Course Syllabus

Instructor Contact Information

	Office Hours: By appointment https://outlook.office.com/bookwithme/user/45789670f5724d6dace741130f7f88fc%40ou.edu/meetingtype/T-h3HSmdqU2v5NrUZqXOBw2?anonymous Email: venerab@ou.edu Via zoom every Monday: January 13th to April 28th, 2025 Time:  5:30  pm CST Zoom information: https://oklahoma.zoom.us/j/91890678476?pwd=V1c3dkwyN1BiMnk3TDVseVZ2b1ArUT09 Meeting ID: 918 9067 8476 Passcode: 77935244
Venera Bekteshi PhD, LMSW, MPA, MA Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work

 

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1. I. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

1. Title: SWK 5723 – Human Services Administration
2. Catalog Description: Social work elective course offered first to social work master’s level students. Primary attention is given to the roles of administrator and planner in social work/social welfare settings with additional emphasis on grant writing and resource development. Hours of Credit:  Three credit hours
3. Prerequisite: graduate standing in social work, successful completion of a foundation level macro social work course, or by permission of the instructor.

 

1. PURPOSE:

Social workers who have administrative responsibilities in social welfare settings require knowledge on the theoretical foundations for strategic and program planning, human services leadership and supervision, resource development, and determining the effectiveness of programs. This course utilizes a systems perspective for understanding organizational environment and the role of the administrator/manager in ensuring organizational efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and quality of services.

 

1. EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES:

Upon completion of the course, each student should have demonstrated knowledge, understanding, and preparation for practice in administration/management.  At the completion of the course students will be competent in their ability to:

1. Describe and critically assess the organizational context of administrative/management practice, including the historical and cultural features of organizations and communities in Oklahoma.
2. Analyze the components of management processes, including planning, programming, budgeting, fiscal management, information systems, and evaluation in meeting organizational goals and objectives
3. Analyze best practices in leadership and supervision within the context of social service and non-profit organizations
4. Assess, analyze, and cultivate financial and other resources needed to effectively operate social work organizations and programs.
5. Demonstrate possession of specific administrative practice knowledge and skills associated with each of the various management processes.
6. Identify and understand the effects of human and social diversity factors, particularly on the situations faced by women, people of color, and people who are gay/lesbian, in organizational management and evaluate strategies and practices to overcome barriers to individuals in these groups.
7. Demonstrate familiarity with major issues in the effective delivery of social services to populations-at-risk and those with special needs populations and evaluate strategies and practices to improve services to these populations.

 

1. INTEGRATION OF SPECIFIC CONTENT AREAS:

This course builds upon the knowledge the student has acquired in the generalist approach to social work and integrates specific content from the required concentration courses concurrently taken in the first semester of the second year.  Examples of the specific content from other required concentration courses are approaches to community and organizational planning, understanding the interplay between community and social systems, importance of evidence-informed practice, and role of evaluation in macro practice.

 

1. SOCIAL WORK COMPETENCIES ADDRESSED

 

Competencies	Course content	Dimension(s)*
Competency 6: Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities	All Assigned Readings and Assignments	Knowledge, values, skills, cognitive/affective processes
Competency 7: Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities	All Assigned Readings and Assignments	Knowledge, values, skills, cognitive/affective processes

 

1. TEXTS:

Brody, R. & Nair, M.  (2013). Effectively Managing Human Service Organizations 4th edition.

           Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

The most recent APA manual is required in every Social Work course.  The current manual (2019) ISBN is: 9781433832161

 National Association of Social Workers (2017) Code of Ethics for Social Workers at:   https://www.socialworkers.org/about/ethics/code-of-ethics/code-of-ethics-english 

 

 

Additional readings-provided to students as needed. If and when these reading are required, the instructor will announce a week ahead via canvas.

 

Barnwell, P. (2016, July). Students’ Broken Moral Compasses. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/students-broken-moral-compasses/492866/

Cohen, S. & Eimicke, W.B. (1995). Ethics and the Public Administrator. The ANNALS of the 

             American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, 537, 96-108.

Decety, J. & Cowell, J.M. (2014) Friends or Foes: Is Empathy Necessary for Moral Behavior?

            Perspectives on Psychological Science. 9(5), 522-537.

Garrow, E. & Hasenfeld, Y. (2010). Theorectical Approches to Human Services Organizations.

            In Y. Hasenfeld (Ed.) Human Services As Complex Organizations (2^nd ed.)(pp. 33-57).

            Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Glisson, C. (2015) The Role of Organizational Culture and Climate in Innovation and

            Effectiveness. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership &

            Governance, 39:4, 245-250. doi: 10.1080/23303131.2015.1087770

Goleman, D. (2018). What Makes a Leader? In Harvard Business Review Press (Ed.). Everyday

            Emotional Intelligence; Big Ideas and Practical Advice on How to Be Human at Work.

            (pp. 3-23). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.

Grant, A. (2014, January). The Dark Side of emotional Intelligence. The Atlantic. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-emotional-intelligence/282720/

Weber, J. (1990). Managers’ Moral reasoning: Assessing their Responses to Three Moral    

            Dilemmas. Human Relations, 43(7), 687-702.

Wolfsohn, R & Michaeli, D. (2014). Financial Social Work. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.923

 

1. TEACHING/LEARNING METHODS & ASSIGNMENTS

As matched with the school’s policy, the instructor will employ diverse teaching methods for student learning.  Within the learning process, students will interact with the instructor, fellow students, social work practitioners or people in need. Learning environments may involve classrooms, virtual, and communities or organizational settings.

 

1. CLASS POLICIES

1. Methods of Evaluation

Summary of Points for Assignments:

Assignments/Test	Calculation	Points
Budget Assignment	25%	125
Grant Abstract Assignment	20%	100
Performance Improvement Plan	20%	100
Exercises 5 x 25	25%	125
Participation	10%	50
Total	100%	500

Grading Scale for the Course

450-500            90-100%	A
400-449            80-89%	B
350-399            70-79%	C
300-349            60-69%	D
<300                 <60%	F

 

1. Breakdown of Class Grading

See Section A.

 

1. Academic Conduct  

Cheating is strictly prohibited at the University of Oklahoma. As a member of the OU community it is your responsibility to protect your educational investment by knowing and following the rules. For specific definitions on what constitutes cheating, review the Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity at: http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html.

Also important to know are “9 Things You Should Already Know About Plagiarism” http://integrity.ou.edu/files/nine_things_you_should_know.pdf.

 

Students are bound by the OU Student Code (http://www.ou.edu/studentconduct) and the NASW Code of Ethics (https://www.socialworkers.org/), and should also be familiar with the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work Student Performance Policy (http://www.ou.edu/content/dam/cas/socialwork/docs/Policies/swk-student-performance-policy-revised-2018-2019.pdf). Plagiarism in any form, which includes but is not limited to cheating on tests, using another’s work without attribution or permission, using your previous work from another course, or allowing someone to use your work, whether on an exam or a paper, will not be tolerated. The NASW Code of Ethics states “Social workers should not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud or deception.”  One of the values on which the Code of Ethics is based is that of integrity and one of the ethical principles derived from this value is “Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.”  

 

1. Reasonable Accommodation Policy

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities.  Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center (Norman) or the Office of Disability Resources (Tulsa).  These offices then determine and notify the student and instructor of any accommodations in this course.  Any student who because of a disability may need special arrangements or accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, ensure full participation, and facilitate educational opportunities should consult with the instructor as soon as possible. The office of Disability Services provides an array of services to meet the needs of students with disabilities, please refer to their office or visit their webpage for further information: http://drc.ou.edu/content/view/166/118/

 

OU-Norman Disability Resource Center 730 College Avenue University Community Center Norman, OK  73019 405-325-3852 (voice) 405-217-3494 (VP)  405-325-4991 (Fax)    Email: adrc@ou.edu

OU-Tulsa Office of Disability Resources Schusterman Center 4502 East 41st Street Tulsa, OK 74135 918-660-3107 Email: Joshua-davis@ouhsc.ou.edu

 

 

1. Religious Holidays (2018-2019 University Policy Regarding Instruction)

It is the policy of the University to excuse the absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide without penalty for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays.

 

1. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Statement (HIPAA)

In line with the new HIPAA regulations concerning protected health information, it is important that you understand that any client information that you share, either verbally or written, will need to be de-identified. This means that any information that would allow another to identify the person needs to be changed or eliminated. This includes obvious things like names and birth dates, but may also contain other information that is so unique to the person that it could allow for identification, including, but not limited to diagnosis, race/ethnicity, or gender. If diagnosis, race/ethnicity, or gender is directly related to the case presentation, it can be included if it will not allow for identification.

 

1. Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues (2018-2019 University Policy Regarding Instruction)

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html for commonly asked questions.

 

1. Title IX Resources (2018-2019 University Policy Regarding Instruction)

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24.7, counseling services, mutual no contact orders, scheduling adjustments and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24.7) to learn more or to report an incident.

 

Or, contact the Institutional Equity Office directly at: (405) 325-3549, Norman Campus and Norman-based Tulsa Campus programs: Room 102, Evans Hall and/or the Sexual Misconduct Officer at (405) 325-2215: Walker Center, Room W220. Tulsa-based programs may also contact (918) 660-3107.

1. Professional Behavior

Students must conduct themselves in a manner that is compatible with the University, the School of Social Work, practicum facilities, and the Social Work profession. Please refer to Section 2.3.2 in the Student Performance Policy.

http://www.ou.edu/content/dam/cas/socialwork/docs/Policies/swk-student-performance-policy-revised-2018-2019.pdf

 

1. Late assignments:

Assignments over 50 points will receive a deduction of 10 points per calendar day. No assignments will be accepted three days after the due date and will result in an automatic zero for the assignment.

Allowances may be made when there are emergencies. Students are required to submit official documentation (e.g. medical, jury duty, military, death, etc.) of any emergencies that prevent him/her from turning an assignment in within one week of the due date. Documentation will be reviewed and accepted at the Instructor’s discretion, unless specifically mentioned in university-approved policy.

 

1. Make-up policy

No make-up quizzes, exercises or assignments will be allowed without a verifiable, reason as per section J.

 

1. Expectations for written work

All written work is to follow APA style and should be formatted in one of the APA permitted font choices, double-spaced, and 1” margins unless otherwise noted. Title and reference page (s) are required unless otherwise noted. Text citations and reference lists must be in correct APA (7th ed.) format. Note: APA 7^th ed. does not require a running head for student papers. Material that is not correctly cited is considered to be plagiarized.

 

1. MAJOR COURSE DIVISIONS:

 

1. Human Service Contexts and Environments

Organizational theories

Scientific management, human relations model, contingency theory

Organizational charts

            Working with boards

Mission, vision, and values statements

 

1. Organizational Engagement and Assessment

Engaging with organizations

SWOT analysis and strategic planning

Needs Assessment

1. Program/Organizational Planning and Design

Using assessment data to improve programs and practices

Avoiding mission drift and organizational decline

Program development and logic models

Writing goals, objectives, and outcomes

1. Leadership and Supervision in Human Resources

Leadership theories and styles

Supervisory models

Performance assessment

Hiring and terminating personnel

Volunteer recruitment and management

Conflict resolution

Promoting diversity and equity in the work place

Fostering positive organizational culture

Preventing and addressing burnout and fatigue

 

1. Developing and Managing Organizational Resources

Funding structure of social service and non-profit organizations

Managing finances

 

1. COURSE SCHEDULE:

 

Week	Date:	Topics	Mod Assign Discussion	Assignments
1	1/13	Introduction to class	Explanation of Assignments
2	1/20	No class MLK holidays
3	1/27	Leadership and its Role Brody & Nair Chap 1; Articles in Required Readings	Exercise 1 What makes a leader?
4	02/03	Ethics and Leadership Brody & Nair Chap 18; Articles in Required Readings	Exercise 2 Blurring the lines.
5	02/10	Grants and Budgets Brody & Nair Chap. 15 & Grant Writing	Exercise 3 Goals and Objectives	Budget Assignment Due 02/16
6	02/17	Managing and Supervising Brody & Nair Chaps.5, 6 & 7
7	03/03	Diversity in Workforce Guest Speakers: Diversity Topics
8	03/10	Non Profit Board Brody & Nair Chaps. 12&14	Exercise 4 Create an Elevator Speech
9	03/17	Spring Break
10	03/24	Logic Models Brody & Nair Chaps. 3 & 16; Articles in Required Readings		Grant Assignment Due in Canvas 03/30
11	03/31	Effective Communication and Civlity Brody & Nair Chaps. 9 & 10; Required Readings	Exercise 5 The Price of Incivility
12	04/07	Strategic Planning and Change Management in Human Services Brody & Nair Chaps. 2,4		PIP Assignment Due in Canvas 04/13
13	04/14	Leadership: Guest Speaker
14	04/21	Trauma-Informed Leadership and Organizational Practices
15	04/28	Review/Closure

 

1. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:

In this assignment, students will present with a first quarter budget for an agency that is financially struggling. Students will be directed to consider the ramifications for the agency if the current financial situation is not corrected and from there will recommend reductions in expenditures and increases in revenues in an attempt to balance the budget by the end of the fiscal year. The purpose of the assignment is to subject social work students to budgets and budget adjustments as many social workers move into an administrative position with no knowledge or understanding of the financial side of an agency. This assignment will give students a basic understanding of budgets and how to adjust them.

Details  can be found here:

https://canvas.ou.edu/courses/400445/assignments/2939485?module_item_id=7263217

 

Grant Search Assignment  – 100 points

This assignment will require students to search for Federal grants that will be useful to their place of work, practicum or city/county. All instructions must be explicitly followed or the assignment will not be graded. Part of grant writing involves following all instructions. The purpose of this is to highlight the importance of following all grant application instructions if you should actually apply for a grant in the future. In reality, grant applications that are missing even one small detail or one minute past the deadline are not reviewed.

Details can be found here  https://canvas.ou.edu/courses/400445/assignments/2939482

Performance Improvement Plan; FMLA & ADA Assignment  – 100 points

Overview : As leaders you will undoubtedly face performance challenges within your team. One of the most difficult skills for new supervisors to learn is how to handle performance related issues with employees. This assignment will help you gain an understanding of how to address performance issues with employees and how to create employee driven performance improvement plans.

1. Details can be found here https://canvas.ou.edu/courses/400445/assignments/2939484

 

Exercises   5x25 – 125 points. The details are located throughout various modules.

 

Participation -  50 points total

           

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 

Barnwell, P. (2016, July). Students’ Broken Moral Compasses. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/students-broken-moral-compasses/492866/

Brady, S.R. (2015). Utilizing and adapting the Delphi method for use in qualitative research.        International Journal of Qualitative Methods , 1, 1-6.

Brown, M. J. (2006). Building powerful community organizations. Arlington, MA: Long Haul.

Bryson, J.M. (2011). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to      

            strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. Josey-Bass: San Francisco:

            CA

Coley, S.M., & Scheinberg, C.A. (2017). Proposal writing: Effective grantsmanship for

            funding (5th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

Fink, C.F. (2008) Moral Reasons. Lanham, MD: University Press of America ®, Inc.

Decety, J. & Cowell, J.M. (2014) Friends or Foes: Is Empathy Necessary for Moral Behavior?

            Perspectives on Psychological Science. 9(5), 522-537.

Hasenfeld, Y. (2010). Human Services As Complex Organizations (2^nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:

            Sage Publications, Inc.

Harvard Business Review Press (Ed.). (2018). Everyday Emotional Intelligence; Big Ideas and

            Practical Advice on How to Be Human at Work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business

            School Publishing Corporation.

Hemmelgarn, A. L. & Glisson, C. (2018). Building Cultures and Climates for Effective Human

            Services: Understanding and Improving Organizations Social Contests with the ARC

            Model. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.    

Heyman, D.R. (2011). Nonprofit management 101: A complete and practical guide for leaders

            and professionals. Josey-Bass: San Francisco, CA. 

Garrow, E. & Hasenfeld, Y. (2010). Theorectical Approches to Human Services Organizations.

            In Y. Hasenfeld (Ed.) Human Services As Complex Organizations (2^nd ed.)(pp. 33-57).

            Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Glisson, C. (2015) The Role of Organizational Culture and Climate in Innovation and

            Effectiveness. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership &

            Governance, 39:4, 245-250. doi: 10.1080/23303131.2015.1087770

Goleman, D. (2018). What Makes a Leader? In Harvard Business Review Press (Ed.). Everyday

            Emotional Intelligence; Big Ideas and Practical Advice on How to Be Human at Work.

            (pp. 3-23). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.

Grant, A. (2014, January). The Dark Side of emotional Intelligence. The Atlantic. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/the-dark-side-of-emotional-intelligence/282720/

 

Johnson, C.E. (2007). Ethics in the Workplace: Tools and Tactics for Organizational

            Transformation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Kellerman, B. (2004). Bad Leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing

            Corporation.

Kivel, P. (2007). Social service or social change. In I. W. violence (Ed.), The revolution will not

            be funded: Beyond the non-profit industrial complex. Cambridge, MA: South End

            Press.

Klein, K. (2016). Fund raising for social change (7^th ed.). San Francisco, CA:

            JosseyBass.

Manning, S. S, (2002). Ethical leadership in human services: A multi-dimensional approach.

            Washington D.C.: Allyn and Bacon.

Monnappa, A. (2019, July). What’s the Difference Between Leadership and Management?

            Retrieved from  https://www.simplilearn.com/leadership-vs-management-difference-article

Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L. & Thomas, M. L. (2017). Social Work Macro

            Practice (6^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Northhouse, P. (2009). Leadership: Theory and practice. Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.

Summers, N. (2010). Managing social service staff for excellence: Five keys to exceptional

            supervision. Hoboken, NJ: Johnson Wiley and Sons.

Weber, J. (1990). Managers’ Moral reasoning: Assessing their Responses to Three Moral   

            Dilemmas. Human Relations, 43(7), 687-702.

Wolfsohn, R & Michaeli, D. (2014). Financial Social Work. DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.923