Foundation Courses
SOWK 303: Group Work Practice in Social Work: Micro/Mezzo/Macro
Credit Hours
3
Prerequisites
Senior status, BSWs only. Prerequisites: "C" or higher in SOWK 200, SOWK 370, SOWK 305, SOWK 201 or 307, and SOWK 350.
Corequisite or Prerequisite: SOWK 301
Description
This course presents theoretical and practical approaches to social work with groups, with a focus on group development, dynamics, and processes. Students gain an appreciation for the role of group work as a key social work methodology, an understanding of how group work is practiced within agency and community settings, and an awareness of themselves as group members and facilitators. The course emphasizes the ethics and values of group work practice, particularly in relation to the use of group work to advance anti-racist and decolonizing approaches to social work.
Critical thinking skills are emphasized throughout the course via decisions surrounding the appropriate use of groups as a method of praxis, the role of the leader/facilitator/worker, considerations of purpose and time, assessment of group dynamics, stages of group development, group membership considerations, the impact of technology, and the role of evaluation and research in group work practice. The course addresses group work within both individualistic and collectivistic cultures at the community and international levels.
Key concepts for understanding social work with groups are addressed, including mutual aid, empowerment, group typology (i.e., treatment and task), the therapeutic/helping factors of group work, the effective use of activity, professional associations as groups, group work as a mechanism for individual, social, and community change, and group work as a form of advocacy and organizing to address injustice and systemic oppression. The Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups, developed by the International Association of Social Work with Groups (IASWG), provide an overarching course foundation for just, equitable, and effective group work practice.
