Curriculum
BSW in Social Work
The curriculum equips alumni with advanced knowledge and tools in the field of individual and community social work and instills them with sensitivity to the distress of individuals, groups, and communities when they set out to treat individuals and families (couple and family therapy, counseling, parental guidance), groups (group therapy in all its many variations), and communities (including managing institutions in the field of community work).
According to the generic approach the students learn to diagnose the problem and select the most suitable intervention from the array of existing possibilities and tools at their disposal as social workers. The skill of selecting the most suitable tools to treat and intervene in order to achieve optimal results relies on developing social sensitivity, which is instilled in alumni of the program through research, study, and practice throughout the studies for the degree. The studies combine theoretical courses, research courses, applied courses, and professional training in the field, starting from the first year. The curriculum at the Department of Social Work at the Ruppin Academic Center is distinguished by practical activity and social involvement in social issues and problems and its focus on the problems of the hour.
Structure of the Curriculum
The curriculum is designed to be completed in three years and includes a selection of courses in five main areas:
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Social well-being, law, practice policy, and services studies
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Theories and intervention methods in social work and practical training
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Foundational studies in social and behavioral sciences
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Research studies
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General elective studies
The program offers students the choice of two majors: individual and family; or community-organizational.
Individual and family major: This major prepares social workers, granting them knowledge and tools to provide direct treatment to individuals, families, and groups in risky and crisis situations as well as tools to cope with issues such as violence, poverty, illness, mental illness, crime, at-risk children, addiction, and more.
Community-organization major: The goal of this major is to prepare social workers to be leaders and facilitators of social change, provide them with tools to cope with community and social processes such as community building (expansion processes, changes in moshavim and kibbutzim), dialogue processes in the context of inter-
community conflicts (intergenerational, intercultural, and inter-organizational relations), initiate and establish suitable services for different populations, develop leadership in the local community, and more. Studies include a variety of professional activities, such as researching communities and organizations, identifying needs, planning admissions processes for organizations and communities, identifying social problems, strategic planning, and methods of action for social change, among others.
The first year consists of foundational studies in all the fields of knowledge in social work. The courses include intervention methods and professional training, social well-being and law studies, and introductory courses in social and behavioral sciences. Alongside the theoretical and practical knowledge, students are introduced to research methods and critical and innovative approaches in assistance and therapy. Studies emphasize the importance of developing personal awareness, taking initiative, and social involvement.
During the second year, the program offers students the choice of two majors: individual and family; or community-organizational. Most courses in the different areas of knowledge are part of the studies for both majors, but each one also has courses of its own in which students deepen their professional training and knowledge of intervention methods.
During the third year, students receive the opportunity to deepen their theoretical knowledge in their major and to select elective courses and a seminar in the specific area that interests them. These areas include community and social policy, lawbreakers, mental health and rehabilitation, gerontology and elderly and trauma and crisis. Students also gain practical experience in the framework of social services and other therapeutic frameworks.
