UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE

RSSW 610 Fall 2008
Human Behavior in the Social Environment I
Arlene Istar Lev LCSW, CASAC
518-438-2222 (phone)
518-438-7777 (fax)

Course Description

This course provides basic foundation knowledge of human behavior and the social environment as a basis for direct practice with individuals and families and for the management of social service programs. It contains theoretical and empirical knowledge about the range of normal biopsychosocial development and the nature and impact of oppression and discrimination, as individuals and families transact with their changing environments throughout the life course.

Course Objectives

1. Students will demonstrate an ability to understand, evaluate, and integrate different and evolving theoretical perspectives and empirical knowledge about human development and well being, with attention to values and ethical implications.

2. Students will demonstrate an ability to understand the interactions among human biological, psychological, social, economic, cultural, and environmental systems as they affect and are affected by human behavior.

3. Students will demonstrate an ability to understand and appreciate the unique factors that affect the development of women, ethnic and racial minorities, people who are disabled, lesbian, gay, and bisexual, and transgendered people, and other groups that have been historically oppressed.

4. Students will demonstrate an ability to understand age-related tasks commonly associated with different life stages, recognizing that the construction of stages is influenced by factors such as culture, economics, historical time, and gender.

5. Students will demonstrate an understanding of the effects of oppression, discrimination and power on diverse peoples.

This course will utilize a number of different learning activities. You will be expected to

ï read the assigned textbook as well as the readings that will be placed on the ERES system.

ï read and respond to ALL of the Discussion threads for each module.

ï complete the midterm and final.

ï read the assigned "mini-lectures."

ï complete all 4 assignments

ï take part in assigned group activities.

Grades will be determined in the following ways:

30% of your grade will be determined by your class Discussions. Your participation in these discussions is essential to your involvement in an on-line course. See the Discussions section for more information.

10% of your grade will depend on your involvement in on-line Group Projects.

20% of your grade will be Class Assignments.

20% of your grade will be a Midterm Exam.

20% of your grade will be a Final Exam.

These exams will be submitted electronically. You will have one week to complete the exams. In order to adequately answer the questions you will need to support your answers by citing the assigned readings, lectures and class discussions. Your papers are expected to be neatly typed and double-spaced. Correct APA format is expected. You must discuss any delay in submitting your papers to the instructor before the due date, or you will lose 1 point for each day it is late.

Please note: Students will be held to the highest standards of academic integrity as outlined in your Graduate Bulletin. It is your responsibility to be aware of SUNYA's rules regarding plagiarism, collaboration, cheating and multiple submissions. This is a particularly vulnerable area for on-line students since it is "easy" to cut and paste from Internet sources right into your papers, or to "share" your text with other students. I will be especially careful in checking your work for ORIGINALITY and correct source citation.

I do have high expectations for students. I expect each of you to log onto this course at least 3 times a week. You are expected to read all of the assignments, to participate in class discussions, and to hand in your assignments on time and in the proper format.

If there is a personal situation that affects your ability to meet expectations (i.e., physical limitations, language barriers), or if you are unable to hand in work in a timely manner due to illness or natural disaster (i.e., the dog ate it) you must discuss this with the instructor prior to do the due date of the project, so appropriate arrangements can be made.

Late papers or projects without prior consent of instructor will be graded deducting 1 point for each day late. Inappropriate attention to class discussion will impact your grading, as will sloppiness in the quality of your written assignments. Your papers are expected to be neatly typed, and double-spaced. Correct APA format is expected.

Students will be held the highest standards of academic integrity as outlined in your Graduate Bulletin. It is your responsibility to be aware of SUNYA's rules regarding plagiarism, collaboration, cheating and multiple submissions.

This course is 100% asynchronous, as are all SUNY Learning Network courses.

Asynchronous: not occurring at the same time (i.e. out of synch.)

In distance education, an asynchronous course is one where the students and the professor all participate from locations and at times that are convenient for them, and there is no requirement that they participate at a specific time or meet as a group.

Please do not print out the course and the ERES readings. The point of on-line learning is to use the technology and NOT to destroy more trees. PLEASE think of the environment before printing; only print articles that you are sure to use in the future.

Books:

Required--Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A Multidimensional Perspective (with InfoTrac), by Ashford, J.B., LeCroy, C.W., and Lortie, K.L. (3th edition) Thompson, BrookCole, 2006

or

Dimensions of Human Behavior (3rd Edition): The Changing Life Course by Hutchison, E.D. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2008.

And

RECOMMENDED:

Dimensions of Human Behavior (3rd Edition): Person and Environment by Hutchison, E.D. Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2008.

or

Development though the Lifespan by Laura E. Berk 3rd edition. Allyn and Bacon: Boston, MA.

These books are available at Mary Jane Books 215 Western Ave. 465-2238 or they can be ordered over the Internet.maryjane@acmenet.net

Supplemental readings will be available through the ERES system. The password is ssw610lev.

Readings

ï Ashford et.al.: Chapter 1

ï Gambrill, E. (2005). Formal and informal fallacies: Mistakes in thinking and how to avoid them. In Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice: Improving the Quality of Judgments and Decisions (second edition). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.

ï Robbins, S. P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E. R. (2006). Chapter 1 excerpts (pp. 4 ñ 24). Why study theories of human behavior? Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Readings:

Ashford et. al.: Chapter 2 and 3.

or

Hutchison: Chapter 1

ï Carter, B., and McGoldrick, M. (1999) "Overview. The Expanded Family Life Cycle: Individual, Family and Social Perspectives". In B. Carter and M. McGoldrick (Eds.) The Expanded Family Lifecycle. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. PP 1-25

Ashford, el. al.: Chapter 4.

ï Arnold, M.S. (2002). Culture-Sensitive Family Therapy. In J. Carlson and Diane Kjos (Eds.) Theories and Strategies of Family Therapy. Allyn and Bacon/Boston, MA. (pp. 19-40).

ï Eamon, K. M. (2001). The effects of poverty on children's socioemotional development: An ecological systems analysis. Social Work, 46(3), 256 ¬ñ 266.

ï Kliman, J. (1998). Social Class as a Relationship: Implications for Family Therapy. In M.McGoldrick (Ed.) Re-visioning Family Therapy. The Guilford Press. (pp. 50-61).

ï Urdang, E. (2002). Illness and Disability. In Human Behavior in the Social Environment: Interweaving the Inner and Outer World. Haworth Press. (pp. 459-495).

ï Miller, J.B. (1991) The Development of Women's Sense of Self. In J.V. Jordan, A.G. Kaplan, J.B. Miller, I.P. Stiver, and J.L. Surrey (Eds.) Women's Growth in Connection: Writings from the Stone Center. Guilford Press: NY. pp.11-26.

Ashford et. al: Chapter 5 and 6.

or

Hutchison: Chapter 2 and 3

ï Blakeslee, S. (1995). The Brain's early growth. Timetable may be crucial. New York Times, August 29, B5-B6.

ï Jackson, A.P. (1999) The effects of nonresident father involvement on single black mothers and their young children. Social Work 44 (2), 156-166.

ï Schneider, E.L. (1991). "Attachment Theory and Research: Review of the literature. " Clinical Social Work Journal --Human Sciences Press, Inc. pp. 251-266.

Ashford, et. al.: Chapter 7 & 8.

or

Hutchison: Chapter 4 and 5.

ï Blair, S.L. (1992). Children's Participation in Household Labor: Child Socialization versus the Need for Household Labor. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 21 (2) pp. 241-258.

ï Gibbs, J.T., and Huang, L.N. (1989) "A Conceptual framework for assessing and treating minority youth." In J.T. Gibbs and L.N. Huang (Eds.) Children of Color. SF: Jossey Bass Pub.

ï Shonkoff, J. P. & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhood. The science of early childhood development.Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Chapter 1: Introduction (pp. 19-32).

ï Wideman, J.E. (1997). The Killing of Black Boys. In Essence Magazine. 28 (7) pp. 122-130.

Ashford et. al.: Chapters 9.

or

Hutchison: Chapter 6

ï Brightman, B.K. (1990). Adolescent Depression and The Susceptibility to Helplessness. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 19 (5) pp. 441-449.

ï Grotevant, H.D. (1997) Coming to terms with adoption: the construction of identity from adolescence into adulthood. Adoption Quarterly 1 (1). PP 3-27.

ï Kaplan, A.G., Klein, R., and Gleason, N. (1990) Women's Self Development in Late Adolescence. In J.V. Jordan, A.G. Kaplan, J.B. Miller, I.P. Stiver, and J.L. Surrey (Eds.) Women's Growth in Connection: Writings from the Stone Center. Guilford Press: NY. pp.11-26.

Ashford: Chapter 10.

or

Hutchison: Chapter 7.

ï Burgess, C. (1999). Internal and external stress factors associated with identity development of transgendered youth. In G.P. Mallon (Ed.) Social Services with Transgendered Youth. Harrington Park Press: NY 35-48.

ï Markowitz, L. (1995) Bisexuality: challenging our either/or thinking. In the family. July 1(1).

ï Savins-Williams, R.C. (1996). Self-Labeling and Disclosure Among Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Youths. In J. Laird and R-J. Green (Eds.) Lesbian and Gays in Couples and Families. SF: Jossey-Bass Publishers. pp.153-182.

Ashford: Chapters 11.

or

Hutchison: Chapter 8

ï Caple, F.S., Salcido, R.M, and diCecco, J. (1995). Engaging Effectively with Culturally Diverse Families and Children. Social Work in Education 17(3) pp. 159-170.

ï Gottman, J. (1994) Why marriages fail? Family Therapy Networker 18 (3), pp.40-49.

ï Patterson, C. (1995). Lesbian mothers, gay fathers and their children, (p.262-290) in A.R. D'Arugelli and C. J. Patterson (Eds.) Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities over the lifespan. NY: Oxford.

ï Pinderhughes, E. (1995) Empowering diverse populations: family practice in the 21st Century. Families in society: The Journal of contemporary human services. 76 (3), 131-140.

ï Pinsof, W.M. (2002). The death of "Till death do us part": The transformation of pair-bonding in the 20th century. Family Process 41/2, pp 135-157

ï Pittman, F., Silverstein, O., and Rashbaum, B. (1994) "Mothers and Sons." Family Therapy Networker. 18(2) pp. 53-63.

ï Strand, V. (1995). Single Parents. Encyclopedia of Social Work, 19th Edition. Washington, D.C: NASW Press, pp. 1604-1616.

Ashford: Chapter 12

or

Hutchison: Chapter 9

ï Jacobson, S. and Grossman, A.H. (1996). Older lesbian and gay men: Old myths, new images and future directions. In. Savin-Williams, R., and Cohen, K.M. The Lives of lesbian, gays and bisexuals. Harcourt Brace: Fort Worth Tx. 345-374,

ï O'Bryant S.L & Hansson, R. O. (1995). Widowhood. In R. Bleiszner & V.H. Beford (Eds.), Handbook of Aging and the Family (pp. 441-458). Westport, CT. Greenwood.

ï Montogomery, R.J.V., and Kosloski, K.D. (2000). Family Caregiving: Change, Continuity, and Diversity. In P. Lawton and R. Rubenstein (Eds.) Interventions in Dementia Care. NY: Springer.

Hutchison: Chapter 10

ï A Profile of Aging Americans: 2000: Administration on Aging, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

ï Long Term Care: Project 2015: The Future of AGing in NYS.

ï Chapter 12 in Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman Understanding Human Behavior in the Social Environment.

Course Schedule

COURSE CALENDAR AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE