Mapping the Organizational Field of Social Welfare

Abstract

The Mapping the Organizational Field of Social Welfare activity introduces students to an organizational theory frame for thinking about social welfare. The activity and associated readings uncover the ways that social welfare provision depends on the organizational field—what kinds of organizations are part of the field and which ones have...

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Usage Notes

See *Activity Instructions* document for usage notes.

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Goal 1: Demonstrate understanding of the variety of social actors who have a stake in the field of social welfare, their roles, and how they relate to each other.
2. Goal 2: Draw on course literature to answer questions about how power is distributed in the social welfare field, as well as how this has changed over time.
3. Goal 3: Critically evaluate how the social welfare field is organized and make recommendations on how we might think about improving it to better serve individuals, families, and communities.
4. Goal 4: Expose students to the myriad of organizations involved in the provision of social welfare and ask them to reflect on their own position in the field—as beneficiaries and/or as people who may one day work in this field.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Goal 1 is assessed through a small-group activity/handout and subsequent large-group discussion about what they found in small groups. All questions on the activity handout address this learning goal.
2. Goal 2 is assessed through a small-group activity/handout and subsequent large-group discussion about what they found in small groups. Question 3 on the activity handout addresses this learning goal.
3. Goal 3 is assessed through a short reflection paper that asks students to reflect on the activity and discussion and make recommendations for improving the organizational field.
4. Goal 4 is assessed through the large-group discussion culminating in a question about how students see themselves (or their future selves) in relation to this field.