Social Work in the 21st Century ─ An Introduction to Social Welfare, Social Issues, and the Profession

Social Work in the 21st Century is a T1 for courses called Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare. It is an overview of the Welfare system in America and it gives special attention to the role of a social worker and how they have historically interacted with the system. This book is written as an alternative to the market leader, Zastrow, which is highly dense introduction to the social welfare system and social work. The course is open to all majors and is often the course that draws students into the major of social work. This book is intended to get students excited about the profession and thinking critically about what social workers do and how they operate within the larger system.

Unique features of the text include pedagogical features such as "You be the Social Worker", "Questions to Determine your Frame of Reference", "Info tables", and detailed cases with discussion questions. All these features reviewed very well in the text, and all are going to be retained, updated and expanded in the new edition. In addition, the author will add interviews with social workers in various roles and contexts.

Reviewers made some very valuable recommendations for the new edition. They include the following:

Incorporating a greater focus on the Person in Environment perspective (unique to social work) and a greater focus on macro issues and policy. They also recommended adding more visually appealing elements such as more photos throughout the text.

A new feature will be invited essays by social workers in various roles from across the country. This will give students a first hand experience of the variety of roles social workers perform. In addition, the author will update the book to reflect recent current events, such as the historic election, the recent catastrophes and government response (since the book's publication) and will incorporate a greater emphasis on international issues. Finally, the author will give greater focus to evidence based practice and the supporting research throughout the text.

The author is also going to review the Instructor's manual and student study site carefully (previsously developed by a freelancer) and will make improvements and updates. In addition, he will provide audio lecture files for podcasts, which will bring us closer to the offerings of the market leader. Finally, he will search for films on youtube, which can linked to our student study site.