SW 623 - Social Work Practice for Organizational and Community Change

(3 units)

This course explores the role of social workers in fostering change within organizations and communities. Through a hands-on approach, students will design social action campaigns, develop advocacy tools, and engage directly with policy processes. Students will build skills in leadership, policy advocacy, and community engagement. The course emphasizes integrating theoretical and practice-based knowledge and evaluating effectiveness, preparing students to be active agents of social justice.

Maximum units a student may earn: 3

Grading Basis: Graded
Units of Lecture: 3
Offered: Every Spring

Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. examine their social identity and lived experiences to understand how bias, oppression, privilege, and power influence their effectiveness in advancing social change.
2. demonstrate ethical and professional behavior by applying social work ethical principles and practice standards across organizational, community, and legislative settings.
3. advocate for social justice by critically analyzing social conditions and advocating for policies and practices that promote human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice in community and legislative contexts.
4. integrate policy practice skills by identifying, analyzing, and implementing advocacy strategies to influence policy development and legislative processes.
5. practice collaborative change-making by using collaborative leadership, community organizing, and other participatory strategies to engage communities, organizations, and legislatures in planning social action campaigns.
6. apply advocacy skills by creating tools such as fact sheets and testimony to effectively communicate with legislative bodies, organizations, communities, and other stakeholders.
7. evaluate campaign outcomes by assessing the effectiveness of social action campaigns and proposing strategies, including fiscal approaches, to sustain long-term social impact.

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