Introduction to Social Work is a timely new text by a leading team of authors for introductory courses in social work. This book presents a unique framework for understanding the historical development of social work, the key figures influencing social work history, the various practice settings, and the type of work performed.á This book frames the course by social advocacy and presents all the pertinent information under the lens of social workers as client and community activists. This is a timely approach and will give a clear distinction amongst competing books. In recent years, social workers are taking a much more active approach in client and community advocacy. This involves advocacy at a clinical/client level, but also at a community, national and international level. The book begins with a definition of social work as a profession and then goes into defining social welfare and presenting social welfare history. It then presents the advocacy model which is applied to the various chapters in working with special populations. As other competing texts, the book covers working with children and families, the elderly, the physically and mentally disabled, the homeless and the criminal justice systems. However, the book goes beyond the standard coverage by including chapters on global and environmental issues, the housing crisis/economic system, and collective bargaining. These chapters are unique and willáhelp differentiate the text.áThe book is also closely aligned with CSWE′s new EPAS standards and incorporates reflective practice. This is an infusion across the curriculum to help students reflect and grow as they progress through the program. This ôdevelopmentalö approach is seen as a key strength of this proposal. Finally each chapter will begin with an opening case, will contain discussion questions, related organizations and websites and more.
Lisa E. Cox, PhD, LCSW, MSW is Professor of Social Work and Gerontology in Stockton University’s School of Social & Behavioral Science, Social Work Program. Prior to 1999, Dr. Cox held a joint appointment at Virginia Commonwealth University’s (VCU) School of Medicine and School of Social Work. For eleven years Dr. Cox served as a pioneering AIDS clinical trial social workers with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease-funded Terry Beirn Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS. Dr. Cox received BA degrees in history/political science and Spanish from Bridgewater College, and her Graduate Certificate in Aging Studies, MSW and PhD degrees from VCU. Since 2007, she has served as research chair, Fellow and Research Scholar for The Stockton Center on Successful Aging. Dr. Cox teaches undergraduate and graduate level classes in social work practice, gerontology (Aging & Spirituality; Clinical Gerontological Social Work Practice), HIV/AIDS, research, psychopathology and cultural neuroscience and she has co-led study tours to Costa Rica. She has been a faculty scholar with the national Geriatric Education Center and is a governor appointee to the New Jersey board of Social Work Examiners.
Dr. Cox is a longstanding member of the National Association of Social Workers and has shared her vast practice experience by holding numerous leadership roles within NASW: National Advisory Board member to the Spectrum HIV/AIDS Project, Chair of the Health Specialty Practice Section, Standards for Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings Task Force expert, Long-term Care Liaison to The Joint Commission on Health Care, and Unit Chairperson. Dr. Cox has presented her scholarship nationally and internationally. She has authored four other books, several book chapters and journal articles focused on health social work, gerontology, international social work, social support, and medication adherence. Leisure time is spent playing the piano and enjoying sports, films, and opera.
Carolyn J. Tice, DSW, ACSW, has been professor and associate dean of the Baccalaureate Social Work Program, School of Social Work, University of Maryland since July 2002. Her prior appointment was chair of the Department of Social Work, Ohio University, a position she held for 9 years. At Ohio University, she was the first recipient of the Presidential Teacher Award for outstanding teaching, advising, and mentoring. Currently, Dr. Tice teaches a first-year seminar and social welfare policy. She received her BSW from West Virginia University, her MSW from Temple University, and her DSW from the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked with Hmong refugees. The coauthor of four books, Dr. Tice focuses her scholarship primarily on the development of critical thinking skills and social work practice and policy from a strengths perspective. She was a site visitor for the Council on Social Work Education and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Teaching in Social Work. She serves as a book prospectus reviewer for Wadsworth Publishers and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dr. Tice was a nominee for the 2015 McGraw-Hill Excellence in Teaching First-Year Seminars Award. In 2008 she was named a Fulbright specialist and traveled to Mongolia to assist in the development of social work programs. Her other international social work experiences include program development in Portugal, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, and Botswana. Dr. Tice is a member of the Council of Social Work Education, the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors, the National Association of Social Workers, and the Social Welfare Action Alliance. For leisure, Dr. Tice operates Olde Friends, a booth in an antique store located on the southern New Jersey coastline, where she has a family home.
Dennis D. Long, PhD, ACSW, is professor in and associate dean of the College of Professional Sciences, Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio). Dr. Long previously served as professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at Xavier University, and from 2006 to 2012 was a professor and chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his BA in sociology and psychology from Ohio Northern University, his MSW from The Ohio State University, and his PhD in sociology from the University of Cincinnati. The coauthor of four other books and numerous articles, Dr. Long has focused his scholarship and teaching in the area of macro social work, with special interests in community-based and international practice. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Teaching in Social Work and is a long-standing member of the National Association of Social Workers and Council on Social Work Education. Over the years, Dr. Long has provided leadership on numerous community and national boards, including the Butler County Mental Health Board, Oesterlen Services for Youth, Charlotte Family Housing, and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry.
