History of Social Welfare in the US: Advanced ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

This course examines the development of, and debates about, U.S. social welfare institutions and policies. In particular, this course examines how social welfare philosophy, mission, and practice evolved from its original altruistic and voluntary roots to become professionalized and identified with casework rather than social reform. Topics of this study include: the origins and inspirations of social welfare programs and philosophy in the United States; the impact of the Civil War; the “Scientific Charity” Movement; the history and evolution of Child Welfare policy; the Settlement House Movement; the Great Depression and the origins and evolution of Social Security Policy; the Johnson Administration’s Great Society programs and War on Poverty; Welfare to Workfare in the 1970s; the state of social welfare in the USA today. This course combines critical reading, writing, and discussion to illuminate the elements of evidence, values, and interpretation in the study of social welfare history and to fulfill guidelines for the Historical Studies Area of Study. This study can provide Historical Perspectives for Community and Human Services degrees and Historical and Comparative Perspectives for Public Affairs degrees. It also includes coverage of the basic narrative of American history from the 1800s to the present, knowledge of U.S. government and private philanthropies and how their policies and practices have impacted the quality of life for diverse population groups, and how the U.S. social welfare practices compared and contrasted to Western European welfare practices.