Macro Social Work

Curriculum guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course code
SOWK 4100
Descriptive
Macro Social Work
Department
Social Work
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Course designation
Certificate in Global Competency
Industry designation
None
Contact hours

Lecture: 4 hours/week

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

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

Course description
This course will teach students how to mobilize communities and address systemic problems that are of common concern. Students will apply a macro perspective to understanding the nature of systems, organizations, and communities. They will be introduced to wise practices in community development and in working with Indigenous communities. Students will explore strategies that support collective change efforts and promote human rights, social justice, and environmental sustainability. These include needs and assets assessment, change management, advocacy, evaluation, and policy development. Students will engage in community-based activities to develop and apply their macro social work skills.
Course content
  • Foundations of macro social work and systems perspectives
  • Communities, organizations, and social systems
  • Community needs and assets assessment
  • Community engagement, mobilization, and consciousness-raising
  • Power, inequality, and structural change
  • Advocacy and influencing decision-makers
  • Policy development and analysis
  • Program planning and evaluation
  • Funding and resource development
  • Indigenous-led approaches to social change
  • Ethics and professional practice in macro social work
  • Collaboration and intersectoral practice
Learning outcomes

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

  1. Explain the meaning of macro social work and its application to organizational and community development, advocacy, and negotiation between social systems;
  2. Describe the links between macro social work and the advancement of human rights, social justice, decolonization, reconciliation, and environmental sustainability;
  3. Outline ways in which macro social work can be informed by Indigenous ways of knowing and being and support the rights of Indigenous Peoples;
  4. Identify the strengths and limitations of different approaches to macro social work practice;
  5. Describe how to implement practical strategies for social change (e.g., developing policy, evaluating programs, mobilizing community, managing projects, and securing funding);
  6. Apply principles of collaboration and advocacy in a community setting;
  7. Create a 'community needs' assessment that results in recommendations to support community empowerment and social change.

 

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

 

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:

Brown, M. E., & Stalker, K. (current edition). Social work skills for community practice: Applied macro social work. Springer Publishing Company.

Prerequisites
Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Which prerequisite

Nil