Social Work
Dunton Tower 509
Telephone: 613-520-5601
Fax: 613-520-7496
carleton.ca/ssw
The School
Director of the School: R. Hanes
Supervisor of Graduate Studies: A. van de Sande
The School of Social Work, accredited by the Canadian
Association of Schools of Social Work, offers a graduate
program leading to the degree of Master of Social Work. Year I
will normally be completed over two terms of full-time study.
Year II will normally be completed over three terms or twelve
months of full-time study. Part-time study is also offered.
Year I will normally be completed over two to three years, and
Year II will normally be completed over three to four
years.
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work program is based on an analytical
and critical approach to social work practice, and to knowledge
related to practice. The program examines the structural
context of personal and social problems and of social work
practice itself. The structural context refers to the
interaction between individuals and the social, political, and
economic dimensions of society. The program focuses on the
development of social work practices that change the
interactions between people and structural contexts. The
curriculum is organized into two concentrations; Social
Practices, which includes direct intervention with individuals,
families, small groups, and communities; and Social Welfare,
which examines the political, economic, and Social Welfare
which examines the political, economic, and social context
within which social policy is made. The orientation of the
School explicitly includes approaches to social policy
development and social change that involve working
collaboratively with individuals, groups, and communities.
Strong emphasis is placed on sensitivity to the individual, and
on the development of new and innovative strategies for working
with individuals in the context of their everyday lives. The
School also stresses community work and social development that
raises awareness of social problems that affect the lives of
all people in our society. Analysis of the material conditions
of life in Canadian society and the production of class,
gender, and race is considered central to all aspects of the
curriculum.
The School of Social Work is committed to educational
equity. The society in which we live and of which social work
is a constituent part is composed of groups of people
distinguished by their differential access to power - economic,
political, and social. The School affirms the principle that
all these groups should have the opportunity to learn in a
supportive environment. Educational equity is consistent with a
continuing commitment to meeting high standards of academic and
practice competence.
The central purpose of the graduate program is to provide
students with the opportunity to build on their knowledge and
experience. Students will be able to use the program to deepen
their understanding of both the methods and contexts of
practice, to build new knowledge, and to apply this new
knowledge in a practical way. The program requirements are
designed to be as flexible as possible while at the same time
ensuring that all students master core social work knowledge
and practice skills. Graduates may expect to use their
experience in the School as the basis for continuing to expand
their personal knowledge in a society undergoing rapid
change.
Admission Requirements
The School of Social Work provides two points of entry into
the Master of Social Work program.
Applications are accepted to the first year of a two year
M.S.W. program from candidates who hold an Honours bachelor's
degree, or the equivalent, with at least high honours standing
(normally B+ or higher in honours subject; B- or higher
overall) in a discipline other than social work.
Applications are accepted to the one year M.S.W. program
from candidates who hold an accredited Bachelor of Social Work
degree with honours standing (normally B+ or higher in honours
subject; B- or higher overall).
Applications are accepted to the one year M.S.W. program
from candidates who are in the final year of a Bachelor of
Social Work program, and who have maintained a B+ or higher in
social work and B- or higher overall. Applicants with social
work experience who hold undergraduate or graduate applied
social science degrees from a university or other degree
granting institution are directed to apply to the two year
M.S.W. program. The School will review the equivalence of such
degrees to a Bachelor of Social Work.
Work experience in social work or a related field is
considered as one of several selection criteria for both M.S.W.
Year I and M.S.W. Year II.
Persons who have a Bachelor of Arts degree and human service
experience may also wish to apply to the Bachelor of Social
Work program. Please refer to the Undergraduate Calendar for
further information.
Applicants must have completed 1.0 credit in research
methods in their undergraduate program. The School of Social
Work will not normally grant advanced standing for course work
completed prior to entry into the M.S.W. program. Students
accepted into M.S.W. Year I will be expected to complete 5.0
credits of course work in Year I and 6.0 credits of course work
in Year II. Students accepted into M.S.W. Year II will be
expected to complete 6.0 credits of course work. Work
experience may not be substituted for research or other
academic requirements, including the practicum.
Part-Time Studies
The School offers part-time studies to a limited number of
qualified candidates who cannot participate in a program of
full-time study. The requirements for part-time studies are
identical to those of the regular program, except that
part-time students are limited to a maximum of 1.0 credit of
course work per term.
Students registered on a part-time basis must maintain
continuous registration for a minimum of two terms per year
until all course requirements are completed.
In their first fall term, part-time students in the M.S.W.
Year I must register in SOWK 5501 or SOWK 5502 and one of SOWK
5308, SOWK 5408, or SOWK 5608. Part-time students in the M.S.W.
year II register in SOWK 5306 or SOWK 5307 plus an additional
0.5 credit of course work in their first fall term.
Change of Status
Students contemplating changing their full-time or part-time
status should consult the General Regulations section of this
Calendar.
Program Requirements
Students with an Honours undergraduate degree other than a
B.S.W. or the equivalent who are admitted into the two-year
M.S.W. program must complete Year I and Year II.
Students with a B.S.W. or equivalent who are admitted into
the one-year M.S.W. program must complete Year II.
Year I of the M.S.W. consists of the following 5.0
credits:
- SOWK 5308 [0.5 credit]
- SOWK 5408 [0.5 credit]
- SOWK 5608 [0.5 credit]
- SOWK 5501 [0.5 credit]
- SOWK 5502 [0.5 credit]
- SOWK 5606 [2.0 credits]
- 0.5 credit to be taken from graduate-level course
offerings in the School.
Year II of the M.S.W. consists of the following 6.0
credits:
- SOWK 5306 or SOWK 5307
- SOWK 5405
-
And any of the following options:
- Thesis/Course Work Option
- SOWK 5909
- 2.0 credits of course work
- Thesis/Practicum Option
- Research Essay/Course Work/Practicum
Option
- SOWK 5903
- SOWK 5607
- 1.0 credit of graduate level
course work in social work
or
- SOWK 5904 (0.5credit)
- SOWK 5607
- 1.5 Credits Graduate level
course work in Social Work
- Practicum/Course Work Option
- SOWK 5607
- 2.0 credits of course work
For all course options listed above, a minimum of
1.0 credit must be taken from graduate-level course
offerings, in the School of Social Work, a maximum of
1.0 credit may be taken outside the School of Social
Work, and a maximum of 0.5 credit may be taken at the
4000-level.
All students in SOWK 5903, SOWK 5909, SOWK 5606,
SOWK 5607 must maintain continuous registration until
completion of the course in accordance with the General
Regulations as stated in this calendar.
Academic Standing
Candidates for the M.S.W. degree must complete all
course work (or the equivalent) counted towards the
degree with a grade of B- or higher. The School of
Social Work does not permit the C+ option.
Graduate Courses
Not all of the following courses are offered in a
given year. For an up-to-date statement of course
offerings and to determine the term of offering,
consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca
Note: all seminar courses, directed studies,
workshops, independent study courses, and community
practice courses are governed by Section 7.7,
Tutorials, of the General Regulations.
M.S.W. Year I - Required Courses
- SOWK 5308 [0.5 credit]
- Direct Intervention
- Presentation of a structural framework for
social work theory and practice examining
assessment and interventive approaches, analytical
and interaction skills, helping process and social
transformation. Explores interventions with
individuals, families, small groups based on an
understanding of class, gender, race, age, ability
and sexual orientation.
Precludes additional credit for SOWK 5304.
Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
I.
- SOWK 5408 [0.5 credit]
- Social Administration and Policy
- Knowledge and skills required for
understanding, analyzing and practicing social
policy development and administration in social
work. Political, economic, and social context of
policymaking, theoretical perspectives for
developing policy, and contemporary social policy
issues.
Precludes additional credit for SOWK 5304.
Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
I.
- SOWK 5501 [0.5 credit]
- Theories in Social Science and Social
Work
- Examines relationships between theories in
social science and in social work exploring
connections to social work practice and emphasizing
theories of inequality.
Precludes additional credit for SOWK 5500.
Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
I.
- SOWK 5502 [0.5 credit]
- History of Social Welfare and Social
Work
- Historical development of social welfare
policies and the Canadian welfare state. History of
relationship of economy, family, welfare
institutions and Canadian state. Focus on the
origins and development of social work as a
profession.
Precludes additional credit for SOWK 5500.
Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
I.
- SOWK 5606 (2.0 credits)
- Practicum I
- Integration of academic and practical aspects
of social-work education. 500 hours of guided
learning in a community-based setting. Field
seminar required.
Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year I,
and completion of or concurrent registration in
SOWK 5308, SOWK 5408, SOWK 5501, SOWK 5502, and
SOWK 5608.
- SOWK 5608 [0.5 credit]
- Community Work
- Models and methods of community organization.
Social-economic contexts and ideological approaches
to social change work; social change efforts;
globalization and corporate rule.
- M.S.W. Year II - Required Courses and
Program Options
- SOWK 5306 [1.0 credit]
- Advanced Theory for Social Welfare
- Core concepts and ideas about the modern
welfare state and the Canadian welfare state. The
role and nature of social policy in the Canadian
political system. Methods of analysis of
contemporary social policy.
Precludes additional credit for SOWK 5305.
Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
II.
- SOWK 5307 (1.0 credit)
- Advanced Theory for Social
Practices
- Advanced integration of social work knowledge,
skills and ethics for practice with individuals,
families, small groups and communities. Structural
analysis of personal and social problems. Review of
contemporary social work theories and practice
approaches.
Precludes additional credit for SOWK 5305.
- Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
II.
- SOWK 5405 [1.0 credit]
- Research and Evaluation in Social
Work
- Addresses the logic of inquiry, and assesses
quantitative and qualitative techniques. Attention
to program and direct intervention evaluation
especially with the use of action and participatory
research approaches. May include research or
evaluation project with community agencies and
practitioners, or individual research
proposal.
- Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
II.
- SOWK 5607 [2.0 credits]
- Practicum II
- 500 hours integrating advanced social work
theories and practice. Field seminar required. Not
usually available in the first term of
registration.
- Prerequisite: B.S.W. or completion of M.S.W.
Year 1, and completion of SOWK 5306 or SOWK 5307;
SOWK 5306 or SOWK 5307 may be taken concurrently
with SOWK 5607 to fulfil this requirement.
- SOWK 5909 [2.0 credits]
- Thesis
- Prerequisite: registration in M.S.W. Year
II.
Optional Courses
- SOWK 5006 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work, Gender and the State
- This seminar course examines the construction
of the "social" sphere and making the "social" work
as it applies to the development of social welfare
and the social work profession. An analysis of the
gendered character of state provisions, women's
participation in their formation, and their
implications with regard to race and class is used
to examine the current restructuring of social
welfare.
- SOWK 5101 [0.5 credit]
- Social Policy Analysis
- Conceptual, theoretical, and empirical tools
for the analysis of social policies in Canadian
society.
- SOWK 5102 [0.5 credit]
- Political Economy of Health
- Distinctions and connections between health and
health care. Who receives care, who provides it,
who pays for it, and who makes the decisions
affecting it.
- SOWK 5105 [0.5 credit]
- Poverty and Income Security
- Examination of theories of poverty and wealth,
conflicting understandings of poverty and the
unequal distribution of income and wealth in
Canada. Theories of poverty and wealth as they
influence social policy, notably universal
programs, social welfare services, income
redistribution, and taxation.
- SOWK 5106 [0.5 credit]
- Women and Social Policy
- Structural analysis of social policy affecting
women. Relationship of feminist scholarship to the
practical work of developing policy and to policy
outcomes for women. Impact of the women's movement
on the formal processes of policy making.
- SOWK 5108 [0.5 credit]
- Seminar in Social Policy
- Social policy analysis of particular fields
such as corrections, mental health services,
children's services, or health care services.
Current programs, historical developments, and the
major current issues, developments, and
challenges.
- SOWK 5207 [0.5 credit]
- Community Economic Development
- Critical understandings of sustainable
Community Economic Development (CED). Diverse local
and international CED initiatives. Skills necessary
for facilitating CED processes.
- SOWK 5301 [0.5 credit]
- Women, Male Violence and Social
Change
- Focus on male violence against women. Theory,
responses of the state and the justice system, and
practice approaches to helping women and the men
who abuse them, and initiatives for social
change.
- SOWK 5302 [0.5 credit]
- Mental Health Policy and Practice
- Historical development, legislative framework,
institutional and service structure, and practice
issues related to mental health services in Canada.
The interface between mental health and sexual
abuse, family violence, racism, corrections, aging
and immigration.
- SOWK 5309 [0.5 credit]
- Foundations of Direct Intervention
- Philosophical and historical evolution of the
competing paradigms underlying contemporary social
work practice, with individuals, families, and
community analyzed using philosophy of science and
the sociology of knowledge.
- SOWK 5503 [1.0 credit]
- Directed Studies - Group
- Exploration of selected theoretical
perspectives relevant for social work practice that
are offered subject to the availability of faculty.
Arranged for small groups of students who are
interested in a similar substantive area.
- SOWK 5504 [1.0 credit]
- Directed Studies - Individual
- Individual exploration of selected theoretical
perspectives for social work practice under the
direct supervision of a member of faculty or
visiting scholar.
- SOWK 5505 [0.5 credit]
- Directed Studies - Group
- Exploration of selected theoretical
perspectives relevant for social work practice that
are offered subject to the availability of faculty.
Arranged for small groups of students who are
interested in a similar substantive area.
- SOWK 5506 [0.5 credit]
- Directed Studies - Individual
- Individual exploration of selected theoretical
perspectives for social work practice under the
direct supervision of a member of faculty or
visiting scholar.
- SOWK 5507 [0.5 credit]
- Workshop on Selected Topics in Social Work
Practice
- Approved workshops organized in the School and
in the community may be offered subject to the
availability of faculty. Evaluation of students is
based on the student's role in the workshop and the
nature of the assignment(s) required of the
student.
- SOWK 5508 [1.0 credit]
- Studies in Social Work
- May combine directed studies - group or
individual - workshops, research study, or
community practice. Registration is by permission
of the supervisor of graduate studies and will be
granted only when the student has negotiated an
approved study agreement with the social work
instructor(s).
- SOWK 5509 [0.5 credit]
- Studies in Social Work
- May combine directed studies - group or
individual - workshops, research study, or
community practice. Registration is by permission
of the supervisor of graduate studies and is
granted only when the student has negotiated an
approved study agreement with the social work
instructor(s).
- SOWK 5609 [0.5 credit]
- Studies in Community Practice
- May be offered subject to the availability of
faculty. Studies are supervised by faculty. A
written proposal is required that must include
learning objectives, practice objectives, time of
completion, and criteria and method of
evaluation.
- SOWK 5700 [0.5 credit]
- Special Topics in Social Work
- The School will offer lecture courses on
substantive topics related to social work and
social welfare. Topics will vary each year
depending on the interests of faculty and students.
Students from outside the School of Social Work may
register with permission of the School.
- SOWK 5701 [0.5 credit]
- Special Topics in Social Work
- The School will offer lecture courses on
substantive topics related to social work and
social welfare. Topics will vary each year
depending on the interests of faculty and students.
Students from outside the School of Social Work may
register with permission of the School.
- SOWK 5702 [0.5 credit]
- Special Topics in Social Work
- The School will offer lecture courses on
substantive topics related to social work and
social welfare. Topics will vary each year
depending on the interests of faculty and students.
Students from outside the School of Social Work may
register with permission of the School.
- SOWK 5703 [0.5 credit]
- Special Topics in Social Work
- The School will offer lecture courses on
substantive topics related to social work and
social welfare. Topics will vary each year
depending on the interests of faculty and students.
Students from outside the School of Social Work may
register with permission of the School.
- SOWK 5704 [0.5 credit]
- Race, Culture and Social Work
Practice
- Anti-racist framework for social work practice
to analyze policy and practice issues. "Privilege"
as a critical and essential component for
understanding oppression based on race and culture.
Complex intersections of race and culture with
class, gender, age, and other dimensions.
- SOWK 5705 [0.5 credit]
- Child Protection Policies and
Interventions
- Explores child welfare policy and the
organization of social work practice particularly
in the Canadian context. A range of welfare
provisions affecting children and families will be
considered as will direct child protection
policies.
- SOWK 5801 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar: Feminist
Social Work Practice with Individuals, Couples, and
Families
- Theory and practice of feminist approaches to
social work with individuals, couples and families.
Issues of diversity, such as race, class, and
gender. Problem-based learning approach.
- SOWK 5802 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar: Cross-cultural
Studies of the Self and Related Subjects
- Governance and care of the Self in different
cultural and historical contexts. Theoretically
located in emergent sociology and psychology of
governance and care of the self. Cross-cultural
perspectives practices and policies of different
forms of governance and debates about social
regulation.
- SOWK 5804 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar: Organizing for
Social Change
- Hands-on introduction to theories, models, and
methods of organizing for social change from grass
roots groups to national coalitions. Practical
skills for helping people mobilize to influence
relevant social issues. Problem-based learning
approach.
- SOWK 5805 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar: Social
Development in the International Context
- International social development policies and
practices from a cross-cultural perspective. Focus
on international social policies and practices, and
on economic, health, telecommunication, migration,
and education policies and practices.
- SOWK 5803 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar
- Applied knowledge for social work practice
utilizing "problem-based learning". Examples drawn
from the experience of social work practitioners.
Self-guided individual and group study, directed by
a faculty tutor.
- SOWK 5806 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar
- Applied knowledge for social work practice
utilizing "problem-based learning". Examples drawn
from the experience of social work practitioners.
Self-guided individual and group study, directed by
a faculty tutor.
- SOWK 5807 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar
- Applied knowledge for social work practice
utilizing "problem-based learning". Examples drawn
from the experience of social work practitioners.
Self-guided individual and group study, directed by
a faculty tutor.
- SOWK 5808 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar
- Applied knowledge for social work practice
utilizing "problem-based learning". Examples drawn
from the experience of social work practitioners.
Self-guided individual and group study, directed by
a faculty tutor.
- SOWK 5809 [0.5 credit]
- Social Work Practice Seminar
- Applied knowledge for social work practice
utilizing "problem-based learning". Examples drawn
from the experience of social work practitioners.
Self-guided individual and group study, directed by
a faculty tutor.
- SOWK 5903 [1.0 credit]
- Independent Research Studies in Social
Work
- Individually-arranged independent research
study. Requires a written proposal that outlines a
research project with clear learning objectives,
and practice objectives (where relevant).
- SOWK 5904 [0.5 credit]
- Independent Research Studies in Social
Work
- Individually-arranged independent research
study. Requires a written proposal that outlines a
research project with clear learning objectives,
and practice objectives (where relevant).
- SOWK 5909
- Thesis
- Prerequisite: registration in MSW Year II.
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