Course Syllabus

IN-SWK-505 Syllabus Social Policy Analysis and Practice (3 cr.)

Course Information:

Semester Year: Fall 2026

Section Number: D505-36859

Course Delivery Method: Online

Class Meeting Dates: Asynchronous

Course Description

This course examines the processes that influence the development of social policy and social services. Included are the legislative and political processes, models of policy analysis, service delivery and policy implementation. Effects of these on people are considered from global, political, economic, environmental, and social policy perspectives.

This course is developed around the general proposition that social workers utilize knowledge and skills to carry out roles and functions critical for practice. Such knowledge and skills include the application of social policy analysis, the legislative process, the role and impact of politics and political choice on the quality of life of people, and the effect of economic-social policy decision and judicial actions on social services. In addition, the course examines the variability of the common and uncommon attributes of service delivery systems.

Course Competencies

Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) 2022 EPAS Competencies addressed by this course:

• • Competency 5: Engage in Policy Practice 
  • Social workers use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services. 
  • Social workers apply critical thinking to analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice. (CSWE, 2022 EPAS, pp. 10-11) 

  Secondary 

  • Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior 
  • Competency 3: Engage Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ADEI) in Practice 

Course Objectives

• 505-01: Examine approaches to policy analysis and frameworks to assess the social, political, economic and administrative feasibility of various policy proposals.  

• 505-02: Examine the history and evolution of policies that impact social work practice.  

• 505-03: Analyze the impact of the major policies that establish and regulate social service delivery systems.  

• 505-04: Assess how social welfare and economic policies impact the delivery of and access to social services.  

• 505-05: Assess the nature of power and control in the political and legislative process, and the management and control of information by lobbying forces.  

• 505-06: Assess the impact of social and economic policies on the advancement or hindrance of social and environmental justice and human rights.   

• 505-07: Evaluate relationships of social work values and ethics to service delivery, policy goals and the political process.  

• 505-08: Design strategies to increase social and economic equity through policy implementation.  

• 505-09: Evaluate the changing nature of individual, group, community and societal policy inter-dependency from a comparative global perspective.  

Required Course Materials

• Karger, H. J., & Stoesz, D. (2022). American social welfare policy: A pluralist approach (Ninth edition). Pearson Education. 

Course Content

Be mindful that academic and experiential content in social work courses may trigger an emotional response, especially in individuals who have prior trauma history. As social workers, it is our responsibility to be present for clients who have experienced trauma; therefore, it is necessary to cultivate compassionate self-awareness and address our personal histories in a timely manner for competent social work practice. If you are triggered in the classroom, your priority is self-care as well as continuing to gain knowledge for practice. You may need to seek consultation from faculty as to your readiness for practice and/or how to better prepare for social work practice.

This course equips students to demonstrate ethical and professional behavior and to advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice in and through policy practice.

The major evaluation of students' progress in accomplishing the learning objectives of this course is the signature Policy Analysis Paper, which allows students to demonstrate their learning by utilizing social work values and ethics along with a social work policy analysis framework to analyze a bill and assess its potential impact on social, economic, and/or environmental justice along with human rights, clarifying both a grounded social work position regarding the policy and then, in the name of that position, developing a strategy that could be used to build coalition, inclusive of civial society and the political realm, to move the position from paper to reality.

Course Outline

Assessment and Grading

Specific instructions for each assignment are posted in Canvas. Your instructor will also discuss details or answer any questions related to the assignment via Canvas Conversations (email) and/or during office hours.

All assignments (i.e., papers) should be double-spaced with one-inch margins on all sides. They should be carefully edited and proofread. They should use no smaller than a 12-point font, and they should conform to current APA style.

Grading standards

Papers are graded on the quality of the final product, not on the effort you extended to complete them. The grade of A is reserved for truly outstanding work that goes beyond basic requirements.

In the Indiana University School of Social Work MSW program, grades of B are the expected norm. Reflecting competency and proficiency, grades of B reflect good or high- quality work typical of graduate students in professional schools. Indeed, professors typically evaluate students’ work in such a way that B is the average grade. Grades in both the A and the C range are relatively uncommon and reflect work that is significantly superior to or significantly inferior to, respectively, the average, high-quality, professional work conducted by most IU MSW students. Because of this approach to grading, students who routinely earned A grades in their undergraduate studies may conclude that a B grade reflects a decrease in their academic performance. Such is not the case. Grades of B in the IU MSW program reflect the average, highly-competent, proficient quality of our students. In a sense, a B grade in graduate school is analogous to an A grade in undergraduate studies. MSW students must work extremely hard to achieve a B grade. If you are fortunate enough receive a B, prize it as evidence of the professional quality of your work.

Grades of A reflect excellence. Excellent scholarly products and academic or professional performances are substantially superior to the “good,” “the high quality,” “the competent,” or the “satisfactory.” They are unusual, exceptional, and extraordinary. Criteria for assignments are not only met, but also are exceeded by a significant margin. Excellence is a rare phenomenon. As a result, relatively few MSW students earn A grades.

Grades of B signify good or high-quality scholarly products and academic or professional performance. Grades in the B range reflect work expected of a conscientious graduate student in a professional program. Criteria for assignments are met in a competent, thoughtful, and professional manner. However, the criteria are not exceeded, and the quality is not substantially superior to other good quality products or performances. There is a clear distinction between the good and the excellent. We expect that most MSW students will earn grades in the B range—reflecting the good or high-quality work expected of competent future helping professionals.

Grades of C and C+ signify work that is marginal in nature. The scholarly products or professional performances meet many, but not all, of the expected criteria. The work approaches, but does not quite meet, the standards of quality expected of a graduate student in a professional school. Satisfactory in many respects, its quality is not consistently so and cannot be considered of good or high quality. We anticipate that a minority of MSW students will earn C and C+ grades.

Grades of C- and lower reflect work that is unsatisfactory. The products or performances do not meet several, many, or most of the criteria. The work fails to approach the standards of quality expected of a graduate student and a future MSW-level professional. We anticipate that a small percentage of MSW students will earn unsatisfactory grades of C-, D, and F.

Grading scale

Grade minimums are as follows: (Note: Grades below C are unsatisfactory in the MSW Program.)

Grading scale

A	93%	Excellent, Exceptional Quality
A-	90%	Superior Quality
B+	87%	Very Good, Slightly Higher Quality
B	83%	Good, High Quality (expected of most MSW students)
B-	80%	Satisfactory Quality
C+	77%	Marginal, Modestly Acceptable Quality
C	73%	Marginal, Minimally Acceptable Quality
C-	70%	Unsatisfactory Quality

Expectations for writing

Effective practice of generalist social work requires excellent writing skills to communicate information accurately and concisely to others involved in helping client systems. For this reason, formal writing assignments in social work courses will be evaluated both for the content and ideas presented as well as for the clarity of that presentation. All formal papers will be typed, double-spaced and paginated. In order to support professional expectations of utilizing evidence to inform practice at all levels, APA style is to be used to cite academic sources, including in-text references and bibliography. The formal APA manual and other guides to writing in APA style are available in the bookstore and are an expected part of the textbooks for the MSW program.

Students experiencing writing difficulties are advised to seek assistance at the University Campus Writing Center.

Assignment Submissions

You are expected to submit all assignments through Canvas by the required date/time.  Assignments will be counted as late if they are submitted any time after the due date/time unless arranged with me prior to the due date. Late submissions of assignments or other written work without a University-recognized excuse and adequate documentation will result in a deduction of 15% of the total point value of the assignment for each day late and, per University policy, is at the discretion of the professor.

Grade of Incomplete 

A grade of Incomplete (I) may be assigned by an instructor only when exceptional circumstances, such as an illness, injury, or a family emergency, prevents a student from finishing all the work required for the course.  The grade of Incomplete may be considered only when a substantial portion of the course work has already been completed, the coursework is of satisfactory quality, and no more than one major exam or assignment is outstanding. The student who does not meet these requirements should meet with her/his advisor to withdraw from the course(s) in question. The student should refer to the Registrar’s Office on her/his respective campus regarding the policies and deadline for automatic withdrawal for the semester in question.

The student is responsible for initiating the request for a grade of Incomplete.  If the instructor agrees, the instructor and student complete and sign a Record of Incomplete and Contract for Completion of Course Requirements form to ensure that a sound educational plan and time frame for completion of course requirements have been established.  Failure to fulfill the terms of this contract within the stipulated time frame may result in a failing grade.  For removal of a grade of Incomplete, the student is subject to the IUSSW policy, which has precedence over the University policy.  The student in the School of Social Work is expected to complete outstanding course work expeditiously, since many courses serve as prerequisites for others.  Generally, students may carry no more than one grade of Incomplete at any given time.  However, in cases of severe crisis, a student may work with her/his advisor to request grades of Incomplete in multiple courses.

University and School Policies

Students should be familiar with the Indiana University Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct from which many of the policies below are derived. In addition, students should refer to the MSW General Student Handbook for more detailed information about these policies and additional resources available to them.