The core curriculum consists of 12 required courses and four electives. Although most of the courses are taken within the Silver School of Social Work, two of the electives must be taken outside of the School. Full-time students enroll in four courses in the fall and spring semesters for two years, while part-time students enroll in two courses each fall and spring for four years. In the fall semester following the completion of coursework students must submit a Comprehensive Integrative Paper, which serves as the written qualifying examination. After passing this examination students may select a dissertation committee and begin work on developing a dissertation proposal. Before they can start collecting data students must successfully defend the proposal to their committee and have it approved by the University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects. As a final step, students must successfully defend the dissertation to their committee.
The courses that comprise the core curriculum are:
This course introduces students to the scientific method as a way of knowing and provides an overview of the research methods most commonly used in social work. The course will cover qualitative research, both group designs and the case study method. It will also review survey (descriptive), relational, experimental and single-system designs.
The emphasis in this course is on the differing purposes of each type of research design and the varying ways each typically approaches such issues as sampling and data collection. Coherence of design is emphasized. Examples of classic and recently published studies illustrating each type of design will be examined in depth to understand its use. Because social work research takes place in a diverse world, the course covers enhancing the cultural competence of one's approach to research. Research ethics will also be considered because they are basic to all sound research designs. Thus this course serves as the foundation from which students will move on to consider qualitative and quantitative methods in greater depth.
This course is designed to provide new doctoral students with an introduction to the philosophical foundations of scientific research within the social work field, and with some of the general intellectual tools they will need to be effective participants and leaders in our field's theoretical and intellectual dialogue. There will also be an initial segment focusing on the conceptual foundations of social work as a profession.
Philosophy of science enters into our work as intellectual leaders in the clinical-research domain in three ways. First, philosophy of science addresses fundamental general issues concerning the nature of knowledge, the evaluation of research, and preferable research methodologies across the sciences, and how to reason scientifically. Second, within social work itself, the debates in philosophy of science have found expression in specific disputes and divisions among social work researchers that can only be understood in the context of philosophy of science. And third, philosophy of science, in addressing the nature of theory change and rational assessment of beliefs, can be construed as indirectly addressing a perennial question in clinical theory: how can the therapist come to understand the client's theory of the world, by what evidence (or other processes) is the client's theory of the world maintained, and by what techniques might this theory be changed? In the course of these sessions, we will attempt to consider all three of these facets or levels of the interaction of philosophy of science with clinical research.
The history of social work is closely aligned with changes in social welfare policy in the United States. In turn, social welfare policies have influenced, and continue to influence, the development of the profession of social work. In order to contribute to the further evolution of the profession, it is critical for students to understand policy inputs, including economic, social, political and cultural values that influence policy decisions, as well as to gain a critical understanding of theories of social work practice as they relate to the contemporary world. Moreover, as part of this process of inquiry, it is important to develop critical thinking about policy outputs, including the analysis of the process of policy implementation and policy products.
This course will provide a critical view of the development of social work as a discipline and as a profession in the United States. The past 100 years of social work will be examined within the contest of evolving social welfare policies and political events influencing policy choices. The tension and dialectic between elements of the social work profession itself will be analyzed with a view toward encouraging the student to develop his/her own nuanced view of the role of the profession in the future. The course will also examine the political processes, ideology and economic processes in terms of their relevance for the development of social policies. The influence of contemporary social forces on the profession will be explored as well as the reaction of social work to these phenomena. The relationship of theory to social policy will also be explored, including feminist theory. Finally, an introduction to the critical analysis of contemporary social policies as they relate to social work practice will be examined.
This course is designed to introduce students to the principles and methods of qualitative methods and research. The course will cover the theoretical and disciplinary origins as well as applications of qualitative methods relevant to social work practice, programs, and policy. The goals of the course are to:
- Introduce the basic methods of qualitative research including data collection, data analysis and interpretation of findings.
- Provide an understanding of the researcher's unique role as the instrument of qualitative research.
- Introduce diverse qualitative approaches including ethnography, grounded theory, and narrative analysis as well as qualitative evaluations of practice and programs.
- Introduce students to six strategies for ensuring rigor in qualitative methods and enable students to knowledgeably critique these methods.
- Convey the importance of ethical issues in qualitative research.
- Help students learn how to integrate qualitative and quantitative methods.
This course explores a range of quantitative social science research methodologies that can be applied to the study of clinical social work practice. Students acquire a critical understanding of the comparative advantages and disadvantages of different methods with reference to selected research problems.
The objectives of this course are to develop and deepen an understanding of quantitative methods used in clinical research; to identify the phases of conducting research; to acquaint course participants with a variety of approaches to the study of clinical practice. Special emphasis will be placed on generating researchable questions, measurement, scale assessment, questionnaire and interview data collection instruments and their construction, the development of other types of instruments, sampling methods, and preparing data for analysis. The importance of sensitivity to measurement and response issues across diverse populations will be stressed.
The course aims to provide students with some actual experience in the location and assessment of measures of constructs used in clinical research. Furthermore the course will provide experience in the development and piloting of an instrument, and an introduction to basic data handling.
Specific skills to be developed during the semester are:
- an ability to identify, conceptualize, and specify different kinds of variables
- an ability to formulate relevant research questions and/or hypotheses
- an understanding of basic concepts of measurement
- an ability to assess the measurement of constructs across diverse populations
- an understanding of appropriate data collection approaches
- an ability to construct and administer a data collection instrument
- an understanding of the pros and cons of various sampling strategies
- an understanding of sample size issues
- an understanding of the basic principles of quantitative data handling
- an ability to apply basic quantitative data management skills
The course objectives will be accomplished through the use of weekly lectures, required readings, class discussion, exercises, course assignments and laboratory work.
Survey research is a form of research designed to collect self-report data from individuals about their opinions, beliefs, behaviors, experiences, life conditions, and subjective states. Usually the survey researcher is collecting data from a sample of a larger population to which the researcher desires to generalize the findings. This motive has significant implications for the sampling and data collection methods that are used.
This course is designed for individuals who are contemplating using survey methodology for conducting research. The course will include the following: when survey research is and is not the best method to use; the modes of conducting surveys (paper questionnaire, on-line questionnaire, interview) and determining which is the best for a given study; sampling considerations and decisions (e.g. is a probability sample possible for a given study? if not, how should one go about recruiting the sample?); sample size considerations; when is response rate important and methods for increasing it; designing a reliable, unbiased, and effective data collection instrument that will answer the study questions and hypotheses; the importance and value of independent variables; importance of and methods for pretesting instruments; survey management, data cleaning and preparation; and special issues in survey research, e.g. surveying about sensitive topics, cross-cultural surveys.
Students will design and conduct a survey on a topic of their choice during the semester.
This course provides an overview of social science theories that are relevant to social work. Students will develop a critical understanding of the history and application of social science concepts. Wherever possible, we have selected theories that have an historical foundation and a forward trajectory toward contemporary issues. We also include articles or research with an alternative or critical view of the theories in question.
The course first will consider the definition of clinical social work, briefly review the evolution of the knowledge base of clinical social work, and consider key issues in the development of practice theory and empirical research. Then it will critically compare major current theories and practice models. Finally it will discuss some of the issues involved in clinical research.
This course provides an introduction to basic methods of statistical analysis used in quantitative social work research. It will focus on both the conceptual understanding and the skills needed to analyze quantitative data. Skills will be applied using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS-PC).
This doctoral seminar prepares students for teaching in social work. It introduces students to selected literature on teaching and learning in higher education, including theories of adult learning, the social work education literature, the range of roles and responsibilities of faculty members, and current issues in social work education. Modes of teaching and learning and their relationship to subject matter, settings, and educational outcomes will be considered, and students' concurrent teaching activities will be used for reflective learning.
In spring, the course will be project-based. Specifically, the MSW Program at NYU is asking for proposals on how best to evaluate the educational effectiveness of the Program. The instructor and the students will plan together how to develop one or more proposals as well as how the usual topics in the course can be addressed. Hence the course in spring, will offer a real-life exercise in educational planning and the evaluation of social work education.
This course focuses on the analysis of social welfare policies and theories guiding direct practice within a social justice perspective. Historic tensions between social work's dual interest in changing individual behavior and the reform of institutional arrangements that constrain clients in their quest for self- actualization, assume new dimensions in the 21st century with the globalization of the economy, dislocation, increasing inequality, and world-wide violation of human rights. These trends challenge social work scholars, policy makers and practitioners to critically evaluate assumptions underlying policy development and social theory to remain true to social work's s historic commitment to social justice within a society of increasing diversity and growing social exclusion. The course builds of content of the first year of doctoral study and encourages the use of critical thinking and the advancement of empirical knowledge to support socially just policy, practice and theory development in light of contemporary societal trends.
Integrating social work's historic concern for social justice and the implications of societal trends for the equitable distribution of societal resources, the course encourages critical thinking and an expanded theoretical knowledge base to support varied approaches to direct services with diverse client groups anchored in a social justice perspective. The course initially examines the philosophical underpinnings of social work and social justice as an organizing principle of the profession, theories shaping contemporary direct social work practice and frameworks for social welfare policy analysis. The second half of the course applies this content in selected social welfare policy domains through in-class student presentations focused on a specific social problems and target populations. Finally, the course looks at implications of professional trends emphasizing evidence based-practice and leadership challenges for clinical social work in the 21st century.
The purpose of this course is to prepare doctoral students to design and critically assess intervention research that address psychosocial needs, problems, and conditions. It builds on the methods of inquiry and theory courses and focuses on essential conceptual, methodological and practical issues involved in planning and carrying out research on psychosocial and behavioral interventions relevant to social work practice and policy. Topics covered include types of intervention research; theory and its relationship to study aims; conceptual models; meta-analysis, systematic reviews, and evidence-based practice; intervention research designs; measurements and outcomes, process measures to examine intervention implementation, fidelity and adherence; critical issues in intervention research; intervention research ethics; and dissemination of findings to improve practice and policy. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the impact of culture and diversity in intervention research.
This course is designed to prepare students for the dissertation, focusing primarily on the tasks involved in planning dissertation research. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the elements of a defensible dissertation proposal, with special attention given to the selection of a researchable topic, critical analysis and professional writing skills, and the application of knowledge about research methods to the chosen topic. Students will use the course to begin focusing on their topic of interest and on conceptualizing how different research questions within that topic may be answered with appropriate methods. Mutual critique and discussion among students will be an important aspect of the course.