Community studies in the baccalaureate social work curriculum

This paper presents a method for baccalaureate social work students to learn about communities through intensive case studies. Examples of students' experiences studying contrasing communities in a midwestern metropolitan area are presented. Following these examples, suggstions are made for organizing and supervising community studies at the B.S.W. level. Integrating community studies into the curriculum offers several distinct advantages. First, students develop a broad understanding of the community and gain an appreciation for the rewards and challenges of community practice. Second, rather than understanding communities solely on the basis of "problems," students also identify community strengths. These strengths represent important resources for social work practice. Third, this approach encourages students to use social work skills learned in other courses, thus providing additional opportunities for professional development.