Social Welfare Policy II

Catalog description

This course will provide an examination of the historical roots of the United States’ response to human needs through social welfare policy, including the distribution of power, status, and resources. The experience of oppression and discrimination of vulnerable groups will be stressed. Contemporary social welfare policy in the United States is examined, with emphasis on the reciprocal processes between social work practice and social policy development. A systematic framework for policy analysis will be presented and applied to contemporary social welfare policies, stressing critical thinking in how these policies can be improved to better serve individuals, especially those who have historically experienced oppression and discrimination. Approaches for advancing social and economic justice and human rights will be employed. Ethical issues associated with the allocation of resources will be highlighted. Global interconnections of oppression also are explored. Prerequisite or concurrent with POL 151