Course - web-app.usc.edu · Services (721), and Executive Leadership (714). II. CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION ... a written analysis, and an artifact that ... non-profit, and private organizational

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Social Work 722

Implementing Your Capstone & Re-envisioning Your Career

3 Units

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time."

-Leonard Bernstein (apocryphal)

Summer 2019

[optional photo]

Instructor:

E-Mail: Course Day:

Telephone: Course Time:

Course Location: VAC

I. COURSE PREREQUISITES Concurrent enrollment in Residency 2 (724) is mandatory for enrollment in this course. Successful completion of the following prerequisite courses is also required: Financial Management for Social Change (707), Application of Implementation Science (713), Data Driven Decision Making in Social Services (721), and Executive Leadership (714).

II. CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION

Culminates in the development of a fully implementable Grand Challenge capstone project and a plan that re-envisions career pathways conducive to launching the project. Refer to the Capstone Project Standards and Guidelines revised for the current semester for specific parameters and instructions.

III. COURSE DESCRIPTION Students in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work’s DSW program spend two years constructing innovative projects that address one or more of the Grand Challenges for Social Work. In the sixth semester, all this work comes together in the capstone project, which calls upon students to articulate their ideas through an oral presentation/defense, a written analysis, and an artifact that demonstrates the project’s readiness for implementation. All three of these expressions of the capstone require a well-developed ability to make and defend decisions about many different components of the project. SOWK 722 provides students with an opportunity to further refine these skills as part of the process of completing their capstone work. While addressing the practical goal of helping students pass the final test of their doctoral experience, the course also sharpens students’ abilities to prepare for a career of leadership in the field of social work.

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IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES

Objective # Objectives

1 Create a respectful but challenging environment where discussion and debate prepares students to articulate and defend their ideas before their peers, their profession, and the public, and develop capacity for leadership in the field

2 Encourage students to further develop their creative and analytical skills, helping them rise to the challenge of creating important new work in their selected Grand Challenge

3 Stimulate students’ thinking on how to make and defend decisions as advocates of innovative new ideas, as well as how to intelligently interrogate the decisions of others

4 Provide an opportunity for students to plan a career launch or re-launch through role explorations in different types of public, non-profit, and private organizational contexts.

5 Use the Capstone Project Standards and Guidelines and Capstone Quality Indicators Checklist to help review and synthesize the knowledge students have gained in the previous five semesters.

V. COURSE FORMAT / INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS X SOWK 722 features supplementary asynchronous material, lectures, or readings. Your instructor will indicate which asynchronous coursework is due prior to specific live sessions. Instead, it is expected that students are spending time each week making significant additions and improvements to their capstone papers, oral presentations, and artifacts. Each week’s live session focuses on a critical component of the capstone as well as the corresponding Capstone Quality Indicators. If students use each week’s class as a milestone in their composition process, then over the semester they are likely to write a complete paper just by following along with the class. However, students who do not follow as disciplined a composition schedule will also benefit from class discussion of how each component contributes to a successful project.

VI. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Like their in-person residency experience, the workshop environment of SOWK 722 will help students practice and refine skills they have learned in the previous five semesters and learn new skills as they further develop as social work leaders. In particular, over the sixth semester, students will exhibit the following competencies:

Objective Number

Objectives

1 Demonstrate an ability to articulate and defend innovative ideas in oral and written form at a doctoral level [DSW #2, 4, 9]

2 Exhibit mastery of decision-making and leadership skills necessary to serve as a public leader of the profession of social work [DSW #1, 3]

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Objective Number

Objectives

3 Work together to create a challenging, stimulating environment in which students demonstrate their ability to push each other's thinking [DSW #5]

4 Plan a career launch or re-launch through role explorations in different types of public, non-profit, and private organizational contexts.

5 Synthesize two years of thinking and creativity about a Grand Challenge for Social Work into a project that can serve as the basis for a career leading social change [DSW #1, 3, 5, 8, 10]

VII. CAPSTONE CONTRIBUTION Out of all courses in the DSW experience, SOWK 722 is the class most exclusively focused on the capstone project. Simply put, this is the course where it all comes together. Over the previous five semesters, students have gained significant new competencies in innovation, project development, communications, and management. They have mastered skills such as design thinking, financial planning, public speaking, implementation planning, and more. In partnership with their instructors and advisory team, they have had ample opportunities to explore several possible solutions to a Grand Challenge for Social Work, making decisions about what potential projects will have the greatest potential social impact, but also which one is the best fit for them. Over two years, they have acquired everything they need to create an excellent capstone project that can serve as the launch pad for a career as a leader in social change. So while some review of skills and previous class materials will occur in SOWK 722 — and a few outright gaps in knowledge might be filled along the way — the primary purpose of the course is an act of practical, intellectual, and creative synthesis. Students have used design thinking and innovation skills to come up with a great idea; how will it be sufficiently explained and operationalized for skeptical stakeholders? Students have explored various options for funding and governance; can they defend them well enough to win a grant? Students have practiced elevator pitches and shared slide decks; do they know their project well enough to respond to a question they have never considered before? All these competencies will be tested in the course of finishing the capstone project. Additionally, the process of articulating and defending an innovation at this level will serve as excellent preparation for students’ re-imagined careers. In the course of preparing the class members for their defense, instructors should emphasize the students’ emerging identities as social work leaders just as much as their roles as students, which are about to end. To the greatest extent possible, the instructor will treat the students as the colleagues they are about to become rather than the learners that they have been.

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VIII. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS, DUE DATES & GRADING Please note all assignments are due no later than 11:59 pm PST on the date PRIOR TO (day before) the student’s live session during the week designated below.

Assignment Due Date % of

Final Grade

Assignment 1: (Revised) Capstone Proposal (Areas 1-3) Week 4 20%

Assignment 2: Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components + Initial Artifact (Area 4)

Week 7 30%

Assignment 3: Capstone Project Final Draft + Final Artifact (Areas 1-5)

Week 10 50%

Expectations for Written Work: All written assignments must be doubled-spaced, typed with a 12-point font and have 1-inch margins. Text citations and references list must be in correct APA (6th Ed.) format. All sentences must be written in the student’s own words, i.e. quote sparingly. Ideas, information, and concepts that originated with any other source must always be cited as such (based on APA format). Material that is not correctly cited is considered plagiarized and provides grounds for academic discipline. Assignments always should be carefully proofed for spelling and grammar. Each of the major assignments is described below: Assignment 1: (Revised) Capstone Proposal Submit a revised draft of your Capstone Proposal based on the Capstone Quality Indicators Checklist for the Capstone Project Assessment including the Abstract, Conceptual Framework, and Problems of Practice and Solution(s)/Innovation(s). Consult the Capstone Project Standards and Guidelines (available to download under Course Documents) and specifically the Capstone Quality Indicators Checklist therein for the Capstone Project Assessment. Revised drafts are anticipated to be 15 pages, not including title page, references, or other attachments (double spaced and written in APA format). I. Abstract/Executive Summary

a. Draw a clear link between your proposed project and progress on one or more of the Grand Challenges of Social Work.

b. Delineate the purpose of your project and the innovation of your work within a larger conceptual framework.

c. Identify how the specific problem(s) or issue(s) your project addresses is tied to policy or practice.

d. Summarize how your project represents an innovative step forward that has potential implications beyond a narrow local context.

II. Conceptual Framework a. Present a clear statement of the problem within the context of at least one Grand Challenge

of Social Work. Define all important and relevant concepts. b. Provide a disciplined assessment of what is known about research, actual practice, and

innovation in the topical area, including discussion of how the project connects with the current environmental context.

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c. Describe how the problem is socially significant, is important to real people, and has applied implications.

d. Demonstrate how the proposed project is guided by a coherent conceptual framework, and a logic model that makes clear the theory of change.

III. Problems of Practice and Solution(s)/Innovation(s) a. Describe your proposed solution/innovation. b. Explain how your proposed solution/innovation will contribute to improvements in one or more

of the Grand Challenge for Social Work areas. c. Examine your problem from multiple stakeholder perspectives. d. Support how your proposed solution/innovation builds on existing evidence regarding the

broader landscape of history, policy, practice, and public knowledge and discourse, as well as the local contextual environment.

e. Justify how your proposed project considers existing opportunities for innovation. f. Clarify how your proposed innovation/solution aligns with your logic model and your theory of

change presented in your Conceptual Framework. g. Assess your proposed project’s overall likelihood of success.

Due: Week 4 Assignment 2: Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components + Initial Artifact Submit a draft of the Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components + Initial Artifact section of your Capstone Proposal. Assignments are anticipated to be 15 pages in length, not including title page, references, or other attachments (double spaced and written in APA format). Ensure that your paper responds to the following Capstone Quality Indicators:

Include a meaningful analysis of the market for the proposed project/innovation relative to alternative options.

Describe the project’s methods for project implementation, including analysis of obstacles, alternative pathways, and leadership strategies.

Explain the project’s financial plans and staging.

Describe the project’s methods for assessment of impact.

Describe the project’s plan for relevant stakeholder involvement that does not leave out essential constituencies.

Describe the project’s communications products and strategies that are likely to have a strong positive impact on relevant audiences.

Explain how the capstone components, as a collection, address the stated problem(s) of practice.

Explain how your project has carefully considered ethical concerns and possible negative consequences.

Initial Artifact

Present an appropriate project artifact to implement the identified solution (e.g., program development; curriculum; organizational development; detailed intervention/program design; policy change strategy/statement; proposed legislation; technological or data use innovation, etc.).

Due: Week 7

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Assignment 3: Capstone Project Final Draft + (Final) Artifact Submit a final draft of your Capstone Project including the Executive Summary, Conceptual Framework, Problems of Practice and Solution(s)/Innovation(s), Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components, and Conclusions, Actions, and Implications. Consult the Capstone Project Standards and Guidelines (available to download under Course Documents) and specifically the Capstone Quality Indicators Checklist for the Capstone Project Assessment. Final drafts are anticipated to be 50 pages, not including title page, references, or other attachments (double spaced and written in APA format). I. Executive Summary

a. Draw a clear link between your proposed project and progress on one or more of the Grand Challenges of Social Work.

b. Delineate the purpose of your project and the innovation of your work within a larger conceptual framework.

c. Contextualize the specific problem(s) or issue(s) your project addresses within a field of policy or practice.

d. Emphasize how the overarching methodology and methodological tools address the project’s aims.

e. Identify aims for project implementation and future action steps. f. Summarize how your project represents an innovative step forward that has potential

implications beyond a narrow local context. II. Conceptual Framework (From Assignment 1, and revised as necessary)

a. Present a clear statement of the problem within the context of at least one Grand Challenge for Social Work. Define all important and relevant concepts.

b. Provide a disciplined assessment of what is known about research, actual practice, and innovation in the topical area, including discussion of how the project connects with the current environmental context.

c. Describe how the problem is socially significant, is important to real people, and has applied implications.

d. Demonstrate how the proposed project is guided by a coherent conceptual framework, and a logic model that makes clear the theory of change.

III. Problems of Practice and Solution(s)/Innovation(s) (From Assignment 2, and revised as necessary) a. Describe your proposed solution/innovation. b. Explain how your proposed solution/innovation will contribute to improvements in one or more

of the Grand Challenge of Social Work areas. c. Examine your problem from multiple stakeholder perspectives. d. Support how your proposed solution/innovation builds on existing evidence regarding the

broader landscape of history, policy, practice, and public knowledge and discourse, as well as the local contextual environment.

e. Justify how your proposed project considers existing opportunities for innovation. f. Clarify how your proposed innovation/solution aligns with your logic model and your theory of

change presented in your Conceptual Framework. g. Assess your proposed project’s overall likelihood of success.

IV. Project Structure, Methodology, and Action Components (From Assignment 2, and revised as necessary) a. Present an appropriate project inquiry format (artifact) to address the identified

problem (e.g., program development; organizational development; intervention design; policy change strategy; technological or data use innovation, etc.).

b. Include a meaningful analysis of the market for the proposed project/innovation relative to alternative options.

c. Describe the project’s methods for project implementation, including analysis of obstacles, alternative pathways, and leadership strategies.

d. Explain the project’s financial plans and staging. e. Describe the project’s methods for assessment of impact.

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f. Describe the project’s plan for relevant stakeholder involvement that does not leave out essential constituencies.

g. Describe the project’s communications products and strategies that are likely to have a strong positive impact on relevant audiences.

h. Explain how the capstone components, as a collection, address the stated problem(s) of practice.

i. Explain how your project has carefully considered ethical concerns and possible negative consequences.

V. Conclusions, Actions, and Implications a. Explain how project aims inform potential future decisions and actions. b. Contextualize project conclusions within a field of practice c. Describe the implications of the project innovation for practice and further action. d. Acknowledge any the limitations and risks (e.g., ethical, legal, and/or financial) and provide

recommendations for future work. e. Propose how the capstone product (artifact) immediately can be shared with relevant

practitioners and/or external constituencies. f. Provide a concrete plan for advancing next steps.

Due: Week 10 Advisory Session(s) with Instructor The Capstone 2 instructor serves as students’ link with the advisory team in the sixth semester, helping the student make sense of work completed since the third semester. Therefore, SOWK 722 incorporates at least one mandatory advisory session between instructor and student before the scheduled week in residence, i.e., SOWK 724. Students must develop an agenda for the meeting, in the same way they might with a formal mentor-mentee relationship. Due: Week 13

Class grades will be based on the following:

Assignment Grades Final Grade

Credit 83% or above Credit 83% or above

No Credit 82% or below No Credit 82% or below

VIII. REQUIRED AND SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS & RESOURCES X Required Readings SOWK 722 has no required readings as such. However, students will almost certainly find it helpful to review the resources available through USC’s Writing Lab: https://dornsife.usc.edu/writingcenter/ and the “One Stop for Student Success” guide developed by SOWK’s Sandra Parra: https://www.flipsnack.com/StudentSupportResources/copy-of-student-services-one-stop-student-support.html. Throughout the course, instructors will also provide reflection questions and review resources connected with each of the major components of the capstone. Any materials provided by instructors should be regarded as required reading. Recommended Readings

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Fong, R., Lubben, J., & Barth, R. (2018). Grand challenges for social work and society. New York, New York: Oxford University Press. Full text available online at: https://uosc.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma991042680924603731&context=L&vid=01USC_INST:01USC&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&tab=Everything&lang=en

Houle, David: Entering the Shift Age: The End of the Information Age and the New Era of Transformation. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2012.

Dyer, Jeff, Gergesene, Hal, and Christensen, Clayton M. The Innovator's DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press, 2011. Recommended Guidebook for APA Style Formatting Owl Purdue Online Writing Lab -- https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ USC Guide to Avoiding Plagiarism See www.usc.edu/student affairs/student-conduct/ug_plag.htm Suggested Websites The American Accounting Association: www.aaahg.org. American Public Human Services Association: www.asphsa.org The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Non-Profit Management: www.fpdf.org FinanceNet: www.financenet.gov The Foundation Center: www.fdncenter.org Free Management Library: www.fdncenter.org Stanford Social Innovation Review: www.ssireview.org National Association of Nonprofit Accountants: www.nonprofitcpas.com National Council of Nonprofits: www.councilofnonprofits The Wallace Foundation Knowledge Center: wallacefoundation.org The Nonprofit Quarterly: www.npgmag.org Public Risk Management Association: www.primacentral.org

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Course Overview

Unit Topics Assignments

1 Introduction: The Task Ahead plus Giving a Good Critique Capstone Project Overview and Structure Review Capstone Project Standards and Guidelines and Capstone Quality Indicators Checklist

2 Review of Area 2: Conceptual Framework Review Innovation and Norms, Innovation Continuum, and Project Readiness, Logic Models and Theory of Change

3 Review of Area 3: Problem of Practice and Solutions / Innovations Discuss Career Plans + Social Work Leader Interview (Async) Myers-Briggs, 360 Scan

4 Evidence-based practice; Comparative Analysis Capstone Advisors present during live session Review types of evidence, strategies for broader and narrower environmental assessment. Consult with capstone advisors, and identify any remaining problems with capstone proposal

Assignment 1 DUE

5 Evaluation and Metrics Review outcome and performance measures

6 Budget and Financial Planning Review budget components + Social Work Innovator Interview (Async)

7 Implementation Planning Review implementation plans and Gantt charts

Assignment 2 DUE

8 Stakeholder Engagement, Marketing, and Communications Capstone Advisors present during live session Discuss outreach to stakeholders and experts, consult with capstone advisors, and identify any remaining problems with capstone proposal

9 Contingency, Liability, and Ethics Next Steps and the Art of an Ending

10 Capstone Artifact and “Bringing It All Together” Final Preparation for Residency 2

Assignment 3 DUE

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Unit Topics Assignments

11 RESIDENCY 2 (No Live Session)

12 Post-Residency Debrief Final Discussion of Career Plans + Social Work Academic Interview (Async) + Social Work Leader Interview (Async)

STUDY DAYS / NO CLASSES

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Recommended Course Schedule

Overview

Each session of SOWK 722 is built around a vital component of the final capstone project. In each session, students will participate in group discussion as well as a paired critique in order to refine their ability to defend their ideas before their colleagues and the public. Here is a typical example of how the paired critique might be integrated with the large session. First 10 minutes — Instructor provides feedback on students’ paired critique activity from the previous week. Group reflection on principles learned from last week’s critiques and questions answered by instructor. Next 45-60 minutes — Instructor provides a brief review of the capstone component to be discussed in the session, with a particular emphasis on the associated Capstone Quality Indicators. Prior to the class, the instructor should share 1) a list of reflection questions he or she feels is most important for delivering an excellent product and 2) any essential resources students may want to consider as they compose and critique each other’s work. These materials may be reviewed and discussed in this section of the class. Next 30-40 minutes — Working in pairs pre-selected before the session, students should review each other’s work to date on the week’s capstone component. Ideally, the student provides a written section of their capstone paper for review and critique — this is generally the best way for students to give and receive support in class. Less ideal but feasible for the exercise are presentation slides, paper appendices, components of the capstone artifact, and material generated for other classes that the student is repurposing for the final capstone paper. Last 30-40 minutes — After paired critiques, the instructor should facilitate discussion that allows students to capture what they learned. Resulting questions about the capstone component and how it will be judged should be clearly answered. Finally, since there will be little opportunity to review previous components from week to week, it is recommended that each class end with a few pieces of crucial advice for the successful articulation and defense of the component, since there will be little opportunity to review previous components over the course of the semester.

Week 1: Introduction – The Task Ahead plus Giving a Good Critique; Capstone Project Overview and Structure

This week’s course should consist of a more detailed review of the capstone project through close reading of two documents: the Capstone Quality Indicators Checklist and the syllabus of this course. The class should explore how various components of the capstone satisfy the various quality indicators over the various sections of the paper, oral presentation, and artifact. Students should come prepared with specific questions about as many quality indicators as possible. All students should leave this section with a clear concept of how much work remains to be done on each component of the project. Additionally, students should prepare outlines of their capstone papers and oral presentation for this class, which will be shared in the paired critique session. While these outlines may not be perfect, the idea is that they are sufficiently detailed to help students collaboratively explore the work they still have to do over the course of the semester.

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Additionally, the instructor should review the principles of a respectful critique. Students may have learned these principles from SOWK 710 or other previous courses. A constructive critique should always include: * Acknowledgement of a strength of the writing * Observations on a weakness in the writing * Encouraging conclusion, focusing on the potential improvement of the piece It is suggested that instructors create a short activity through which students can practice the constructive critique technique that they will be using in coming weeks, perhaps focusing on a short explanation of their capstone project or their planned schedule for completing the work over the semester.

Week 2: Area 2 – Conceptual Framework

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: Area 2 Conceptual Framework — Ideally, students will have completed a conceptual framework in Semester 3 and revised it as appropriate over subsequent semesters. Instructional emphasis should be on refining what students have already developed and defending their ideas in a more mature way than they did in Semester 3. Toward that end, instructors may ask students to share suggestions they received during Semester 3 and how they have responded to that feedback since then. Capstone Quality Indicators: (All of Area 2: Conceptual Framework) A clear statement of the problem is presented, within the context of at least one Grand Challenge of Social Work, with important and relevant concepts defined. The project demonstrates a disciplined assessment of what is known about research, actual practice, and innovation in the topical area, including discussion of how the project connects with the current environmental context. The problem is socially significant, is important to real people, and has applied implications. The proposed project is guided by a coherent conceptual framework and a logic model that makes clear the theory of change.

Week 3: Area 3 – Problem of Practice and Solution/Innovation

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: Area 3 Problem of Practice and Solutions / Innovation — Ideally, students will have completed this section in Semester 3 and revised it as appropriate over subsequent semesters. Instructional emphasis should be on refining what students have already developed and defending their ideas in a more mature way than they did in Semester 3. Toward that end, instructors may ask students to share suggestions they received during Semester 3 and how they have responded to that feedback since then. Capstone Quality Indicators: (All of Area 3: Problem of Practice and Solutions / Innovation) There is a clear and direct explanation of the proposed solution / innovation and how the project will contribute to improvements in one or more of the Grand Challenges of Social Work areas. The problem has been examined from multiple stakeholder perspectives.

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The proposed solution(s) / innovation(s) are well positioned with respect to evidence regarding the broader landscape of history, policy, practice, and public knowledge and discourse, as well as the local contextual environment. The capstone project reflects careful consideration of opportunities for innovation. The proposed innovation(s) / solution(s) connect well with the logic model and/or theory of change. There is a reasonable likelihood that the student can address the problem successfully.

Week 4: Area 4/5 – Evidence-Based Practice; Comparative Analysis

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: In this week, students should share sections of their project that show how they will draw upon, reckon with, and contribute with the body of evidence-based practice connected to their chosen problem. The instructor should explain that this issue transcends all sections of the paper, but also focus in particular how issues of evidence might be addressed in Area 4 and Area 5. Capstone Quality Indicators: The capstone components, as a collection, actually address the stated problem(s) of practice. (Area 4) Project conclusions are placed in an appropriate context of practice (Area 5) Capstone Component for Paired Critique: In this week, students should present an analysis of how their interventions compares and contrasts with existing solutions to the Grand Challenge under consideration, with a particular emphasis on the qualities that make their solutions innovative. While visual presentations of the comparative analysis should not be discouraged, the instructor’s emphasis should be on how a comparative analysis is effectively used in the paper and oral presentation to make an argument for the capstone project as innovation. Capstone Quality Indicator: The project materials include a meaningful analysis of the market for the proposed project/innovation relative to alternative options. (Area 4)

Week 5: Area 4 – Evaluation and Metrics

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: In this week, students should share detailed plans for how they will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their project, with a particular emphasis on program and outcome metrics. The instructor should work with students to think about how these ideas will be appropriately communicated in Area 4 of the paper and oral presentation, as well as the artifact and appendices such as logic model, business plan, etc. Capstone Quality Indicator: Methods for assessment of project impact are identified, well-described, and appropriate for the planned project. (Area 4)

Week 6: Area 4 – Budget and Financial Planning

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: This week, students should share a well-developed financial plan for their program as well as the section of their paper that explains how they will fund and sustain

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their intervention. This is also an appropriate week to share presentation slides and artifacts that detail how the intervention will be supported financially. The instructor should focus on how to effectively integrate this information into Area 4 of the paper and the oral presentation.

Capstone Quality Indicator: Details of financial plans and staging are appropriate, complete, well-described, and realistic for the proposed project. (Area 4)

Week 7: Area 4 – Implementation Planning

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: This week, students should be able to present and productively discuss a timeline for implementing their project. This timeline should identify specific, realistic phases of implementation. The use of established models for implementation planning as well as graphic aids is welcome, but the emphasis should remain on the written explanation of how implementation of the project will occur. The instructor may want to create time to explain how implementation planning can be differentiated from other aspects of the project, providing particular guidance on how Area 4 of the paper should be different from Area 5. Capstone Quality Indicator: Methods for project implementation, including analysis of obstacles, alternative pathways, and leadership strategies, are well described. (Area 4)

Week 8: Area 4 – Stakeholder Engagement, Marketing, and Communications

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: In this week, students should share the section or sections of their project in which they explain how they will engage all necessary stakeholders in their work, including plans for how to deal with groups or institutions who may present significant obstacles to the project. A successful communications plan will likely be communicated through aspects of the paper, oral presentation, and artifact; the instructor should help students differentiate what belongs where. This week will also help students continue the development of Area 4 of their paper in particular. Capstone Quality Indicators: The capstone project includes a well-considered plan for relevant stakeholder involvement that does not leave out essential constituencies. (Area 4) The capstone project includes communications products and strategies that are likely to have a strong positive impact on relevant audiences. (Area 4)

Week 9: Area 4 – Contingency, Liability, and Ethics; Area 5 – Next Steps and the Art of an Ending

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: This week is focused on everything that might go wrong with a student’s capstone project and how to adequately address these possibilities within the scope of the work. While the focus should be on the student’s written work, instructors may wish to take this week to help students consider how they will answer the most difficult questions they are likely to be asked about their projects. Instructors and students may wish to review guides to social work ethics and regulation, as well as other key ethical documents that may affect their work. Instructors should also use this week to help students think about how various ethical considerations may need to be dealt with in different parts of the project (for example, near-term ethical considerations should be considered in Area 4 while more long-term issues should be considered in Area 5).

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Capstone Quality Indicators: Careful consideration has been given to ethical concerns and possible negative consequences of the proposed project. (Area 4) The limitations and risks (e.g., ethical, legal, and/or financial) of the project are acknowledged and recommendations for future work regarding the problem are provided. (Area 5) Capstone Component for Paired Critique: This week focuses on Area 5 of the capstone paper and, more generally, the question of how students should present questions about the long-term future of their solution without abdicating the responsibility for long-term planning. This is a good week for students and the instructor to address concrete post-graduation plans and career considerations; this discussion may help students compose sections of the paper that have not been clearly addressed in prior classes. Instructors should also explicitly consider how students can craft satisfying conclusions to their presentations and papers. Capstone Quality Indicators: The implications of the project innovation for practice and for further action are provided. (Area 5) A concrete plan has been provided for advancing next steps of the capstone project. (Area 5)

Week 10: Capstone Artifact and “Bringing It All Together”

Capstone Component for Paired Critique: In this week, students should focus on the interaction between their artifact, paper, and oral presentation. They should address perceived discrepancies between different expressions of their capstone projects, as well as practicing questions they are likely to receive about the artifact in particular. Additionally, this week provides the instructor to address any remaining unanswered questions about the capstone evaluation process, helping students feel prepared to do their best before entering the last few weeks of the program. Capstone Quality Indicators: The capstone project narrative coherently ties together all of the various required capstone components. (Area 4) Project plans and any information on which they are based are summarized clearly and flow appropriately into discussions of potential future decisions and actions. (Area 5)

Week 11: Residency 2 (No Live Session)

No Live Session during Residency 2

Week 12: Post-Residency Debrief

In collaboration with the students, the instructor may choose to use this session as a post-residency debrief session.

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University Policies and Guidelines

IX. ATTENDANCE POLICY Students are expected to attend every class and to remain in class for the duration of the unit. Failure to attend class or arriving late may impact your ability to achieve course objectives which could affect your course grade. Students are expected to notify the instructor by email ([email protected]) of any anticipated absence or reason for tardiness. University of Southern California policy permits students to be excused from class for the observance of religious holy days. This policy also covers scheduled final examinations which conflict with students’ observance of a holy day. Students must make arrangements in advance to complete class work which will be missed, or to reschedule an examination, due to holy days observance. Please refer to Scampus and to the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Student Handbook for additional information on attendance policies. X. ACADEMIC CONDUCT Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Part B, Section 11, “Behavior Violating University Standards” https://policy.usc.edu/scampus-part-b/. Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct. XI. SUPPORT SYSTEMS Student Counseling Services (SCS) – (213) 740-7711 – 24/7 on call Free and confidential mental health treatment for students, including short-term psychotherapy, group counseling, stress fitness workshops, and crisis intervention. engemannshc.usc.edu/counseling National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1 (800) 273-8255 Provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services (RSVP) – (213) 740-4900 – 24/7 on call Free and confidential therapy services, workshops, and training for situations related to gender-based harm. engemannshc.usc.edu/rsvp Sexual Assault Resource Center For more information about how to get help or help a survivor, rights, reporting options, and additional resources, visit the website: sarc.usc.edu Office of Equity and Diversity (OED)/Title IX Compliance – (213) 740-5086 Works with faculty, staff, visitors, applicants, and students around issues of protected class. equity.usc.edu Bias Assessment Response and Support Incidents of bias, hate crimes and micro aggressions need to be reported allowing for appropriate investigation and response. studentaffairs.usc.edu/bias-assessment-response-support The Office of Disability Services and Programs Provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange relevant accommodations. dsp.usc.edu USC Support and Advocacy (USCSA) – (213) 821-4710 Assists students and families in resolving complex issues adversely affecting their success as a student EX: personal, financial, and academic. studentaffairs.usc.edu/ssa

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Diversity at USC Information on events, programs and training, the Diversity Task Force (including representatives for each school), chronology, participation, and various resources for students. diversity.usc.edu USC Emergency Information Provides safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued if an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible. emergency.usc.edu USC Department of Public Safety – UPC: (213) 740-4321 – HSC: (323) 442-1000 – 24-hour emergency or to report a crime. Provides overall safety to USC community. dps.usc.edu XII. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Students enrolled in the Virtual Academic Center can access support services for themselves and their families by contacting Perspectives, Ltd., an independent student assistance program offering crisis services, short-term counseling, and referral 24/7. To access Perspectives, Ltd., call 800-456-6327. XIII. STATEMENT ABOUT INCOMPLETES The Grade of Incomplete (IN) can be assigned only if there is work not completed because of a documented illness or some other emergency occurring after the 12th week of the semester. Students must NOT assume that the instructor will agree to the grade of IN. Removal of the grade of IN must be instituted by the student and agreed to be the instructor and reported on the official “Incomplete Completion Form.” XIV. POLICY ON LATE OR MAKE-UP WORK Papers are due on the day and time specified. Extensions will be granted only for extenuating circumstances. If the paper is late without permission, the grade will be affected. XV. POLICY ON CHANGES TO THE SYLLABUS AND/OR COURSE REQUIREMENTS It may be necessary to make some adjustments in the syllabus during the semester in order to respond to unforeseen or extenuating circumstances. Adjustments that are made will be communicated to students both verbally and in writing. XVI. CODE OF ETHICS OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS (OPTIONAL) Approved by the 1996 NASW Delegate Assembly and revised by the 2017 NASW Delegate Assembly https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English Preamble The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession's focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living. Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients. "Clients" is used inclusively to refer to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. These activities may be in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation, administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, and research and evaluation. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. Social workers also seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals' needs and social problems.

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The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession's history, are the foundation of social work's unique purpose and perspective:

▪ Service

▪ Social justice

▪ Dignity and worth of the person

▪ Importance of human relationships

▪ Integrity

▪ Competence This constellation of core values reflects what is unique to the social work profession. Core values, and the principles that flow from them, must be balanced within the context and complexity of the human experience. XVII. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY SANCTION GUIDELINES Some lecture slides, notes, or exercises used in this course may be the property of the textbook publisher or other third parties. All other course material, including but not limited to slides developed by the instructor(s), the syllabus, assignments, course notes, course recordings (whether audio or video) and examinations or quizzes are the property of the University or of the individual instructor who developed them. Students are free to use this material for study and learning, and for discussion with others, including those who may not be in this class, unless the instructor imposes more stringent requirements. Republishing or redistributing this material, including uploading it to web sites or linking to it through services like iTunes, violates the rights of the copyright holder and is prohibited. There are civil and criminal penalties for copyright violation. Publishing or redistributing this material in a way that might give others an unfair advantage in this or future courses may subject you to penalties for academic misconduct. XVIII. COMPLAINTS If you have a complaint or concern about the course or the instructor, please discuss it first with the instructor. If you feel that you cannot discuss it with the instructor, contact the director of the DSW@USC, Dr. Nadia Islam. If you do not receive a satisfactory response or solution, contact the Director of Doctoral Programs, Dr. Michael Hurlburt, for further guidance. XIX. Tips for Maximizing Your Learning Experience in this Course (Optional)

✓ Be mindful of getting proper nutrition, exercise, rest and sleep!

✓ Come to class.

✓ Complete required readings and assignments BEFORE coming to class.

✓ BEFORE coming to class, review the materials from the previous Unit AND the current Unit, AND scan the topics to be covered in the next Unit.

✓ Come to class prepared to ask any questions you might have.

✓ Participate in class discussions.

✓ AFTER you leave class, review the materials assigned for that Unit again, along with your notes from that Unit.

✓ If you don't understand something, ask questions! Ask questions in class, during office hours, and/or through email!

✓ Keep up with the assigned readings.

Don’t procrastinate or postpone working on assignments.

(Revised May 7, 2019)