This course is designed to formalize students with biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives of aging and social services and policies for older people. This course covers a broad range of theories and contemporary issues in the field of aging. It also focuses on the strengths and limitations of existing programs and policies such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, and other community services. Comparisons to developments in other countries will be made throughout the course to provide a broader context for understanding aging and programs/policies in the U.S.

The aim of this course is to prepare students to act as informed human service professionals through a better understanding of social problems, social welfare policy, and the American social welfare system. Students are provided with an overview of the origins and development of social welfare policy in the United States, the political processes in our federal and state systems, and the values and ethics which shape our present social welfare system. The course also helps students examine ways they can influence policy formulation while advocating for human rights and social/economic justice.

In this course, students learn about behavior and development and its context across the lifecycle. The semester addresses growth and development from the prenatal period through the end of life using social systems theory/person-in-the-environment as a conceptual framework. The different systems that impact individual development including family, community, and larger systems are examined. Human worth and social justice themes permeate course materials, class discussions, and activities.

This course examines intimate partner violence or domestic violence from its historical roots to the present. In accordance with an historical and contextual approach, we examine theories that explain and describe the phenomenon, research that attempts to define it, as well as social policies , social movements, and intervention from a social work perspective. Intimate partner violence *IPV) also known as domestic violence, cuts across racial, ethnic, and class boundaries and impedes victim's well-being and social participation. IPV includes many physical assault, sexual assault, emotional, verbal, and economic abuse and coercive control.