Discuss the historical development of social welfare policy and trace the legislative histories.

Have a full understanding of the Social Work Code of Ethics and be able to apply these professional guidelines to the development, implementation and evaluation of such policies.

Demonstrate the ability to write a policy analysis paper and give an oral presentation to the class.

Develop a framework for the analysis of current social welfare policy.

Explain the political and organizational processes used to develop and influence policy.

Additional readings will be required throughout the semester. I will provide copies of all additional readings or I will provide copies on reserve at the library.

Students who are registered with the Office of Students with Disabilities will receive reasonable accommodations to assist with the completion of assignments, quizzes and tests. If you need special accommodations contact the Office of Students with Disabilities @ (801) 626-6413.

Writing Competency: First and foremost this is a professional development class. SW 5020 has among its objectives the improvement of students writing and analytical skills. Spelling, grammar and coherent writing will be taken into consideration on all exams and assignments. WSU students have free use of the services provided by the Writing Center, Elizabeth Hall, room 210, 626-6463. All papers and assignments must be typed and presented in the current APA format. I expect that each of you find and keep an APA pamphlet. This website is a solid source for understanding APA style: http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/apagd.php.

Plagiarism: By now each of you has a solid understanding of what plagiarism means and how to avoid it. If you copy and paste work and do not cite it you will fail the assignment and risk removal from the class. While collaboration among and with other students is encouraged, copying another’s work without citing the source can be immediate grounds for a failing grade and grounds for contacting the Dean of Students. A good rule of thumb to use when unsure whether to cite a source or not…cite the source.

Late Work: I hate late work! I understand that life happens. Assignments e-mailed to me, time and date stamped prior to class time will be accepted with no penalty. I encourage each of you to send me an electronic copy of your assignment prior to class. This does not excuse turning a hard copy of your work in as well. You may turn in late work but to be fair to those who complete their assignments on time there will be a full letter grade reduction for each class period that the assignment is not complete. Accommodations will be made for those who have legitimate reasons for the assignment delay, serious accident, injury, or other medical needs of an exceptional nature are reasonable.

Incomplete Policy: An incomplete may be given to any student that can show a legitimate reason for their inability to complete the course. The legitimacy of the reason is subjective and I, the Department Chair, or the Dean will have the ultimate determining say in this matter. An incomplete will not be available to any student that has not completed at least 80% of the required assignments.

Student Code of Conduct: Students attending WSU will be expected to adhere to certain codes of conduct and standards as defined in the Weber State University Student Code policy statement. This conduct manual is available in the Shepard Student Union, room 250, or online at www.weber.edu/ppm/6-22.

This class is about process, not right and wrong answers. There will be exams but they will be taken directly from the readings in your text and pulled from test banks listed on the publisher’s website. This class is about researching and understanding the policy process. Each assignment is intended to provide you with a policy research analyst’s perspective and an understanding of how policy affects the social welfare state along three perspectives, micro, mezzo, and macro. At the end of the semester you each will have developed and produced a full policy analysis based on the policy of your choosing. This project paper and presentation will consist of several components: 1) a policy paper, 12-15 pages in length, following the policy model presented in class, 2) an annotated bibliography consisting of 16 annotations (we will be discussing what an annotated bibliography is and how they are supposed to look), 3) a presentation disk or copies of your slides from your in class presentation, 4) copies of all articles used in your annotation set, 5) all four sets of four annotations previously turned in ( you will understand what this means as we go forward in this class), and 6) all exams and personal response papers.

There are four (set of four) annotated bibliographies and four 3-5 page papers relating to each annotation set due throughout the semester. These four sets include four annotations each. At the end of the semester you will have compiled 16 annotations and four short papers that you will then turn into one (1) complete annotated bibliography and final paper. I will provide you with feedback on each of the four assignments as they come due.

The annotations should include professional sources such as professional journal articles, books, reputable websites and possibly one current event source. The current event source can be a magazine, information from a blog, newspaper or personal interview or correspondence.

There may be several Personal Response papers due throughout the semester. Each paper will be 1-2 pages in length, typed, and turned in prior to the beginning of class. I urge you to send me an electronic copy of your paper just in case the dog eats it before you get to class. You are required to bring a hard copy of your work as well. Personal response papers are designed to make sure the readings for the day have been completed. Each paper is worth 25 points. The total points for the class will vary due to the total number of the response papers assigned.

The final paper for this class is a Policy Analysis of your given policy; a synthesis of all annotated bibliographies and summary papers. The body of the paper should be 12-15 pages in length, 12 pt. Times New Roman font, with standard MS Word default margins. The format is APA style with a Cover Page, Table of Contents, and References. Consult an APA reference guide for specifics regarding style and reference documentation. This website is a great source for all of your APA styling needs, http://library.osu.edu/sites/guides/apagd.php.

This paper is a significant amount of the point total and will be worth 200 points. Present your work as though this paper and presentation will be given to Directors of Agencies or to Federal or State Legislators or presented at a conference of your peers.

You presentations will be in groups and will be approximately 1 hour and will be worth 200 points. You will be graded on thoroughness of your analysis (use all four of the components detailed in the Policy Analysis Model).

There will be two exams this semester. The information for the exams will come from class lectures (of which there hopefully will be few) and readings from the text. I strongly encourage each of you to find the publishers website and go through the practice exams and quizzes available online…strongly encourage…As I stated earlier, this class is about policy formulation and analysis; process. Each exam will be worth 100 points.

This is an attendance policy as well. Two unexcused absences from class will result in a full letter grade reduction. If you must miss class you must communicate that to me. I will have the determining say as to whether the reason is sufficient to miss class. Additionally there will be many projects and in class assignments and discussions that will be turned in that count toward you final grade.

There will be a total of 875 points available in this class. A standard 10% breakdown will be used when determining grades: