Course Descriptions - Community College of Rhode Island

course descriptions
visual, perceptual and motor challenges;
language delay and hyperactivity and
become familiar with diagnostic tests and
the appropriate remediation techniques
most often prescribed. The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, along with current
changes in research and social policy,
frame discussions around eligibility for
special services, the referral process and
parental rights. (Completion of HMNS 2070
strongly recommended.) Note: Grade of “C” or
better is required for Human Services program
students. Lecture: 3 hours
HMNS 2180 - Significant Developmental
Disabilities - 3 Credits
The course provides a specialized understanding
of individuals with significant
developmental disabilities that includes a
focus on multi-sensory impairment, severe
mental retardation and profound multiple
disability. Students will learn strategies
through hands-on activities for developing
appropriate intervention and remedial
skills. Use of technology, supportive equipment
and environmental modifications
are included. (Completion of HMNS 2070
recommended.) Note: Grade of “C” or better
is required for Human Services program students.
Lecture: 3 hours
HMNS 2190 - Infant/Toddler Care:
Methods and Materials - 3 Credits
This course is designed to assist in the
planning of curriculum and care for infants
and toddlers in home and center-based
settings. Students develop skills for planning,
selecting materials and designing the
physical and social environments related
to the promotion of infant and toddler
development. (Completion of HMNS 2100
recommended.) Note: Grade of “C” or better
is required for Human Services program students.
Lecture: 3 hours
HMNS 2200 - Assessment Interviewing
for Treatment Planning - 3 Credits
This course provides an in-depth study of
the interviewing process, including methods
for creating client safety and rapport
and, most importantly, how to obtain and
assess client information. Data collection
and client assessment are the initial steps
in the social service process, therefore, this
is the first course in the social work, mental
health, gerontology and substance abuse
concentrations for teaching appropriate
intervention skills. Students are taught how
to use the interviewing process to initiate
helping strategies for use in a variety of
mental health and social service settings.
This course is a prerequisite for HMNS 1200.
Note: Grade of “C” or better is required for
Human Services program students. Lecture: 3
hours
HMNS 2210 - Family Intervention
Skills - 3 Credits
This course provides insight into the family
in contemporary society with focus on
the impact and handling of pain, trauma and
difficulty. It offers a theoretical background
for understanding family development and
examines trauma within the framework
of family theory. Students learn how to
identify the ways in which trauma impacts
the family and how those traumas may be
prevented and treated. The critical premise
upon which this course is based is that
families work as systems and that trauma
does not occur as an isolated event. (Recommended
prerequisites: PSYC 2010, HMNS
1010, 2130 or permission of instructor). Note:
Grade of “C” or better is required for Human
Services program students. Lecture: 3 hours
HMNS 2220 - Social Work Program and
Policy Analysis - 3 Credits
This course critically analyzes the values,
theories, history, economics and politics
associated with the development, implementation
and evaluation of social policies
and programs. Special attention is given
to policies in the areas of poverty, education,
health, race and sex. In addition to
understanding the forces and processes
that establish or change social policies,
emphasis is placed on the systematic analysis
of both existing and proposed social
policy. Students will review current trends
in national social policies and their effect
on state/federal programs with particular
attention to oppressed populations. This
course places heavy emphasis on critical
analysis. Students will learn to build on
their skills in analyzing and critiquing various
social policies. (Prerequisite: SOCS 1010,
HMNS 1010, 1200, 2110, 2200) Note: Grade
of “C” or better is required for Human Services
program students. Lecture: 3 hours
HMNS 2230 - Individuals, Families and
Small Groups - 3 Credits
This course examines how biological,
psychological, social and cultural influences
affect the behavior of individuals and
families. Emphasis is placed on how human
behavior is affected by social context and
the forces of oppression as well as the
impact of oppression on women, lesbians
and gay men, persons with physical disabilities
and the aged. Skills required to work
with these populations, using an ecological/
generalist person in environment approach,
are discussed. (Recommended prerequisites:
HMNS 1010, 1200, 2110, PSYC 2020, 2030
and BIOL 1010 recommended). Note: Grade
of “C” or better is required for Human Services
program students. Lecture: 3 hours
HMNS 2240 - Social Research
Methods - 3 Credits
This course provides students with instruction
in the concepts and methods used in
conducting social work research. By creating
a foundation for empirically grounded
practice, the course builds skills that will
enable students to fill the role of social
work practitioner/researcher. This course
covers practice-based problems of formu-
Prerequisite: Successful completion of course required before registering. Corequisite: Course must be taken prior to or at the same time.
human services
lation, research design, sampling, measurement,
data collection, ethical issues and
their application to social work settings.
Particular attention is given to the application
of course material for developing skills
to evaluate one’s own social work practice,
social agency programs and the research
of others. (Prerequisite: SOCS 1010, HMNS
1010, 1200, 2110) Note: Grade of “C” or better
is required for Human Services program
students. Lecture: 3 hours
HMNS 2250 - Social Systems,
Institutions and Organizations -
3 Credits
This course is designed to offer students
a sound theoretical base for social work
intervention at both the micro and macro
levels of social organization. The relationship
between “private troubles” and “public
issues” is stressed using social science
theory in conjunction with social work values
and concerns. Students also will be provided
an opportunity to learn the system
framework as a means of analyzing human
behavior. Focus is on how the experience
of class, political structure, race, ethnicity,
community and organizations influence
human behavior and are influenced by the
needs and demands of people in the society.
As a foundation course for the study
of social work practice with large groups
and communities within a generalist framework,
this course focuses on institutional
inequality and oppression. The implications
of structural inequality for human behavior
are addressed especially as they impact
various racial, ethnic and minority groups
who are likely to be consumers of social
services. The role of organizations both in
the lives of recipients as well as social service
workers are analyzed to gain a better
understanding of human behavior as it is
influenced by and reflects the larger social
structures in which it takes place. In sum,
we will look at the dynamic relationship
between the individual society and society
in the individual and underscore the per-
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