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1. Recognizing Theories in Popular Culture

http://www.westsidestory.com/site/level2/lyrics/krupke.html

(“Gee, Officer Krupke” lyrics from the famous 1950s Broadway musical and movie, West Side Story)

In this song from the famous musical, West Side Story, members of a New York City gang (considered “juvenile delinquents” at that time) act out an imagined scene with a police officer who arrests one of them. The song includes references to various professionals the youth might see, including a social worker, and alludes to several theories about the cause of juvenile delinquency.

Students are assigned to read the lyrics (and/or listen to the song) and then identify theories of juvenile delinquency mentioned in the song. Which (if any) of the theories are still considered valid? (Individual or group exercise)

* Learning Objective 2.1 Recognize their emotional and cognitive reactions to a case study

2. Recognizing That Theories Have an Impact on Services and Should Be Critiqued and Updated on an Ongoing Basis

http://www.cyf.govt.nz/documents/about-us/publications/social-work-now/social-work-now-39-apr08.pdf

A special issue of Social Work Now by Child, Youth and Family of New Zealand is devoted to social work theory.

Assign students to choose one of the articles from the journal, summarize the main ideas, and comment on the relevance of the article for current social work in the United States. (Advanced individual or group exercise)

* Learning Objective 2.3 Analyze the merits of a multitheoretical perspective to human behavior

3. What Theories Are Social Work Students Encountering in the Field?

http://www.socialworker.com/topics/winter-2016/

The winter 2016 issue of The New Social Worker: The Social Worker Careers Magazine contains several articles relevant to theories that social work students currently encounter in the field, including a book review of An Introduction to Using Theory in Social Work Practice by James Forte, published in 2014. This is a free online magazine that has many articles of interest to students.

Assign students to look at the contents of this issue and find one article or item that discusses or mentions theory relevant to an area of practice in which the student has interest. The student then reads that article or item and communicates what is significant to him or her about theory in the article or item selected in two or three written paragraphs and/or in a 3- to 4-minute report to the class.

* Learning Objective 2.3 Analyze the merits of a multitheoretical approach to human behavior