Designed to promote active, hands-on learning, this unique book is composed of 11 chapter-length case studies that prepare students to address the types of challenging social issues they will encounter as practicing social workers. The cases—covering topics from immigration, gangs, and education to race, mental health, and end-of-life care—illustrate the interrelationship between the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and facilitate not just recall of facts, but also higher-level learning. Each case allows students to confront realistic scenarios as they evaluate, analyze, and synthesize information, resulting in more engaged and informed classroom discussions.
Cuprins
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
Chapter 1: Understanding the Complexities, Costs, and Benefits Surrounding Immigration Policy: Tough Decisions for Families and Policy Makers
Chapter 2: Community Organizing Concepts and Principles: Rebuilding Holyoke From the Ground Up
Chapter 3: Achieving Racial Equality: Education, Housing, Health, and Justice . . . A Long Way to Go
Chapter 4: End-of-Life Care, Costs, Concerns, and Conflict: Too Much of the Wrong Kind of Care?
Chapter 5: Mental Illness: Community Supports and Community Dilemmas
Chapter 6: Perplexing Challenges in Child Protective Services: Life on the Front Line
Chapter 7: Society’s Evolving Understanding of Chemical Addiction and the Subsequent Changes in Policy and Treatment Approaches: The Struggle to Stay Clean
Chapter 8: Understanding the Draw of Gangs, Consequences for Neighborhoods, and Determining an Effective Response: The North Side Crew
Chapter 9: Eminent Domain, Urban Renewal, and NIMBY: Is There a Win-Win Solution?
Chapter 10: Homelessness and the Housing First Debate: Wrestling With the Issues
Chapter 11: Examining the Elementary and Secondary Education System in the United States and One Family’s Dilemma: Fight or Flight