Curriculum

Click here for the Social Work Advising Checklist. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required.)

Curriculum Sequence and Content:

General Requirements:

Students must successfully complete the equivalent of 120 semester hours. All students must fulfill the requirements of a major, as well as successfully completing the requirements of the general education program.

Proficiency Examinations

All MacMurray students are expected to demonstrate good writing skills in all aspects of their college program. Candidates for a degree from the College are required to pass a writing proficiency examination.

Requirements of the Major:

The Bachelor of Social Work degree requires the completion of 42 credit hours of social work courses and 21 credit hours of prerequisite courses.

The social work curriculum is organized into four foundation areas: human behavior and the social environment, social policy, research and practice/field practicum. The course of study is structured to comply with the standards established by the Council on Social Work Education. Topics integrated throughout the four foundation areas include professional social work values and ethics, oppression, social and economic justice, research, populations at risk, critical thinking, and the importance of cultural diversity including ethnic, racial, religious, age, gender, sexual orientation, lifestyle choices, and ability.

Dual Degree Majors and Minors:

Suggested minors include psychology, business, criminal justice, deaf studies or Spanish. Students wishing to major in a discipline in addition to social work must meet the dual degree requirements.

Field Practicum:

The purpose of the field practicum experience is to provide “hands on” practical experience in a human service agency, institution, and/or organization. Field experience is an integral part of the social work education, and is intended to complement the theoretical framework by allowing the opportunity to apply theory to actual social work situations. It is a regular part of the curriculum, and is viewed as a special kind of learning experience. Field placement provides the student an opportunity to acquire an understanding of how social problems impact individuals, families, small groups, organizations, and communities. The placement enables the student to learn the policies, regulations, and functions of social service agencies, networks, and community resources. Field placement allows the student to observe the social worker’s role in the problem solving process thus enabling them to learn beginning social work tasks and functions in preparation for generalist practice in social work. The field seminar includes sharing experiences with other field practicum students in a small group setting.

The field practicum involves a block placement at an agency approved by the Director of Field Instruction in the first semester of the senior year. Students are encouraged to arrange this by the end of their junior year. The student must complete 450 clock hours. They receive twelve (12) hours of academic credit for this. Only work performed within the agency setting and field seminar meet the criteria set forth by the Council on Social Work Education. All majors must comply with the program requirements.

Beginning Placements: Clock Hours and Credits

Placement should begin by the first full week of classes in the fall term of the senior year, and continues throughout the semester. The academic term consists of thirteen (13) weeks, and students are encouraged to arrange their schedules to permit them to spend 30 - 34 clock hours per week in the practicum in conjunction with one and a half (1 & ½) clock hours of field seminar. Students may need to work some evenings, weekends or during school vacations to meet the hours requirement.

Approximately three weeks after the start of the second semester an orientation meeting is held for prospective practicum students. All Juniors anticipating taking practicum in the upcoming year must attend. This session is followed by another meeting invoking agency field supervisors or their agency representatives. At this meeting the field supervisors have an opportunity to educate the future practicum students about service provision, clientele, community networking, legislation and other factors pertaining to their agency. Students then review and select from the Agency Handbook, located in the Social Work Suite, a list of agencies (usually up to three agencies) of their choice for interviews. They then meet individually with the Director of Field Practicum to further clarify any questions about their selections and/or the next steps in the process. The student is responsible for the initial agency contact, submission of a current resume (application for fieldwork) prior to agency interviews, and to schedule interviews with the agency supervisors. Students are strongly encouraged to interview at two or more agencies but are not required if their first choice interview results in a placement. The Director of Field Practicum contacts the selected agency to discuss acceptance or rejection of the student intern. The student is placed in an agency based on the following criteria: the Director of Field Practicum’s assessment of the student/placement match, student preference, whether the agency and agency field supervisor meet the criteria of the Social Work Department, and acceptance of the student by the agency and agency field supervisor. After the assignment for placement is made the student is responsible for informing the agency field supervisors of agencies not selected by the student.

SOCIAL WORK FACULTY:

Full-Time Faculty:

John Cox, D.S.W., A.C.S.W.

Dr. John Cox, Associate Professor and Chair, earned his doctorate of Social Work from the University of Utah. Prior to coming to MacMurray College, Dr. Cox served as a Colonel in the United States Air Force assigned as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Air Force, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. His teaching experience has included faculty positions with a Family Practice Residency Program, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and as visiting lecturer for the College of Professional Development, Air University.

Professor Cox has also served as the Director of an Alcoholism Treatment Center, Director of a Family Support Center, and manager of programs dealing with work and family, family violence, equal opportunity, sexual harassment, and workplace diversity.

Professor Cox’s areas of special interest are substance abuse; poverty; family violence prevention; and children, families and communities.

Professor Cox teaches courses in research methods, social policy, and clinical practice.


William R. Tennill, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., L.C.S.W.

William R. Tennill, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., L.C.S.W., received his Master of Social Work degree from George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in 1985.

Professor Tennill’s varied social work experience includes clinical practice in both public and private settings, working with abused and/or neglected children and their families; adolescents and adults with emotional and/or chemical dependency problems; the severely and persistently mentally ill; and emotionally disturbed, forensic adolescents and adults. His experience also includes administration, specifically in providing habilitation services for adults with developmental disabilities and private practice in a managed care environment.

He is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), a member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers (ACSW) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). He also serves on the Organizational Committee of Mainstreet, a revitalization effort for the city of Jacksonville’s downtown district and is active in the leadership council of the Illinois Chapter of NASW-Springfield District.

Student Feedback:

The faculty has annual open meetings with the social work student body to obtain feedback on the program. Faculty evaluation and course surveys provide additional information. Occasional brief discussions in class and discussions in the social work club (ASK) meetings are used for feedback.

Student feedback gives the faculty important information about courses, the curriculum departmental policies, and field placements which is necessary to keep the preparation for entry-level social work pertinent. Students help provide the feedback by informally and formally evaluating courses and field placements. Students aid in the evaluation of the program by giving faculty formal and informal feedback on policies, curriculum, and the department as a whole. Student participation is essential to maintaining a Social Work Program which educates students well.

Association of Student Social Workers (ASK):

The Association of Student Social Workers is the official student organization of the Social Work Department. It has three major functions. The first function is to expose the student to options and opportunities in the social work field. The second function is to help the student with her or his academic career. The students in the association give support and help each other find answers to problems that could hinder the student's academic career. The third function is to fulfill the requirements of any club on MacMurray campus. Students from any major may be members of ASK.

Phi Alpha Honor Society, Zeta Omega Chapter:

The purposes of Phi Alpha Honor Society are to provide a closer bond among students of social work and promote humanitarian goals and ideals. Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers and invites into membership those who have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.