Course Description
The second course in the human behavior sequence continues the examination of the bio-psycho-social, cultural, and spiritual influences on the life cycle from late adolescence/early adulthood through old age and death. The content will emphasize on understanding the interactions between individuals, groups, institutions and communities and their environments from various perspectives including a system, ecological, strengths, diversity, and human development. This course will allow students to understand how to engage from a change agent/leader perspective. Formerly: SWK 321: Human Behavior Social Environment 2 (3 credits)
Prerequisites
- SWK 101: Change Agents
- SWK 110: Superhero Within
- SWK 225: Evolution of Change
- Acceptance into the Social Work Program
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:
- Identify and demonstrate an understanding of the psychosocial developmental tasks and life events that require adaptive responses across the life course.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the biological, psychological, social, cultural, economic, and political factors that impact human behavior development across the life course.
- Demonstrate an understanding of biopsychosocial functioning, and the ways in which healthy development, health, adaptive coping, and well-being are supported and constrained by relationships with others including institutional, organizational, and other environmental structures and practice.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the uses and limitations of the concepts of normal developmental milestones, abnormal development, and critical, alternative views of development challenging these concepts.
- Demonstrate an understanding about the relationship between the life course perspective and individual unique life stories as a configuration of specific life-events and person-environment transactions over time.
- Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge across the lifespan to assess person and environment for social work practice.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) / Competencies
- Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
- Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
- Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
- Engage in Practice-informed Research and Research-informed Practice
- Engage in Policy Practice
- Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
- Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
Course Activities and Grading
| Assignments | Weight |
|---|---|
Discussions (Weeks 1-8) | 20% |
Written Assignments (Weeks 5 and 7) | 30% |
Quizzes (Weeks 4 and 6) | 15% |
Final Exam (Week 8) | 35% |
Total | 100% |
Required Textbook
Available through Charter Oak State College's online bookstore
- Cengage Unlimited - Access (12 months)
The Social Work Program has partnered with Cengage to provide all e-texts, MindTap activities, and other resources through the Cengage Unlimited Yearly Subscription. All Social Work courses will use Cengage Unlimited and MindTap content activities. You will only need to purchase this product one time for the year. Please do not purchase this product multiple times within a subscription year.
In addition, this subscription allows students to rent textbooks through the Cengage website for $9.99 per book.
Students will have access to all materials for their social work courses from the day of purchase. The subscription expires 365 days after students access and opens their first e-text link.
- The textbook used for this course obtained through Cengage Unlimited is:
- Zastrow, C., Kirst-Ashman, K., Hessenauer, S. (2019), Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment, 11e. ISBN: 978-1-337-55647-7
Course Schedule
Week | PLOs | SLOs | Readings and Exercises | Assignments |
1 | 1,5 | 1,2,3,4 | Topic: Introduction and Pre-Adolescence
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2 | 1-5 | 1-5 | Topic: Early Adolescence
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3 | 1,2,3,5 | 2,3,4,5 | Topic: Middle Adolescence
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4 | 1,2,4,5 | 1,2,3,4,6 | Topics: Late Adolescence
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5 | 1-4 | 1-6 | Topics: Early Adulthood
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6 | 1-5 | 1-6 | Topics: Middle Adulthood
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7 | 1-5 | 1-6 | Topic: Late Adulthood
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8 | 1-5 | 2-6 | Topic: The Elder Years
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COSC Accessibility Statement
Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.
COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources
Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.