CURRICULUM PROPOSAL

HUMAN SERVICES FOUNDATIONS MINOR

(to be housed in the Social Work Department)

I. Description of the program

A. Bulletin description of the program:

The Human Services Minor is an interdisciplinary field of study that provides students planning on working in the human services with coursework that will deepen their understanding of relevant issues and programs. The minor consists principally of social and behavioral science courses that will supplement and enhance the student’s major, allowing concentration in areas related to a student’s career path.

B. Relation of the program to institutional mission, strategic plan, and college/department goals and objectives:

The minor is consistent with the University’s mission to further student learning. It supports the select mission of UW-Whitewater: “The University offers an extensive range of undergraduate programs and degrees, including interdisciplinary programs, in letters, sciences, and the arts, as well as programs and degrees leading to professional specialization (italics added). It helps fulfill the section of the Strategic Plan that emphasizes “Academic programs that are intellectually challenging, current, and dynamic.”

Goals of the program:

1) The minor will provide students with a broader understanding of the issues, professional literature, and required skills in the field of human services in which the student intends to work.

2) The minor will prepare students better in the field of human services in which the student intends to work by providing specialized content not available in the majors.

Learning Objectives: Students who complete this minor will demonstrate:

1) an enhanced understanding of the issues faced by individuals in the group with which the student intends to work in the human services.

2) an enhanced ability to work in the area of human services in which the student intends to work.

3) greater analytic or writing skills.

C. Relation of the program to other programs on campus, in the UW System, and in the region:

This minor complements a number of majors on campus whose graduates pursue jobs in the human services after graduation. The cooperation of the Social Work, Psychology, and Women’s Studies departments in the creation of the minor demonstrates the felt need for this minor. There are no similar minors in the University system.

D. Projected source(s) of resources to support the program:

All of the courses offered in the minor are offered during regular rotation in the participating departments. The Psychology Dept. is planning to increase the number of sections of 840332, Psychology of Adolescence, with a new faculty member hired in the department. The departments of English, Mathematics and Computer Sciences, and Safety Studies all agreed that their courses could be included in the minor. The courses listed in the minor are all offered at least once a year.

E. Student need and/or demand for the program:

Student responses to the proposed program have been very positive, with a number of students stating that the proposed minor fits their learning and educational needs better than existing minors. For students interested in working in areas such as gerontology or criminal justice, existing minors enhance the employability of students. This minor will increase employability of students interested in other areas.

II. Format of the minor

Minor requirements include 24 credits

No more than 12 credits can be taken from any one department

Courses credited toward the minor cannot be credited toward the major

The student will select courses in consultation with an advisor to ensure that a statistical or research methods course is taken in the major or minor

CORE COURSES (9 credits) Select any three of the following courses:

__ Psychology 840202 Psychology of Women

__ Psychology 840331 Psychology of Childhood

__ Psychology 840332 Psychology of Adolescence

__ Social Work 860102 Introduction to Social Welfare and Social Work

__ Social Work 860235 Child Welfare

__ Women’s Studies 890350 Stages and Transitions in Women’s Lives

ANALYTIC AND WRITING SKILLS (3 credits) Select one of the following courses:

__ Languages & L 680372 Scientific and Technical Writing

__ Languages & L 680370 Advanced Composition

__ Psychology 840215 Basic Statistical Methods

__ Mathematics 760230 Introductory Statistics

ELECTIVES (12 credits) Select any four of the courses in this section. Elective courses can also be chosen from courses in the Core that have not already been chosen to satisfy the Core requirements.

__ Psychology 840345 Abnormal Psychology

__ Psychology 840489 Family Therapy

__ Psychology 840387 Field Training

__ Psychology 840444 Principles of Behavior Modification

__ Psychology 840486 Interview and Psychotherapy Techniques

__ Safety Studies 460455 Alcohol and Other Drugs

__ Social Work 860311 Human Behavior and the Social Environment I

__ Social Work 860325 Social Work with Children and Adolescents

__ Social Work Managing Stress and Grief and Assertiveness Training (students must take 860301, 860302, and 860303)

__ Social Work 860341 Sexuality for Professional Growth

__ Social Work 860380 Race, Ethnicity, and Social Justice

__ Social Work 860498 Independent Study

__ Women’s Studies 890100 Introduction to Women’s Studies

__ Women’s Studies 890370 Women, Race, and Ethnicity

__ Women’s Studies 890392 Women and Violence