Course

Social Work Practice with Groups and Communities

Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Department
Social Work
Course code
SOWK 2422
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
Certificate in Global Competency
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course introduces students to foundational theories and skills for working with a wide range of groups and communities in social work. Students will explore the role of group work in the pursuit of social justice and individual and community well-being. Intercultural skills and approaches that promote empowerment, equity, mutual aid, and self-awareness will be examined. The principles of Indigenous story work will be applied to group settings. Students will identify group dynamics and practice strategies to overcome obstacles that commonly arise in groups. Students will develop skills in group design, participation, and facilitation, strengthening their capacity to be effective group leaders and participants.
Course content

• Foundations of social work group practice and community-based group work
• Types of social work groups and their purposes, including support, educational, treatment, and social action groups
• Group dynamics, roles, and the stages of group development
• Indigenous-informed approaches to group work that emphasize relationality, respect, and accountability
• Group leadership, facilitation, and co-leadership skills
• Empowerment, equity, mutual aid, and self-awareness in group processes
• Intercultural group practice and the influence of social location on group participation and leadership
• Strategies for managing conflict, resistance, groupthink, and other group challenges
• Group design, planning, and implementation
• Evaluation of group processes and outcomes

Learning activities

In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, discussion, group work, case studies, and presentations.

 

Means of assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. This is a letter-graded course. 

Typical means of assessment include the following: 

  • Written papers 
  • Presentations 
  • Projects
  • Exams 
  • Participation 
  • Attendance 
Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: 

  1. Describe different types of social work groups and the situations and settings in which they are needed;
  2. Use group theory about group dynamics and the stages of group development in relation to case examples and experiential group activities;
  3. Reflect on the ways in which social location and behaviour impact group processes;
  4. Demonstrate a range of skills to work effectively as a group participant and as a group leader;
  5. Promote empowerment, equity, mutual aid, and self-awareness when working in intercultural groups;
  6. Apply Indigenous principles and story-based approaches to a variety of group situations;
  7. Employ strategies to manage obstacles to successful group processes and outcomes;
  8. Identify strategies to evaluate group effectiveness. 
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:

Corey, M., Corey, G. & Corey, C. (current edition). Groups: Process and Practice. Boston: Brooks/Cole.

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for SOWK 2422
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC SOCW 2XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

There are no course offerings this semester.