Social Work 492

APPLES Service-Learning Summer Internships Course

Summer 20122013

Instructor: Cindy Fraga Rizo, MSW

Syllabus

Instructor

I received my BA in Psychology (2005) and my Master’s in Social Work (2007) from Florida International University. I am currently a doctoral candidate in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My dissertation work focuses on the coping efforts of intimate partner violence survivors. Specifically, my dissertation project aims to create and evaluate a scale that measures the manner in which survivors of intimate partner violence cope with the violence and violence-related stress in their lives.

Generally, I am interested in Violence Against Women research, including intimate partner violence, sexual assault, harassment, and human trafficking. However, my true passion is learning about and serving Latina survivors of intimate partner violence. My interest in this important issue emerged from the converging perspectives of my personal experiences as a Cuban-American woman and my professional experiences working with Latina survivors and their families.

When I am not working on research or finishing my dissertation, I like to spend time with my wonderful husband, Roger, and our black lab, Luna. I enjoy jogging, hiking, reading, and dancing.

Contact Information

Office: Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, Suite 400

Email:

Phone: 305-244-7046

Office hours: By appointment. Please email me if you would like to schedule time for us to meet. My office hours are very flexible and I would be happy to meet and chat with you either over the phone or in-person.

Communicating with Your Instructor

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by email at . You can also post questions for me on the discussion forum.

A common problem in online classes is that instructors sometimes fail to receive student emails. To make sure that I receive your emails and you receive timely responses to your questions, please follow these communication guidelines:

  1. All email messages must include SOWO 492 CCO in the subject line, otherwise they will not be routed to the correct folder in my inbox and I will not see them.
  2. Be proactive. I should always respond to your email message within a day or two. If I fail to respond to your message after forty-eight hours, it is almost certain that I have not seen it. Do not hesitate to let me know that you are waiting for a response!
  3. Use your UNC Onyen email.

Course Description

In this course, we will explore frameworks, values, and skills around the democratic principles of service and citizenship, with particular emphasis on social justice. We will take a service-learning approach to investigate pervasive social issues occurring locally, nationally, and globally. This course accompanies an intensive, paid internship experience in a local nonprofit agency, thus material on characteristics of nonprofits is covered along with theoretical and personal exploration of values guiding provision of services to individuals and communities. This course will compliment your fieldwork through focused readings, online discussion posts, and reflective writing.

This is a one credit hour course offered by Carolina Courses Online. While Carolina Courses Online (CCO) are generally open to anyone, this course requires permission for enrollment because it is accompanied by a paid internship.

Goals of this seminar

  1. Explore the meaning of service-learning in the context of ten topic areas: nonprofit work, self-awareness, education, families, aging, chronic disease, public policy, environment, criminal justice, and global issues.
  2. Explore the underlying social, political, and economic issues associated with these topic areas;
  3. Think critically about your internship work, and how that work relates to your system of values and ethics;
  4. Have opportunities to develop greater awareness of what it means to serve communities, critically evaluate what you bring to that work, and build skills in empowering the individuals and communities that you are serving;
  5. Work toward critical engagement of the subject matter;
  6. Gain practical skills to use in your internships now and to take with you as you transition through your schooling to your careers and beyond.

Required Text

Dolgan, C. & Baker, C. (2011). Social Problems: A Service Learning Approach. Thousand Oaks: California.(ISBN-10: 0761929479, ISBN-13: 978-0761929475)

Additional readings will be available on BlackBoard at or you will be instructed to retrieve additional readings via the UNC library online system.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

You will write a reflection paper for each lesson. In the reflection paper, you will demonstrate your understanding of the topic by using specific examples from the lesson, the readings, your internship experience, and/oronline discussion posts. You will also turn in a Final Reflection Summary Paper. In this paper you will reflect on your overall experience in this class and your internship. You will also prepare and present a showcase of your internship work and your learning points from class.

Reflection Papers – 55 points (11 papers at 5 points each)

Reflection papers require you to critically reflect on the readings and lesson plans, and connect them to your internship experiences.You can find the reflection questions in the lesson plan for each topic. Each of your reflection papers should be 500 words. Email me your weekly reflection paper by the following Monday at 8:00pm. Please save your papers as Word documents, using your name in the file-name, such as “Reflection1-JSmith.doc.”

Final Reflection Summary Paper– 10 points

In this paper, you will reflect on your overall experience in this class and your internship. Critically reflect on your introduction reflection paper and answer the following questions: What does service-learning mean to you now? Where your expectations of this course met (explain)? What specific knowledge and skills did you gain? What did you learn about yourself as a result of your participation in this class and your internship? The Final Reflection Summary Paper should be 3-5 pages, double spaced. Email me your Final Reflection Summary Paper by Thursday, July 26 at 5:00pm.Please save your paper as a Word document, using your name in the file-name, such as “FinalReflection-JSmith.doc.”

Final Presentation – 13 points

On Thursday, July 26 we will meet on campus in room 500 of the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building (School of Social Work Building) from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. You will each showcase your internship work and your learning points from class. Feel free to be creative! You can bring in a poster board, brochures from your internship, pictures, and/or video clips to share your experience.

Discussion Forum Participation – 22 points (11 discussion posts and 11 discussion responses at 1 point each)

After reading the chapter, thoughtfully and critically respond to one of the discussion questions (due by Friday at 8pm each week) and reply to another student’s response in a respectful and constructive manner (due by Monday at 8pm each week). Although I provide cut-off dates, please do not wait until the last minute to submit your posts. This will ensure that the discussion forum remains interactive and that it is not inundated with contributions at the last minute. More than the two required posts (i.e., one post in response to the discussion questions and one post in response to another student’s contribution) will be much appreciated, but will not garner points. However, if you are an enthusiastic discussion participant and have lots to say beyond the two mandatory posts, I will certainly take notice!

Why discussion? This course depends on your participation. The discussion forum is your space to air your thoughts about the class and your internship. It’s the place where your ideas regarding the material are communicated to me and your classmates. Learning takes place best in dialogue and active participation, and since this course occurs in cyberspace, we need this discussion forum to replace all the ways in which students normally interact with each other. I will respond to questions and comments on your discussion forum once or twice a week. In addition, at the each week I will provide a discussion wrap-up.

To earn the full point for your post, please adhere to the following criteria:

  • Each post should be of quality and contribute to the class discussion. Superficial one-liners that merely repeat what someone else has said or just summarize a quote generally receive zero points.
  • Each post and each response should be a minimum of 150 words. Usually, a good contribution is a substantial paragraph, because that’s what it takes to develop an idea.
  • In your postings, use specific quotations and illustrations from the readings (show that you’ve done the reading). Cite page numbers so the rest of the class can find where you got your ideas and questions.
  • Late posts are not accepted and will not be graded. You must post to each week’s discussion forum during that week and by the deadline provided (see course schedule).

Grading of Reflection Papers and the Final Reflection Summary Paper

When I evaluate your Reflection Papers and the Final Reflection Summary Paper, I will use the following criteria:

  • Writing: Your work should convey information in a clear and direct manner, with no spelling or grammar errors.
  • Connection to course and internship: Your work should make connections to this course (including course/lesson objections, discussions, and readings) and your internship experience.
  • Critical Reflection: Your work should demonstrate your ability to think critically about social justice issues.
  • Content: Your work should satisfy all of the requirements of the assignment. When answering a reflection question, make sure your response is accurate, thoughtful, and complete.

Grading Policy

Your grade should reflect what you learn in this course, but I can’t know what you have learned unless you demonstrate it to me. Therefore, it is your responsibility to communicate your understanding of the material though your participation in the discussion forums, the written assignments, and your final presentation. It is necessary for all your work to be submitted on time. Late posts are not accepted and will not be graded. Further, written assignments (i.e., Reflection Papers and the Final Reflection Summary Paper) that are not submitted on their due date will be reduced by one letter grade for each day they are late.

Grade Scale

A94-100C+77-79

A-90-93C74-76

B+87-89C-70-73

B84-86 D60-69

F< 60

Things you need to know to succeed in this online course:

This is a unique course because each of you chose to participate in a specific service-learning internship experience. None of you simply “signed up for the class”, but engaged in a lengthy process of applying, interviewing, and accepting 10-15 hours/week of service in an organization, in addition to an online class. This means that each of you brings a particular perspective, based on your interests and experiences to the class, and that each of you plays an integral role in defining our collective classroom experience. In short, your skill-sets and areas of knowledge will enrich the online discussions, inform our collective learning, and impact your individual service work.

Of course, I am here to help you get the most out of your abilities. Since we will not meet in a classroom, I will provide assistance largely through lessons, where you will find reading assignments, discussion questions, lesson objectives, a topic overview, my lesson notes, and your reflection assignment for the week. Furthermore, we will use our companion Sakai site to interact with one another through announcements and online discussions.

Here are some hints for doing well in this course:

Read each week’s lesson carefully.At the beginning of each week, look at the lesson page for the week. Read the discussion questions and objectives carefully. Next, read the textbook chapter(s) listed in the “Required Reading” section. After you have finished reading the chapter(s), read the “Overview” and “Lesson” sections of the lesson plan. The lesson plans introduce you to the topics for the week. Read them carefully. They highlight and expand on some of the main themes.

Make notes as you read. Read actively, not passively. Think about the discussion and reflection questions as you go along, and take notes! This will help prepare you for writing your discussion posts and reflection papers.

Check the discussion forum and Sakai site frequently.Several times each week, you will want to click on the “Sakai” link at the top of any course page and log onto this companion site for our course. Please take a moment to read any recent announcements I have posted there. Participation in the discussion forum is required. Keep the discussion in mind as you read so that you will easily come up with contributions that will be useful to yourself and the rest of the class.

Contact me with your questions! Whenever you have a question about anything related to the course or your internship, get in touch with me either by calling me at 305-244-7046 or by emailing me at . If you send or leave a message on a weekday, I will usually respond within 1 or 2 days.

Visit the UNC Writing Centerand read their suggestions thoroughly. Do not fail to do this! It will make your life easier.

Internship

Your internship will comprise a bulk of this learning experience as you will be working 10-15 hours per week in a community organization. The following guidelines may help you in your internship placement:

  1. Follow the policies, procedures, and related expectations as defined by the agency. Ask your supervisor if you have any questions or are unclear on a policy or procedure. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
  2. Trust yourself. If something doesn't feel right, ask for assistance, clarification. Remember this is your learning experience. Feel free to use our seminar time to process any issues that may come up. Everyone will experience concerns, insecurities, difficulties, and frustrations. Openness to explore and process those experiences is valued. Everyone in seminar will benefit from sharing both the good as well as the disappointing experiences.
  3. Your internship is a serious commitment. Recognize the many ways staff and clients come to expect your presence and look forward to seeing you. Relationships are formed best by regular, consistent presence, along with warmth and vitality.
  4. I encourage you to use the online forum to share challenges and triumphs that will inevitably accompany your internship experience. If there are times when you would like a more one-on-one conversation, please come to my office hours or make an appointment with me. In addition to my support and class support, Carolyn Byrne is the APPLES coordinator for this course. You may email her at or call the APPLES office at 843-9837 if you have concerns about your placement.

COURSE MECHANICS

Sakai

Some of your class components (discussion forums, announcements) are accessed through a software package called Sakai, and you will need to log in to Sakai using a unique identifier known as your UNC Onyen (Only Name You’ll Ever Need) and Onyen password.

There should be a link to the Sakai site in the gray navigation bar at the top of every page in this course. Click on that link, and then use your Onyen to log in to Sakai. Click on the “SOWO 492” link, and you will see navigation buttons on the left side of the screen labeled Announcements, Assignments, Forums, and so on.

If you experience problems accessing Sakai, this is what you should do:

  • If you do not already have a UNC Onyen, go to the Onyen Web site and follow instructions for creating an Onyen.
  • If you have an Onyen but have forgotten it (or the password), go to the Onyen Web site.
  • If you have your Onyen but can’t log in to Sakai, contact ??? at the Friday Center
  • If you can log in to Sakai but can’t find this course listed, contact ??? at the Friday Center
  • If you can’t locate a forum in Sakai, contact the Instructional Designer at the Friday Center.

Using Email

All communication from me and the Friday Center staff will go to your UNC Onyen email address (the one that appears when you post to the discussion forum). If you use a filter on your email account, you are responsible for ensuring that it does not prevent you from receiving messages from your instructor, the course listserv, or Friday Center Staff.

It is extremely important for you to save copies of any work you send to me via email. If I don’t receive your work, you must have a copy of the email with the attached file, indicating the date sent, to prove that you submitted the assignment on time. It is your responsibility to maintain copies of your sent emails, as there is no way to guarantee that any email message will be delivered. Please check your email software to see how it manages sent and saved messages. Some software automatically deletes messages one month after they have been sent; others only save messages if they are filed in folders; others save messages received but not those sent. You may need to send yourself a copy of your emailed assignment at the same time you send it to your instructor, or you may need to print a copy of the email message and any attachments to keep in your paper files. No matter how your system works, make sure you know to save a copy of all work that you submit to me and that you save the copy for several months beyond the end of the course.