Departmental Information

Liberal Arts Foundation

Professional social work practice requires a strong foundation in the liberal arts which includes the Humanities, the Social Sciences, and the Natural Sciences, especially Human Biology. These are necessary for a capacity to think critically about people and their environments, an important skill for the professional practitioner. The values and ethics of the social work profession are drawn from our inherited traditions of helping to create a more just and resourceful society. Students can meet the requirements for this foundation by selecting at least one course from each discipline below as they fill their core and elective requirements. Human Biology is mandatory; the other courses are highly recommended by advisement and normally required for graduate education in social work.

HUMANITIES

Literature
ENG 210 or 211 British Literature I: Special Topics or ENG 211 Survey of British Literature II: Special Topics
ENG 220 or 221 American Literature I: Selected Topics or American Literature II: Selected Topics
ENG 252 or 253 British Modernism or Twentieth Century Literature II

Philosophy
PHI 102 Introduction to Moral and Social Philosophy
PHI 103 Introduction to Logic
PHI 323 Moral Issues

ARTS - Any course meeting the general education core requirement

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Anthropology
ANT 100 Human Origins
ANT 101 Understanding Culture 

Economics
ECO 101 The Economic System
ECO 103 Economic History of the United States
ECO 301 Economics of Labor Relations

History
HIS 107 History of American Life II

Political Science
PSC 101 Introduction to Government and Politics
PSC 102 Introduction to American Government
PSC 215 Urban Government

Psychology
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology
PSY 311 Personality: Theory and Research
PSY 325 Social Behavior

Sociology
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology
SOC 240 Analyzing Social Problems
SOC 350 Power, Class, and Inequality
SOC 351 The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

SCIENCE

BIO 101 Human Biology (required)