SSCI 105.1&2
The Human Services Worker
Spring 2001
TR 5 – 6:25
p.m. IV
LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
Knowledge: Students will
learn the scope of services available to people in need, the kinds of workers
who staff those services, and the various roles in which human services workers
engage. Strategies for intervention
will be presented, focusing on a problem solving model. Additionally, material on crisis
intervention, group work, and systems change will provided. Students will also learn about working in
agency settings, with a focus on job descriptions, personnel policies, and
supervision issues. Aspects of
job-related “burn out” will be discussed.
Finally, current information on prospects for employment opportunities
will be presented, and students will learn about developing resumes.
Skills:
Communication, both verbal and non-verbal, will be examined, and students
will develop a beginning competence in interviewing. Through the use of case studies, students will gain entry level
skills for intervening with individuals, groups, and systems, and will learn
how to do case recordings.
Values: Students
will be introduced to the attitudes and values embraced by human services
professionals. Personal values
regarding human problems and human services goals will be examinied. Each student will learn to recognize when
personal views and/or ignorance about
another person’s way of life are/is in conflict with the needs of clients of
human services agencies because of clients’ socioeconomic class, sex, sexual
orientation, ideology, age, life stage, and/or disability.
READINGS
Brill, Naomi I. Working With People: The Helping Process*, 6th
edition, New York: Longman, 1998.
Additional readings (photocopied,
via the internet, and/or made available through library reserve) as assigned
during the semester
Obviously, we haven’t time to review all the material in the
readings. As your instructor, I will
assume you understand the major points of all readings, unless you raise
questions in class. If you have
difficulty with mastering concepts you’ve read, ask for clarification. The only “dumb” question is the one you
decline to ask!
Class participation:
I’m sure you realize that those who attend class regularly learn better,
and earn better grades. I am confident
both these objectives are important to you.
Therefore, come to class regularly, on time,; stay untill class ends;
partivcipate actively; and demonstrate respect for other learners. Disregard for this advice may influence your
learning and enjoyment of this class, and will have an impact on your
grade. Students will be called upon
regularly to share their understanding of course material; individually or in
small groups, information regarding out-of-class readings will be presented to
classmates. The participation portion
of your grade will reflect your success in this endeavor. Taking notes about your readings is much
more effective than underlining/highlighting in the text, and will enhance your
ability to share what yo’ve read.
Written Assignments: All written work must be
computer printed or typed, and double spaced (but do not
“double/double space” between paragraphs).
Hand written assignments will not be accepted. Proof read your work. Its
appearance and organization will be reflected in your grade. However, no fancy binders, folders, etc. are
necessary. Simply state your name, SSCI
105, assignment title, and date submitted at the top of the first page of the
assingment, skip a few lines, begin the assignment, and staple or paper clip
together all pages. Using a computer
spelling-check program is highly recommended.
The campus computer lab has such a program. If you don’t use the lab, a hand-held spelling checker is on the
market for about $25, and is a valuable tool.
Credit will be reduced for incomplete, poorly written, or sloppy work,
and for assignments received late.
The intent of class assignments is
to help you to gather informatin for class discussion. Therefore, late assignments have reduced
value, and will receive a reduced grade.
Assignments received more than one week late will earn no credit. What you prepare before class is better
retained, thus providing for long term learning (not to mention better test
scores!). I encourage you to come to
class with comments and questions about the readings – and responsible opposing
points of view if you hold them. Debate
crystallizes and enhances learning. I
believe class time is more stimulating if everyone participates actively,
although we should all “share the mike” and not monopolize discussion.
I am aware that studemnts are not
immune from life’s “slings and arrows.”
Communicate with me about any problems, illnesses, etc., in a timely
fashion (i.e. before missing an assignment deadline, missing a test,
etc.), so I can help you assess the impact on learning. I respect your commitment to be responsible
for your learning, and look forward to working with you.
1. Establish a relationship with a resident in a long-term care facility or
a student in a residential education facility (I’ll help you arrange for this
as necessary). Visit the
resident/student weekly. Post on an
internet bulletin board and hand in a journal entry for each visit, sharing
your thoughts and reactions to the assignment, to the person whom you’re
visiting, the institution, etc. (one page should suffice). Respond to your
bulletin board partner’s posting as a peer mentor. At the end of the semester, prepare a summary of your own
contacts, including a brief assessment of the person’s functioning, and the important things you’ve
learned from the relationship, including that related to your bulletin board
partner’s contributions (three to four pages, computer printed or typed).
2. Interview paper: Students will
form teams of 3 to do an activity on the effectiveness of interviewing
strategies. Use your own impressions
and the feedback you receive from your “client” and the interview observer to
describe briefly those factors that seemed to help and/or hinder the
effectiveness of the interviews in which you role played the interviewers
during the activity (three to four pages, computer printed or typed).
3. Case study: You will be provided
with a description of a client who is seen at the agency where you
hypothetically work. Using the problem
solving process discussed in class, and following the model used in class
exercises, you will examine how you might serve the clien (three to four pages,
computer printed or typed).
Tests: Because learning is enhanced by
immediate and frequest review and testing of knowledge, no make-up tests will
be scheduled. If you cannot be rpesent
for a test for any reason, talk with me before missing the
class. I’ll make every effort to help
you accommodate any obstacles which intrude on learning course material. There will be 4 tests during the semester;
the lowest test grade will be discarded (if you miss a test, the resultant zero
will be considered the lowest score).
Students will be alerted at least a week before a test is
scheduled. The final,examination will be
cumulative, and will be similar in nature to the other tests, including a
combination of true/false, multiple choice, matching, brief answer, and
definition items.
GRADING
Grade weight: Attendance,
participation = 15%
Visit postings, journals, &
summary = 20%
Interview paper = 15%
Case Study = 20%
Tests = 15%
Final Examination = 15%
Grade criteria: (Also refer to handout,
Evaluation Guide
A – Exceeds
the basic expectations for the assignment by presenting more information and/or
deeper insight into the topic than a “B” paper
B – Good
coverage of the assignment topic demonstrating understanding of course material
and some original thought and insight. Well written with correct spelling, complete
sentences, well-organized paragraphs, and a logical sequence of ideas
throughout the assignment.
C –
Satisfactory content showing basic understanding of the material. Adequately written with minimal spelling
and/or grammatical errors.
U – “D”
and ”F” are unacceptable for college work.
Assignments failing to earn “C” or better will be marked “U” and
returned for improvement. The revised
assignment will be due one week from the date the original was returned to the
student, and should be accompanied by the original summittal. Note that no grade ever “disappears,” so a
revised paper earns the average of the “U” grade and the revised one.
D – Weak
content reflecting lack of effort or inadequate understanding of the
assignment. Poor written expression,
spelling, and/or grammar make the paper difficult to read and impede
understanding of the student’s ideas.
F –
Assignment demonstrates disregard for reasonable standard of effort and/or neglects
to follow directions sufficiently so as to be irrelevant.
(to be revised as necessary)
Week Of
1/22 Introduction to course, instructor,
classmates; determination of “ground rules,” course goals, The human
services “scene”. Ch. 1
1/29 Putting Ourselves and
clients in the Picture. Ch. 2, 3
2/5 The Multi-cultural
Concept. Ch. 4
2/12 The Multi-cultural
Concept (Continued)
2/19 Connecting with
People. Ch. 5
2/26 Connecting with People
(Continued), Library reserve reading
3/5 Understanding Helping
Relationships. Ch. 6; Interview Observations assignment due
3/12 SPRING BREAK
3/19 Helping People
Change. Ch. 7
3/26 Helping People
Change. Ch. 7 (Continued)
4/2 Developing a Personal
Professional Style. Ch. 8; Case Study Assigment due
4/6 LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITH
GRADE “W”
4/9 Developing a Bag of
Tricks, Ch. 9
4/16 Working With Groups, Ch. 10;
4/23 Honing our Skills, Ch. 11
4/30 Integration. Ch. 12
5/8 -13 Final exam week; exam date
to be announced.
A
final thought: Each day in this hectic
world, set aside a few moments. At the
end of the semester you’ll have a few days saved up to study for finals.
