Fall 2026 SOWK 430 Class 10 Weekly Email
Email sent on to SOWK 430 Fall 2026

Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn
We start moving away from our focus on the standards in week ten. This week is a primer on what you will be diving into over the next several weeks. Students will listen to a Social Work Podcast episode and begin learning the steps of ethical problem-solving. There are three case studies that students can practice implementing these steps. Students will also complete the code of ethics exam. During the lecture video the following is the agenda:
- Course content discussion (midcourse feedback and the A-03 exam)
- Introduction to the Essential Steps for Ethical Problem-Solving
- Practice applying the steps with case studies in the forums
Week 10 Objectives
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of the Code of Ethics through earning a satisfactory score on the code exam.
- Begin to utilize the Essential Steps method for addressing ethical issues.
- Utilize case studies to demonstrate critical thinking in complex circumstances.
Unit Assignments
Listen/Watch/Read
- Listen to Singer’s (2013) episode 78
- Watch my lecture video
- Look at The Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics and check out some of their articles
W-10 A-01: Asynchronous Class Engagement and Participation
The expectation is that each of your replies will be substantive and provide meaningful perspectives, contributing to the forum’s conversation and scholarship. They can relate to the prompts or build on conversations your peers share. There are five forums for this week, and you are expected to make at least 3 replies across any of the forums and read all of your peers’ replies. At least one of your replies this week should go through steps 1-4 of the essential steps for ethical problem-solving with one of the three case studies. These forums include the following:
- Start with Essential Steps for Ethical Problem-Solving (Sec 0 or Sec 2), which lays out the six-step model we use for the rest of the semester and asks about its strengths and limitations, how it compares to other approaches, and why specific standards belong in step two.
- Barsky’s six steps from the podcast episode are set beside the essential steps in Discussion Regarding Singer’s Podcast Episode (Sec 0 or Sec 2), where you can also recommend other social work podcasts or media.
- In Case Study Practice: Terminating Services (Sec 0 or Sec 2), a social worker who resigns is cut off from his clients before he can end services with them, and you work through steps 1-4 with the specific standards that apply.
- A client who has just learned he is HIV-positive and has not told his girlfriend is the dilemma students work through in Case Study Practice: Confidentiality and Protecting Third Parties (Sec 0 or Sec 2).
- The last case asks you to apply the same four steps to a man with end-stage colon cancer who asks his social worker for help ending his life, in Case Study Practice: End of Life Issues (Sec 0 or Sec 2).
A-03: NASW Code of Ethics Standards and Principles Exam
Meta: Points 100 points (20% of total points); Deadline Monday 11/02/26 at 08:00 AM; Completion via MyHeritage Assignments as an online test A-03: NASW Code of Ethics Standards and Principles Exam (Sec 0 or Sec 2)
Purpose: The NASW Code of Ethics Standards and Principles Exam measures students’ understanding of the 2021 NASW Code of Ethics and its applications.
Task: Students will work to complete an online exam regarding the NASW Code of Ethics and its standards and principles. The test is open-book, and students can use any notes they might have. The exam includes 20 prompts, including multiple-choice and true/false questions. Each question is worth five points.
Success: Students will correctly answer the questions in the exam. The results for the questions should be available after the test due date has passed. Students may take as much time as they need until the deadline. If the test is submitted prematurely, it can be reopened.
Unit Resources
The NASW Code of Ethics is available online and in your textbook and will be valuable to have nearby when you are doing your exam this week.
You can read the Essential Steps for Ethical Decision Making on the National Association of Social Workers - Massachusetts Chapter (n.d.) website or the sale NASW Press page for Reamer and Conrad (1995).
The three case studies for this week’s forums are handouts here: Case Study Practice: Terminating Services, Case Study Practice: Confidentiality and Protecting Third Parties, and Case Study Practice: End of Life Issues. Each one has the case and Reamer’s commentary from Appendix B of your textbook, Reamer (2023), along with the standards to start from and the four steps to work through.
Go to The Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics website and sign up to receive a free e-copy of the journal that comes out twice per year. It can be great way to stay current in the field. Volume two focuses a lot on social justice and anti-racist engagement. One article that I found interesting was Disney and Carnes (2022) who provide a number of specific ethical dilemmas and consider how to best respond. Feel free to browse any of the articles listed there.
All of the presentations for this class can be found at https://presentations.jacobrcampbell.com. This week’s slides are Fall 2026 SOWK 430 Week 10 - Introduction To Essential Steps for Ethical Problem-Solving.
You can watch all of the lecture videos for this class (Sec 0 or Sec 2). Please watch and complete the embedded quiz at Fall 2026 SOWK 430 Week 10 (Sec 0 or Sec 2)
I’m not sure if you all listen to podcasts. I love podcasts and listen to quite a few. I have enjoyed Jonathan Singer’s show, The Social Work Podcast for many years. He hasn’t been posting as much recently, but there is an excellent catalog of previous shows. I personally listen to podcasts using my iPhone using the Overcast app, but you can find the show using the Apple Podcasts app or Spotify or YouTube (it is just the audio). The episode I’m having you listen to this week was published in 2013 by Singer, which is Episode 78, and titled Social Work Ethics: Interview with Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD. The following are some direct links to the episode using various apps:
- Social Work Ethics: Interview with Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD - on Apple Podcasts
- Social Work Ethics: Interview with Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD on Overcast
- Social Work Ethics: Interview with Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD on YouTube
Reference
Disney, L., & Carnes, S. (2022). But culturally competent for whom? Ethics and cross-cultural dilemmas in COVID-era social work. International Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 19(2), 209-226. https://doi.org/10.55521/10-019-212
National Association of Social Workers - Massachusetts Chapter (n.d.) Essential steps for ethical problem-solving. https://www.naswma.org/page/100/Essential-Steps-for-Ethical-Problem-Solving.htm
Singer, J. (Host). (2013). Social work ethics: Interview with Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD [Audio podcast episode]. In The Social Work Podcast. https://socialworkpodcast.blogspot.com/2013/03/social-work-ethics-interview-with-allan.html
Reamer, F., Conrad, A. P., (1995) Professional choices: Ethics at work [Video]. NASW Press. Available at https://www.naswpress.org/product/53643/professional-choices
To-Do List
- Watch my lecture video and complete the embedded quiz when I post it later this week
- Listen to Singer’s (2013) episode 78
- Complete A-03: NASW Code of Ethics Standards and Principles Exam (Sec 0 or Sec 2) by 8 AM Monday 11/2
- Make three replies across any of the forums