FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES
Department of Social Work
LOCATOR INFORMATION
Semester: Summer 2004
Course Number and Name: SWRK 516 Social Work Practice with Black Families
Semester Hours of Credit: 3
Time Class Meets: 5:00 PM – 8:50 PM
Room/Building: TBA
Instructor’s Name: Annie McCullough Chavis, Ed.D, ACSW, CMSW
Office Phone and Fax: 910 672-1852, 1210 Fax 910 672-1755
E-mail Address:
Office Location: TS 209-D
Office Hours: 4:-5 PM T
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course examines the past and current status of Black families and alert students to specific knowledge, skills, values and strategies required to work successfully and culturally with the target group. It incorporates the study and analysis of problems and issues faced by social workers in working effectively with Black families, including the integration of theory, cultural factors, social work policy, human behavior and social work practice. A particular emphasis is placed upon greater understanding of the challenges and dynamics affecting practice with Black families, including economic and social justice, empowerment, and oppression. Additionally, from an empowerment and strengths perspective, this course will examine historically the capabilities and strengths of Black families and how such capabilities and strengths can be used in effective social work practice with Black families.
REQUIREDTEXTBOOKS:
Logan, S., Freeman, E, & McRoy, R. G, (Eds.). (1990). Social work practice with Black
families: A culturally specific perspective. New York: Longman, Inc. (Reserved)
Martin, E. P. & J. M. Martin (1995). Social work and the black experience. Silver
Springs, MD: NASW Press.
SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS:
Billingsley, Andrew. (1992). Climbing jacob’s ladder: The enduring legacy
of African American families: New York: Simon & Schuster.
McAdoo, H (1997). (Ed.). Black families. (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Additional supplementary readings are on reserve and electronically in the Chestnut Library under the instructor’s name. Some readings will be given by the instructor and other readings will be provided on-line in Blackboard.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
By the end of the course students should be able to:
1. Expand knowledge and understanding concerning the history of American Black families, including West African family values, norms, patterns and traditions, and how many of these values, norms, patterns and traditions have been transformed intergenerationally to contemporary Black families.
2. Develop an all-inclusive conceptual framework and theoretical perspectives for examining Black families and have specific socio-historical knowledge about the experiences of Black families in the United States.
3. Understand how oppression and inequality work through societal factors including social policies and practices to weaken the power of many American Black families and their access to resources.
4. Develop skills and knowledge that will facilitate more effective social work practice with American Black families.
5. Develop greater self-awareness of their own cultural and ethnic identities, and of personal values, attitudes, and patterned responses to human diversity in relations to working with Black families. Understand how these may shape approaches and influence professional social work practice.
6. Gain knowledge about past and current research relevant to oppression, discrimination, social, and economic justice in regards to working with American Black families.
7. Apply critical thinking skills to the analysis of issues pertaining to Black families.
8. Demonstrate an ability to clarify social work values in the context of dominant societal values and in contrast to Black family values, and the ability to identify value conflicts and make informed value choices in regards to greater culturally competent social work practice situations with Black families.
9. Demonstrate an understanding of human and family diversity within the Black family as sources of strength and identify such strengths within clients/consumer while identifying problems and issues and in seeking solutions to their problems.
10. Demonstrate and analyze relationships, dynamics of Black families and the theoretical factors which impact environment, family systems and human
behavior within a social work framework focusing on economic and social justice, oppression and discrimination.
11. Demonstrate cultural competence and ethnic-sensitive social work practice by exploring diversity within the Black family and understand the impact of discrimination, oppression and economic deprivation upon Black families by recognizing that these may be contributing factors in the problem-situation that may need to be targets of change within the families.
COURSE EVALUATION AND GRADING SCALE:
Group Project... 100 points
Self-Study Cultural Identity Paper 200 points
Genogram Self-Project... 100 points
Brief Exams . 50 points each
____________
Total 500 points
GRADING SCALE: 460 - 500 = A 365 - 414 = C
415 - 459 = B 364 below= F
CLASS FORMAT: This is a seminar and lecture/discussion class. Students are expected to have completed required readings before class and are expected to participate in class activities and to bring relevant information and questions to class for discussion.
COURSE OUTLINE WITH ASSIGNMENT SHEET:
See attached assignment schedule.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS and EXPECTATIONS:
ATTENDANCE: Students are expected to attend each class and arrive on time. Tardiness will not be tolerated. In the rare event you are unable to attend or will be late for class, you are expected to notify the instructor in advance whenever possible. This class is to prepare you for professional social work practice, therefore it is expected that you give the class and the instructor the same priority and consideration as you would do an employer.
MISSED OR LATE WORK: In the event of a missed class, it is the student’s responsibility to obtain class notes, assignments and other materials given during the class missed. All assignments are to be turned in on time. As a rule, Make-up examinations will not be permitted. Makeup exams will only be administered when there is an absence for legitimate University business or a documented emergency situation. If you are absent from class on the due date of an assignment, the assignment must be submitted prior to the due date. Assignments may also be submitted electronically. Late papers may be accepted at the discretion of the instructor, but may be given a reduced grade.
ASSIGNMENTS: Promptness in completion of assignments and assigned readings is a requirement. You are expected to contribute to class discussion and be prepared for class. Preparation includes reading the assigned readings prior to class and being attentive during class.
WRITTEN WORK: Written work must show thoroughness, clarity, and professionalism. This includes first writing, reviewing, editing and then rewriting. All work should be carefully proofread and corrected. Papers should be free of errors.
All assignments must be typed, doubled-spaced, and include a titled page. Papers written from sources must include citations following the APA style of writing in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition).
CLASS BEHAVIOR: Telephones and /or beepers are to be turned off during class.
STUDENTS with DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities who need the assistance in utilizing university services should register with the Center for Personal Development as soon as they are admitted to the university.
TEACHING STRATEGIES:
The teaching strategies used in the class will consist of lectures, class discussions, group activities, oral presentations, in class experiential activities, and resource speakers. Audio and visual materials will be utilized as supplementary materials as appropriate.
REQUIREMENTS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Brief Examinations
There will be two exams at the beginning of class on social work practice with Black families. Each student is expected to read the required material prior to class. These exams will provide a chance for students to demonstrate knowledge of key concepts and information presented in class. The exams will allow students to give thoughts of how to integrate knowledge, values, skills, theory and practice into your work with Black families. The exams will generally include 10 to 20 objective questions and 3-4 essay questions. The exam will be given at the beginning of class, before class discussion of the readings for that week.
2. Self-Study Cultural Identity Analysis Paper
The 8-10 page self-study analysis paper is assigned to increase your awareness and understanding of your own identity and racial or ethnic group. It addresses the questions: Who am I? Who do others think I am? How do I think others see me? How do I feel about others’ reactions to me? You are to describe your racial and cultural background, values, and beliefs associated with your group identities, and discuss how these characteristics influence your attitude toward and interactions with others, who are different, as well as their attitude toward and interactions with you.
To guide your critical thinking, and the development of your paper, you are asked to consider some of the questions that follow, as well as to address other materials that may be more relevant for gaining an understanding of your cultural identity. You may select either the concept of ethnicity or race for your cultural analysis.
Ethnicity: What do you know about your ethnic heritage? Describe what you know about the heritage of your name, or any culturally significant name change (s) in your family background. What continent or country or countries would you identify as your ancestral geographic base? What do you know about your ancestors and how they came to live in the United States? Describe an aspect of your ethnic heritage that you are proud of and an aspect that you are not proud of? What was the ethnic composition of the communities in which you have lived? How much contact have you had with Blacks and members of other ethnic groups? Where did you get your information or most of your information about Blacks and other ethnic groups? How well do you relate to members of other ethnic groups? Give examples. Do you have issues (e.g., negative experiences, biases about inferior/superior cultural groups, stereotypes) that may make it difficult for you to help clients/consumers that are of a particular ethnicity? How might you challenge yourself to be more ethnically sensitive?
Race: What race would you say you are? What racial group would others place you? What is the racial background of your family? When were you first aware of people of other races? Which races? Where did you get your information or most of your information about Blacks and other racial groups? What was the racial composition of the communities in which you have lived? When did you witness or experience someone being treated differently because of his/her race? What experiences made you aware that your racial group affects how you are treated in society? What advantages and disadvantages have you experienced because of your race? What makes you feel proud to belong to your racial group? What makes you not want to be a member of your racial group? Describe an incident or experience that caused you to feel anger, shame, guilt, or rage because of membership in your racial group. Do you have issues (e.g., negative experiences, biases about hair, skin color, physical features, stereotypes or mixed heritage) that may make it difficult for you to help clients/consumers that are Black or a particular race? How might you challenge yourself to be more racially sensitive?
3. Self Awareness and Family Systems Genogram Analysis Paper and Visual Project
Each student will develop a comprehensive project using a three generational visual Genogram and a 10 to 20 page type written analysis as a self-awareness assessment tool. The fundamental goal of drawing a genogram is to objectify the intergenerational system of family projections, identifications, relationships, experiences, and events, which have been influential in constructing the self. The major purposes of this assignment are to increase self-awareness (understanding of how your family system impacts your life and other systems in relations to your development) and integrate family systems theory and concepts into practice. Self-awareness is a never-ending process and in order to become effective social workers, students must be aware of their perceptions, beliefs, attitudes, emotions, actions, and values. For your type written analysis, you are to list and discuss the concepts in family systems theory and analyze your family through a developmental framework. Give special attention to family systems theoretical concepts i.e. family life cycles, family patterns, family strengths, family rules, family rituals, family structure, family communication, family power, family myths, family roles, family boundaries (see attached suggested interview questions). Please note! You are to take an honest look at your family and the concepts in the family systems theory for conceptualization, analysis and self-awareness. The paper will be evaluated on thoroughness of the introspective assessment of the above. The paper will also be evaluated for neatness, grammar, sentence structure and overall composition. See attached questions to use as a guide for interviewing family members for information.
4. Group Project
Students are required to do a group project on an aspect of Black Family Life, Issue or Problem that impact the Black Community. Presentation will be 35-45 minutes long and may be in the form of a role-play, panel discussion, skit, video, or other creative format (see Hints for a good oral presentation handout). Each group will submit a report to include:
1. The purpose of the group project
2. Statement of the problem
3. Literature Review (at least six references)
4. Contribution of the group project to social work practice with Black families
SELECTED REFERENCES:
Anderson-Butcher, D., Khairallah, A., & Bigelow, J. (2004). Mutual support groups for
Long-term recipients of TANF. Social Work, 49 (1), 131-140.
Anderson, J. & Carter, R., (2003). Diversity perspectives for social work practice.
Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Baca Zinn, M., & Eitizen, D.S. (1998). Diversity in families. (4th ed.). New York: Harper
Collins.
Barnes, S. (2001). Stressors and strengths: A theoretical and practical examination of nuclear
single parent, and augmented African American families. Families in Society, 85 (5),
Bean, R. A., Perry, B. J., Bedell, T. M., (2002). Developing culturally competent
marriage and family therapist: Treatment guidelines for non-African American
therapist working with African American families. Journal of Marital and Family
Therapy, 28 2, 153-164.
Billingsley, A. (1968). Black families in white America. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Billingsley, A. (1999). Mighty like a river: The black church and social reform. New
York. Oxford University Press.
Boyd-Franklin, N. (1989). Black families in therapy: A multisystems approach. New York:
Brown, J., & Christen, D. (1999). Family therapy: Theory and practice. (2nd ed.). Pacific