CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM

Social Welfare Policy and Services II
SW 426 Code 5409 Sec. 70
Spring 1998

Tues. 5:00 p.m. to 7:40 p.m.
Room

Professor: Evelyn Newman Phillips, M.S.W. Ph.D
Office: 110 DiLoreto Hall Telephone: (203) 832-2617
Email-Phillipse@CCSU.EDU

PREREQUISITES: SW 226, 227, and six credits from SW 360, 361 or 362 or permission of instructor are required. Field work required.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is an examination of the historical and contemporary development of social welfare policies and services. Various theories and assumptions which influence funding, agency services and legislative decisions that ultimately affect quality of life will be explored. Students will learn how to analyze policies and examine how polices determine services.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1. Students will understand the relationship between social work values and ethics and social welfare policies.

2. Students will understand how the political economy influences funding and services to social welfare clients.

3. Students will be able to analyze the impact of political decisions on disfranchised
cultural groups.

4. Students will be able to analyze policies to empower the people whom they serve.

CLASSROOM CLIMATE:

1. Attendance and Timeliness: The Social Work Program requires consistent class attendance and completion of assignments to demonstrate professional competency.

2 Absences affect final grade.

3. Late assignments will be downgraded by 10 points. ALL REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED IN WRITING, SIGNED AND DATED BY THE INSTRUCTOR AND THE STUDENT. All papers must be typed and referenced.

4. Participation is essential. Therefore, each student should read the required chapters and articles.

5. Accommodations will be made for students who are differently abled, those who have an emergency medical situation and individuals who need special arrangements if the building is evacuated. Please make an appointment with the instructor by the second week of class if you are affected by any of these factors.

6. Lectures, guest speakers, films, discussions and assigned tasks will be used to convey the development of policies and how they may be used to increase the quality of life for members of society. Since policies frequently change, occasionally reading assignments may be changed in order to address more timely and pressing issues. You are also encouraged to bring clippings and articles to class for discussion.

7. It is essential that students read newspapers and examine other media sources. Throughout the class, we will examine the current debate about welfare reform, crime, violence and the budget of United States. We will examine the proposals that have been offered by the Clinton administration and the Republicans. Our discussions will go beyond partisan politics. We will examine how these policies promote human dignity and help all human beings to realize their fullest potentials. Hence, we will examine the underlying cultural assumptions of the policies and determine who benefits.

REQUIRED TEXTS:
Abramovitz, Mimi 1996
Under Attack, Fighting Back: Women and Welfare in the United States. New York: Monthly Review Press.

Karger, Howard J. and David Stoesz 1998
American Social Welfare Policy: A Pluralist Approach. New York: Longman.

Fisher, Robert and Howard Karger 1997
Social Work and Community in a Private World. New York: Longman.
(Read Fisher throughout this semester. During the final classes we will analyze his
proposal for social workers. Don't wait until the end of the semester to secure the book. By that time, the books stores will have returned books that were not purchased.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Each student is expected to:

1. Attend Social Work Day at the Capitol March _____ , 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
From 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. social workers will gather. Coffee and refreshments will be available. Students are expected to observe and participate in this event. March _____, 1998, each student is expected submit a reaction paper about the events at the capitol and the policies proposed by the National Association of Social Workers. NASW office telephone # is 257-8066. Three-page paper due the following week.

POINTS 25, Assignment Due: March ______, 1998

Students who are unable to attend the events at the Capitol, should inform instructor. You may attend either a town hall meeting, a legislative hearing or planning meeting. Likewise, you must submit a reaction paper about the major issues proposed during the meeting.

Points 25, Assignment due the week after your observation. Please inform me about which meeting you plan to attend and when.

2. Mid-term 50 points. March 17 .

3. Each student is expected to examine either an existing policy or a proposed policy that relate to themes addressed in class. Student teams will be organized to present material related to the class discussion. The first presentation begins Feb. 17. Such policies as "three strikes," Indian Child Welfare, Older Americans Act, Federal Highway Act, managed care and Immigration Exclusion Act among many others may be studied. Each student will write a 10 page paper about a component of a policy addressed during the team presentation.
Paper == 100 points Due May 12
Presentation == Points 50

Please submit draft of your paper to professor before submitting the final version. Professor will also provide a guide for studying your policy.

4. Each student is expected to actively participate in class discussions.
Total points 50

5. Final Examination. 50 points. Final is optional for students with a B average and above.

Total points 325

Assigned Readings:

Jan 27.
I. Conceptualizing the public policy process.
A. What are policies?
B. Why are public policies needed?
C. Who develops public polices?
D. What determines the outcome of public policy?
1. Ideologies and Philosophies
E.What are the different types of policies?
1. Public
2. Judicial
3. Administrative
4. Local

Karger H. and Stoesz, D. "Social Policy and the American Welfare Policy." Chapter 1. Pp. 1-34.

Feb. 3.
II. Welfare Reform as Policy Making
A. What is Welfare?
1. Public assistance to poor
2. Social insurance to middle-class
3. Tax breaks to corporations
B. What conditions generated welfare policies.
1. The Depression
2. Widespread joblessness
3. Extensive poverty.
C. What conditions undergird welfare reform?
1. Changing economy
2. Downturn in market
3. Cheap international workforce
D. How attitudes were shaped "to change welfare as we know it?"
1. Social science theories generated that castigate the poor
2. Poor as having "defective" values"
3. Poor as being "sexual irrepressible" and "irresponsible"
4. Poor labelled as "underclass."
5. War on poverty attacked.
6. AFDC targeted as responsible for nation's budgetary problems.

Read; Abramovitz, Part 1 "Under Attack: Women and Welfare Reform Today ."
Pp. 13-18
Karger, H. and Stoesz, D. Chapter 4 Discrimination and Social Stigma in American Society Pp. 78-112.

III. History of Welfare Reform
A. In 1820s, after an economic boom
B. During transformation of Industrial Revolution
C. Attack on poor began in 1870s continued through 1900
D. Postwar attack-1945-1960
E. From 1962-1976

Read: Abramovitz "A Program Just for Single Mothers. Pp. 49-82.

Feb. 10,
IV. Method of Policy Analysis
A. Building an agenda
B. Defining the problem
C. Analyzing its Context
D. Proposing solutions
E. Examining alternatives
F. Assessing the consequences of proposed solutions

Read: Karger, H. and Stoesz, D. "Social Welfare Policy Research: A Framework for Policy Analysis," Chapter 2 Pp. 39-48.
Fisher, R. and Karger, H. Social Policy: "The Ideology and Politics of the Public Good." Chapter 5 Pp. 91-113.

Feb. 17,
V. Income Maintenance
A. History of Income Maintenance in the United States
1. The Depression
2. Government intervention necessary to prevent greater poverty
B. Assumptions guiding Income Maintenance
1. Definition of poverty
2. Relationship of work to welfare
3. Units of distribution
C. Types of Income Maintenance (historically)
1. Social Security
2. Unemployment Compensation
3. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (revised policy)
4. Supplemental Security Income
Read: Karger, H. and Stoesz, D. "Public Assistance Programs." Chapter 11 Pp. 265-300.
Karger, H. and Stoesz, D. 122-149.

Feb. 24,
VI. Is the State Responsible for the Status of its Children?
A. Child Welfare Problems
1. Poverty
2. Racial Discrimination
3. Sexism
4. Lack of Health Care
B. Proposed Policies/Services
1. Social Security Benefits
2. Unemployment benefits to parents (Title III)
3. Child Health--Healthy Start/ Medicaid
4. Development -Head Start
5. Women Infant and Children (WIC)

Read: Karger, H. and Stoesz, D. "Child Welfare Policy." Pp. 376-391.
Rodgers, H. 1996. "Poverty Trends and the Feminization of Poverty." Pp. 24-51.in Poor Women Poor Children: American Poverty in the 1990s Amonk, New York: Sharpe. (On reserve)

March 3,
VII. Gender, Sexism and Welfare State
A. Feminization of Poverty
1. Divorce and Separation
2. Higher Unemployment Among Males
3. Lower Earnings Paid to Women
4. Lack of Adequate Child Care
5. Lack of Adequate Child Support
6. Patriarchal policies
7. Racism.
8. Sexism.
B. Response to Sexism in Policies
1. Feminist Research
2. Equal Pay for Equal Work
3. Living Wage for Families

Read: Abramovitz,, Part 3. "The Gendered Welfare State." Pp. 83-108.
(On Reserve) Rodgers, Jr., Harrell R. 1996 Poor Women, Poor Children: American Poverty in the 1990s." Chap. 3, "Mother-Only Families: Growth and Causes of Poverty." Pp. 52-68.

March 10,
VIII. Is Housing a Right or Privilege?
A. History of Housing Legislation
B. Assumptions Guiding Housing Policies
C. Cost of Housing and Home-ownership
D. Homelessness
E. Proposed Solutions

Read; Karger, Howard Jacob and David Stoesz 1998
American Social Welfare Policy New York: Longman. Chap. 16 "Housing Policies." Pp. 395-411.

March 17, Midterm 50 points

March 23-28, Spring Break

March 31

IX. Health is not a Right in the United States.
A. An extensive lack of health care in the United States
1. Forty million people without health care
2. Rising cost of Health Care
3. Absence of Single-Payer Health Care System
4. Hunger and poor nutrition
B. Government Supported Health Care
1. Medicaid
2. Medicare
C. Profit-making Entities in Health Care
1. Health Maintenance Organizations
2. Managed Care Facilities
B. Health Care can be a Right
1. Health Care in the United Kingdom
2. Health Care in Canada
3. Health Care in Britain

Read: Karger, H. and Stoesz, D. "The American Health Care System." Pp. 305-333.

April 7,

X. Why do food pantries exists?
A. Scope of hunger in the United States.
B. U. S. farm subsidies
C. U. S. government food policies
D. Volunteer sector feeds the hungry

April 14,
XI. Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Prison Policies
A. Origin of mental health as a social construct in United States
1. Dorothea Dix sought humane treatment
2. Congressional funds for mental institutions refused in 1850s
3. State Asylums and backwards wards
4. Sterilization of those deemed mentally unfit
B. Mental Health Reform
1. World War II and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome
2. Mental Health Act 1946 and National Institute of Mental Health established
3. Community Mental Health Act of 1963 and 1965
4. Deinstitutionalization of hospital patients
C. Substance Abuse as a Major Mental Health Problem
1. 18 Million alcoholics
2. 5.5 millions illegal drug users
3. Millions die from lung cancer caused by cigarettes
4. Crack cocaine epidemic
D. Public prescription for substance abuse
1. Public education
2. Prison
3. Legalization of Drugs
4. Weed and Seed

Read: Karger, H. and Stoesz ,D. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Policy." Chapter 13, Pp. 338-354. and "Criminal Justice." Chapter 14 Pp. 358-373.

April 21
XII. Is There Security in Aging
A. Problems created by aging
1. Isolation
2. Deteriorating health
3. Accessibility to public transportation
4. Rising cost of living and health care
5. Unsafe environment
B. Government Services to Elders
1. Social Security (Title II)
2. Supplemental Security Income (Title XVI)
3. Area Agencies on Aging
4. Senior Centers
5. Nutrition

Read Dobelstein Chapter 10, "Older Adults." Pp. 244-265. (On reserve)

April 28,
Social Work in a Global Political Economy.
A. Causes
1. Global world system
2. Workers' loss of power
3. Disruption of community cohesion
B. Corporate and privatization of social work.
C. Consequences
D. Who benefits
E. Why certain people benefit

Skim Karger, H. and Stoesz, D. "The American welfare state in an international perspective." Chapter 18 Pp. 433-449.
and Read: "Privatization and private practice." Chapter 8 ,Pp. 200-219.
The entire Fisher and Karger text will be discussed. Be prepared to critique their proposal and consider what you have to bring lasting social change to the global welfare system.

May 7,
XIII.Visions of an Improved Future
A. Can equity and equality drive public policy?
B. How do we eliminate stigma from poverty?
C. What is the minimum for a decent quality?
D. What can we learn from other countries?

Read: Karger, H. and Stoesz, D "Reconceptualizing the American Welfare State Pp. 453-475.
Fisher and Karger, " Empowering the Social Service Workplace : Democracy and Organizational Change. Chapter 7, 149-173

May 7 Review for final

Paper Due May 7 100 points

Final Examination May 14. 50 points

Spring 1998

Social Welfare Policy 426

Name_________________________________________________

Task /Date Points pos. Points Acquired

Capitol
Mar 25 ___________

Midterm 50 ___________
Mar. 17

Policy Paper 100 ___________

Presentation 50 ___________

Participation 50 ____________

Final 50 ____________
May 14

Total 370 ____________

Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. Shakespeare

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. Helen Keller

No dream is too big to achieve. Act now to accomplish your goals. Phillips