SOCIAL WELFARE AND THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION:

HISTORY, TRENDS AND BASIC CONCEPTS

SW 3710 (3 CREDIT HOURS)
INSTRUCTOR: JUDITH WINEMAN, LMSW
EMAIL:
FT2232@WAYNE.EDU
OFFICE HOURS:
ROOM 110-THOMPSON HOME: TH: 10:30-11:30
UNIV. CENTER: WED. 3:30-5 OR BY APPOINTMENT

OR BY APPOINTMENT

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides a history of social welfare in the United States. The course incorporates basic
concepts of social welfare. The profession of social work in historical perspective is also included. The
course informs students on current trends and issues in social welfare and in the profession of social work.
COURSE COMPETENCIES AND PRACTICE BEHAVIORS FOR THIS COURSE
2.1.5 Advance human rights and social and economic justice
Practice Behaviors:
Advocate for human rights and social justice; Engage in practice that advance social and economic justice
2.1.8 Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver
effective social work services.
1

Practice Behaviors:
Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being; Collaborate with colleagues
and clients for effective policy action
TEXTS AND REQUIRED MATERIAL
Required Text
Day, P. J. (2009). A New History of Social Welfare, 6th edition. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Supportive materials
Trattner, W. (1998). From poor law to welfare state: A history of social welfare in America. 6th ed.). Free
Press.
INTRODUCTION:
This course provides content about the history of social work, the history and current structures of social
welfare services, and the role of policy in service delivery, social work practice, and attainment of
individual and social well-being. This course assists students in developing a critical understanding of the
social welfare system in this country, with special emphasis placed on its historical development and the
conflicting values and beliefs that shaped it. Course content provides students with knowledge and skills
to understand major policies that form the foundation of social welfare and contemporary social welfare
trends are discussed within their social, political, and economic contexts. The historical underpinnings and
current structure of the social work profession are described. Social welfare policy issues (e.g., poverty;
homelessness, etc.) are analyzed with respect to social works commitment to the attainment of individual
social well-being and economic and distributive justice on behalf of oppressed populations. The dual role
of the social worker as advocate for progressive change and knowledgeable resource broker is explained
which will provide an introductory level regarding the ability to become proactive and engage in policy
development to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA:
Student achievement of learning outcomes is assessed via quizzes, in-class short answer examination, and
a written assessment of the historical trends of a particular social welfare policy, including the various
definitions of the problem over time. In addition, additional papers, quizzes, homework, and classroom
participation may be utilized to demonstrate achieved learning outcomes.

GRADING AND ASSIGNMENTS

Please Note: Criteria for individual classes may vary; however the benchmark assignment is required for
all course sections
Assignment

Points

Analyze a social problem

(Benchmark
assignment)
Analyze and compare a
social problem of two nonwestern countries
Final exam
TOTAL

Percentage

Related Course
Competency
Competencies
2.1.5 & 2.1.8

75

50

55

37

Competencies
2.1.5 & 2.1.8

20

13

150

100

Competencies
2.1.5 & 2.1.8
Competencies
2.1.5 & 2.1.8

BENCHMARK ASSIGNMENT
Social problem Assignment: Students will write a paper that analyzes a social problem and its U.S. social
welfare policies over time.
Grading Policy:
Students may pass the course with a grade of D but must maintain a C average during the junior and
senior year. (See Undergraduate Bulletin, Wayne State University
http://www.bulletins.wayne.edu/ubk-output/index.html)
Grade distribution:
150-145A
144-139 A115-110
C+

109-104 C

138-133B+ 132-127 B

126-121 B-

103-98C-

91-86 D

97-92 D+

120-115
C+
85-80 D-

ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE

The course is divided into four units. Changes in this format may happen to meet the combined needs of
the students and the instructor. Primary attention is given to the development of social welfare
within this country and the values and beliefs that undergird these policies.
ROLE OF THE STUDENT AND INSTRUCTOR
See University Statement of Obligation of Students and Faculty Members of the teaching - learning process
http://www.bulletins.wayne.edu/fib/fib2d.html
POLICIES FOR THIS COURSE
Assignment Policy:
Late papers (those not turned in on assigned day), will be downgraded by one grade, i.e. if the paper
is deemed to be an A paper, it will be given a B due to lateness. Each rewrite of a paper will be
downgraded by five points. A zero will be factored in for missing work.
Students are expected to complete all readings, participate in class and perform satisfactorily on
assignments and examinations. The instructor should be notified by email of unavoidable issues in
advance which may (will) prevent compliance with assignment due date. Unless there are serious
extenuating circumstances, a student will not be able to earn an A for the course with more than two
sessions of non-participation a B with more than four sessions of non-participation, or a C with more
than five sessions of non-participation. No incomplete will be given in this class.
Plagiarism /Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is using another persons words or ideas without giving credit to the other person. When
you use someone elses words, you must put quotation marks around them and give the writer or
speaker credit by revealing the source in a citation. Even if you revise or paraphrase the words of
someone else or just use their ideas, you still must give the author credit in a note.
Plagiarism, Cheating: See WSU References:

http://www.otl.wayne.edu/pdf/2006_july_aibrochure.
http://www.doso.wayne.edu/codeof conduct.pdf
William Harris, Anti-Plagiarism Strategies for Research Papers, http://virtualsalt.com/antiplag.htm,
March 7, 2002
You must cite sources from the Internet or any other form of electronic media used in your work. Any
paper suspected of plagiarism will be reviewed at Turnitin.com to verify that it is your work and
properly cited.
Any paper that is plagiarized will result in an F for the class and a referral to the
University for further Disciplinary Action.
APA FORMAT
All papers written in the School of Social Work require APA format. You may purchase the Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition), or you may visit the website listed
here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
WIKIPEDIA WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AS A RELIABLE SOURCE
What is Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is a free-content encyclopedia, written collaboratively by people from all around the
world. The site is a wiki, which means that anyone can edit entries simply by clicking on the edit this
page link.
Because Wikipedia is an ongoing work to which anybody can contribute, it differs from a paperbased reference source in some important ways. In particular, mature articles tend to be more
comprehensive and balanced, while other (often fledgling) articles may still contain significant
misinformation, un-encyclopedic content or vandalism. Users need to be aware of this in order to
obtain valid information and avoid misinformation which has been recently added and not yet
removed.
Class Participation/Attendance:
Student participation is important to the success of any class. Class participation includes raising

questions from the readings, making relevant comments drawn from personal experience, reacting
to opinions expressed by the instructor and students, asking for clarification, being actively engaged
in class exercises, or bringing up issues of general interest to the class.
Attendance in class is required. If you have cannot come to class for any reason you
MUST contact me in advance by email.
WSU STUDENT RESOURCES
Students with disabilities
http://studentdisability.wayne.edu/rights.php.
Academic integrity and student code of conduct
http://www.doso.wayne.edu/student-conduct/Academic_Integrity.html
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at Wayne State:
http://www.caps.wayne.edu/
Course Learning Unitsadditional readings may be added by class instructor.
Week
Content
Assignments
Week 1
Introduction to the course and each
Reading:
8/27/14 other
Review the syllabus
Review syllabus, course, purpose,
format, norms and assignments.
Class lecture/discussion on distributive
justice
Week 2
Lecture and discussion regarding
Reading: Chapter 1:
9/3/14
American social values- issues of
Values in Social
discrimination. Values and poverty and
Welfare
the five basic institutions of social
welfare in America.
Week 3
Lecture and discussion
Reading: Chapter 2
9/10/14 Values and poverty and the five basic
The Institution of
institutions of social welfare in America. Social Welfare: An
Overview
6

Week 4
9/17/14

Week 5
9/24/14

Week 6
10/1/14

Week 7
10/8/14

Week 8
10/15/1
4

Dark and Middle Ages, feudal society,

ascribed and achieved status, Poverty
becomes a crime, Protestant
Reformation
The Elizabethan Poor Laws
Lecture/discussion
The Indigenous Peoples of America
European Invasion
Social Welfare in the Colonies
Slavery in the Colonies
The New Nation and its Constitution
Lecture/discussion The first Civil Rights
Movement; Private Philanthropy; Social
treatment in the 1800s; social control;
nonwhite minorities; The womens
movement
Lecture/review
The Civil War; A new nation emerges;
after the civil war; post war political
economy; population, immigration and
the people; true womanhood; Emerging
philosophies and social Welfare;
Settlement house movement
Child saving; Adoption Practices UIA
Module 2
Lecture and discussion
The progressive era
Population movements and
immigration; oppression of African
Americans, and Native Americans
Labor and the Unions
Social Welfare in the progressive Era
The professionalization of Social Work,

Chapter 4:
Feudalism and the
Welfare State
Chapter 5: Social
Welfare Moves to
America
** BENCHMARK
PAPER OUTLINE
DUE**
Chapter 6:
America to the Civil
War
Chapter 7:
The American Welfare
System Begins
**PAPER OUTLINES
RETURNED**

Chapter 8:
The Progressive Era,
War, and Recovery

Week 9
10/22/1
4

Week
10
10/29/1
4
Week
11
11/5/20
14
Week
12
11/12/1
4
Week
13
11/19/1
4
Week

oppression of African Americans,

Native Americans
Unions
Lecture/discussion
The great Depression; Social Insurance
in the U.S.; Programs of Social
Insurance based on the Social Security
Acts; Public Assistance Programs of the
Social Security Acts; Maternal and Child
Welfare Act: Title V
The professionalization of Social Work
World War II
Lecture and Discussion
The state of the nation under
Eisenhower
Civil Rights before Kennedy; Johnson
and the Great Society; Welfare, Civil
Rights and the social work profession
Lecture and Discussion
Social Programs of the 70s / Civil Rights
in the 70s

Chapter 9:
The Great Depression
and Social Security for
Americans
**PAPER DUE**

Chapter 10:
Civil and Welfare
Rights in the New
Reform Era
Chapter 11:
The Return to the Past

Lecture and discussion:

The new federalism

Chapter 12:
The Reactionary Vision

Lecture and discussion: The Decline of

Social Responsibility

Chapter 13
The Decline of Social
Responsibility
**PAPER 2 DUE**

Thanksgiving Week
Lecture/review: A retreat from the

Chapter 14:

14
12/3/14
Last day
of Class

Welfare State; Social Programs in the

1970s Other social welfare programs;
Civil Rights in the 70s Biting the
conservative bullet; Reganomics; The
New Federalism; Basic Needs Programs;
Civil Rights under Reagan and Bush;
the International Element; Values and
Dependency; the synergistic Cycles of
History; and the why of values analysis.
Final Exam

Spiraling Down to
Welfare Past Chapter
15 Political Stonewalls

Week
15
12/10/1
2
Note: Syllabus may change based on needs of the class

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment 1 Competencies 2.1.5 & 2.1.8
Please Note--Assignment 1 is the Benchmark Assignment for this course and may not be changed by the
instructor. DUE DATE: October 22, 2104
Analyze a social problem and policies related to that problem from its historical through current
practice. Examples of issues are mental health, poverty, women, children and /or youth. This assignment
is designed to improve your critical thinking and writing skills. This assignment offers you the opportunity
to investigate an issue, event or process in the history of social welfare policy in great detail which will
increase your understanding of the major themes and issues of the course.
This paper should be 8-10 pages, typed, double spaced, with standard margins and approximately
250 words per page. The citations must be in APA format. You must have at least seven references, five of
9

which must come from profession references (journal articles, text books). Please note: This must be your
work: using information from your references without giving credit to the author is considered plagiarism.
This is a form of cheating and will result in a failing grade for the paper.
The paper must include the following:
1. Description of the social welfare issue/problem you are researching and provide evidence of the
impact and the demographics of the population it effects.
2. How has the topic been treated historically? When was it first identified? Was it identified the same
as it is today? How is the historical and current definition different?
3. What services/policies were in place to alleviate problem? Has this changed over time?
4. Who receives the services? How does this policy impact those most affected by the problem?
5. How do social stigma, discrimination and/or societal prejudices affect the definition and policy
solutions?
6. Discuss your personal belief of the problem and what you think the causes of the problem are.
7. How does the treatment of this issue related to Social Work values and ethics

Point Rubric for Term Paper 75 POINTS TOTAL Assessing a social welfare issue over time
Attribute/
Excellent
Competent
Developing
Criteria
Topic
Position and exceptions, if
Position is clearly stated.
Position is vague.
any, are clearly stated.
Organization of argument is Organization of argument is
Organization of the
clear in parts or only
missing, vague, or not
argument is completely and
partially described and
consistently maintained.
clearly outlined and
mostly implemented.
10 pts
implemented.
15
20 pts
Research
Research selected is highly
Research is relevant to the
Research is vague and
relevant to the argument, is
argument and is mostly
incomplete components are
presented accurately and
accurate and complete
missing Theory is theory is
10

completely the method,

results, and implications are
all presented accurately;
Theory is relevant,
accurately described and all
relevant components are
included; relationship
between research and theory
is clearly articulated and
accurate.
25 pts
Conclusion
Clearly stated and
connections to the research
and position are clear and
relevant. The underlying
logic is explicit.
20 pts
Paper is coherently
organized and the logic is
easy to follow. There are no
Organizatio spelling or grammatical
n/
errors and terminology is
Clarity/Pap clearly defined. Writing is
er
clear and concise and
structure
persuasive.
10 pts

there are some unclear

components or some minor
errors in the method,
results or implications.
Theory is relevant and
accurately described
Connection to theory has
some minor errors.
20pts

not clearly articulated and/or

has incorrect or incomplete
components. Relationship
between theory and research
is unclear major errors in the
logic are present.
10 pts

Clearly stated and

connections to research
and position are mostly
clear, minor errors in logic
are present.
15 pts
Paper is generally well
organized and most of the
argument is easy to follow.
There are few minor
spellings or grammatical
errors, or terms are not
clearly defined. Writing is
mostly clear but may lack
conciseness.
7 pts

Connections to the research

is unclear. Underlying logic
has major flaws; connection
to position is not clear.
8pts
Paper is poorly organized
and difficult to read does
not flow logically from one
part to another. There are
several spelling and/or
grammatical errors; technical
terms are poorly defined.
Writing lacks clarity and
conciseness.
4 pts

Assignment 2 Competencies 2.1.5 & 2.1.8 (30 points) DUE DATE: November 19, 2014

11

Analysis of a Social Welfare Issue over time of two non-western countries compared to the United States.
Using the issue chosen for assignment 1, choose two countries to compare and contrast with the historical
and current development to the United States.
This paper should be 8-10 pages, typed, double spaced, with standard margins and approximately 250
words per page. The citations must be in APA format. You must have at least seven references, five of
which must come from profession references (journal articles, text books). Please note: This must be your
work: using information from your references without giving credit to the author is considered plagiarism.
This is a form of cheating and will result in a failing grade for the paper.
The paper should include the following points:
1. Describe the current social problem and provide evidence of the impact and the demographics of the
population it effects.
2. How has the problem been treated historically? When was it initially identified as a problem? Was it
identified the same as it is today? How is the historical and current definition different?
3. What are services/policies that are in place to alleviate problem? How has this changed over time?
4. Who receives the services? How does this compare to whom is most affected by the problem?
5. How do social stigma, discrimination and/or societal prejudices affect the definition and policy
solutions?
6. Discuss the global differences and similarities of these countries compared to the United States.
7. How does the treatment of this issue relate to Social Work values and ethics?
Point Rubric for Assignment 2 Comparison Paper 55 points
Attribute/
Excellent
Competent
Criteria
Topic
Position and exceptions, if
Position is clearly stated.
any, are clearly stated.
Organization of argument is
Organization of the
clear in parts or only
argument is completely and
partially described and
clearly outlined and
mostly implemented.
implemented.
15 pts
20 pts
Research
Research selected is highly
Research is relevant to the
12

Developing
Position is vague.
Organization of argument is
missing, vague, or not
consistently maintained.
7 pts
Research is vague and

Conclusion

relevant to the argument, is

presented accurately and
completely the method,
results, and implications are
all presented accurately;
Theory is relevant,
accurately described and all
relevant components are
included; relationship
between research and theory
is clearly articulated and
accurate.
15 pts
Clearly stated and
connections to the research
and position are clear and
relevant. The underlying
logic is explicit.
10 pts

Paper is coherently
organized and the logic is
easy to follow. There are no
spelling or grammatical
Organizatio errors and terminology is
n/
clearly defined. Writing is
Clarity
clear and concise and
persuasive.

argument and is mostly

accurate and complete
there are some unclear
components or some minor
errors in the method,
results or implications.
Theory is relevant and
accurately described
Connection to theory has
some minor errors.

incomplete components are

missing Theory is theory is
not clearly articulated and/or
has incorrect or incomplete
components. Relationship
between theory and research
is unclear major errors in the
logic are present.
5 pts

10 pts
Clearly stated and
connections to research
and position are mostly
clear, minor errors in logic
are present.
7 pts
Paper Structure
Paper is generally well
organized and most of the
argument is easy to follow.
There are few minor
spelling or grammatical
errors, or terms are not
clearly defined. Writing is
mostly clear but may lack
conciseness.
7 pts

10 pts

Connections to the research

is unclear. Underlying logic
has major flaws; connection
to position is not clear.
4 pts
Paper is poorly organized
and difficult to read does
not flow logically from one
part to another. There are
several spelling and/or
grammatical errors; technical
terms are poorly defined.
Writing lacks clarity and
conciseness.
4 pts

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1369-6866

19