SWO 634 Policy Analysis in Political, Social and Economic Contexts

This course offers an in-depth view of the social welfare policy process and systems in the United States with select comparisons from other nations. The aims of the course are to familiarize students with 1) a broad range of concepts, theories, and ideas about how social welfare policies and systems function, 2) social and economic justice critiques of social welfare policies and systems, and 3) processes of policy development, change, implementation and evaluation and how these related to social work practice and research. Reading, critical thinking, and peer discussion are emphasized as an approach to learning and processing course content. Policy analysis skills and tools are taught as a means of critically evaluating policy and linking policy frameworks and specific policy issues to students' areas of research interest.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

None