Social Service Policy Practice and Advocacy - Bryn Mawr College

Social Service Policy Practice and Advocacy from Bryn Mawr College is a Campus Master Sociology degree that prepares you for a Human Services career. Building on a foundation of knowledge, analysis and critical reflection, the Bryn Mawr program requires concentrated study in one of three specialized fields. Each concentration consists of a practice seminar and concurrent field instruction taken in the three consecutive semesters following the foundation practice course and field instruction. In addition, students must take three electives, two from among the courses in the ?Intervention Skills? category and one from among the ?Populations, Systems and Policy? category. The Course Guide designates the category to which each elective is assigned. This degree of specialization provides the necessary depth for students to begin professional careers at the Master's level. It also offers students the opportunity to explore a variety of roles now held by social workers, encouraging flexibility and growth in one's career. Policy Practice and Advocacy Policy Practice and Advocacy explores the ways social programs and institutions have a direct impact on communities and their residents. Social workers in this field are prepared for practice in the macro environment. Specialized content focuses on such distinct macro practice areas as community development, advocacy, social policy and program organization. Social workers in this field represent the needs of individuals, groups and communities within the social policy and program planning arena. They also seek to empower these same constituencies to articulate their needs and to find resources to meet those needs. Students learn the distinct functions of the program planner and administrator, the community organizer, the policy analyst and the group advocate. Specialization in the skills needed for these roles is achieved in the context of understanding how the social system works , and how it can be changed. Some areas of special attention include the dynamics of working with individuals and with task-oriented groups; research as an advocacy tool; the nature of community power structures and coalitions; the problems of service coordination; and the processes by which programs and organizations change through social planning and organizational development. Specific skills include working with individuals and groups, interdisciplinary collaboration, community assessment and organizing, problem solving, strategic decision-making, performing needs assessments, budgeting and personnel administration, legislative and administrative lobbying, program and policy analysis, marketing, grants development, and program evaluation. Typical settings include grassroots organizations, service agencies, advocacy organizations, community planning councils, government at all levels, public-interest lobbying groups and dispute-settlement programs. View more details on Bryn Mawr College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Sociology courses.