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B.A. in Social Work

Mission

The Social Work Program at LAU seeks to prepare students for generalist social work practice, through the provision of a professional foundation curriculum. This curriculum contains the common body of the profession’s knowledge, values, and skills that is transferable to groups, settings, and social problem areas. The Program endorses a liberal arts perspective, and a professional foundation content, which prepares students for direct services with client systems of various sizes and types.

Educational Objectives

The purpose of the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work is to:

1. Help students connect foundation knowledge with practice concerns and issues.
2. Prepare students to use bio psychosocial development across the life span, with an integrative multidimensional approach.
3. Instill in students the skills for assessing the social functioning of individuals and families, and to design appropriate intervention strategies.
4. Provide content about social work practice with client systems of various sizes and types.
5. Prepare graduates to participate in diverse populations.
6. Provide content about the social contexts of social work practice, the changing nature of those contexts, the behavior of organizations, and the dynamics of change.
7. Infuse, throughout the curriculum, the values and ethics that guide professional social workers in their practice.
8. Prepare graduates who are aware of their responsibility to continue their professional growth and development.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates in Bachelor of Arts in Social Work will be able to:

1. Apply critical thinking skills, within the context of professional social work practice.
2. Practice within the values and ethics of the social work profession.
3. Understand and appreciate diversity, and therefore respect the various population groups.
4. Demonstrate a professional use of themselves.

Students majoring in Social Work must complete 39 credits. The Program aims at acquainting students with the principles in the social sciences and humanities, as well as the basic skills in interpersonal and inter-group communication. Students are helped to understand, and to critically analyze, current and past social policies, with a focus on their social and economic dynamics. The Program prepares students for Graduate studies, or for careers in social work, based on the local and regional market demand.

Major Core Requirements (21 credits)

Number	Course	Cr
SOC301	Introduction to Social Work	3
SOC313	Family and Child Welfare	3
SOC402	Social Work Intervention I	3
SOC403	Social Work Intervention II	3
SOC404	Social Work Practicum I	3
SOC405	Social Work Practicum II	3
SOC499	Social Work Senior Study	3

Social Science Requirements (18 credits)

Number	Course	Cr
SOC201	Introduction to Sociology	3
SOC311	Social Problems	3
SOC321	Sociology in the Arab World	3
PSY201	Introduction to Psychology	3
PSY204	Social Psychology	3
PSY311	The Exceptional Child	3

Free Electives (19 credits)

MINOR IN SOCIOLOGY

A Minor in Sociology seeks to provide a quality education to students, and to enrich their knowledge of modern societies, with particular emphasis on Lebanon and other Arab countries.

The Minor aims at advancing a strong sociological understanding of contemporary society, addressing its complexities, and the individual’s place within it.

Educational Objectives

The purpose of the Minor in Sociology is to:

1. Enhance students’ ability to think critically about sociological theories and social issues.
2. Develop students’ research and writing skills.
3. Develop students’ professional and practical skills, so as to assist them in obtaining jobs in the local, regional, and international markets.
4. Provide a strong sociological grounding for students majoring in other disciplines.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates in the Minor in Sociology will:

1. Acquire the ability to apply sociological concepts, to better understand the social issues, and to overcome social problems.
2. Acquire the ability to find jobs in fields related to Sociology (social work, community development, social research, journalism, etc…)
3. Develop the ability to communicate effectively.
4. Lay the groundwork for the pursuit of graduate studies in Sociology.

How Students Benefit from the Sociology Minor:

The courses for the Minor in Sociology will be counted as part of the Social Science requirements and free electives. LAU students will have a chance to graduate with a Degree in their Major, and a Minor in sociology.

Students from many disciplines, such as Education, Communication Arts, Social Work, Political Science, International Affairs, Economics, English Literature, Graphic Design, and Architecture, will benefit from this Minor. The contents of the courses are designed to address some of the issues raised by these disciplines, from a sociological perspective.

For a Minor in Sociology, students must choose six out of the following eight courses:

Number	Course	Cr
SOC301	Introduction to Social Work
SOC201	Introduction to Sociology (prerequisite)
SOC215	Introduction to Gender Studies
SOC212/COM212	Media & Society
SOC303/ARC581	Urban Sociology/Urban Planning I
SOC304	Sociology of Religion
SOC321	Sociology of the Arab World
SOC401	Sociological Theories (required)
SOC488	Topics in Sociology (required)

To complete the Minor, students have to choose three courses, in addition to SOC201, SOC401 and SOC488.