The University of Texas at Arlington

School of Social Work

Prof. Dick Schoech, schoech@uta.edu, Office-D7, 272-3964

Fall 1998

Monday, 9-12 am
 

Course Outline

Course Description

This course is designed to develop the theory, methods, and skills of community practice. It builds on the "person in environment" perspective by focusing on the client's environment as a partner in practice. The course is designed to help students develop an analytical and empirical approach to human service communities and community practice. Throughout the course, skill based exercises are presented to aid in understanding theoretical concepts.

Teaching Objectives

· Introduce systematically the theories and concepts of community practice (theoretical base).

· Examine the methods, strategies, and principles of intervention within a community context (knowledge base).

· To develop the core skills necessary to apply theory and knowledge to the needs of disadvantaged/minority populations (children, women, ethnic minorities, the poor, the homeless, people with disabilities, etc.) as well as to the general population (skill base).

· To allow students to explore a personal philosophy and style of community practice consistent with social work philosophy, ethnic/gender perspectives, values, and ethics (professional base).

Learning Outcomes

Students will demonstrate the acquisition and development of knowledge in the following areas, including integration of content related to ethnic minorities and other disadvantaged groups:

· History and values pertinent to community practice, including involvement of social workers as agents of social change and macro-level intervention.

· Theoretical concepts, methods, approaches, and examples of community practice

· Concepts, methods, and examples of working with groups in community.

· Principles, methods, and examples of community needs and capacities assessment and of prevention as a change modality, including consideration of socio-political factors in the external environment.

· Knowledge of various community practice intervention approaches including social planning, community development, and social action.

· Principles, issues, and examples of evaluation of community practice initiatives.

· Role of the disadvantaged, women, and minorities as community practitioners and as recipients of community practice.

Methods

Lecture: Lectures will present theories and concepts and elaborate on the class assignments.

Class discussion: Classes will involve substantial discussion. Students are expected to come to class prepared to ask questions and be involved in class discussion. Additional discussion can occur on the class listserv.

Readings: Students are expected to complete the assigned readings before class. Students are encouraged to seek additional "how to" materials from the media, libraries, and the Internet; to share these with the class; and to use these in their assignments.

Task group work: Students will work on the community assessment in task groups. This is consistent with how assessments are actually developed. Class time will be allotted for task group meetings. The instructor should be used as a consultant.

Major assignments: Students will apply theory by writing a community vs. individual practice comparison paper, a community needs assessment, and a community plan.

Video presentations, guest speakers, field placement reports, etc.: A variety of other techniques may be used in explaining methods and developing skills.
 

Grading	Due date	Points
Interview community practitioner, attending a community meeting, or analyzing a community	28 Sep 98	50
Paper comparing DP and CP	19 Oct 98	250
Community assessment paper	9 Nov 98	200
Community intervention paper	7 Dec 98	300
Internet activity and assignment	continuous	50
Minutes (etc.), working in task groups, class participation, sharing resources, etc.	continuous	150

A=900-1000 points; B=800-899 points; C=700-799 points; D=600-699 points; F=less than 599 points

Attendance will be taken each class after the break to encourage participation. Two unexcused missed classes will result in a reduction of 50 points. 50 points will be deducted for each additional unexcused absence.

Course Texts and Reading Materials

Brueggemann, W. G. (1996). The practice of macro social work. Chicago: Nelson-Hall.

Bruner, C., Bell, K., Brindis, C., Chang, H., and Scarbrough, W. (1993). Charting a Course: Assessing a community's strengths and needs. Des Moines IA: Child and Family Policy Center.

Marzke, C., and Both, D. (1994). Getting Started: Planning a comprehensive services initiative. Des Moines IA: Child and Family Policy Center.

Supplemental reading: Tropman, J.E. (1996) Making meetings work. Thousands Oaks CA: Sage. Recommended for those specializing in Administrative and Community Practice.

Assignments *= assignment is explained in the course pack. Late assignments may be reduced by 10%)

"Real world" assignment:* This assignment helps the student gain first hand knowledge of community practice by writing up a one page report after (1) interviewing a community practitioner, (2) attending a community meeting, or (3) analyzing a community.

DP/CP Comparison Paper:* This 8 page paper compares and contrasts interventions where the individual is the target of intervention with one where the community is the target of the intervention for the same human service problem.

Community Assessment:* The class will work in small task groups to design a community needs/capacities assessment and develop a fictitious assessment. The average length of the assessment should be 3-5 pages (well formatted) for each member of the task group (including appendices). Two copies of the assessment should be submitted; one is for future student use. Draft sections of the assessment paper will be turned in for instructor feedback. Each task group member will be required to produce a meeting notice, agenda, and minutes from a task group meeting.

Community Intervention paper:* Based on any task group's community assessment or your personal experience, students will design a community intervention strategy. A sample of one type of intervention, a community plan, and a checklist for grading the intervention plan are in the course pack. The maximum length of the intervention strategy is 10 pages (well formatted--including appendices). Two copies of the intervention paper should be submitted; one is for future student use.

Internet Assignment:* This assignment demonstrated the Internet as a communication and resource tool. It consists of getting connected to the class and the a community practice listserv. It also involves browsing the World Wide Web for community practice sites and posting at least one message on the class listserv about why you found a site useful along with the URL of the site. I typically check my email daily and so email is a good way to ask questions or raise issues and concerns about the course.

General Schedule

Part 1: Introduction and historical, value, and theoretical perspectives
 

1.	24 Aug	Introduction and course overview
2.	31 Aug	The human services and community practice: history, values, themes
	7 Sep	Labor Day holiday
3.	14 Sep	Theoretical perspectives: social change, systems, diversity; win/win, strengths, power, empowerment

Part II: Problem/condition identification and assessment
 

4.	21 Sep	The context of practice: the community
5.	28 Sep	Identifying the condition of concern, vision, & guiding principles [Interview/meeting/analysis due]
6.	5 Oct	Community assessment: overall design [possible guest speaker]
7.	12 Oct	Community assessment: resource identification, data analysis, data collection, and data presentation
8.	19 Oct	Community assessment: needs and capacities identification and prioritization [DP vs. CP paper due]

Part III: Intervention approaches and evaluation
 

9.	26 Oct	Intervention: Community planning
	2 Nov	Independent work
10.	9 Nov	Intervention: Community or locality development [Community assessment due]
11.	16 Nov	Intervention: Social action
12.	23 Nov	Other intervention approaches and mixing approaches (meeting notice, agenda, and minutes due)

Part IV. Integration and conclusion
 

13.	30 Nov	Evaluation of intervention, critical perspective, issues, ethics of practice
14.	7 Dec	Developing an individual framework, course review, course evaluation [Intervention paper due]

 

Sessions

1: Introduction and course overview

Topics: Course summary, review of objectives and syllabus
 
 

2: The human services and community practice: history, values, themes

Topics: Social work's community roots; values and themes of social justice, self-determination, self-sufficiency, empowerment, participation, shared interest, and professionalism (accountability, data based practice, ethical practice, self awareness, contingency based analysis) .

Readings: Brueggemann, Forward, Preface, Ch 1, (1-46); Epilogue (395-402)

Readings: NASW Code of Ethics --Sections In student handbook and at (http://www.naswdc.org/code.htm)

Suggested readings: Weil, M. (1996). Model building in community practice: An historical perspective. Journal of Community Practice. 3(3/4), 5-67.
 
 

3: Theoretical perspectives: change, contingency, ecological, diversity, win/win, strengths, power, empowerment

Topics: Each perspective is a separate topic.

Readings: Brueggemann, Ch. 2 & 3, (47 106)

Readings--CP (course pack): Planned change process, Contingencies that influence community practice, Community power, Systems Theory

Readings: Dawson, R. (1985). How Both Sides Can Win, Ch. 12 from You Can Get Anything You Want, NY: Simon & Schuster, pp. 224-233.

Suggested readings: Wright, R. Jr., Saleebey, D., Watts, T., & Lecca, P. (1983) An introduction to the transcultural perspective, in Transcultural Perspectives in the Human Services, Springfield, IL: Thomas, pp. 3-25.

Suggested readings: Saleebey, D. (1996). The strengths perspective in social work practice: Extensions and cautions. Social Work, 41 (3), 296-305.

Suggested readings: MacNair, R. H., (1996). Theory for community practice in social work: The example of echological community practice. Journal of Community Practice. 3(3/4), 181-202.

Suggested readings: Staples, L. H. (1990) Powerful Ideas about Empowerment, Administration in Social Work, 14(2), 29-41.
 
 

4: The context of practice: the community and the agency

Topics: Functions of community in modern society, causes of community dysfunction, neighborhoods.

Readings: Brueggemann Ch. 5 (pp. 107-128); Ch 9 (pp. 211-232).

Readings--CP: Activities during a first meeting; Sample meeting notice, agenda, and minutes; Ideas about community well functioning

Web: Ontario healthy communities coalition homepage (http://www.opc.on.ca/ohcc/)

Task: Divide into task groups of 4-5 students. Hold task group meeting.
 
 

5: Identifying the condition of concern, vision, & guiding principles

Topics: Social problem identification, the politics of problem identification, multicultural perspectives on social problem definition basic meeting skills, brainstorming, nominal group technique, vision, guiding principles.

Readings--CP: Checklist for evaluating a meeting, Brainstorming, Nominal Group Technique

Web: Putnam, Social Capital (http://epn.org/prospect/24/24putn.html)

Suggested readings: Cummings, S. (1998). Left behind in Rosedale. Boulder CO: Westview (Based on the Rosedale section of Ft. Worth)

Task: Task group meeting to brainstorm on the condition to address. Discuss the conditions under which intervention will occur, e.g., sponsoring organization, community, etc. Develop a workplan for turning in the needs assessment. A hand written workplan is due from each task group at the end of class along with a vision statement and guiding principles.
 
 

6: Community assessment: overall design

Topics: Types of need (normative, perceived, expressed, relative), need measurement strategies, barriers to services, citizen participation, etc.

Readings:Bruner et al, Charting a Course: Assessing a community's needs and capacities. (required text) p. 5-28.

Readings--CP: Needs and capacities assessment grid, Arlington mental health assessment

Examples from the Web: The social well being of Vermonters (http://www.dsw.state.vt.us/ahs/swb97/swbcover.htm)

Examples from the Web: Indicators of Spokane County individual environments (http://www.spokanecounty.org/health/CA/bk3.htm) (requires Adobe)

Optional Web: An introduction to community assessment (http://outreach.missouri.edu/moexpress/guides/moexp7-1.html)

Task: Hold task group meeting to design your needs assessment.
 

7: Community assessment: resource identification, data analysis, data collection, data presentation

Topics: Secondary data, census data, service statistics, resource inventories, surveys, public forums, key informants, etc.

Readings: Bruner et al, Charting a Course: Assessing a community's needs and capacities. (required text) p. 29-38.

Task: Hold task group meeting to discuss data sources, data collection, data analysis, and data presentation..
 
 

8: Community assessment: needs and capacities identification and prioritization

Topics: Need prioritization criteria and methods, the politics of needs and strengths priorities.

Readings: none--paper due

Web: Skim the community section of Civic Practices Network (www.cpn.org/sections/topics/community/index.html)

Task: Hold task group meeting to discuss results of the assessment and priority needs and capacities on which to build.
 
 

9. Intervention: Community planning and services integration

Topics: Definition of the approach; key concepts or characteristics; process, methods and strategies; conditions suggesting use of this approach; advantages and disadvantages; tools, skills, rules of thumb, conventional wisdom; issues.

Readings: Brueggemann Ch. 6 (pp. 129-152); Ch. 10 (pp. 233-257)

Readings: Marzke, C., and Both, D. (1994). Getting Started: Planning a comprehensive services initiative. (required text)

Readings--CP: Comparing approaches, Writing goals and objectives, Arlington mental health plan; Checklist for evaluating a community intervention

Task: Task group meeting to finalize the needs/capacities assessment that is due next week
 
 

10: Intervention: Community development

Topics: Definition of the approach; key concepts or characteristics; process, methods and strategies; conditions suggesting use of this approach; advantages and disadvantages; tools, skills, rules of thumb, conventional wisdom; issues.

Readings: Brueggemann Ch. 7 (153-176); Ch. 11 (pp. 257-282)

Readings: MORE: The Heart of Grace Hill, St. Louis pp. 1-7. (An example of community development)

Suggested readings: Gallegos, J. S., (1982). Planning and administering services for minority groups, in M. Austin & W. Hershey (Eds.), Handbook on Mental Health Administration, (pp. 87-105). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
 
 

11: Intervention: Social Action and political empowerment

Topics: Definition of the approach; key concepts or characteristics; process, methods and strategies; conditions suggesting use of this approach; advantages and disadvantages; tools, skills, rules of thumb, conventional wisdom; issues.

Readings: Brueggemann Ch. 8 (pp. 177-210); Ch. 13 (pp. 311-343)

Suggested readings: Kahn, S. (1982) Organizing, NY: McGraw Hill, pp. 1-19.

Suggested readings: Bois d'Arc Patriots, (1977). Organizing in Dallas, Green Mountain Quarterly, pp. 9-24.

Suggested readings: Alinsky, S. (1972) A candid conversation with the feisty radical organizer, Playboy, pp. 59+
 
 

12: Other intervention approaches and mixing approaches

Topics: Technology, agency coordination, service integration approaches, etc. Implementation and political considerations, interorganizational coordination

Readings: Brueggemann Ch. 14 (344-366).

Readings: Weil, M. (1996). Model building in community practice: An historical perspective. Journal of Community Practice. 3(3/4), 31-59.

Readings--CP: Overview of evaluation activities and types
 
 

13: Evaluation of intervention and taking a critical perspective (issues and ethics of practice

Topics: Process, outcome, and impact evaluation. The role of outcome objectives in evaluation, the politics of evaluation.

Readings: Alinsky, S. (1967) Of Means and Ends, Rules for Radicals, NY: Random House, pp. 426-437.

Readings: Specht, H. & Courtney, M. (1994). Social work and psychotherapy in the American community. Ch. 1 in Unfaithful Angels. NY: The Free Press. pp. 1-29.

Suggested Readings: Kirst-Ashman, K.K. & G. H. Hull (1997). Generalist Practice with organizations and communities. Chicago: Nelson-Hall. (See Chapter 10. Evaluating macro practice).
 
 

14: Developing an individual framework, course review, course evaluation

Readings: Brueggemann Ch 15 (pp. 367-394)

If you require an accommodation based on disability, I would like to meet with you in the privacy of my office the first week of the semester to be sure you are appropriately accommodated.