The purpose of this assignment is to facilitate your deeper understanding of the theories covered in the final section of this course and how they can be used to assess a service or program offered through an organization with relevance to social work.

As a heads-up, this is not the type of assignment that you can complete the night before it is due. The questions in the prompt are designed to be challenging and to push you to understand the course material more deeply. They are as much an assessment of where you are at with the course material as they are part of the learning process in this course.

To begin, select a health, human, or social services program that meets the following criteria. If you are having difficulties locating an organization or program, please discuss this matter with your instructor at least one week before the assignment is due.

– The program is relevant to social work. A social worker does not necessarily have to be at this organization; however, its mission should be aligned with social work values as articulated by the NASW Code of Ethics.

– You know the program well enough (or can learn enough about) to answer the questions for this assignment with sufficient depth. For example, if you are selecting a program that you do not have direct contact with, please pick one with a well-developed website and other informational materials.

– The program at least some degree services individuals, families, or groups directly. This will make answering the questions for this assignment more straightforward.

Then, answer the questions below. You should complete this assignment by developing well-formulated sections with respect to the following questions. No additional introductory or concluding sections are needed, nor are transition sentences between sections. The assignment should reflect your own thoughts and analysis—not that of your classmates, work colleagues, or anybody else.

Section #1

Describe the program or service in a well-formulated paragraph (Note: here you are discussing a service/program within an agency, not the agency as a whole). What is your relationship to it? Where is it located? What is its primary purpose? Whom does it typically serve? What are the main activities that it engages in to fulfill its purpose? What is, or could be, the role of social workers with the program?
Select TWO of the three sections below. Respond to the questions only in those two section.***

Choice #A

Analyze the program using concepts from the macro-systems theories in class. First, discuss the purpose of the program and its primary activities from the perspective of social control and then from the perspective of social change. Make sure this discussion demonstrates your explicit understanding of these concepts, and formally cite course readings and online materials in your response.

Choice #B

Describe in your own words the primary insights of symbolic interactionism. According to symbolic interactionism, through what processes is the program or service likely to achieve its intended outcomes? Make sure to cite at least two specific concepts from this area of theorizing (e.g., labeling, culture, social nature of the self, stigma) that tie together your description of the theory, as well as its application to the focal program. Make sure to incorporate links to at least two of the course materials in this section.

Choice #C

Describe the program or service from a developmental life course perspective by answering the following two questions. In what ways does it seek to change individuals’ life course developmental trajectories? How do historical factors affect the organization’s ability to achieve its goals? For each question, draw in evidence regarding how so and/or how not, and formally cite course readings and class sessions to ground your analysis.