Courses of Instruction

FAMILY STUDIES AND SOCIAL WORK (FSW-Education and Allied Professions)

MPF, MPT 160 Family Relations: Historical and Comparative Analysis (3)

Examines family relationships (e.g., husband-wife, parent-child) from historical and comparative perspectives. Includes gender roles, marital power and decision-making, social class, ethnicity, and economic and political structures. Historical and comparative approaches to the study of the family. MPF IIC, H. CAS-C.

201 Introduction to Social Work (3)

Provides an introductory understanding of human needs, social values, ideologies and institutional structures that have shaped the evolution of social welfare values and responses in America. The development of social work as a profession closely parallels the development of the social welfare system as we know it today. Traces the development of social welfare needs and the response of the social work profession.

MPF 206 Social Welfare: Impact on Diverse Groups (4)

Critical analysis of historical and current interactions of social welfare policies, programs, and services with diverse recipient populations. Attention given to contexts in which social welfare has been developed and provided. MPF IIC.

MPT 207 Serving and Supporting Children, Youth, and Families I (4)

Introductory analysis of relationships among the conditions, characteristics, and capacities of children, youth, and families (especially those labeled “at risk”) and the institutional services and supports intended to improve their well-being. Emphasis placed upon question-finding in different contexts, especially the ways in which the knowledge we claim and the solutions we offer are dependent upon our analytical frames and language. Cross-listed with PHS 207.

MPT 208 Serving and Supporting Children, Youth, and Families II (5)

Focuses upon children, youth, and families experiencing needs, problems, and crises. Today’s institutional services and supports are analyzed and evaluated both in class and in educational, health, and social service agencies. Students shadow helping professionals in these agencies during directed field experiences. Cross-listed with PHS 208. Prerequisite: PHS 208.

MPT 261 Diverse Family Systems Across the Life Cycle (3)

Introduction to and survey of the diversity of family systems. Emphasizes the North American experience while drawing upon global understandings. Covers the nature of family systems and how these may vary by social class, ethnicity, urban-rural residence, and other aspects of sociocultural context. Stresses how family systems change across their life span, as well as how individuals experience different family systems in their life spans.

MPT 262 Current Controversies (4)

This seminar explores divergent viewpoints on a variety of family issues. Students are expected to actively participate in discussions, debates, and other forums that are designed to help develop sustainable personal and professional stances concerning vital issues facing contemporary families and their members.

MPT  281 Child Development in Diverse Families (4)

Study of physical, cognitive, and affective development of children from birth to 12 years; observation and application of principles in family, community, and educational settings. Prerequisite: three hours in a social science.

283 Introduction to Child Care Administration (3)

This course is intended for persons intending to work with young children and their families in a variety of child care settings and will focus on the development of knowledge and skills in understanding various aspects of child care administration and management.

293 Field Placement - Infant/Toddler Setting (3)

Course designed for students who are assuming teaching responsibilities for an extended period of time under guided supervision in an infant/toddler program. Prerequisites: EDP 201 and EDT 246, EDT 272; and EDT 273 or 274. Co-requisite: FSW 382 must be taken prior to or concurrently with FSW 293.

294 Field Placement - Preschool Setting (4)

course designed for students who are assuming teaching responsibilities for an extended period of time under guided supervision in an infant/toddler program. Prerequisites: EDP 201 and EDT 246, EDT 272; and EDT 273 or 274.

306 Social Work Practice I (4)

Prepares students for generalist baccalaureate- level social work practice. Built on a foundation of liberal education courses and introductory-level social work courses in human behavior in the social environment and social welfare. Focuses on the knowledge and skills of the social work process. Specific attention given to microlevel systems, emphasizing the interactions of micro systems with mezzo- and macro-level systems. Prerequisite: ECO 201, FSW 201, SOC 151, PSY 111, and ZOO 161 (each completed with a grade of C or above), FSW 261, and social work major status.

309 Social Welfare Policy II (3)

Promotes knowledge of the nature and impact of policy decisions on the social welfare of diverse groups. Special attention given to disenfranchised, oppressed, and impoverished groups. Students acquire beginning skills in policy practice and value-driven advocacy. Prerequisite: FSW 206.

312 Human Behavior in the Social Environment (3)

Examines diverse human behavior through an integration of various theoretical perspectives using a social systems approach. A social systems approach provides a framework to view individuals in the context of the family, groups, organizations, communities, and institutions. Integrates knowledge and develops a foundation necessary for social work practice and social work field experience.

MPT 361 Couple Relationships: Diversity and Change (3)

Investigation of intimate couple relationships in their many diverse forms. Focuses on social and psychological factors influencing development and maintenance of such couple relationships as dating, cohabitation, and marriage. General principles are discussed as well as factors that are more specific to certain age groups, relationship types, or sociocultural settings. Prerequisite: three hours of social science. Cross-listed with WMS 361.

MPT 362 Family Poverty (3)

Examines definitions, theories, causes and consequences of family poverty in the U.S. Identifies the extent and degree of U.S. poverty and demographic characteristics of those who are poor or likely to become poor. Consideration given to programs that reduce poverty and/or its negative effects, including those practiced in the past, those now practiced, and those that offer promise for improving the economic and social status of those who are poor. Costs and benefits of welfare and welfare reform and strategies for preventing poverty among future generations also discussed and evaluated. Cross-listed with BWS.

MPT 365 Family Life Sexuality Education Across Cultures (3)

Addresses cultural issues related to sexuality education, sexual behavior, and sexual identity. Comprehensive overview of the biological and social aspects of human sexuality, specifically directed at training for family life educators. Differences in cultural background are examined and presented as powerful educational tools to be applied toward the improvement of communication about sexuality. Presents a variety of teaching strategies for different age groups, which will meet licensure requirements for family life educators.

MPT 381 Perspectives in Parenting (3)

Introductory course examining parenting responsibilities and skills to explore knowledge concerning parenting, to examine structure of families as it relates to parenting, and to examine parental behaviors, styles, and relationships. Cross-listed with BWS.

MPT 382 Infant and Toddler Caregiving and Supervision (3)

For those who plan and provide care for infants and toddlers in families and in various types of child care settings. Concepts in care provided with activities to help students develop caregiving knowledge and skills.

395 Research and Evaluation in Social Work and Family Studies (4)

Techniques needed to understand and evaluate research within social work and family studies are explained. Quantitative and qualitative approaches to gathering and interpreting data are addressed. Prerequisite: STA 261.S or permission of instructor.

406 Social Work Practice II (4)

Prepares students for generalist baccalaureate- level social work practice. Built on a foundation of liberal education courses and introductory-level social work courses in human behavior in the social environment and social welfare. Focuses the knowledge and skills of the social work process with specific attention to groups and community. Prerequisite: FSW 306 and social work major status.

411 Social Work Senior Practicum (6)

Provides social work majors with the opportunity to integrate and apply liberal education foundation and generalist social work knowledge and skills gained in the classroom by practicing with various sized systems, including individuals, families, groups, agencies, communities, and institutions. Prerequisite: Social Work major status and permission of instructor.

412 Senior Seminar in Social Work I (2)

Offered fall semester during senior year; is the first of two seminars. Provides opportunity to continue the integration of liberal education requirements and social work courses with field experiences. Corequisite: FSW 411.

413 Senior Seminar in Social Work II (2)

Offered spring semester during senior year. Provides opportunity to continue the integration of liberal education requirements and social work courses with field experiences. Focuses on experiences and knowledge regarding macro-level systems, however, students are expected to integrate and apply generalist social work knowledge and skills with multi-level, diverse systems. Corequisite: FSW 411.

418/518  The Family Life Education Process (3)

In-depth examination of family life education programs. Students gain understanding of principles of education in order to develop curricula for a variety of family life education settings. Program implementation and evaluations are covered. Students have an opportunity to present a family life education component in a real or simulated setting. Offered infrequently.

442/542 Family Financial Management (3)

Decision-making principles applied to the use of economic and other resources to achieve personal and family goals. The impact of diverse standards of living, values life styles, stages in the life cycle, and the economic/political environment on financial decisions explored. Not open to business majors. Credit not applicable for both FSW 442/542 and FIN 305.

450/550 Special Problems (1-4; 450: 8 maximum toward any undergraduate degree; 550 and 600 combined: 4 maximum toward any graduate degree)

Conference course in a special area. Prerequisite: upperclass or graduate standing in family studies and social work. Offered infrequently.

451/551 Family Violence (3)

Analysis of research and theory on family violence, physical abuse of children, sexual abuse, neglect, premarital abuse, wife abuse, gay/lesbian battering, elder abuse, prevention and intervention. Historical, social, and patriarchal contexts will be examined. Cross-listed with SOC 451 and WMS 451.

MPT 461/561 Marital Distress and Divorce: Implication for Family Life Professionals (3)

Analyzes marriage, divorce, and remarriage in cultural and socioeconomic context. Antecedents of divorce, including contextual and social-psychological factors influencing levels of marital distress, are reviewed. Consequences (including remarriage) of marital instability for adults, children, and society are identified. Educational, policy, and programmatic implications discussed. Offered infrequently.

462/562 Family Policy (3)

Examines the relationship between family policy and contemporary U.S. families’ well-being. A family life span framework is used to identify policies and laws at the federal and state levels. Processes of development, implementation, and evaluation of family policies and laws explored. Offered infrequently.

464/564 Perspectives on Close Relationships (3)

Addresses different types of relationships, various processes that occur in these relationships, and some of the assumptions and concepts involved in close relationships. Draws upon knowledge from the domains of philosophy, social psychology, communication, family studies, sociology, psychology, and women’s studies. The goal of this class is to help students better understand some of the factors affecting relationships and to appreciate the impact of some of the processes in their own lives.

465/565 Child Maltreatment (2)

This seminar focuses on the scope, problems, and issues related to child maltreatment in America. Emphasis placed on problem identification and program implementation for schools and other social service settings. Summer only, as a workshop. Offered infrequently.

MPT 466/566 Later Life Families (3)

Examination of family kinship patterns during old age. Includes relations with spouse, adult children, siblings, and other kin, as well as widowhood, grandparenthood, etc. (SOC 466/566 cannot be substituted for FSW 466/566.)

475/575 Family Theories (3)

Analysis of selected theories of the family. Emphasis placed on conceptual knowledge, understanding of the importance of family theories and in-depth analysis of several theoretical frameworks, such as family process, conflict, and symbolic interaction. Prerequisite: six hours of family relations courses and upperclass or graduate standing, or by permission of instructor.

481/581 Adolescent Development in Diverse Families (3)

Provides a broad interdisciplinary examination of the field of adolescent development from contextual and international perspectives. Focus includes sensitivity to racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity while studying persons 10 to 20 years of age within family systems.

MPT 481A/581A Adolescent Development in Diverse Families (3)

Provides a broad interdisciplinary examination of the field of adolescent development from contextual and international perspectives. Focus includes sensitivity to racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity while studying persons 10 to 20 years of age within family systems.

491/591 Seminar in Family and Child Studies (1-4)

Considers a problem in an area as announced for the semester. Prerequisite: advanced standing, permission of instructor, 12 hours in family and child studies including six hours of advanced credit. Offered infrequently.

494/594 Field Experiences with Families and Children (2-6)

Students participate in a professional work environment, prepare written and oral reports, and participate in seminars. Students build upon previous knowledge and experience by working within, and critically appraising, a professional setting related to families and/or children. Allows students to gain career knowledge and to critically appraise career options. Prerequisite: approval of instructor.

MPC 498 Critical Thinking About Family Relationships (4)

Each semester this Capstone addresses three critical family issues and students develop position papers grounded on multiple sources of information (e.g., scholarly literature, interview, personal values). Sex outside of marriage, fidelity, dual-career relationships, parenting, household division of labor, and divorce are examples of issues related to family relationships. Prerequisite: senior standing.

600 Independent Reading (1-4; 4 maximum of FSW 550 and 600 combined)

Planned reading in any field in family studies with guidance of a department faculty member. Prerequisite: advanced standing, nine semester hours in family studies and social work, and approval of the plan by department chair.

617 Education for Human Sexuality (3)

Reviews current information on biological and social aspects of human sexuality, specifically directed at graduate training for educators (i.e., school personnel, social service agencies, etc.). Differences in cultural background examined to provide an understanding of how cultural differences affect learning of meanings attached to behaviors involved in sexualities and how they impact pedagogy and class/group dynamics. Cross-listed with PHS 617.

620 Practicum in Family Life Education (2)

Students develop a topic within the family life education area and present a series of lectures or speeches, workshop, or extensive written materials. Participate in an oral presentation within an educational or community setting. Presentation grounded in contemporary research within family and child studies. Prerequisite: FSW 518 or permission of instructor.

660 Family Differences in the United States (3)

Focuses on families living in various subcultural settings in the United States. Particular attention directed toward family relationships across the life span.

681 Parenting Theories and Applications (3)

In-depth exploration of theories about parenting and their practical applications for a variety of family settings. Focus includes sensitivity to racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity issues. Prerequisite: introductory parenting course, such as FSW 381.

685 Family Systems and Stress (4)

In-depth understanding of theory and research related to family systems and stress. Emphasizes the family as a system and how families identify, manage, and adapt to internal and external stressors. Discussion of family life education and other intervention techniques. Offered infrequently.

686 Men in Families (3)

Extensive study of the roles that men play in families. Various symbolic interactionism and phenomenological theoretical models are reviewed and used to build greater understanding of how men construct their family roles and give meaning to their social interactions. Offered infrequently.

691 Advanced Seminar in Family and Child Studies (1-4)

Advanced study of family and child studies in higher education and research methods of graduate students. Prerequisite: graduate standing. Offered infrequently.

695 Applied Research Techniques in Family and Child Studies (4)

Techniques for research in the areas of child and family studies. Family and child studies research examined from the perspective of the consumer or producer of research.

700A Thesis: Independent Research (1-3; 6 required, maximum 6 toward any one degree)

Prerequisite: approval of faculty member.

700B Thesis: Professional Application (1-3; 6 required, maximum 6 toward any one degree)

Prerequisite: approval of faculty member.

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