Back to Home Page

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey

Mission

The Richard Stockton College Social Work Program’s mission is to prepare undergraduate social work majors for generalist social work practice by providing a broad-based, professional education that rests on a solid liberal arts foundation. The Program also seeks to serve the larger college community through Social Work and General Studies course offerings that have universal appeal to those seeking a better understanding of the human condition. The Program’s central focus is on producing graduates who have a lifetime commitment to upholding human rights, respecting human diversity, and working towards social justice in their professional and personal lives.

Goals and Objectives

Goal I: To prepare graduates to practice with diverse populations, particularly those who have been placed at risk by patterns and histories of social injustice.

Related Objectives:Graduates of the Stockton Social Work Program will be able to: 

1.Understand the effects of oppression based on race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, or disability status. 

2.Practice with an understanding of human rights, social justice, and respect for diversity. 

3.Demonstrate an understanding of, and a beginning ability to engage in, culturally competent practice. 

Goal II: To provide comprehensive content about generalist social work practice. 

Related Objectives: Graduates of the Stockton Social Work Program will be able to:

1.Apply knowledge of the variables that affect human development and behavior. 

2.Be able to use generalist social work skills, including problem identification, goal setting, data collection, contracting, implementation of plan, differential use of interventive roles, evaluation, and termination.

3.Demonstrate an understanding of the generalist social work perspective, the ecosystems perspective, the strengths perspective, and empowerment practice as .ways to conceptualize social work practice.

4.Be able to work with systems of all sizes.

5.Seek generalist social work practice positions with confidence in their ability to fulfill entry-level responsibilities competently.

Goal III:Provide content about the social contexts of social work practice.

Related Objectives: Graduates of the Stockton Social Work Program will be able to:

1.Understand the history of the social work profession and its current structures and issues.

2.Analyze the impact of social policies on client systems, workers, and agencies. 

3.Function within the structures of organizations and service delivery systems and, under supervision, seek necessary organizational change. 

Goal IV: Infuse throughout the curriculum the values and ethics that guide professional social workers in their practice. 

Objectives: Graduates of the Stockton Social Work Program will: 

1.Have a clear understanding of core social work values. 

2.Be able to identify ethical dilemmas and use ethical guidelines and critical thinking skills to resolve them.

Goal V: Prepare graduates who are aware of their responsibility to continue their professional growth and development as social workers. 

Objectives:Graduates of the Stockton Social Work Program will: 

1.Demonstrate an understanding of the professional use of self, especially the importance of self-awareness. 

2.Use supervision appropriate to generalist practice. 

3.Be aware of their responsibility to continue their professional growth.

Faculty of the Stockton Social Work Program will: 

1.Demonstrate commitment to our own professional growth and development. We seek to change and to learn, and we believe that this can in part be accomplished by the richness of our interactions with students, colleagues, and the professional community. 

2.Contribute to the knowledge base of social work.

Goal VI: Prepare graduates who demonstrate the ability to think critically, write effectively, use quantitative reasoning, and be comfortable with the use of computer technology. 

Objectives: Graduates of the Stockton Social Work Program will: 

1.Evaluate research studies and apply findings to practice, and, under supervision, evaluate their own practice interventions and those of other relevant systems. 

2.Write effectively in a variety of formats used in social work practice. 

3.Be able to use quantitative reasoning skills 

4.Demonstrate the ability to use at least three of the following computer skills, such as: word processing, spreadsheets, data base programs, the World Wide Web, email, web-based conferencing, and library research using web-based tools.

Goal VII:To provide service to the broader college community, to the surrounding southern New Jersey region, and in wider statewide, national, and international arenas. In this way, we deepen the Social Work Program’s capacity to bring professional values and ethics to the broadest possible population, representing to students what it means to be engaged professional social workers; and we demonstrate our commitment to ensure that Stockton College graduates are prepared to be citizens in a democratic, multi-cultural society. 

Objectives: Faculty of the Stockton Social Work Program will: 

1.Provide, through Program participation in the General Studies curriculum, a rich variety of educational experiences for both Social Work majors and other Stockton undergraduates (for example, by regularly offering diverse multicultural courses that are open to non-majors as well as Social Work students). 

2.Provide service to community organizations. 

3.Provide leadership and support to professional organizations and to the broader professional community.