About the Program
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Under the jurisdiction of the College of Letters and Science, the School of Social Welfare administers the Undergraduate Group Major in Social Welfare leading to the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree. This liberal arts major, with a focus on the social sciences and core social welfare courses, introduces students to problems, policies, and methods in the social welfare field and allows students to test their career interest in social work before employment or graduate professional education. It also serves as a flexible pre-professional major for various other fields.
Declaring the Major
Social welfare is one of five designated capped (impacted) majors in the College of Letters & Science. As a result, not all students seeking to declare the major will be able to do so. A limit of 130 students can be declared each year. Freshman-entry students, those who began their first year of college at UC Berkeley, are declared on a first-come, first-served basis once they have completed the program’s prerequisites. Since declarations are processed in chronological order, interested students should contact Sherman Boyson, the Undergraduate Adviser, in 129 Haviland Hall, as early as possible during the semester that their prerequisites will be completed. Students should complete their prerequisites by the end of their third semester in order to be assured of a place in the major.
Transfer students should complete the prerequisites at their community college and list social welfare as their intended major when they apply for admission to UC Berkeley. Once accepted, they should attend one of the Cal Student Orientations (CalSO) that are held in June and July and meet with the undergraduate adviser during the orientation in order to declare. Students should bring to the orientation their transcripts that verify the completion of the prerequisites (unofficial copies are acceptable). Transfer students unable to attend CalSO should contact Sherman Boyson directly. Transfer students who do not list Social Welfare as their intended major will only be allowed to declare if room is available to accommodate such students.
College of Letters & Science policy requires freshman-entry students to declare an impacted major before they earn 80 units including units in progress. Transfer students must declare an impacted major before their first semester at UC Berkeley has been completed.
Honors Program
The honors program in social welfare provides an opportunity for qualified undergraduates to investigate thoroughly an area of interest, to work closely with a faculty member, and to produce a paper of some magnitude. Students who meet the eligibility requirements, which include a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) overall and in the major and completion of SOC WEL 110 and SOC WEL 112, may enroll in H195 in their senior year. The fall H195 (one unit) is a two-hour biweekly seminar addressing topic identification, library research, and the preparation of an annotated bibliography and essay prospectus. The spring H195 (three units) is an individual tutorial in which students prepare the honors essay under the supervision of their faculty essay advisers.
Minor Program
There is no minor program in Social Welfare.
Major Requirements
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
- All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for graded credit, other than courses listed which are offered on a Pass/No Pass basis only. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
- No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters and Science.
- A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper- and lower-division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Upper-division Requirements
Core Courses | ||
SOC WEL 110 | Social Work As a Profession | 3 |
SOC WEL 112 | Social Welfare Policy | 3 |
SOC WEL 114 | Practice in Social Work | 3 |
SOC WEL 116 | Current Topics in Social Welfare | 2 |
Social Science Electives | ||
Select a minimum of five approved social science and/or related electives from other departments, for a minimum 12 units (see below for further information) |
Social Science Electives
A minimum of five approved social science electives, totaling at least 18 units. At least three of the five must be selected from a primary social science department. The remaining 2 may come from either a primary or a secondary department.
Approved Primary Social Sciences Courses
ANTHRO 112 | Special Topics in Biological Anthropology | 4 |
ANTHRO 115 | Introduction to Medical Anthropology | 4 |
ANTHRO 119 | Special Topics in Medical Anthropology | 4 |
ANTHRO 121AC | American Material Culture | 4 |
ANTHRO 139 | Controlling Processes | 4 |
ANTHRO 141 | Comparative Society | 4 |
ANTHRO 142 | Kinship and Family | 4 |
ANTHRO 147A | Anthropology of Gender | 4 |
ANTHRO C147B | Sexuality, Culture, and Colonialism | 4 |
ANTHRO 149 | Psychological Anthropology | 4 |
ANTHRO 156B | Culture and Power | 4 |
ANTHRO 157 | Anthropology of Law | 4 |
ANTHRO 158 | Religion and Anthropology | 4 |
ECON 100A | Economic Analysis--Micro | 4 |
ECON 100B | Economic Analysis--Macro | 4 |
ECON 101A | Economic Theory--Micro | 4 |
ECON 101B | Economic Theory--Macro | 4 |
ECON 105 | History of Economic Thought | 4 |
ECON C110 | Game Theory in the Social Sciences | 4 |
ECON 113 | American Economic History | 4 |
ECON 115 | The World Economy in the Twentieth Century | 4 |
ECON 119 | Psychology and Economics | 4 |
ECON 121 | Industrial Organization and Public Policy | 4 |
ECON C125 | Environmental Economics | 4 |
ECON 131 | Public Economics | 4 |
ECON 151 | Labor Economics | 4 |
ECON 152 | Wage Theory and Policy | 4 |
ECON 153 | Labor Economics Seminar | 4 |
ECON 155 | Urban Economics | 3 |
ECON 157 | Health Economics | 4 |
ECON C171 | Economic Development | 4 |
ECON 174 | Global Poverty and Impact Evaluation | 4 |
ECON C175 | Economic Demography | 3 |
POL SCI 102 | The American Presidency | 4 |
POL SCI 103 | Congress | 4 |
POL SCI 104 | Political Parties | 4 |
POL SCI 105 | The Politician | 4 |
POL SCI 106A | American Politics: Campaign Strategy - Media | 4 |
POL SCI 118AC | Three American Cultures | 4 |
POL SCI 122A | Politics of European Integration | 4 |
POL SCI C131A | Applied Econometrics and Public Policy | 4 |
POL SCI C135 | Game Theory in the Social Sciences | 4 |
POL SCI 137A | Revolutionary Change | 4 |
POL SCI 138A | Course Not Available | 4 |
POL SCI 138D | Course Not Available | 4 |
POL SCI 138E | The Varieties of Capitalism: Political Economic Systems of the World | 4 |
POL SCI 138F | Course Not Available | 4 |
POL SCI 147G | The Welfare State in Comparative Perspective | 4 |
POL SCI 150 | The American Legal System | 4 |
POL SCI 157A | Constitutional Law of the United States | 4 |
POL SCI 157B | Constitutional Law of the United States | 4 |
POL SCI 161 | Public Opinion, Voting and Participation | 4 |
POL SCI 164A | Political Psychology and Involvement | 4 |
POL SCI 171 | California Politics | 4 |
POL SCI 175A | Urban and Metropolitan Government and Politics | 4 |
POL SCI 181 | Public Organization and Administration | 4 |
POL SCI 183 | Course Not Available | 4 |
POL SCI 186 | Course Not Available | 4 |
PSYCH C105 | Course Not Available | |
PSYCH 106 | Psychology of Dreams | 4 |
PSYCH 109 | History of Psychology | 3 |
PSYCH 112 | Course Not Available | 4 |
PSYCH 119 | Course Not Available | 3 |
PSYCH 120 | Course Not Available | 4 |
PSYCH C129 | Scientific Approaches to Consciousness | 3 |
PSYCH 130 | Clinical Psychology | 3 |
PSYCH 131 | Developmental Psychopathology | 3 |
PSYCH 132AC | Course Not Available | 4 |
PSYCH 133 | Psychology of Sleep | 3 |
PSYCH 136 | Human Sexuality | 3 |
PSYCH 138 | Course Not Available | 4 |
PSYCH 140 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
PSYCH 141 | Development During Infancy | 3 |
PSYCH 146 | Developmental and Biological Processes in Attachment | 3 |
PSYCH 150 | Psychology of Personality | 3 |
PSYCH 156 | Human Emotion | 3 |
PSYCH 160 | Social Psychology | 3 |
PSYCH 163 | Course Not Available | 4 |
PSYCH 164 | Social Cognition | 3 |
PSYCH 166AC | Cultural Psychology | 3 |
PSYCH 167AC | Stigma and Prejudice | 3 |
PSYCH 180 | Industrial-Organizational Psychology | 3 |
SOC WEL 107 | Foundations, Philanthropy, and the Social Services: Grant Writing for Program Development | 3 |
SOC WEL 148 | Substance Abuse Treatment | 2 |
SOC WEL 174 | Immigrants in the U.S.: Issues of Identity, Conflict, and Adaptation | 2 |
SOC WEL 175AC | The Dialogue of Diversity: Deciphering the Cues and Codes of Intercultural Communication | 3 |
SOC WEL 180 | Course Not Available | 3 |
SOC WEL 186 | Domestic Violence | 4 |
SOC WEL 174AC | Immigrants in the U.S.: Identity, Conflict, and Accommodation | 3 |
SOC WEL 200 | Theories for Multilevel Practice (series MSW courses may be used as a Primary Elective) | 2 |
SOCIOL 110 | Organizations and Social Institutions | 4 |
SOCIOL 111 | Sociology of the Family | 4 |
SOCIOL 111C | Sociology of Childhood | 4 |
SOCIOL 111P | Families, Inequality and Social Policy | 4 |
SOCIOL C112 | Sociology of Religion | 4 |
SOCIOL 113AC | Sociology of Education | 4 |
SOCIOL 114 | Sociology of Law | 4 |
SOCIOL 115 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 116 | Sociology of Work | 4 |
SOCIOL 117 | Sport As a Social Institution | 4 |
SOCIOL 120 | Economy and Society | 4 |
SOCIOL 121 | Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Social and Cultural Context | 4 |
SOCIOL 123 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 124 | Sociology of Poverty | 4 |
SOCIOL 126 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 127 | Development and Globalization | 4 |
SOCIOL 128 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 130AC | Social Inequalities: American Cultures | 4 |
SOCIOL 131A | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 131AC | Race and Ethnic Relations: U.S. American Cultures | 4 |
SOCIOL 131F | Four Centuries of Racial Vision and Division in the U.S. | 4 |
SOCIOL 133 | Sociology of Gender | 4 |
SOCIOL 135 | Sexual Cultures | 4 |
SOCIOL 136 | Urban Sociology | 4 |
SOCIOL 137AC | Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment | 4 |
SOCIOL 139 | Selected Topics in Social Inequality | 4 |
SOCIOL 140 | Politics and Social Change | 4 |
SOCIOL 141 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 145 | Social Change | 4 |
SOCIOL 145AC | Social Change: American Cultures | 4 |
SOCIOL 145L | Social Change in Latin America | 4 |
SOCIOL 146 | Contemporary Immigration in Global Perspective | 4 |
SOCIOL 148 | Social Policy | 4 |
SOCIOL 150 | Social Psychology | 4 |
SOCIOL 150A | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 151 | Personality and Social Structure | 4 |
SOCIOL 152 | Deviance and Social Control | 4 |
SOCIOL 160 | Sociology of Culture | 4 |
SOCIOL 165 | Social Networks | 4 |
SOCIOL 166 | Society and Technology | 4 |
SOCIOL 167 | Virtual Communities/Social Media | 4 |
SOCIOL 169 | Selected Topics in Sociology of Culture | 4 |
SOCIOL 180C | Comparative Perspectives on U.S. and European Societies: Culture | 4 |
SOCIOL 180I | Comparative Perspectives on U.S. and European Societies: Inequality | 4 |
SOCIOL 181 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 183 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 184 | Course Not Available | 4 |
SOCIOL 186 | American Society | 4 |
SOCIOL 189 | Selected Topics in Comparative Perspectives | 4 |
Approved Secondary Social Science Courses
AFRICAM 107 | Race and Public Policy | 3 |
AFRICAM 109 | Black and Male in American Life | 3 |
AFRICAM 111 | Race, Class, and Gender in the United States | 3 |
AFRICAM 116 | Slavery and African American Life Before 1865 | 4 |
AFRICAM 117 | African Americans in the Industrial Age, 1865-1970 | 4 |
AFRICAM 121 | Black Political Life in the United States | 4 |
AFRICAM 122 | African American Families in American Society | 3 |
AFRICAM 124 | Course Not Available | 4 |
AFRICAM 125 | History of the Civil Rights Movement | 4 |
AFRICAM 126 | Course Not Available | 4 |
AFRICAM 131 | Caribbean Societies and Cultures | 3 |
AFRICAM C132 | Course Not Available | |
AFRICAM C133A | Race, Identity, and Culture in Urban Schools | 3 |
AFRICAM 137 | Multicultural Communities | 3 |
AFRICAM 138 | Black Nationalism | 4 |
AFRICAM 139 | Selected Topics of African American Social Organization and Institutions | 1-4 |
AMERSTD 101 | Examining U.S. Cultures in Time | 4 |
AMERSTD 102 | Examining U.S. Cultures in Place | 4 |
ASAMST 120 | Course Not Available | 4 |
ASAMST 121 | Chinese American History | 4 |
ASAMST 122 | Japanese American History | 4 |
ASAMST 123 | Korean American History | 4 |
ASAMST 124 | Filipino American History | 4 |
ASAMST 125 | Contemporary Issues of Southeast Asian Refugees in the U.S | 4 |
ASAMST 126 | Southeast Asian Migration and Community Formation | 4 |
ASAMST 127 | South Asian American Historical and Contemporary Issues | 4 |
ASAMST 128AC | Muslims in America | 4 |
ASAMST 130 | Course Not Available | 4 |
ASAMST 141 | Law in the Asian American Community | 4 |
ASAMST 143 | Asian American Health | 3 |
ASAMST 145 | Course Not Available | 4 |
ASAMST 146 | Asian Americans and Education | 4 |
ASAMST 150 | Gender and Generation in Asian American Families | 4 |
ASAMST 151 | Asian American Women: Theory and Experience | 4 |
UGBA 107 | The Social, Political, and Ethical Environment of Business | 3 |
UGBA 170 | Ethical Leadership in Business | 2 |
CHICANO 135A | Latino Narrative Film: to the 1980s | 4 |
CHICANO 135B | Latino Narrative Film Since 1990 | 4 |
CHICANO 145 | Course Not Available | 4 |
CHICANO 150A | Course Not Available | 4 |
CHICANO 150B | History of the Southwest: Mexican-United States War to Present | 4 |
CHICANO 159 | Mexican Immigration | 4 |
CHICANO 161 | Central American Peoples and Cultures | 4 |
CHICANO 165 | Cuba, the United States and Cuban Americans | 4 |
CHICANO 172 | Chicanos and the Educational System | 4 |
CHICANO 174 | Chicanos, Law, and Criminal Justice | 4 |
CHICANO 176 | Chicanos and Health Care | 3 |
CHICANO 179 | Course Not Available | 3 |
CHICANO 180 | Topics in Chicano Studies | 3 |
CY PLAN 110 | Introduction to City Planning | 4 |
CY PLAN 111 | Introduction to Housing: An International Survey | 3 |
CY PLAN 113B | Community and Economic Development | 3 |
CY PLAN 114 | Introduction to Urban and Regional Transportation | 3 |
CY PLAN 118AC | The Urban Community | 4 |
CY PLAN 119 | Planning for Sustainability | 3 |
CY PLAN 120 | Community Planning and Public Policy for Disability | 3 |
DEMOG 145AC | The American Immigrant Experience | 4 |
DEMOG C164 | Impact of Government Policies on Poor Children and Families | 4 |
DEMOG C165 | Family and Household in Comparative Perspective | 3 |
DEMOG C175 | Economic Demography | 3 |
EDUC 114A | Early Development and Education | 4 |
EDUC 140AC | Literacy: Individual and Societal Development | 3 |
EDUC 181 | Course Not Available | 4 |
EDUC 182AC | The Politics of Educational Inequality | 4 |
EDUC 185 | Gender and Education: International Perspectives | 3 |
EDUC 186AC | The Southern Border | 4 |
EDUC 187 | Course Not Available | 4 |
EDUC 189 | Democracy and Education | 4 |
EDUC 190 | Critical Studies in Education | 4 |
EDUC 191P | Course Not Available | 4 |
EDUC C193B | Course Not Available | |
ESPM 161 | Environmental Philosophy and Ethics | 4 |
ESPM 163AC | Environmental Justice: Race, Class, Equity, and the Environment | 4 |
ESPM C167 | Environmental Health and Development | 4 |
ETH STD 126 | Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality | 4 |
ETH STD 130 | The Making of Multicultural America: A Comparative Historical Perspective | 4 |
ETH STD 135 | Contemporary U.S. Immigration | 4 |
ETH STD 136 | Immigrant Women | 4 |
ETH STD 141 | Racial Politics in America | 4 |
ETH STD 144AC | Racism and the U.S. Law: Historical Treatment of Peoples of Color | 4 |
ETH STD 147 | Women of Color in the United States | 4 |
ETH STD 150 | People of Mixed Racial Descent | 4 |
ETH STD 159AC | The Southern Border | 4 |
GWS 100AC | Women in American Culture | 3 |
GWS 103 | Identities Across Difference | 4 |
GWS 111 | Special Topics (Requires advance approval) | 1-4 |
GWS 130AC | Gender, Race, Nation, and Health | 4 |
GWS 139 | Women, Gender, and Work | 4 |
GWS 143 | Women, Proverty, and Globalization | 4 |
GWS C146 | Course Not Available | |
GPP 115 | Global Poverty: Challenges and Hopes in the New Millennium | 4 |
HMEDSCI C133 | Death, Dying, and Modern Medicine: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives | 4 |
HMEDSCI 150 | Introduction to Aging Issues and Opportunities in Aging Professions | 2 |
HISTORY 111B | Topics in the History of Southest Asia: Modern Southeast Asia | 4 |
HISTORY 111C | Topics in the History of Southest Asia: Political and Cultural History of Vietnam | 4 |
HISTORY 114B | India: Modern South Asia | 4 |
HISTORY 120AC | American Environmental and Cultural History | 4 |
HISTORY 125A | History of African-Americans and Race Relations in the United States: The History of Black People and Race Relations, 1550-1861 | 4 |
HISTORY 125B | History of African-Americans and Race Relations in the United States: Soul Power: African American History 1861-1980 | 4 |
HISTORY 127AC | California | 4 |
HISTORY 131B | Social History of the United States: Creating Modern American Society: From the End of the Civil War to the Global Age | 4 |
HISTORY 136 | Gender Matters in 20th Century America | 4 |
HISTORY 137AC | The Repeopling of America | 4 |
HISTORY 139B | Course Not Available | 4 |
HISTORY 139C | Course Not Available | 4 |
HISTORY 140B | Mexico: Modern Mexico | 4 |
HISTORY 141B | Social History of Latin America: Social History of Modern Latin America | 4 |
HISTORY 146 | Latin American Women | 4 |
ISF 100A | Introduction to Social Theory and Cultural Analysis | 4 |
ISF 100B | Introduction to Social Theory and Cultural Analysis | 4 |
LEGALST 102 | Policing and Society | 4 |
LEGALST 132AC | Immigration and Citizenship | 4 |
LEGALST 145 | Law and Economics I | 4 |
LEGALST 147 | Law and Economics II | 4 |
LEGALST 151 | Law, Self, and Society | 3 |
LEGALST 155 | Government and the Family | 4 |
LEGALST 160 | Punishment, Culture, and Society | 4 |
LEGALST 163 | Adolescence, Crime and Juvenile Justice | 4 |
LEGALST 168 | Sex, Reproduction and the Law | 4 |
LEGALST 170 | Crime and Criminal Justice | 4 |
LEGALST 181 | Psychology and the Law | 4 |
LEGALST 182 | Law, Politics and Society | 4 |
LEGALST 184 | Sociology of Law | 4 |
LEGALST 186 | Course Not Available | 4 |
LEGALST 187 | Course Not Available | 4 |
LGBT 100 | Special Topics | 4 |
LGBT 145 | Interpreting the Queer Past: Methods and Problems in the History of Sexuality | 4 |
LGBT 146 | Cultural Representations of Sexuality | 4 |
LGBT C146A | Cultural Representations of Sexualities: Queer Literary Culture | 4 |
LGBT C147B | Sexuality, Culture, and Colonialism | 4 |
LGBT C148 | Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality | 4 |
NATAMST 100 | Native American Law | 4 |
NATAMST 101 | Native American Tribal Governments | 4 |
NATAMST 104 | Course Not Available | 4 |
NATAMST 149 | Gender in Native American Society | 4 |
NATAMST 176 | History of Native Americans in the Southwest | 4 |
NATAMST 178AC | Africans in Indian Country | 4 |
NATAMST 190 | Seminar on Advanced Topics in Native American Studies | 1-4 |
PACS 125AC | War, Culture, and Society | 4 |
PACS 126 | International Human Rights | 4 |
PACS 150 | Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice | 3 |
PACS 154 | Multicultural Conflict Resolution | 4 |
PACS 164A | Introduction to Nonviolence | 3 |
PACS 170 | Conflict Resolution, Social Change, and the Cultures of Peace | 4 |
ART 165 | Art, Medicine, and Disabilities | 4 |
PB HLTH 103 | Drugs, Health, and Society | 2 |
PB HLTH 105 | Policy, Planning, and Evaluation of Health Promotion in a College Setting | 3 |
PB HLTH 107 | Violence, Social Justice, and Public Health | 2 |
PB HLTH 113 | Campus/Community Health Impact Program | 3 |
PB HLTH 112 | Global Health: A Multidisciplinary Examination | 4 |
PB HLTH 114 | Course Not Available | 4 |
PB HLTH 126 | Health Economics and Public Policy | 3 |
PB HLTH 130AC | Course Not Available | 4 |
PB HLTH 131AC | Course Not Available | 4 |
PB HLTH 150A | Introduction to Epidemiology and Human Disease | 4 |
PB HLTH 150D | Introduction to Health Policy and Management | 3 |
PB HLTH 150E | Introduction to Community Health and Human Development | 3 |
PB HLTH C155 | Sociology of Health and Medicine | 4 |
PB HLTH 180 | The Evolution of Human Sexuality | 2 |
PB HLTH 181 | Poverty and Population | 3 |
PB HLTH 183 | The History of Medicine, Public Health, and the Allied Health Sciences | 3 |
PUB POL 101 | Introduction to Public Policy Analysis | 4 |
PUB POL 103 | Wealth and Poverty | 4 |
PUB POL 117AC | Race, Ethnicity, and Public Policy | 4 |
PUB POL 156 | Program and Policy Design | 4 |
PUB POL C164 | Impact of Government Policies on Poor Children and Families | 4 |
PUB POL 179 | Public Budgeting | 4 |
PUB POL 184 | Course Not Available | 4 |
PUB POL 190 | Special Topics in Public Policy | 1-4 |
RHETOR 152AC | Race and Order in the New Republic | 4 |
UGIS 110 | Introduction to Disability Studies | 3 |
UGIS 112 | Women and Disability | 3 |
UGIS C132 | Course Not Available | |
UGIS C133 | Death, Dying, and Modern Medicine: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives | 4 |
Supplemental Units
Students who choose 5 Social Science Electives which do not total 18 units will need additional coursework to supplement the 5 electives. Supplemental units can be chosen from the approved courses in either a primary or a secondary social science department, from elective Social Welfare coursework, group study, or community service units. Courses for supplemental units may be taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.
College Requirements
Undergraduate students in the College of Letters and Science must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.
For detailed lists of courses that fulfill college requirements, please see the College of Letters and Sciences page in this bulletin.
Entry Level Writing
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing Requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley.
American History and American Institutions
The American History and Institutions requirements are based on the principle that a U.S. resident graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
American Cultures
American Cultures is the one requirement that all undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.
Quantitative Reasoning
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course.
Foreign Language
The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work.
Reading and Composition
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing and critical thinking the College requires two semesters of lower division work in composition. Students must complete a first-level reading and composition course by the end of their second semester and a second-level course by the end of their fourth semester.
Breadth Requirements
The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.
Unit Requirements
-
120 total units, including at least 60 L&S units
-
Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units
- Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements
For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters and Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes here for four years. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you go abroad for a semester or year or want to take courses at another institution or through University Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to see an adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.
Senior Residence Requirement
After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.
You may use a Berkeley summer session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence Requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the College.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) or the UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence Requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.
Upper Division Residence Requirement
You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding EAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.
Student Learning Goals
Mission
The undergraduate social welfare major reflects the School’s goal to provide students with a broad-based introduction to America’s social welfare problems and social policies within a social science context.
Students gain knowledge of organized networks of public and private social services, and the basic practice methods associated with the social work profession.
In doing so, students acquire the knowledge needed to understand, address, and actively participate in the amelioration of critical social problems in American Society.
Students in the undergraduate group major learn about the foundations of social welfare through substantive areas taught in the four core courses: SW110: Introduction to the Profession of Social Work; SW112: Social Welfare Policy; SW114: Social Welfare Practice; and, SW116: Current Topics in Social Welfare.
Learning Goals for the Major
- Provide an overview of the field of social welfare within the context of the major social science disciplines (e.g., sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, and political science) as part of a liberal arts program
- Provide an overview of the history and domains of the social work with attention to cultural competence (e.g., racism, discrimination, difference sensitivity, acceptance and tolerance)
- Provide an overview of the welfare state as a collective enterprise addressing human need through a description of social welfare policies (e.g., public assistance, social security, child welfare and child protection, mental health and health care) and practices (e.g., case management, community advocacy, family support, crisis intervention)
- Foster the intellectual resources and critical thinking skills relevant to a wide range of careers and civic responsibilities
Courses
Social Welfare
SOC WEL 10 An Introduction to American Social Welfare in World Context 2 Units
This course will consider the U.S. social welfare system in comparison with systems in other parts of the world, including Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. It will examine the history and role of "welfare," "the welfare state," and the social work profession in the U.S. and in other countries and will consider key issues in contemporary social work practice. Topics such as discrimination, economic deprivation, and oppression and their effects on people of color, women, and gay and lesbian people will be highlighted.
SOC WEL 20 Confronting America's Social Problems 2 Units
America's recognition of and response to major social problems usually involves a mix of hyperbole and denial, inaction and innovation, volunteerism and professionalization, feasts and famines of resources, media applause and attack, and unsustained successes and long-term failures. What is usually lacking is a consistent, thoughtful effort. Yet help is given and lives are changed, for better and sometimes worse. Social Welfare 20 considers the American approach to social problems through an examination of issues such as substance abuse, mental illness, poverty and inequality, homelessness, family violence, and child maltreatment. Each area will be explored in terms of history, causes and dimensions, and human service and social policy responses.
SOC WEL 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment is limited to 15 freshmen.
SOC WEL 97 Field Studies in Social Welfare 1 - 3 Units
Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of social welfare in off-campus non-profit and governmental organizations.
SOC WEL 98 Group Study in Social Welfare 1 - 3 Units
Group study on selected social welfare topics. Open to freshmen and sophomores.
SOC WEL 98BC Berkeley Connect in Social Welfare 1 Unit
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.
SOC WEL 105 Introduction to Child Welfare in California and the U.S. 2 Units
This course introduces students to the purpose, functions, and programs of the public child welfare system in the United States, with a particular focus on California, in a historical context, and with an emphasis on social justice and diversity concerns in policy-making and service delivery. The course explores U.S. child welfare history/historical traumas, cultural and diversity issues, ethical considerations, mandated reporting of suspected child maltreatment, family and kinship supports, allied community services, causes for child removals and returns to families, judicial involvement, sibling-group placements, foster care, emancipation from the system, first-person guest speaker accounts, and policy-level interventions.
Course explores the role of philanthropy, foundations, and proposal development in American society. A grant writing exercise in a Bay Area community agency is required.
SOC WEL 110 Social Work As a Profession 3 Units
This course examines social work as a profession: the practice of the profession, the organizational context of professional practice, and the ethics of the profession.
SOC WEL 112 Social Welfare Policy 3 Units
Analysis of social welfare policies and programs including public assistance, social insurance, social services, and health and mental health.
SOC WEL 114 Practice in Social Work 3 Units
An introduction to the basic skills of interpersonal helping and problem solving and to related theory and research.
SOC WEL 114AC Practice in Social Work 3 Units
An introduction to the basic skills of interpersonal helping and problem solving and to related theory and research.
SOC WEL 116 Current Topics in Social Welfare 2 Units
Course examines current problems and issues in the field of social welfare.
SOC WEL 148 Substance Abuse Treatment 2 Units
Provides an overview of theoretical perspectives and practice models in the substance abuse field. Addresses issues of misuse and addiction, impacts on the family, and the range of intervention modalities including prevention and treatment. Students will also become familiar with alcohol and drug related problems including mental disorders, HIV/AIDS, and criminal behavior.
SOC WEL 150L Sexuality and Social Work 2 Units
This course introduces the developmental, psychological and environmental issues related to sexuality at different stages in life, and in different social service venues. It includes an introduction to the strengths perspective, exploration of heterosexist aspects of society, policies related to a person’s sexuality and gender, and ethics and diversity issues often arising in work with sexual minorities. Variability within sexual culture is addressed, introducing students to the strengths of the LGBT community, the experience of growing up and discovering sexuality, and how research and practice models define homosexuality in relation to human sexuality and development. Issues of sexuality in specific social work settings are addressed.
SOC WEL 155 Finding Individual Donors for Human Service Agencies 2 Units
Students will leave this course understanding how nonprofits decide what fundraising strategies to pursue and will have a broad knowledge of a variety of fundraising strategies with particular emphasis on raising money from individual donors. Students will be familiar with the most common strategies employed by human service agencies such as personal solicitation, direct mail, on-line, and special events. In addition, they will be briefly introduced to planning giving and capital campaign fundraising. In addition students will understand the psychology of giving and receiving and feel more comfortable asking for money in person. Each student will apply the knowledge they learn in class to a nonprofit where they work or volunteer.
SOC WEL 174 Immigrants in the U.S.: Issues of Identity, Conflict, and Adaptation 2 Units
Course examines the history, character, and consequences of U.S. immigration, focusing on issues of identity, conflict, and adaptation. Topics include the social and psychological experiences of immigrants, global migration patterns, theories of transnationalism and migration, and the public response to immigration and immigrants. The perspectives of African, Asian, Latino, and European migrants will be explored.
SOC WEL 174AC Immigrants in the U.S.: Identity, Conflict, and Accommodation 3 Units
Course examines the history, character, and consequences of U.S. immigration, focusing on issues of identity, conflict, and adaptation. Topics include the social and psychological experiences of immigrants, global migration patterns, theories of transnationalism and migration, and the public response to immigration and immigrants. The perspectives of African, Asian, Latino, and European migrants will be explored.
Learning more about the diversity of American culture often does not increase our ability to understand and get along with one another. Multi-cultural (African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and European Americans) educational and workplace environments are fraught with conflicts in which persons find their peers to be disrespectful, aloof, or inappropriately familiar. The course will explore assumptions, attitudes, and beliefs and how they influence how we relate to each other and how we conceive of fairness, entitlement, respect, and oppression.
SOC WEL 186 Domestic Violence 2 Units
This course will investigate the phenomenon of domestic violence in the United States from historical, psychological, sociological, anthropological, legal, feminist, and cross-cultural perspectives. We will study the impact this social problem has on families, relevant theories of causation, the merits of related services and interventions, and the experiences of diverse populations.
SOC WEL H195 Senior Honors Course 1 - 3 Units
Preparation of an honors thesis.
SOC WEL 197 Field Studies in Social Welfare 1 - 3 Units
Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of social welfare in off-campus organizations. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required.
SOC WEL 198 Group Study for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 3 Units
Group study on selected social welfare topics.
SOC WEL 198BC Berkeley Connect in Social Welfare 1 Unit
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate.
SOC WEL 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 3 Units
Enrollment is restricted by regulations specified in the
Faculty
Professors
Michael J Austin, Professor. Strategic planning, social welfare, social service management, organizational development.
Research Profile
Jill Duerr Berrick, Professor. Family policy, child and family poverty, child abuse and neglect, foster care, kinship care, Child welfare services.
Research Profile
Jeffrey L Edleson, PhD, Professor. Program evaluation, family violence, child maltreatment, engaging men, violence prevention.
Research Profile
Eileen Gambrill, Professor. Social welfare, professional ethics and education, social learning theory, behavioral methods.
Research Profile
Neil Gilbert, Professor. Social welfare, comparative welfare state analysis, child welfare, evaluation research, family policy, social security.
Research Profile
James Midgley, Professor. Development, social development, social policy, community development, International social welfare, global poverty and inequality.
Research Profile
Kurt C. Organista, Professor. Social welfare, race/ethnicity, HIV prevention, social behavior.
Research Profile
Steven P. Segal, Professor. Psychiatry, methodology, social welfare, mental health and social policy.
Research Profile
Jennifer Skeem, Professor.
Associate Professors
Julian Chow, Associate Professor. East Asian studies, social welfare, community practice and service delivery in urban poverty, ethnic, and immigrant neighborhoods, community analysis and needs assessment, program planning and development, and cultural competency services.
Research Profile
Susan Irene Stone, Associate Professor. School-based psycho-social services, school-effects, archival data analysis.
Research Profile
Assistant Professors
Adrian Aguilera, Assistant Professor. Culture, SES and mental health; mental health services research in low-income populations; Latino & minority mental health; Health disparities; cognitive-behavioral therapy for depression; mobile technology (mHealth) and mental health.
Research Profile
Anu Manchikanti Gomez, PhD, Assistant Professor.
Valerie Shapiro, Assistant Professor.
Paul R Sterzing, Assistant Professor.
Lecturers
Claudia L Albano, Lecturer.
Valerie R Edwards, Lecturer.
Barbara L Ivins, Lecturer.
Amanda E. Reiman, PhD, Lecturer.
Barrie Robinson, Lecturer.
Stanley B Taubman, Lecturer.
Contact Information
Academic Coordinator, Director of Admissions and Student Affairs
Bob Teague
Phone: 510-642-8535