Social Work - Brigham Young University - Laie

Social Work from Brigham Young University - Laie is a Campus Bachelor Sociology degree that prepares you for a Human Services career. The Social Work Profession The human experience is filled with good fortune as well as challenges and difficulties. Sometimes we are unable to cope with or resolve difficulties such as: poverty, marital conflict, parent-child relationship problems, delinquency, abuse and neglect, substance abuse, and mental/emotional stress. Social work is the profession that helps individuals, groups, and communities enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and work towards social and economic justice and peace. The underpinnings of the social work profession include but are not limited to: (1) social work values such as autonomy, non-judgmental attitude, and the dignity, worth, and value of all human beings; (2) social work knowledge about human behavior, research, the life cycle, group dynamics, social policy, the ecological framework, human diversity, the environment, etc.; (3) practice skills and paradigms for working with multilevel populations such as preparing, communicating, analyzing, contracting, role taking, and stabilizing; and (4) planned change or an orderly approach to problem solving. Career Opportunities and Graduate Study Students who graduate with a Baccalaureate Degree in Social Work (BSW) from Brigham Young University Hawaii are prepared as generalist social work practitioners. The beginning generalist practitioner assesses and works with consumer populations including referrals to community resources, guides consumer populations through the planned change process, intervenes with individuals, families, groups, and the community in a range of situations, conducts on-going evaluations, and makes appropriate closure. BSW practitioners are employed in a variety of direct practice settings such as: state departments of human services, mental health and developmental disabilities services, children's service agencies, halfway houses, nursing homes, area wide agencies on aging, agencies serving battered women, rape crisis centers, child-care centers, etc. At the practice setting, the generalist social work practitioner takes on various roles such as: social broker, case manager, advocate, counselor, mediator, and educator. The social work program also prepares students for graduate study in social work as well as service within their family, church, and community. The knowledge, skills, values, and ethics gained from a social work education can be well used both professionally and personally, formally, and informally. Mission Statement The program supports the overall mission of the University and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by preparing culturally competent, effective, and ethical social work professionals committed to providing services to the poor, oppressed, and underserved. The department also provides opportunities for students to take leadership roles in supporting and promoting social justice and the social work profession internationally by facilitating peace within individuals, families, communities, and nations. Program Goals 1. To prepare students to be social work professionals and competent generalist social work practitioners with individuals, families, groups, communities, and societies. 2. To prepare students to assist in the promotion of social welfare, social justice, and peace within the appropriate individual, family, political, cultural, and social context. 3. To enhance personal development and change within students. 4. To promote the profession of social work in the international arena. 5. To prepare students for responsible leadership and citizenship, family life, and church and community service. 6. To prepare students to be effective consumers of research and its application to social work practice. Program Objectives Upon completing a major in Social Work , students will: 1. Apply critical thinking skills within the context of professional social work practice. 2. Understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards and principles, and practice accordingly. 3. Practice without discrimination and with respect, knowledge, and skills related to consumer's age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. 4. Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and apply strategies of advocacy and social change that advance social and economic justice. 5. Understand and interpret the history of the social work profession and its contemporary structures and issues. 6. Apply the knowledge and skills of generalist social work practice with systems of all sizes. 7. Use theoretical framework supported by empirical evidence to understand individual development and behavior across the life span and the interactions among individuals and between individuals and families, groups, organizations, and communities. 8. Analyze, formulate, and influence social policies. 9. Evaluate research studies, apply research findings to practice, and evaluate their own practice interventions. 10. Use communication skills differentially across consumer populations, colleagues, and communities. 11. Use supervision and consultation appropriate to social work practice. 12. Function within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems and seek necessary organizational change. 13. Understand the profession of social work in Asia and the Pacific within the global context. Program Outcomes Upon completing a major in Social Work , students will: 1. Be able to ask questions that demonstrate critical thinking skills within the context of professional social work practice. 2. Know the value base of the profession and its ethical standards and principles, and practice accordingly. 3. Be able to role play practice without discrimination and with respect, knowledge, and skills related to consumer’s age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, family structure, gender, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex, and sexual orientation. 4. Be able to discuss the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and the strategies of advocacy and social change that advance social and economic justice. 5. Be able to discuss the history of the social work profession and its contemporary structures and issues 6. Know the knowledge and skills of generalist social work practice with systems of all sizes. 7. Be able to discuss the theoretical framework supported by empirical evidence to understand individual development and behavior across the life span and the interactions among individuals and between individuals and families, groups, organizations, and communities. 8. Be able to analyze, formulate, and influence social policies. 9. Be able to evaluate research studies, apply research findings to practice, and evaluate their own practice interventions. 10. Be able to demonstrate communication skills differentially across consumer populations, colleagues, and communities. 11. Be able to work under supervision and consultation for appropriate social work practice. 12. Be able to function within the structure of organizations and service delivery systems and seek necessary organizational change. 13. Be able to discuss the profession of social work in Asia and the Pacific within the global context. View more details on Brigham Young University - Laie, HI . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Sociology courses.