Contact information:
COKER COLLEGE
The Department of Behavioral and Social Science
300 College Avenue
Hartsville, SC 29550
(843) 383-8098; toll
free 1-800-571-7317
Last edited March 24, 2008 2:30 pm
Social Work Program
About
The Program
Accreditation
At its
October, 2006 meeting, the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social
Work Education granted accreditation to Coker’s social work program. The accreditation status was made retroactive
to 2003-2004, the academic year in which our program had been granted candicacy by CSWE.
Among the other benefits of accreditation, our social work graduates
admitted beginning fall, 2003 are now eligible to seek admission for advanced
standing in Master’s of Social Work Programs.
This allows a successful advanced standing candidate for the MSW to
graduate in one year instead of the traditional two years. The social work faculty is pleased to
announce the achievement
of this
milestone by our program!
Admission Criteria
Students admitted to Coker and interested in social work must
submit a written statement, addressing their understanding of professional
social work and including their reasons for wanting to become a social
worker. This document serves as their application for admission into the
major.
Admission decisions for the BSW program will be made on the
basis of:
(1)
An evaluation of the
student’s written statement addressing their understanding of professional
social work, including their reasons for seeking admission to this discipline;
(2)
a determination that the
student is in academic good standing at Coker (C+ high school average for
entering Freshman and 2.00 for transferring and current Coker students); and
(3)
a satisfactory personal interview with
at least one member of the social work faculty.
Bachelor of Social Work Mission
The mission of the BSW degree program
at Coker College is commensurate with and relates
closely to the mission of the College. It is to prepare students to
become competent beginning baccalaureate generalist practitioners and to
increase the pool of professional social workers available in the Pee Dee
region of South Carolina.
The program’s mission fits well with
the purpose and mission of the College in a number of key ways. First,
the essence of a competent generalist social worker is one who will provide
leadership in the development and implementation of systems for service
delivery. This parallels the College’s expectation that Coker graduates
demonstrate skills in leadership and the ability to assume the role of
responsible members within the larger society. A second example of the
fit between the College and the social work program is their common commitment
to a liberal arts foundation as the basis for all education, including
professional education. A third commonality between the purpose of the
College and the mission of the social work program is to respond to the needs
of the geographic community with the College seeking to address the higher
educational needs of young people as well as adults living in its geographical
region and the social work program seeking to increase the number of
professional social workers to meet community needs. A fourth expectation
is the College’s focus on developing expertise in core skills (critical and
analytical thinking; effective writing and speaking) which is similar to some
of the skills identified for effective social work practice, including critical
thinking, analysis of information, and clear and effective verbal and written
communication. A fifth similar theme is seen in the practical
application of knowledge by Coker students and the need for learning to be life
long. Social workers both during and subsequent to their professional
preparation apply what they have learned and advance their skills and knowledge
through continuing education throughout their professional lives. In
addition, both the mission of the College and that of the BSW program embrace
the worth and significance of each person. Also, both the College and the
program’s missions relate to valuing individuals within systems of all sizes,
from individual to community. Another expectation for both competent
social workers and for all other Coker graduates is the demonstration of
ethical character, both personally and professionally. Finally, the
College stresses the link between work and service to community as important
for responsible participation, much as social work emphasizes a professional
commitment that extends beyond one’s work.
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Social Work
Program Goals
The program’s three goals are derived
from its mission. Each is associated with the preparation of social
workers as generalist practitioners. Each goal also pursues the mission
of the program to increase the pool of professionally educated social workers
in the region. The goals are to immediately increase the number of
baccalaureate level social workers and to contribute to, through preparation
for graduate education, the pool of MSWs in the
region.
The following are the program
goals which reflect those expectations for the competent generalist
practitioner:
- To prepare students
for entry-level social work professional generalist practice with diverse
individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities, and
leadership in social agencies and organizational settings and structures;
- To provide an
educational program that addresses and models the knowledge, skills,
principles, values, and ethics that serve as the foundation for social
work practice;
- To prepare social
work students to enter graduate education programs in social work or
related fields.
Social Work
Program Objectives
The following objectives more
specifically identify what is accomplished through completion of Coker’s social
work program. Each objective relates to the development of competent BSW
practitioners who are expected to have an eclectic knowledge base, a commitment
to professional values, and the ability to use a wide range of skills which are
applied within an organizational structure to target systems of all sizes for
change, as discussed by Kirst-Ashman and Hull in Introducing
Generalist Practice (2006) and Generalist Practice with Organizations
and Communities (2001). In particular, these objectives detail what
is involved in accomplishing the program’s four goals, including
preparing students for entry level social work positions and for leadership in
a variety of settings and agencies with diverse client systems of all
sizes. In addition, these 14 objectives describe the knowledge, skills,
principles, values, and ethics that are the foundation of generalist practice.
This generalist professional curriculum also prepares graduates to pursue
graduate education in social work or a related discipline.
The objectives for the social work program are that its graduates will:
1.
Acquire skills necessary to practice with client systems of all sizes and with
an understanding of the global perspective of social work practice in keeping
with the professional foundation of generalist practice.
2.
Demonstrate knowledge of the value base of the profession and the ability to
apply the profession’s values and ethical standards in compliance with NASW
standards and principles.
3.
Be able to contribute to the advancement of social and
economic justice through identification and application of intervention strategies
for advocacy for marginalized groups.
4.
Understand the historical antecedents and post-modern tenets of oppression and
discrimination.
5.
Be knowledgeable about the evolution of social welfare,
including the historical development of the social work profession, social
welfare policy, and relevant programs and services.
6.
Demonstrate skills in critical thinking about social work, social welfare, and
social services.
7.
Acquire the ability to explain the concepts and consequences of oppression and
discrimination and the skills necessary to practice without personal bias or
discrimination and with respect for and knowledge about issues of age, social
class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation,
marital status, national origin, race and religion.
8.
Acquire skills necessary to utilize varying theoretical frameworks supported by
empirical evidence to understand human development and behavior across the life
span and the interactions among individuals, between individuals and families, intergroup relationships, and within groups, organizations,
and communities.
9.
Be able to function within and negotiate the structure
of organizations and service delivery systems and advocate for organizational
changes when needed.
10.
Be able to analyze and evaluate social policies relative to the intervention
into and prevention of social problems faced by persons within their
environments, and to formulate proposed recommendations for improved service
delivery systems based on the tenets of those policies.
11.
Engage in scholarly work disseminated through presentations at professional
conferences and related activities.
12.
Demonstrate their commitment to social work practice and to their ongoing
personal and professional development to help advance one’s own skills as well
as the profession.
13.
Demonstrate skill in communicating across client populations and with
colleagues and communities.
14.
Use supervision and consultation relevant to social work practice in developing
their professional skills.
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Curriculum
Sequencing
Students are expected to complete social work courses in three
stages of the curriculum for the major. Through academic advisement,
students are enrolled and proceed through the social
work courses from the lower to the upper levels. The lower level courses
introduce the basic framework of the social work profession and provide the
groundwork for students to proceed to the next level. The next
level of social work electives demonstrates the application of the framework to
various social work fields of practice and with various populations and client
systems. In addition, students begin to learn the basics of research
methods. Ultimately, social work majors enter the senior course levels
which offer majors the opportunity to develop generalist practice skills and
knowledge through the three social work intervention courses. Students
may take the introductory research course during their senior year if they did
not complete it during the previous year and may also take the advanced
research course at that time. Subsequent to or concurrently with the
intervention courses, students are placed in settings under the supervision of
a credentialed social worker to learn how to apply generalist knowledge and
skills in three internship experiences that serve as the capstone courses for
social work majors. While 200 and 300 level social work courses and the
400 level research course are available in Hartsville and the three extended
study sites, all students must enroll in the day or evening terms at the
Hartsville campus to complete the social work practice courses and field
placements.
The courses are organized as follows:
Introductory:
Social
Work 200, 202, 204, 221, 222 – introduction to social services, social welfare
policy, and HBSE courses
Junior:
A minimum of two 300 level Social Work electives and Sociology 308 introduction
to research
Senior:
Social Work 342, 343, 344, and 9 academic hours of Social Work 430 – the social
work intervention courses, along with the social work internships, and
Sociology 408 advanced research.
Quotable Quotes from Coker Social Work
Graduates
Terry
Diggs (Class of 2005):
The one thing
I would like you to know pertaining to my experiences as a social work major
here at Coker College is that undoubtedly it has been
the best experience of my life. It has provided me as a student (with) an
opportunity to grow both socially and professionally, fully ingrained with the
needed tools and skills to be competitive in the field of social work.
I absolutely
love it (Coker College’s social work program). My
rationale is due to observing students from other universities while completing
my field practice. In my opinion, the students from Coker College
are head to shoulders above our counterparts and are somewhat equal to students
at the graduate level.
Kathy
Cornish (Class 0f 2003):
Fortunately for
me, the (MSW) program was just a refresher, since most of the things they taught, we already had it at Coker. What I am trying to say,
Dr Cook, is that you guys did an excellent job of preparing us for the program.
It was well worth the effort and more. So far my grades are almost perfect....I
credit that that to the excellent program and professors…that we were
blessed with at Coker. Thank you guys and keep up the good work, it's
definitely paying off.
Marie
Ferguson (class of 2005):
I would like
to thank you for making my Coker years so memorable. You are a wonderful
person and educator.
Rosa
Brice (class of 2004):
I want to personally thank you for all of the good habits you
instilled in me as a student in your classes. I can honestly say
that all of the papers I had to compose for your classes have proved to be very
beneficial in graduate school. I am working on my second year in the
MSW part time program at USC. Graduate school is quite challenging, so much
reading and tons of papers. But once again, I appreciate the hard
work that was placed upon me at Coker.
Brenda
Sanders (class
of 2006):
In all the excitement of things going on and before I forget, I
just wanted to say "Thank YOU" for a great college experience with the
Social Work program at Coker and all the assistance and encouragement you have
provided. Thank you for all the long hours you've put into teaching
and all the work you've put in to obtaining accreditation for the Social Work
program. And as the soldiers say...Hooah!
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Social
Work Program
Current
and Upcoming Events
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Congratulations to
Coker Senior
Patricia
White
Awarded 2008
BSW Student of the Year
By the SC
Chapter of NASW!!!
Awards
Presented during the 2007 Social Work Conference
“Developing Our Own Assets:
Recognizing Social Work Success”
Congratulations to:
2007
Coker College
Social Work Field Instructor
Vanessa Sansbury
2007
Coker College
Social Work Student
Academic Award
Esther Junior-Winston
2007
Coker College
Social Work Student
Leadership Award
Nicholle Haney
