Each student prepares an original study which demonstrates integration of the semester's work. Students learn to knowledgeably critique research as they develop their own. At the end of SW 852, they are prepared for more advanced coursework in research. The methodology of accountability research in human service programs is studied. Emphasis is placed on social program evaluation, idiographic research, and secondary data analysis in policy research as specialized methods of social work research.
Students undertake a laboratory experience in an ongoing program evaluation project.
Completion of first year of doctoral study. This course examines alternative models of policy development and applies them to current issues in social welfare. It emphasizes frameworks for policy research and secondary analysis of governmental data. This course examines the social welfare aspects of major economic decisions in the United States. Particular attention is paid to the implications of social choices in relation to the goals of increased equity and equality in the distribution of income and power, elimination of unemployment, and control of inflation.