Program Structure

Owned by Laura Lehman (Deactivated)
Last updated: Feb 24, 2021
12 min read

SOWK Program Information

Advisors: Carol Hurst and Deanna Durham
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Semester Hours: 61

Program's Mission Statement:

The mission of the Social Work Program at Eastern Mennonite University [EMU] is structured within three essential contexts: 1.) the Anabaptist faith tradition of EMU as an educational institution of Mennonite Church USA now serving students of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, 2.) the purpose and core values of the social work profession, and 3.) the Accreditation Standards of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Grounded within these contexts, the EMU Social Work program:

  • prepares students to serve and lead together as generalist social work practitioners seeking justice in a global world,
  • engages students in rigorous curriculum and cognitive and affective processes that form intersectional self-understanding and appreciation for the strengths-based potential of diverse persons, families, and communities.
  • mentors students for trauma responsiveness and sustainable stewardship of human capabilities and earth's resources.

Program Goals

  1. Equip students with generalist social work knowledge, values, and skills required for entry-level social work practice and/or graduate study.
  2. Provide rigorous curriculum and engagement with community learning and experiential field education.
  3. Mentor students to engage with diverse individuals, families, communities, and organizations with self-awareness, ethical boundaries, and cultural humility.
  4. Support students in collaborating with diverse clients on micro, mezzo, and macro levels through respectful relationships that rebuild lives and communities and create hope for a positive future on earth.


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 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.

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.

Students must apply for formal admission into the social work program after the initial social work courses.  Transfer students apply to the program after their first semester in the social work major at EMU. The social work program does not grant credit for life experience or previous work experience. Admission to and continuation in the social work program is contingent upon academic performance (a minimum of C in all social work/sociology courses required in the major and a minimum overall GPA of 2.5) as well as personal qualities essential for working with people such as a value orientation consistent with the profession, compassionate sensitivity towards others, self-awareness, and a sense of personal and global responsibility.  Students must demonstrate capacity to meet professional standards through conscientious timely attendance and follow-through in all coursework, as well as maintenance of a minimum 2.5 overall GPA, to be accepted into a practicum placement.

Foundation Requirements (15 SH)

  • PSYC 101 General Psychology - 3 
  • PSYC 202 Developmental Psychology - 3 
  • SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology - 3 
  • Choice of either ECON 201 Survey of Economics or ECON 212 Principles of Macroeconomics or PXD 365 Social and Political Economy - 3 
  • SOWK 101 Exploring Social Work - 3 

Human Behavior & Social Environment (HBSE) Courses (14 SH)

  • SOWK 200 Social Behavior and Diversity - 3 
  • SOWK 210 Social Stratification - 3 
  • SOWK 360 Race and Gender - 3 
  • STAT 120 Descriptive Statistics - 2
  • SOC 336 Methods of Social Research - 3 

Policy Courses (8 SH)

  • POL 111 Comparative Politicsor POL 112 American Politics - 2
  • SOWK 220 History and Philosophy of Social Welfare - 3
  • SOWK 330 Social Policy Analysis - 3 

Practice Courses (24 SH)

  • SOWK 310 Social Work Practice I - 3 
  • SOWK 400 Social Work Practice II - 3 
  • SOWK 410 Social Work Practice III - 3 
  • SOWK 420 Topics in Social Work - 3 
  • SOWK 430 Senior Practicum in Social Work - 12

Assessment

The EMU Social Work program collaborates with policy and procedures of EMU in order to collect data on and assess the social work program curriculum, field experiences, and learning outcomes. Policies and procedures regarding program assessment are available from the EMU Institutional Effectiveness and Research office.

Social Work outcome assessment

The Social Work program's goal is to help students develop their professional knowledge, values and skills, and to facilitate their capacity and commitment for competent social work practice. Social work faculty assist students in determining aptitude and motivation for a career in social work during the foundational courses in the curriculum and in personal discussions during advising. Social work faculty members also recognize their role as gatekeepers for the profession and take seriously the responsibility to safeguard client rights to skilled and caring service.

Admission to the social work program and application to the field practicum requires self-assessment of commitment to working with people and to joining a profession where work for social justice and care for diverse persons is expected. A student builds a social work knowledge base and forges an identity as a professional social worker progressing through the structured curriculum which includes: participation in community engagement experiences, quizzes, tests, role-plays, forums and journals, creation of classroom presentations, and engagement with research and writing of scholarly papers. Faculty feedback focuses on student capacity to apply knowledge and practice skills, and to develop self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-evaluation while facilitating helping behaviors.

Outcome assessment culminates in the senior practicum placement experience. Outcome assessment, a fundamental part of the practicum seminar class which is taken concurrently with the senior practicum, includes the field-instructor's mid-term and the final practice evaluation of the student's professional social work performance. The student also sits for a comprehensive oral exam given late in the student's final semester, rated according to a rubric measuring knowledge of and enactment of the nine core competencies' practice behaviors. Students demonstrate competency through discussion with faculty regarding his/her/their experience of performing these practice behaviors during the practicum placement. Students give voice to their understanding of each one of the nine core competencies and profile how they have observed and learned to enact the associated practice behaviors with clients and with colleagues at their placement organization.

Advising

Student advising
All Eastern Mennonite University students are assigned to an advisor in their major. Social work faculty members provide advising for social work majors. Special attention is given to advising transfer students and students with special considerations. Students are encouraged to carefully consider all aspects of their personal calling and professional commitment to social work. The social work faculty routinely engage students in conversation about the personal and professional attributes and values necessary for the profession.

All full-time social work faculty members maintain regular office hours. They can also be reached by appointment for scheduled digital appointments when physical meetings are not possible.

Advisers are expected to:

  1. Help with course selection, scheduling, and registration each semester, with special attention to meeting social work curriculum requirements.
  2. Answer questions regarding university requirements (particularly the core or general education curriculum) and procedures.
  3. Be knowledgeable about university resources that can assist students with study skills, career exploration, and tutoring, and assist them in making contact with appropriate support services.
  4. Help students establish realistic goals for the academic year.
  5. Help explore career plan or alternatives.
  6. Support students' individual development.
  7. Abide by the university policy regarding student confidentiality.
  8. Keep regular office hours and be available for appointments in person or digitally.


Students are expected to:

  1. Meet with their advisors on a regular basis.
  2. Give accurate information concerning their interests and abilities.
  3. Indicate to their advisors if they are having difficulties that affect academic performance.
  4. Strive to meet the goals established for the academic year.
  5. Make use of the university resources available to help students.
  6. Select individual courses from those suggested and construct a tentative schedule prior to pre-registration each semester.
  7. Commit themselves to develop and apply effective study habits.
  8. Show professionalism with on-time, regular attendance and participation in all classes.
  9. Complete appropriate paper work when making schedule changes or withdrawing from classes.
  10. Be transparent about any personal and/or legal history that may impact student success in the social work program and professional practice


Student Rights and Responsibilities

The EMU Social Work Program is a professional degree program. As such, the program has articulated rights and responsibilities for social work students that are consistent with the expectations of the profession. These are listed below.

Rights
Social work majors have the right:

  1. To be treated with dignity, courtesy, respect, and fairness by college faculty and administrators.
  2. To be treated without discrimination on the basis of age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, political ideology, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation.
  3. To receive reasonably prompt feedback on assignments and tests and be informed in a timely fashion of serious problems in course work. A student also has the right to be informed about what s/he needs to do in order to correct or improve performance.
  4. To privacy, not to have personal or academic information released without the student's written consent.
  5. To appeal and go before the appropriate committee concerning an academic grade.
  6. To appeal dismissal from the social work program.
  7. To request a change in advisor when there has been a poor fit between advisor and student and to be provided with a new advisor.
  8. To have a voice and be heard in choosing client populations and agency settings for internships and practicum placements.
  9. To choose not to participate in any research study conducted by the college, the social work program, or faculty members.
  10. To not have written assignments copied or distributed without the student's consent.
  11. To receive information about important professional matters, such as licensing, graduate school application, and NASW membership.
  12. To be elected and participate in any Social Work Advisory Committee or Social Work Is People leadership team.
  13. To participate and give feedback to the faculty regarding the hiring of full-time social work faculty by meeting the candidates and hearing presentations by the candidates.
  14. To participate in curriculum development and revision and by providing feedback to the social work faculty and by filling out course evaluations.
  15. To participate in formal accreditation review of the program when the CSWE site visitor(s) come to campus through individual or group meetings.
  16. To be informed of changes in the social work curriculum in a timely manner that impacts a student's requirements for the major.
  17. To participate in SWIP and/or form organizations and/or clubs with other social work majors and to plan activities with the support of the social work faculty.


Responsibilities
Social work majors have the responsibility:

  1. To treat college administrators, social work faculty and fellow students with respect and courtesy.
  2. To act according to the NASW Code of Ethics.
  3. To read the program's Student Handbook to be familiar with the requirements, curriculum and policies of the social work program and the NASW Code of Ethics.
  4. To read the Field Education Manual and be familiar with and follow the expectations and requirements for practicum placements.
  5. To fill out course evaluations, service learning, internship, and practicum placement evaluation.
  6. To respect confidentiality both in the classroom and in the practicum placement.
  7. To meet with advisors regularly concerning courses, schedules, and graduation requirements.
  8. To share important information that affects academic and/or field practicum performance with your advisor and the field liaison during field placement.
  9. To maintain professional behaviors as defined by NASW code which includes on-time and regular attendance to class and field practicum, turning in assignments on time, and keeping appointments with faculty and with field instructors as necessary.
  10. To notify advisors of any decision to change majors and/or transfer to another college, preferably discussing these issues with the advisor prior to making the decision.
  11. To work collaboratively with the field coordinator/liaison and social work faculty on finding service learning projects, internships, and practicum placements by filling out the necessary forms, making calls, and setting up appointments with potential organization contacts.
  12. To meet all deadlines and paperwork required for course registration, dropping and adding courses, incomplete grades, academic courses, and fieldwork.
  13. To allow adequate time for requesting letters of reference from social work faculty and provide the faculty with the necessary information on your academic and professional performance experiences.

Conflict & Grievance Policy
Social work students should follow the policies and procedures EMU has outlined in the Undergraduate Student Handbook for the resolution of conflict or grievance that may arise in our life together.

Curriculum

Figure 1. Curriculum wheel of social work major and EMU core requirements.

Current curriculum outline

click on the image below to see the current curriculum outline



Typical 4 year Plan

Underlined courses are required for the social work major and account for 61 credits.
EMU's requirement for graduation is 120 earned credits.

Courses by Semester

First year

Fall semester
SOWK 101: Exploring Social Work* - 3
PSYC 101: General Psychology - 3
WRIT 130/140: Writing for Transitions - 3
CORE Natural Science Choice2 - 4
CORE 101: Transitions - 1
MATH 140: Elem Statistics - 2
Total hours: 16


Spring semester
SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology - 3
PSYC 202: Developmental Psych. - 3
CORE Anabaptist Biblical Perspectives (ABP) choice - 3
WRIT 150: Speech Communication - 2
Elective - 3
Total hours: 15


Sophomore

Fall semester
SOWK 220: Social Welfare, History, and Philosophy - 3
SOWK 210: Social Stratification - 3
POL 111/112: Comparative Politics/ American Politics - 2
CORE 201: Life Wellness - 2
Electives - 5
Total hours: 15

Spring semester
SOWK 200 Social Behavior & Diversity - 3
ECON 201/212: Survey of Economics/ Principles of Macroeconomics - 3
CORE Christian Identity and Witness (CIW) choice - 3
Electives - 6
Total hours: 15

OR: Cross Cultural Semester15

Junior

Fall semester
SOWK 360: Race and Gender* - 3
SOC 336: Methods of Social Research - 3
PXD 365 Social & Political Economy as alternate ECON choice - 3
Electives - 6
Total hours: 16

Spring semester
SOWK 310: Social Work Practice I - 3
SOWK 330: Social Policy Analysis - 3
SOWK 420: Topics_________ - 3
Electives - 6
Total hours: 15

OR: Cross Cultural Semester15

Senior

Fall semester
SOWK 400: Social Work Practice II - 3
SOWK 410: Social Work Practice III - 3
CORE 401: Senior Seminar - 2
Electives or minor - 9
Total hours: 17

Spring semester
SOWK 430: Senior Practicum - 12
Elective recommend only  - 13
Total hours: 15

*Can be completed in Fall or Spring.

Student Involvement

EMU community opportunities

Every year social work students enjoy benefits of participating in the broader EMU community through student organizations. Involvement in student organizations on campus is an important opportunity to build leadership ability and to practice group and interpersonal relationship skills that are relevant to social work practice. The social work program encourages every social work student to find a campus niche for group participation. Through membership, students may express values, commitments, and aspirations for improving our life together, for performing community service in Harrisonburg, and for advocating for social change in the nation and world. Information on opportunities for student involvement can be found at these locations:


Residence Life (info on student leaders)

RDs work with several Community Advisors, or CAs, student staff who have been through a rigorous selection and training process, equipping them to serve as peer leaders and facilitators. Each residence hall is divided into units with student CAs as leaders, so there is always someone to turn to with questions or just to connect in friendship.

Many floors are also served by Ministry Assistants (MAs) or Pastoral Assistants (PAs), leading small group Bible studies and other fellowship activities in residence halls. These student leaders also plan and lead chapel services, organize sharing time in the residence halls, and more. Learn more about Campus Ministries.

Pastoral and Ministry Assistants

Pastoral Assistants (PAs)

Pastoral assistants serve the EMU campus community in a variety of ministry leadership roles. PAs help plan and lead campus worship and facilitate gatherings that nurture spiritual growth and faith formation by encouraging reflection and engagement along with planning Spiritual Renewal Events.

PAs are undergraduate students who exhibit maturity of Christian faith, have experience in peer ministry, might have interest in ministry as a vocation or are discerning a call to ministry. PAs meet regularly with the campus pastor for mentoring and planning.

Ministry Assistants (MAs)

Ministry assistants are students who volunteer to help with various ministries on campus. They might lead or join weekly Bible studies, assist with ministry clubs like Celebration, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Gospel Choir or develop their own ministries such as prayer, service, and relationship building wherever they are living.
Ministry leadership training will be provided in monthly Ministry Hub gatherings, a Ministry Leadership Retreat, and the spring semester "MA" class.

Y-Serve

Y-Serve (Young People's Christian Association) is the longest-running student organization at EMU! We are students eager to offer service to our community and beyond. Our goal is to serve others as the hands and feet of Jesus.

Clubs and Organizations

Social work students are regularly involved in clubs and organizations on campus including:

    • Black Student Association
    • Take Back the Night Committee
    • EMSWA
    • Peace Fellowship
    • Peace Essay Contest

Campus Activities Council (CAC)

Social Work Program Opportunities

Social Work is People (SWIP) - SWIP Constitution
The Social Work Is People organization, composed of social work majors, is a student-run organization which seeks to provide and make students aware of current service needs and social issues via:

  1. Professional development activities
  2. Efforts to make the campus aware of community and social issues, and
  3. Provision for social interaction for majors of all class levels.

The organization may sponsor social activities, organize service projects, and participate in social change advocacy as decided by the leadership team in consultation with a faculty sponsor.

Social Work Program Student Representative
During the school year, the faculty meets twice each month. An upper-level student representative may be asked to attend department meetings to participate in program decisions impacting social work students. Depending on semester, this student may be an officer SWIP, or often may be a department work study student, when another student has not been designated. Students are excused from any portions of business meetings dealing with confidential departmental or student-related information.


Membership and professional opportunities
As students progress through the program, the program also encourages membership in professional social work organizations, as well as volunteering for leadership development opportunities in these organizations. Affiliation with professional social work organizations provides opportunity to influence policy and network with others in the profession. A list of recommended organizations is included below.

State and National Social Work Organizations

The organizations and associations listed below are merely a sample of the many social work organizations focused on supporting and advocating for different client and practitioner groups.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
Membership in this organization offers a subscription to both NASW News and the Social Work Journal, discounts on national and state conferences, lower rates on liability insurance and other benefits. Reduced fees are available for students. NASW in Virginia co-sponsors the annual Social Work Student Rally in the Valley in October. The local Harrisonburg Chapter meets about 4-5 times a year around interesting professional topics. Advocacy opportunities (the journal Social Work and monthly state and national newsletters), and special insurance make this a good investment for social work students and professionals. Social work majors are required to be members of NASW before they are eligible to plan for the senior practicum.

North American Association of Christians in Social Work (NACSW)
This organization offers a platform for Christian social workers to collaborate on how a Christian faith identity impacts practice as a professional social worker. The organization publishes a semi-annual journal, Social Work and Christianity, and hosts an annual national conference. Reduced fees are available for students.

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
This national organization is specifically involved in social work education and serves as the accrediting body for all undergraduate and graduate programs in social work in the United States. EMU belongs to this organization and has been accredited at the undergraduate level since 1976. Social work faculty members belong to this organization and often attend the Annual Program Meeting.

Virginia Council on Social Welfare (VCSW)
This state organization dates back to 1900 in Virginia and is an organization composed primarily of human service workers and lay persons. It continues to draw heavily from social workers for membership and provides an annual State Conference and other regionally based workshops that are usually very informative and reasonably priced. This organization is also very involved in advocacy at the state level. They have student membership rates.

Virginia Social Work Education Consortium (VSWEC)
This group is a consortium of the accredited social work education programs or schools in Virginia. EMU and JMU social work programs founded this organization in the 1980's, it now has membership of twelve Virginia schools with accredited undergraduate social work programs. Eastern Mennonite University is an active member of this organization. This group holds a conference for student social workers called Rally in the Valley annually during the first week of October. There is also a Spring meeting of member schools' faculty, to which students are invited. This group exchanges information and works together to promote social work practice and education in Virginia.

Rally in the Valley Planning Committee
Every four years, member schools take turns for the planning responsibility for the student conference Rally. Students may volunteer to join the planning committee for Rally after they have attended at least one Rally. The planning committee is an opportunity to collaborate with students and faculty of other social work programs in planning an educational conference.

National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW)
This organization, whose membership exceeds 10,000, assists with adoption referrals, makes educational awards, maintains a library of pertinent black literature, publishes a scholarly journal, Black Caucus, and holds an annual conference.

The National Association of Puerto Rican & Hispanic Social Workers (NAPRHSW)
This is a non-profit organization founded in 1983 for social workers, other human service professionals, and students who are dedicated to the enhancement and general welfare of Puerto Rican and other Hispanic families.

Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW)
This is a non-profit international organization dedicated to the enhancement of psychosocial services to people with cancer and their families. Created in 1984 by social workers interested in oncology and by existing national cancer organizations, it has over 1000 current members.

Clinical Social Work Association (CSWA)
CSWA membership consists of clinical social workers, new professionals (clinical social workers who have graduated within the last four years), emeritus members, and students.

International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW)
The International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) is a global organization striving for social justice, human rights and social development through the promotion of social work, best practice models and the facilitation of international cooperation.