Revised 01/2017

Angelina College

Technology & Workforce Division

CMSW 1309.Y01, Y51,Y65, Y71, Y91 – Problems of Children and Adolescents

Instructional Syllabus

  1. BASIC COURSE INFORMATION:

A.Course Description:

Three hours credit. This course will examine common problems and evaluate effective prevention and intervention models of at-risk children and youth. Topics include social, family, educational systems impact, juvenile delinquency, teen sexuality, and mental health, including addictive behaviors to promote wellness.

Outcomes include articulating common problems and characteristics of at-risk children and youth in social, family, developmental, psychological and educational systems; investigating and evaluating effective prevention and intervention models and resources for referrals; and describe and analyze current juvenile laws. Corequisites: SCWK 1321.Three semester hours credit. Three lecture hours per week.

B.Intended Audience:

Freshmen working toward educational requirements for social services technicians, case managers, caseworkersand case manager assistants for at-risk children and youth..

C.Instructor: Patricia Wars, M.Ed., LPC-S, CART

Office Location: TW 165

Office Hours:Mondays-3:15 – 4:15 p.m.;Tuesdays-9-9:30 a.m. & 3:00-4:00 p.m.; Wednesdays-2:00 – 4:00 p.m.; Thursdays – 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.; and Fridays – as scheduled with students.

Phone: 936/633-5351

E-mail Address:

II. INTENDED STUDENT OUTCOMES:

“Through the Texas Core Curriculum, students will gain a foundation of knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world, develop principles of personal and social responsibility for living in a diverse world, and advance intellectual and practical skills that are essential for all learning.” Texas Core Curriculum 2014.(Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 4 B §4.28 – 4.31).

A.Core Objectives Required for this Course

1. Critical Thinking: to include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information

2. Communication: to include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication

3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills: to include the manipulation and analysis of numerical data or observable facts resulting in informed conclusions

4. Teamwork:to include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others to support a shared purpose or goal

5. Personal Responsibility: to include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making

6. Social Responsibility: to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities

B.Course Learning Outcomes for all Sections

1. Students will articulate and examine common problems and characteristics of at-risk children and youth in social, family, developmental, psychological and educational systems.

2. Students will investigate and evaluate effective prevention and intervention models and resources for referrals.

3. Students will describe current juvenile laws.

III.ASSESSMENT MEASURES

A.Assessments for the Core Objectives:

1. Critical Thinking Skills: Critical thinking will be measured through the student creatively applying innovative and best practice services to improve at-risk child and youth problems; develop effective prevention and interventions to improve at-risk child and youth functioning; and satisfactorily complete problems presented through tests/examinations, reflective questions on discussions, assignments and other course activities.

2. Communication Skills : Students will satisfactorily participate in and class discussions of critical at-risk child and youth topics; analyze and reflect verbally in class and in writing applying theory and interventions to child and youth issues; complete a written professional journal article summary focusing on best practice services for children and youth, including youth with juvenile justice issues; and present it in class.

3. Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Not applicable

4. Teamwork :Not applicable

5. Social Responsibility : Students will demonstrate increased awareness of ethical and supportive-practices required in the human services profession by analyzing the impact of educational and family systems in the community for culturally and ethnically diverse children/youth served; satisfactorily complete in-class and online assignments, reflective discussions and group activities comparing and evaluating current practices and recommending more effective solutions to benefit at-risk and underserved child and youth clients.

6. Personal Responsibility: Not applicable

B.Assessments for Course LearningOutcomes

1. Students will articulate and examine common problems and characteristics of at-risk children and youth in social, family, developmental, psychological and educational systems through embedded questions in tests/examinations, interactive course activities, online and classroom discussions and written assignments comparing resources in the various systems for at-risk children and youth. Demonstration of Texas mandatory abuse/neglect reporting laws will also be included.

2. Students will investigate and evaluate effective prevention and intervention models and resources for referrals through research of best practices, discussions, embedded test/quiz discussions and other interactive course activities.

3. Students will describe current juvenile laws through examination of pertinent sections of the Texas Family Code.

  1. INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES:

Lecture utilizing resources including slide presentations, graphs and handouts and educational videos. Interactive course activities will be utilized, both in the classroom and online. All sections will utilize tests/examinations as at least one method of assessing student knowledge. Specified course activities will be facilitated in the classroom and online.

V.COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES:

A.Required Textbooks and Recommended Readings,Materials and Equipment

Textbooks:

(1) At Risk Youth, A Comprehensive Response, 5th Edition, J. Jeffries McWhirter, Benedict T. McWhirter, Ellen Hawley McWhirter and Robert J. McWhirter; Thomson, Brooks Cole, Publisher, 2013; and

(2)Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association,6th Edition, American Psychological Association, publishers.

Students are required to purchase all the textbooks in this course syllabus.

Materials and Equipment Required:

  • STUDENTS MUST RENT, VIEW, REVIEW AND STUDY THE FILM “ANTWONE FISHER”, starring Denzel Washington and Derek Luke. Key parts of the film form the basic case study of at-risk children and youth. The Major Project focuses on students identifying, describing, comparing and analyzing at-risk child and youth factors from the film.

Only brief clips will be shown in class to comply with federal copywright laws of commercial films. Students must rent the film and review at home to successfully complete the Major Project.

  • Students are required to provide their own computers, computer printer, printer ink and printing paper.
  • Students will need a USB drive to save and print out assignments for class for discussions and exercises, and to work and save course work when using the Computer Lab computers in TW 139.
  • Students will be responsible for printing out instructional materials (Power Points and handouts) required before each class session lecture.
  • Students are responsible for a reliable internet connection to complete online tests, discussions and course assignments.
  • Students must have Microsoft Office 2010 installed on their computers with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, OR a free PowerPoint viewer can be downloaded from Microsoft.com.

B.

Course Policies – This course conforms to the policies of Angelina College as stated in the Angelina College Handbook.

  1. Academic Assistance – Academic Assistance – If you have a disability (as cited in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) that may affect your participation in this class, you should see Sellestine Hunt Associate Dean of Student Services, Student Center, Room 200. At a post-secondary institution, you must self-identify as a person with a disability; Ms. Hunt will assist you with the necessary information to do so. To report any complaints of discrimination related to disability, you should contact Mr. Steve Hudman, Dean of Student Affairs, in Student Center, Room 101,(936) 633-5292or by
  1. Attendance – General- Attendance is required as per Angelina College Policy and will be recorded every day. Any student with three (3) consecutive absences of four (4) cumulative absences may be dropped from the class. Records will be turned in to the academic dean at the end of the semester. Do not assume that non-attendance in class will always result in an instructor drop. You must officially drop a class or risk receiving an F. This is official Angelina College Policy. Attendance limits stated above are only fora three-semester hour class that meets twice per week .
  1. Additional Policies Established by the Instructor
  • Absences will reduce the student grade in Attendance. See Section VII below for specific information.
  • Missed quizzes, discussions and assignments cannot be made up, with the exception of the Midterm and Final Examinations.
  • Students not completing the Midterm Examination, Final Examination and Mandatory/Major Projects & Assignments will fail the course.
  • Class absences will also reduce the participation grade in Participation.
  • See Addenda A.1. for general policies;
  • See Addenda B.1 for Student Disclosure;
  • See Addenda D.1.2 for guidelines related to Hybrid and Internet courses utilizing Blackboard.

a. Confidentiality issues in the classroom: Program courses are not taught in a clinical setting; as such, role play situations and hypothetical case studies will be utilized to assist students in learning Human Services theories, skills and processes, not students’ personal situations. However, when students do disclose personal situational information in the classroom setting, students are expected to keep that information confidential, and are required to sign Addendum B.1 Confidentiality/Self-Disclosure Statement at the beginning of each semester by responding to the discussion activity Course Requirements.

b.Demeanor and Professionalism: Students are learning to be professionals in human services agencies, whether for-profit, non-profit, governmental (state, federal) or faith-based. Students are advised and instructed to use empathy, compassion, non-judgmental attitudes and culturally-sensitive perspectives and viewpoints in their responses, interactions, course activities and research assignments in all the Human Services Program courses.

c. Instructor Feedback: The Instructor will guide, re-direct and communicate with students to ensure their interactions and responses are appropriate. Students are required to review and study Instructor feedback and incorporate the feedback in improving their professionalism throughout each course. Failure to do so will result in increasingly more points being deducted from course activities when the same errors continue to be made.

d. Discussion Requirements: Except for the Discussions entitled “Course Expectations,” students are required to compose an original response to the discussion question for the chapter/module, then substantively respond to a peer’s original response in the discussions. The response to peer should include another aspect of a perspective of the question, or other information that may add and/or enhance the peer’s original response. Discussions are designed to develop student critical thinking and problem solving abilities in human services.

Students who fail to respond to a peer’s original response in the method prescribed above, will receive a feedback warning from the Instructor to correct the error in future discussions, plus a reduction in grading. A student’s failure to respond to peer original postings after the first corrective Instructor feedback, will experience more reduction in grading/more and more points deducted from their individual discussion activity grades as the student’s behavior continues. This will negatively affect the student’s final course grade.

e. Late Course Activity Submissions.Course activities are opened and closed according to the chapter/module being addressed in each course, which is outlined in the course assignment schedule. When the activity is no longer available, the student is late.

As a general guideline, students submitting assignments late to Blackboard or the classroom, will receive one letter grade equivalent on a grade, in addition to the grade on the content of the assignment. Remember that zeroes (0) are failing grades and will reduce the student’s overall grade for the course. Other late course activities will have the grade reduced by a letter grade each day the activity is late being submitted.A letter grade for a 10 point exercise, for example, would be one (1) point. This is in addition to the grade on the content of the submitted activity. College students should organize their work according to the course schedule to complete course work on a timely basis, which is required in the human services profession.

f. Incomplete course assignments: Students are responsible for ensuring their course activities are complete, and submitted properly per the course requirements. This means that students are expected to follow directions and instructions for course activities and complete them in a satisfactory manner. Assignments with multiple components must be submitted with all the components completed to receive a passing grade on the activity. Assigned course activities that are incomplete will receive an “F (failing grade) for that particular assignment.

Students should never hesitate to contact the Instructor for clarification of instructions for assignments to ensure the student’s success in satisfactorily completing the assigned course activities.

g.Internet/Hybrid Course Guidelines: See Addenda D.1.2 for these guidelines

VI.COURSE OUTLINE: Description of the Course Activities including due dates, schedules, and deadlines.

The planned course activities and assignments are distributed directly to students and posted on Blackboard.

VII.EVALUATION AND GRADING:

1. Quizzes and Exams, including the **Midterm and **Final Examinations20%

2. Discussions25%

3. Assignments30%

**Major ProjectEach Component will be completed throughout semester

Students must complete ALL COMPONENTS to pass the course.

a.(1) Students will complete an At-Risk Criteria Table-select five criteria 5%

thatapplies to the assigned case study and,

(2) write a paragraph, APA style (essay)describing the highest priority at-risk

characteristics through analysis of the completed table.

b. Using the At-Risk Criteria Table completed in the first assignment, 10%

students will add explanations, resources and interventions for specified

at-risk characteristics identified for at-risk children.

c.**Journal Article Summary. 10%

(1) Approved Topics:

  • Best Practices in Counseling or Case Management of

At-Risk Children & Youth, OR

  • Effective prevention and interventionservices for

a specific child/youth problem (including Juvenile Delinquents)

(2) Students will research and write a summary paragraph and conclusion/analysis paragraph

of anapproved journal article on the approved topics above.

or youth; APA format/style will be followed in both cases.

d.Presentation of Project – 3 Minutes –Highlights of Project 5%

5. Attendance – see Addenda D.3 for grading specifics. 10%

6. Participation– See Addenda D.3for grading specifics10%

______

100%

** MANDATORY/MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS.

Mandatory assignments are those that are required to be completed by the student in order to pass the course. Mandatory/Major Assignments in this course are:

  • Midterm Examination, Final Examination, and Major Project (all components)
  • Students not completing the Mandatory Assignments for the semester will receive a 0 (zero), failing grade, for the assignment, and will also receive an automatic F (Failing Grade) as a Final Course Grade, recorded on the student’s official college transcript.

Instructor may modify the provisions of the syllabus to meet individual class needs by informing the class in advance as to the changes being made.

1