BRYN MAWR

Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research

GSSWSR Course Guide Online

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DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

Ph.D. Course Offerings

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

The Ph.D. program supports courses of study that can prepare a student for one of many careers.  However, with its emphasis on theory and method, the curriculum is designed to promote the development of a strong foundation for research and teaching.  Successful completion of the Ph.D. presumes the demonstration of scholarly abilities to pursue knowledge, engage in abstract and logical thinking, and critically evaluate ideas and evidence.

Ph.D. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

(Students should also consult the Operating Procedures for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, available on the School’s website at www.brynmawr.edu/socialwork)

Students are urged to plan for at least one year of full-time study, but may complete the entire program on a part-time basis.

Course Requirements

              Students must complete 12 courses. Seven of these are required for all students:

General Course Requirements

           501 Introduction to the History of American Social Welfare and Social Reform

           526 Theories of Mind, Personality and Self in Society

or

531 Social Theory

551 Research Methodology I

540 Data Analysis I 

552 Research Methodology II

541 Data Analysis II  and - one Advanced Statistics or Research Methods course

Electives

              Elective courses are offered in clinical theory and research, program development and social policy formation and analysis, the analysis of non-numerical data, and program evaluation. Faculty are also available to provide tutorials. Students are expected to design a cohesive program of study in an area or areas of special interest to them including advanced research training.

Foreign Language Requirement

              There is no foreign language requirement.

Admission to Candidacy

              When course requirements are nearly completed, students apply to the doctoral faculty for formal admission to candidacy for the degree. A supervising committee is then formed to evaluate the student's performance on the preliminary examinations and to guide work toward the dissertation. The supervising committee consists of a Director of Work plus three additional faculty. It is chaired by a member of Bryn Mawr College's faculty of Arts and Sciences.

              After admission to candidacy has been approved, students must pass preliminary examinations before proceeding to the dissertation. These consist of three written exams (four hours each) on the following fields:

(1) Social Work and Social Welfare: Past and Present; (2) Social Research; and (3) Social or Behavioral Science Theory.

              A paper is also required on Social Work Practice (either Social Policy and Program Development or Clinical Theory and Research). Students are examined orally on the three written examinations and the paper.

Dissertation Proposal

Early in the preparation of the dissertation, each student meets with his or her supervising committee to review a proposal summarizing the scope of the research and the method(s) to be followed. Well in advance of the meeting, the student distributes the proposal to committee members.  Before scheduling the meeting, and in consultation with the Director of Work, the student will ascertain the opinion of committee members regarding whether or not the proposal is ready for discussion. The student then sets the meeting time after consulting with committee members regarding their schedules. Students are expected to keep committee members informed of all substantial changes from the approved proposal.  All dissertation proposals must undergo review by the College’s Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects.

Submission of Dissertation

Dissertations must be submitted by a specified date in order to qualify for the award of May or December degrees. These dates are stated annually on the Academic Calendar, and may vary from one year to another. After the dissertation has been received by members of the supervising committee, it is either accepted or rejected with recommendations for revision. If it is accepted by the committee, the student proceeds to the oral Final Examination on the content of the dissertation. Additional information about degree requirements will be found in the Ph.D. Operating Procedures manual. Questions may be referred to faculty advisors, to the Director of the Ph.D. Program, or to the Dean.

PH.D. COURSE OFFERINGS*

Not all courses are offered every year.  Master's students may enroll with permission of the instructor.

501        Introduction to the History of American Social Welfare and Social Reform

After brief considerations of the British origins of American social welfare, this course focuses on the development of social welfare and social work in the context of American reform movements.  In addition to providing students with a chronological understanding of the development of social welfare policy and the profession of social work, the course emphasizes comparative historiography; that is, critical appraisals of different interpretations of social welfare history.  Its overall goal is to help students understand the development of social welfare and social work in the context of American political-economic and social history.

510        Foundations of Social Policy

The seminar has three primary objectives:  to provide a background in the classic literature of social policy, to orient students to the underlying assumptions in­forming different views of social policy and to enhance each student's skill at theoretical analysis of formal argument.  While the texts chosen vary from year to year, the underlying organization of the seminar remains.  Texts are chosen which provide background in relevant concepts from philosophy and important social science knowledge regarding the political limitations facing social policy in the United States.  Policy texts are cho­sen to provide insight into the think­ing informing the continental welfare state in Europe, the British welfare state and the current approach to human need in the United States.  The last sessions of the seminar are devoted to a major policy issue.  Students are required to write three short papers spread throughout the semester, each of which analyzes the assumptions informing some part of the argument in the assigned texts and to respond to an examination question.

514        Economic Thought and Economic Inequality

This course will examine the economic effects of government policy choices and provide students the opportunity to do research on economic policy issues.  Much of the course will focus on the possible tradeoffs between economic solutions that are efficient and solutions that are equitable.  The course first examines economic thinkers over the last 200 years, then briefly covers micro and macro economic theory, including classical, supply-side, and Keynesian theory. Fiscal and monetary issues are then covered, including the consequences and tradeoffs between inflation and unemployment.  Topics such as health care, education, welfare, and more generally the economic inequality among children are also examined.

518        Developmental Theory and Research:  Child and Adolescent Well-Being

This course examines how core concepts of child development are critical elements of building an integrated approach to research, practice and policy development relating to the well-being of children in the context of their families.  Developmental science has made important contributions to our work by increasing our understanding of the nature of human development.  It is critically important that social work professionals who seek to work in the broad area of “child and family well-being” become skilled in the translation of developmental concepts and methods to a broad range of social problems affecting children and families.

526        Theories of Mind, Personality and Self in Society (formerly Behavioral Theory)

This course examines major theories of personality development, addressing the context within which concepts of the self in society have been fashioned over more than a century.  Theories will be analyzed as social, political, and historical constructions and viewed critically for their utility in informing practice and research.

531        Social Theory

This seminar covers a range of theories useful for understanding social structure and social process at various levels of social organization.  The purpose is (1) to increase familiarity with different theoretical perspectives, and (2) to allow practice in identifying and using conceptual frameworks suitable for guiding analysis in dissertations or other professional and scholarly work.  In addition to assigned readings discussed in class, students will have the opportunity to prepare and present individual papers based on original texts by one or more major social theorists of their choice.

540        Data Analysis I

Data analysis is seen as one step in the research process.  Statistical methods of analysis include descriptive and inferential statistics with major emphasis on partial and multiple correlation and regression, and analysis of variance and covariance.  Knowledge of the assumptions and conditions under which statistical methods are valid, and discrimination in the selection, application, and inter­pretation of statistical tests are developed. 

541        Data Analysis II

Advanced training in multivariate data analysis is preceded by training in file construction on the Vax‑8200 computer.  Among the topics covered in this seminar are multiple factor analysis, multiple regression analysis and path analysis, time series analysis, logit‑probit and log linear analysis. The seminar con­cludes with an introduction to models used in the social sciences.  Students are expected to prepare a paper based on an original multivariate data analysis of an existing data base, utilizing the Bryn Mawr Vax‑8200 computer and SPSSX. 

543        Clinical Research

The purpose of this seminar is to prepare students to critically read, evaluate and plan psychosocial intervention research in mental health.  Drawing on selective research literature from psychotherapy, clinical social work, and mental health services research, the following are some of the issues that will be addressed:  1) efficacy and effectiveness research, including issues about the assessment of treatment fidelity and clinical outcomes; 2) some of the major knowns and unknowns about selected psychosocial interventions; 3) tensions between research and service and strategies for minimizing them; 4) selected conceptual and methodological issues in process research; 5) an an examination of the strengths and limitations of evidence-based practice for clinical social work.

546        Program Evaluation

This course is designed to give students a critical understanding of program evaluation in the human services.  The course focuses on methods for studying human service programs and policies.  The course examines:  the purposes of evaluation; the history of program evaluation; evaluation planning; design and measurement issues, evaluation methods, analyzing and interpreting data, reporting evaluation results, and ethical issues in program evaluation.  Case discussion and small-group presentations will be used to examine current issues in program evaluation.

549        Qualitative Analysis

Because qualitative research methods deal with the “why” of things, they hold tremendous appeal for researchers in social services.  But doing this kind of research well can be a real challenge, particularly at the data analysis stage.  This seminar deepens students’ understanding of qualitative research methods and sophistication in using them, either alone or in combination with quantitative methods.  We will review some important considerations in framing productive questions for qualitative research, designing qualitative studies, and collecting qualitative data.  However, the main theme of the course is how to make sense of qualitative data—how to move from documents, narratives, case records, open-ended questionnaires, taped interviews, and field notes to an analysis that reports research findings in a credible and useful form.  The course explores the philosophical assumptions and practical methodology involved in various analytic strategies for reducing and organizing qualitative data for purposes of exploration, description, theory building, hypothesis generation, and evaluation.  Students will come out of this course more aware of how they might make use of qualitative methods, and better equipped to carry a qualitative study to a successful conclusion.

551       Research Methodology I

This course considers major issues in the design and conduct of empirical research.  Students are introduced to historical trends, landmark studies, epistemological and methodological debates, and current issues in social work research. Emphasis is on developing the knowledge and skills necessary to identify relevant and manageable research topics.  Experimental and naturalistic research methods are covered, and students read and critique examples of research in these two traditions.  Integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches is considered a strength in research design. Examples of faculty research are provided to illustrate applications of research methods at all levels of social work practice.

552       Research Methodology II

This is a continuation of Research Methodology I.  Survey research and secondary analysis of data are discussed and examples are examined.  Important methodological details are then considered along with adaptations required for different types of research. Topics include: sampling, statistical power, measurement, data collection, data management, and the initial phases of data analysis. The course focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary to read research articles critically, plan and cost research proposals, develop research proposals, acquire funding, write research reports, and achieve publication of research findings.  Protection of the rights of human subjects and other ethical concerns are taken up throughout the course.

574        Theories of Social Work Practice

This seminar distinguishes professional occupations from science and academic disciplines and contrasts social work with other professions.  An examination of the intellectual history of the social work profession, including attention to the major theories and theorists of social work practice, provides the means to critically evaluate the relevance of its knowledge base to its mission and function.

575        Theories of Social Regulation

This course allows students to explore government regulation both as a concept and as a practical tool for addressing social problems.  On a theoretical level, the course examines the development of regulatory policy; dilemmas in setting regulatory standards; problems of regulatory enforcement; and the complexities of empowering citizens and communities to use their rights and protections under regulatory law.  While the primary focus is on the United States, international comparisons are also included.  The particular context for classroom discussion of these conceptual issues will be the regulation of environmental health hazards in the workplace and the community -- toxic waste, asbestos in public buildings, residential lead poisoning, and a variety of job-related health hazards.  If they wish, students may choose to apply the course's theoretical content to social welfare contexts other than occupational and environmental health.

576        Family Theory and Research

This course draws on research literature from anthropology, sociology, economics and other social science disciplines to examine fundamental and enduring issues of family function and structure.  Topics such as marriage, childcare, single parenthood, domestic economy, the concept of “normal” family functioning are explored both from an historical perspective and in their contemporary forms.  Students have an opportunity also to focus on a topic of particular interest through a major research paper.

581, 582            Tutorial

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Last modified November 2007 — Bryn Mawr College GSSWSR