effects of institutionalized form of oppression.

SW–350 HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT I
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course explores the reciprocal relationship between human behavior and social environments. Students will learn to deal with the impact of the social environment on the development of the individual throughout the entire life course, from birth to death, including physical, emotional and intellectual changes, with an emphasis on Micronesian cultural influences and values. The particular emphasis of this course is from conception to young adulthood.

SW–351 HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT II
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

SW–355 HUMAN SEXUALITY
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course offers a broad overview of human sexuality from a multidisciplinary perspective: the biological, psychological, sociological, and cross-cultural. It provides some of the most current information in the field today and the opportunity for students to reflect on their personal values, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding sexuality and to consider critical practice issues in his/her field.

SW–400 FIELDS OF SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
FALL/SPRING/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

Social workers are engaged in professional practice in diverse settings and work with different client systems. Each semester, this course examines the history, current policy issues and practice trends in a different field of social work practice. These fields of practice include: family and children's services, youth services, older adults, mental health, substance abuse, health care, disabilities, school social work, social work in the workplace (military social services, employee assistance), disaster relief, public welfare, criminal justice settings, and international social work. With different subject matter, SW400 may be taken more than once for credit. An annual schedule is developed based on an assessment of student interests, community need, and availability of faculty with expertise in the practice field. Please confer with a social work advisor regarding the annual schedule of SW400 course offerings.

SW–401 COMMUNITY SERVICE LEARNING
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course is designed to assist students develop an awareness of the importance of service as a civic responsibility. The course provides upper division students the opportunity to link study in his/her major and community service so that the service makes the study immediate and relevant, and the study relates to and supports the service to the community. Students are placed in an approved non-profit civic organization after a determination is made of the student's areas of expertise and specific needs of the organization. Students contribute a minimum of 50 hours of volunteer work to complete an agreed upon project. This service component is complemented by 16 seminar hours where students meet with the instructor to discuss the readings in relation to their service learning. The course culminates with a Community Service Learning Symposium where the service contributions of students are showcased and future service learning opportunities are identified.

SW–406 SOCIAL POLICY
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course focuses on the analysis of current social policy within the context of historical and contemporary factors that shape policy in U.S. territories. Attention is given to the political and organizational processes used to influence policy, the process of policy formulation, frameworks for analysis, and skills needed for policy practice.

SW–408 ADVOCACY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course prepares students to actualize policy and advocacy in different contexts in order to improve social conditions and promote social justice and human rights.

SW–410 SOCIAL WELFARE AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN MICRONESIA
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

3 credit hours

This course considers the history of traditional and contemporary approaches to social welfare and social development in Guam and the region.

SW–480 FAMILY VIOLENCE
SPRING ONLY/ODD YEARS

3 credit hours

This course examines family violence and family resilience in Guam and the region from a cross-cultural, gender, and interdisciplinary practice perspective. Students learn about issues of family violent from the viewpoints of victims, member of their extended family, perpetrators, and those who intervene drawing from actual cases, practice experiences, and current data, information and research.

SW–485A FIELD INSTRUCTION
FALL ONLY/ALL YEARS

4 credit hours

Each student collaborates with his/her assigned field instructor to develop and carry out an individual learning contract for beginning generalist social work practice, through 210 field contact hours and 45 in-class seminar hours. It is restricted to BSW students.

SW–485B FIELD INSTRUCTION
SPRING ONLY/ALL YEARS

4 credit hours

Each student collaborates with his/her assigned field instructor to develop and carry out an individual learning contract for beginning generalist social work practice through 210 field contact hours and 45 in-class group supervision and seminar hours. It is restricted to BSW students. Prerequisite: SW485a.

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SOCIAL WORK Courses