Introductory Social Research

Prerequisite: Matriculation in the MSW program This course introduces students to the role of research in social work and familiarizes students with the basic concepts and methods of social science research. It emphasizes ethical decision-making within the research process as it introduces students to research techniques including surveys, experiments, single-subject designs, qualitative methods and program evaluation. The stages of the research process including question formulation and hypothesis generation, research designs development of research instruments, and understanding findings will be addressed. Throughout, attention will be paid to the evaluation and application of existing social science research in social work practice and to the contributions made by social workers to new knowledge. Offered once annually.