Social Work Policy and Restorative Justice

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Explain how social service agencies deliver services to resolve social problems.
• Reflect on and describe personal versus professional values in policy implementation.
• Give and receive feedback from agency personnel and reflect on how that experience will affect their future social work practice.
• Understand agency policies and procedures appropriately.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to the ethical issues involved in social policy practice.
• Develop policy strategies which are responsive to individual and societal values.
• Write clearly and professionally about complex and controversial matters.
• Learn how agencies use technology ethically and appropriately.
• Describe racial, sexual, political, economic, and environmental value biases in policies.
• Analyze racial, gender based, economic, political, environmental, and religious values, perspectives, and traditions underscoring policy.
• Describe the relationship between their personal values and the values which underlie contemporary social policy.
• Analyze the extent of social problems experienced by vulnerable populations.
• Analyze the effect of discrimination and oppression on vulnerable populations.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to how cultural, social, and personal values, assumptions, and hypotheses affect social policy.
• Demonstrate sensitivity to human rights, and social, economic, and environmental justice issues involved in social policy and social service development.
• Differentiate between research based and political agenda-based literature.
• Use a variety of policy models to analyze and reshape policy.
• Analyze and evaluate a local, state, or federal policy at a beginning level and recommend possible changes.
• Describe the interrelationships among federal, state and local policy and agency policy process.
• Describe the structure and function of agency policy.
• Describe the ways in which traditional social values influence modern social service delivery.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Attendance & Professional Behavior	20%
Policy Paper Essay	20%
Quizzes	20%
Discussion Board	20%
Service-Learning Experience & Log	20%

Grading Scale Followed in All BSW Courses:

Grading Scale

Percentage	Letter Grade
95% - 100%	A
90% - 94%	A-
87% - 89%	B+
83% - 86%	B
80% - 82%	B-
77% - 79%	C+
73% - 76%	C
70% - 72%	C-
67% - 69%	D+
63% - 66%	D
60% - 62%	D-
59% and below	F

Attendance/Participation:

Since this class meets twice a week it is imperative that students do not miss classes. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes, having prepared themselves by reading the text and other assigned readings. UNCG Policy notes that students can miss up to two classes for religious reasons if students give sufficient notice of being absent for this reason. Otherwise, Attendance is mandatory. It is also expected that students will contribute actively to the overall classroom learning experiences through significant class participation.

Please do not be absent more than two times - this will influence your final grade in the following way:

3 days absent = 3 points off, 4 days absent = 4 points off, 5+ days absent = 5 points off for each day absent

Be aware, this means that these points will be deducted from your final total grade. Absences can have a profound impact on your final grade in this course.

Social Work Department policy indicates that for a class meeting two days a week, students should not miss six days or more of classes. Students missing over six days may be administratively withdrawn from the course or receive an F for the course. Students need to mindful and aware of how many classes they are missing and that I reserve the right to administratively withdraw students who have missed six or more days.

Arriving 15 minutes late or leaving 15 minutes early will result in no points being awarded for the day. Please communicate with the instructor prior to the weekly classes, if you have technology issues or any health concerns that might affect your class attendance.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

• Beck, E., Kropf, N. P., Leonard, P. B. (2011). Social Work & Restorative Justice: Skills for Dialogue, Peacemaking, and Reconciliation. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
• National Association of Social Workers (2025). Social Work Speaks: 13th Edition. NASW Press
• Villescas, M. (2025). Policy: History, Oppression, and the Pursuit of Justice. Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hill.
• Zehr, H. (2015). The Little Book of Restorative Justice. St. Paul, MN: Living Justice Press