Carol Hurst and Deanna Durham, advisors
The social work major is a professional degree program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the standard-setting commission for social work degree programs in the United States. Graduates qualify for Baccalaureate in Social Work (BSW) licensure exams and for opportunities in master of social work advanced standing programs. The EMU social work program's emphasis on social justice and cross-cultural learning in domestic and international venues is distinctive. Graduates are prepared for generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, and communities within the context of various human service organizations. Graduates may also pursue graduate degrees in social work including advanced standing admission to CSWE accredited masters’ in social work programs to finish an MSW degree on an accelerated basis.
Professional social work practice requires broad liberal arts understanding, grounding in the core values of the social work profession: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Throughout the curriculum students grow in self-awareness of their own family backgrounds and their own cognitive and affective responses to trauma, injustice, and marginalization of persons. Ethical boundaries and self-care are emphasized as students learn to provide compassionate presence and healing care to others. Practical service learning, community engagement, language study, and cross-cultural experience build capacity to care competently for diverse populations. Professional social work practice requires attention to ethical standards, self-awareness, and self-care in order to provide compassionate care to others. Practical service learning and community engagement, language study, and cross-cultural experience build capacity to care competently for diverse persons.
The curriculum includes course sequences in the discipline's focus areas including Human Behavior and Social Environment (HBSE), policy, and practice. HBSE courses provide social scientific perspectives of patterns of human behavior. Policy courses focus on understanding organizations and government and legislative advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations and social programs. Practice courses provide structured skills practice at the micro or direct one-to-one interpersonal level, at the mezzo or group and family interpersonal level, and at the macro or large system level requiring community and organizational leadership skills. Students can develop knowledge in particular interest areas through class projects, choice of their elective social work topics course, and through selection of field practicum setting.
...