Human Services (HSRV) 201

Overview

This general interest course introduces students to the profession of social work, the related field of human services, and the social policy context within which they are practiced. The course explores social welfare through social work and human services lenses, including their shared values, historical foundations, and critical perspectives. Once some approaches and theories, practices, processes, and levels have been introduced, students develop a personal philosophy statement of social welfare that self-assesses their fit in these fields. In Part 2 and 3, students learn to apply their foundational learning to specific populations. At the end of Part 4, students integrate material from the entire course and begin applying it to specific scenarios.

Outline

Part 1 Social Welfare

• Section 0 Getting Started
• Section 1 Social Welfare and Social Work in Canada
• Section 2 The Pillar of Income Security
• Section 3 The History of Social Work
• Section 4 International Social Work

Part 2 Professional Practice

• Section 1 Theory and Approaches to Social Work Practice
• Section 2 Professional Practice

Part 3 Practice, Process, and Levels

• Section 1 Working with Individuals and Families
• Section 2 Working with Groups and Communities

Part 4 Working with Special Populations

Learning outcomes

When you have completed HSRV 201, you should be able to

• Demonstrate some specialization of disciplinary knowledge of social work and human services, including reading and research at or beyond the basic level.
• Understand theories, principles, and concepts related to social work and human services, and apply them to hypothetical situations.
• Distinguish among social work and human services policies relative to individuals, families, groups, and communities, and apply them appropriately.
• Demonstrate awareness of tools, mechanisms, and critical-thinking processes relevant to social work and human services, and use them to frame problems related to the field.
• Competently express your knowledge of the field of social work and human services in order to teach and help people to understand relevant issues.
• Understand the social work and human services professional environment and its values, and apply those values consciously and ethically.

Evaluation

To receive credit for HSRV 201, you must complete four graded assignments and achieve an overall course composite grade of D (50 percent) or higher. The weightings for each assignment are as follows.

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.

Materials

This course either does not have a course package or the textbooks are open-source material and available to students at no cost. This course has a Course Administration and Technology Fee, but students are not charged the Course Materials Fee.

PDFs of assigned textbook readings have been provided by the publisher and are available on the course website. All other resources are linked through the Study Guide.

Challenge for credit

Overview

The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university-level course.

Full information about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

Evaluation

To receive credit for the HSRV 201 challenge registration, you must complete all required components, and achieve an overall grade of at least D (50 percent).

Important links

• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services