INVER HILLS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

HSER 1100

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN

SERVICES

SYLLABUS

Spring - 2010

INSTRUCTOR: THOMAS A. REIS, MSW, MS, ACSW

OFFICE: A219

CLASSROOM: HERITAGE HALL 306

CLASS MEETING TIME: M&W: 10:30-11:50AM

OFFICE HOURS: M: 9-10AM; T: 10-11AM, 1-2pm; W: Noon-1pm, TH: 10-11AM OR BY APPT.

TELEPHONE: (651) 450 – 3717, ext 717

E-MAIL ADDRESS: treis@inverhills.edu

 COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides an introduction to the field of Human Services. The course provides a survey of the Human Service field which includes history, worker roles, personal values and attitudes, and current career trends.

 COURSE OBJECTIVES:

 Upon completion of this course students will:

1)    Recognize the nature of Human Service work.

2)    Identify the historical basis of Human Service work and contemporary trends.

3)    Assess own suitability for Human Service work and develop an initial area of focus.

4)    Identify Human Service agencies in their community who work with various populations and problems.

REQUIRED TEXT:

Corey, G and Corey, M.S. (Latest Edition) Becoming a Helper, Brooks / Cole

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

Students are expected to attend class meetings on time, read all materials assigned for the class and participate in class discussion. How we treat each other in our day – to – day interactions will be determined by the development of our Learning Community (more on this later).

 ACCOMODATION STATEMENT:

You may have a disability but you do not have a disability of responsibility.

If any student needs assistance due to a disability, please contact the disabled student services at (651) 450 – 8628 voice, or (651) 450 – 8369 TTY.

STUDENT SUCCESS DAY:

Student Success Day is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23 when students have meetings with their instructors or go to special sessions and keynote speeches on how to succeed in college. For ten extra credit points you can go to the “Human Services Mini-College Fair” offered that day.  Free pizza and pop will be available. For more information, please see www.inverhills.edu/studentsuccess

 GENERAL POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND

    Tom’s three rules:

-         You must sit by someone different at a different table with each class.

-         Give me your personal best each time you come to class.

-          You must pick up all of your graded assignments by May 12 otherwise; you will lose 10 pts off your final point total for the class.

-         ***NOTE*** Five of my students last semester went from an A-grade to a B-grade simply because they failed to pick up their stuff!!!

METHOD OF EVALUATION:

 1.     ATTENDANCE – 50 Points

“Half of success is just showing up.”

 Missing class is not a good idea. Showing up late or leaving early is not a good idea either. As an adult you are responsible for managing your time and your class work.

 You will be given two” get out of jail free cards” (Excused Absences) because “ _____ Happens” (i.e. sick, doctor’s appt, run out of gas, etc.) Each day missed after two absences will result in losing 10 points per day from your attendance score.

 2.     PARTICIPATION SCORE – 25- Points

 If you say nothing or very little then you will get no better than a “C” grade under your participation score.  If you leave early or come in late this will be deducted off your participation score.  Each of you has a voice. Each of you has something to contribute.

Education is about awakening and taking risks. Get out of your comfort zone and participate.

3.      SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT – 50 Points

As my dead uncle Lee once said, “You’ve got your book knowledge and your street knowledge.” There is only so far a classroom can take you. Many of you are taking this class as an introduction to this field, wondering if this might be an area you would like to work in.

Service learning gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in working with vulnerable populations. It affords you the opportunity to experience your education in a more dynamic, three – dimensional, face – to – face setting.

You are required to complete 15 hours of service at a human service agency over the course of the semester. A packet will be given to you with details, including a list of approved sites to choose from. You will work with the IHCC VISTA representative who coordinates all service learning projects. Your site supervisor will evaluate you.

You will be required to write a 1-2page paper on the following: your expectations going in to this, how the experience impacted you, what you take away from the experience.

This will be DUE: 4/28

 4.     FIELD AGENCY INTERVIEW – 50 Points

 You are required to interview one human service agency in your community or surrounding communities. (Other than your service learning site.) You will give a five minute informal presentation on your interview (more details will follow). I desire person-to person interviews (phone interview as a last resort). You will hand in a typed, double spaced 2-3 page paper.  DUE: 4/14

  5.     QUIZES  - (THREE QUIZES, 25PTS EACH) = 75pts

  Most students at the community college level do not put the time in when studying for a quiz or exam (this is not high school). My quizzes are challenging (not that I get a big thrill out of that). Reading the book and going over your notes once or twice will not cut it.

Quiz dates are the following: 2/17, 3/31, 5/5

 6.    COUNSELOR APPT. - 15pts

 You will need to make an appointment with one of the counselors in the Counseling Department and come up with a course plan for your entire schooling at IHCC. You will then need to make a copy of this and submit it to me by DUE: 2/24

  7.    ETHICS PRESENTATIONS – 15pts

 Students will be assigned to random groups who will present on ethical vignettes (more details will follow).

 COURSE ASSINGMENT SUMMARY:

 1.       Attendance                              50 Points

2.       Participation                                     25 Points

3.       Service Learning Project                   50 Points

4.       Field Agency Interview            50 Points

5.       Three quizes                                75 Points

6.       Counseling Center Appt.            15 Points

7.       Ethical Vignettes                        15 Points

          TOTAL POINTS =                -        280 POINTS

  GRADING SCALE:

100% - 90% = 280 - 252pts (As)

89% - 80% = 251 - 224pts (Bs)

79% - 70% = 223 - 196pts (C s)

69% - 60% = 195 - 168pts (Ds)

59% = 167 or lower (F)

 ***NOTE*** - Any assignments turned in late will receive a 10% point deduction per class session it is late.

 COURSE SCHEDULE

1/11    Welcome/Introductions

                                                                                                                                                                         1/13      Icebreakers/Syllabus                                         Read Chapter 1

 1/18       MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY – NO CLASS

 1/20     Learning Community/Service Learning Day

 1/25   Career Inventory Day

 1/27     State of the field/Inventory                                Read Chapter 3

 2/1     Presentation/discussion Corey material

 2/3    Want ads/Most Commonly Held Values in HSER Field                                      

 2/8       Values Inventory & Discussion                      Read Chapter 4

 2/10    HX of Helping

 2/15 - ***NO CLASS – PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY

 2/17    HX of Helping   (Quiz#1 – Chs 1,3,4)                                                

 2/22     HX of Helping                     

2/24       HX of Helping (Erikson’s stages of development) ***COUNSELOR APPT DUE

3/1     Deinstitutionalization 

 3/3  Transference/Counter Transference                   Read Chapter 6

 3/8 – 3/12: SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS (HAVE FUN!!!)

3/15     Growth of the Field/Focus Questions

 3/17      What is a generalist HSER worker?               Read Chapter 7

3/22       Catch up day                                           Read Chapter 5

 3/24      Ethical Vignettes                                              Read Chapters 8&9

 3/29        Ethical Vignettes

3/31        Ethical Vignettes  (Quiz#2 - Chs 5-9)                                        

 4/5        Catch up day

4/7          Confidentiality/Confidentiality Exercise   Read Chapter 10                          

4/12           Label Day! – Family Stages of Development

4/14          Field Agency Discussion Day! (Field papers due)

4/19         Poverty Discussion/presentation    - Corey text, Read                 Chs11&12

 4/21         Poverty 

4/26               Poverty

 4/28           Catch up day!   (SERVICE LEARNING DUE!!)

5/3           Burn out             Read Chapter 13

5/5          Quiz#3 – (Chs 10-13) /Wrap up

*EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES

 1.     Stop by and visit Tom sometime in the semester (not during Final’s week). Talk to me about your hopes, dreams, what you want to be when you “grow up”; talk to me about sports – Gopher hockey, Wild, Timberwolves, Twins, Vikings; or just share with me some of the story of you. I’m always interested in getting to know the person behind the name, beyond the title of “student.”  (Worth 5 pts).

2.     Attend Student Success Day “Mini College Fair” (Human Services) – Worth 10pts.

IMPORTANT COURSE DUE DATES

4/14– Field Agency papers due

4/28 – Service Learning is due

2/24 – Counselor Academic Program Plan

2/17, 3/31, 5/5 Final’s Week – Quiz dates

Plagiarism and Cheating:  It is unacceptable to submit the work of another person as your own.  If you quote, summarize, paraphrase, or use the ideas of another, you must accurately attribute that information.  If you do not acknowledge the source, you are plagiarizing. 

 In this course, plagiarism/cheating will result in (here identify the consequences, e.g., failure of the course, failure of the assignment, redoing the assignment, etc.).  In addition, plagiarism and cheating are covered by the Student Code of Conduct.  In this course, plagiarism will also result in the initiation of the Student Code of Conduct Disciplinary Process. Please see the Catalog or IHCC website for details.

 Documentation Style and Paper Format: In this course, students are expected to use APA format and documentation style. Papers are to be typed, double space, and stapled.

 ADA Statement: Reasonable accommodations that make sure that all materials, discussions, and activities that are part of this course are accessible will be provided students with physical, sensory, cognitive, systemic, and psychiatric disabilities.  To discuss accommodations for this course, please visit the Disability Services Office (L224) or contact by phone (651-450-8628 or TTY 651-450-8369) and contact the instructor. 

 Religious Accommodation Statement: Inver Hills Community College strongly supports the principles of free expression and respect for the diversity of beliefs, including religious observances, among our academic community.  It is the policy of the college to provide reasonable accommodations for students when religious observances conflict with classroom activities or course requirements.  It is the responsibility of students to inform instructors in a timely fashion prior to such conflicts.  If a mutually agreed accommodation is not possible, students may initiate an appeal.  The procedure for this appeal is the same as the Grade Appeal Policy listed in the catalogue, however; the appeal must be initiated by the student within two weeks of the conflict.

Student’s Right to Know: Policies on Harassment and Discrimination, Crime Awareness and Campus Security Report, Drug- and Alcohol-Free Campus, Student Conduct, and Academic Honesty are available on the IHCC website.  Inver Hills has established policies and procedures to handle violations in a timely manner.

 Incomplete Grade and Withdrawal Information: Students must initiate requests for either an incomplete grade or withdrawal from a course by filing the appropriate form with Enrollment Services. Students who stop attending classes without completing the withdrawal process may receive a grade of “F,” and are responsible for all tuition/fees associated with the course registration.  Withdrawal forms must be submitted as stated in the course schedule.  Please see the current Class Schedule or Catalog for details.