The University of Michigan is offering a free online course on Social Welfare Policy and Services. This course is part of the Social Work: Practice, Policy and Research MicroMasters Program offered by Michigan.
In this eight week course, applicants will learn about the history of social welfare policy, services, and the social work profession. This course will start on September 2, 2019
User Review
( vote)Course At A Glance
Length: 8 weeks
Effort: 8-10 hours pw
Subject: Social Sciences
Institution: The University of Michigan and edx
Languages: English
Price: Free
Certificate Available: Yes, Add a Verified Certificate for $199
Session: Start on September 2, 2019
Providers’ Details
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
About This Course
Explore current social welfare issues in the context of their history and the underlying rationale and values that support different approaches. Emphasis is placed on major fields of social work service such as:
- Income maintenance
- Health care
- Mental health
- Child welfare
- Corrections
- Elderly services
Why Take This Course?
You will learn about analytic frameworks with regard to social welfare policies and services. These frameworks identify strengths and weaknesses in the current social welfare system with respect to:
- multiculturalism and diversity
- social justice and social change
- behavioral and social science theory and research
- relevant social work promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
Describe the historical basis for the current U.S. social welfare system, including the history and role of the social work profession.
Describe and critically analyze current social welfare policies, procedures, and programs including the role of behavioral and social science research and theory in their evolution.
Discuss the strengths and limitations of the current social welfare system in terms of the functions of the provision of basic needs, protection of the vulnerable, prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation, protection of society, and provision of social control.
Describe and critically analyze major fields of social welfare service provision from a multicultural perspective, including but not limited to income security, health and mental health services, child welfare, educational practices, services to the elderly, and corrections.
Discuss and critically analyze current debates, trends, and ethical issues in each specific field of service presented in the course including the implications for social work practice and promoting social justice and social change.
Instructors
Katie Richards-Schuster
Katie is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She received her MA from the University of Chicago, and her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Social Work and Sociology.
Requirements
None
How To Join This Course
- Go to the course website link
- Create an edX account to SignUp
- Choose “Register Now” to get started.
- EdX offers honor code certificates of achievement, verified certificates of achievement, and XSeries certificates of achievement. Currently, verified certificates are only available in some courses.
Once applicant sign up for a course and activate their account, click on the Log In button on the edx.org homepage and type in their email address and edX password. This will take them to the dashboard, with access to each of their active courses. (Before a course begins, it will be listed on their dashboard but will not yet have a “view course” option.)
