SW 4680, the second field experience of the Social Work Program,
involves 335 hours at the agency over the fifteen week semester and a weekly
one hour seminar on campus for a total of 350 hours.
By the end of this course the student should be able:
To utilize critical thinking skills to assess social problems and their dynamics within the Field II practice setting and apply appropriate practice intervention strategies to the problem solving process at that agency
To utilize knowledge about social work values, ethical practice, and cultural diversity and provide professional practice to all types of problems and size systems at the Field II agency
To understand one's own abilities and personal style and maximize the use of self in practice while completing the Field II experience
To assess the dynamics of oppression and discrimination, especially for populations at risk, as they apply to the Field II agency, its services, and the clients served and intervene in an advocacy role geared toward social change as part of the Field II experience
To understand the past and current social work practice of the Field II agency and the issues faced when practicing within that setting
To understand the micro, mezzo, macro levels of practice that comprise the generalist approach at the Field II agency and intervene effectively on all three levels
To understand systems theory and the bio-psycho social-variables affecting human behavior and utilize this understanding effectively in practice on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels as part of the Field II experience
To analyze social policies of the Field II agency and of the larger systems in which it is a part, understand the impact of these policies upon clients and their problems, and develop appropriate social work intervention
To understand research in the form of evaluation of practice and apply such knowledge to the Field II agency and its services
To communicate effectively with various size client systems, with professionals, and with others involved in problem solving endeavors during the Field II practice
To make effective use of supervision within the agency as part of the Field II experience
To function within various size organizations as part of the Field II practice, utilizing the positive aspects of these structures and making changes when more effective structures could be developed
To take appropriate action to support or change social policy at or as a part of the practice experience in Field II, operating consistent with social work values
To apply research methods to the Field II agency site in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the interventions provided within that setting
To understand the rapidly changing environment of social work
practice in the Field II agency and be able to function effectively within
this environment
There is no required textbook for this course. This course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. A grade of pass is based on the following course requirements:
1. Field Evaluation: the student must receive a score of 80 on the summary section of the Final Field Instruction II Evaluation Form.
2. Seminar: the student must receive a score of 80 in seminar assignments.
For this course, a passing grade is equivalent to an A or B in other courses. This is policy established by the MTSU Social Work Faculty and reflects the fact that BSW degrees are awarded only to those students who have demonstrated a good or excellent ability to practice social work in an agency setting.
A. Field Evaluation:
The Field II Evaluation form, provided to the student for the
Field Supervisor to complete, is the instrument used to assess agency performance
for this course. It is an evaluation of the student's readiness for entry-level
social work practice. The Final Overall Assessment on the last page of the
form will be used for a quantitative assessment of the student's performance.
Each student must receive a minimum score of 15 out of the possible 20 points
(excluding response number five) in order to pass the field section of the
course requirements.
It is important that each student is given an opportunity to
be assessed in all the areas listed on the Final Overall Assessment and
that all the sections in the entire Field Evaluations Form are addressed
in some way at midterm and at the end of the field experience.
B. Seminar:
1. Attendance and Participation
Each student will earn three points for each class attended.
One point will be deducted if the student is more than five minutes late;
two points will be deducted if the student is more than 30 minutes late.
It is assumed that attendance will include participation; your presence,
attention, and nonverbal participation should be accompanied by active verbal
participation in the seminar discussions. Up to eight bonus points will
be awarded for participation. The total possible points for this requirement
is 50.
For the purpose of this grading process, there is no difference between excused and unexcused absences. The value of the seminar learning experience is only realized through attendance. There may be exceptions made to this policy by the Field Liaison in extreme circumstances.
2. Field Journal
Each student will complete a journal on their experience in the
field and turn in an entry at the beginning of seminar each week. This journal
will be a report on field activities of the previous week. The entry must
be typed and should be a minimum of two double spaced pages. If the instructor
feels that an entry is not acceptable the student will be given an opportunity
to re-write the entry.
Each student will earn three points for each acceptable journal entry. One point will be deducted if the entry is more than one hour late; two points will be deducted if the entry is more than one day late. Up to eight bonus points will be awarded for especially good journal entries. The total possible points for this requirement is 50.
Each entry should include:
1. A description of a significant experience in which the student was involved;
2. A reflection or discussion on why that experience was important and how it relates to your knowledge base in social work;
3. What this experience and reflection means for the development of your practice wisdom.
The entry should follow the following format:
1. The Intern should keep track of his/her hours. Lunch hour does not count toward these hours nor does travel to and from the agency. Travel for the agency within agency hours and for Intern duties does count. Any agency time completed outside the normal schedule and any preparation time away from the agency for agency tasks (for example, research for a special talk you are giving on behalf of the agency) can be counted. Seminar time does not count toward the 335 hours required at the agency.
2. Confidentiality should be maintained at all times. Thus, reference to clients in seminar or anywhere outside the agency should not include that client's name. Everything shared in seminar, whether it involves a client or not, should be kept with the group.
3. The Intern must call the agency supervisor or other appropriate staff member if the Intern has an emergency and must be late or miss a day. Such a call must be made first thing in the morning. The placement should be treated like a job. An Intern can be terminated.
Certain rules of professional courtesy should apply during seminar
time, such as listening to others without interruption; sharing the time,
paying attention not to dominant the group; taking a leadership role; and
problem solving about difficulties in placement.
Barker, Robert L. (l99l) The Social Work Dictionary - 2nd ed. Silver Spring, MD: NASW.
Collins, Donald, Barbara Thomlison, and Richard M. Grinnell, Jr. (l992) The Social Work Practicum: A Student Guide. Itasca, IL: F. E. Peacock.
Compton, Beulah R. and Burt Gallaway. (l989) Social Work Processes - 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Epstein, Laura. (l988) Helping People - The Task-Centered Approach - 2nd ed. Columbus, OH: Merrell.
Faiver, Christopher, Sheri Eisengart, and Ronald Colonna. (2004) The Counselor Intern's Handbook - 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Garthwait, Cynthia L. (2005) The Social Work Practicum: A Guide and Workbook for Students - 3rd ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Hepworth, Dean H. and Jo Ann Larsen. (l993) Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills - 4th ed. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Heus, Michael and Allen Pincus. (1986) The Creative Generalist: A Guide to Social Work Practice. Barnveld, WI: Micamar.
Kirst-Ashman, Karen K. and Grafton H. Hull, Jr. (l993) Understanding Generalist Practice. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Meenaghan, Thomas M. and W. Eugene Gibbons. (2000) Generalist Practice In Larger Settings. Chicago, IL: Lyceum.
NASW (l987) Encyclopedia of Social Work. l7th ed. Silver Springs, MD: NASW.
Shaefor, Bradford W., Charles R. Horejsi, and Gloria A. Horsejsi. (l99l) Techniques and Guidelines for Social Work Practice - 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Simons, Ronald L. and Stephen M. Aigner. (l985) Practice Principles - A Problem-Solving Approach to Social Work. New York: MacMillan.
Wilson, Suanna J. (l980) Recording Guidelines for Social Workers. New York: Free Press.
Yuen, Francis K. and Kenneth L. Terao. Practical grant Writing and Program Evaluation. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Zastrow, Charles. (l986) Introduction to Social Welfare Institutions. Chicago: Dorsey.
Zastrow, Charles. (l989) Social Work with Groups - 2nd ed. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Zastrow, Charles. (l992) The Practice of Social Work - 4th
ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
| Monday, August 30 | First day of Field: students are expected to make arrangements prior to this date to be in the agency starting today. |
| Tuesday, August 31 | First day of Seminar: students are expected to be in class, in Peck Hall 108, at 8:00 today. |
| August 30 - Sept. 2 | Drop-add period |
| Monday, September 6 | Labor Day Holiday: no classes. Field students must recognize that they have responsibilities to the agency and clients and should not assume that agencies observe the same holidays as the university. |
| Monday, Sept. 12 | Last day to drop without a grade. |
| October 16-19 | Fall Break: no classes. Students should check with their supervisors about agency needs and expectations for Monday, October 16. |
| Monday, October 25 | Last day to drop with a grade of "W" |
| October 18 -23 | Mid-term week: mid-term field evaluation due in seminar on Tuesday, October 26. |
| November 25-27 | Thanksgiving Holidays: no classes |
| Tuesday, December 7 | Last day of Seminar: final field evaluation due. |
| Wednesday, December 8 | Last day of Field if the 335 hours have been completed as required. Finals week may be used if necessary to complete hours missed due to illness or holidays. |
| December 10-16 | Final exams |
| Saturday, Dec. 18 | Graduation! Last day to complete "I" grades for graduates. |