Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Introduction to Human Services Professions (Face-to-Face)

PSY 2000-01

Course: PSY 2000-01
Credits: 1
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSY
CRN: 30740

Course Description

This course explores helping professions in the human services. We explore career and professional development and examine professional duties, licensing laws, and educational requirements for careers in social work, counseling, health and human services, child and family services, corrections, and other human service professions. (Fall [As Needed], Spring [As Needed]) [Graded (Standard Letter)]

The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the helping professions in the human services as well as explore career identity development processes. We will examine professional duties, licensing laws, and educational requirements for careers in social work, counseling, health and human services, child and family services, substance abuse, and other human service professions. We will explore motivations and pathways to successful careers in these fields as well as discuss values, goals, and perspectives of human services professionals.

Required Texts

There are no required textbooks for this course.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World - Become familiar with occupational duties and licensing requirements for professions.
  2. Information Literacy - Learn to engage in the process of locating and collecting information necessary to advance a career objective.
  3. Lifelong Learning - Engage in the career exploration process, critically thinking about career choices and reflecting on personal values and goals.

Course Requirements

Grading Scale

A = 100-94% B+ = <90-87% C+ = <80-77% D+ = <70-67% F < 61%

A- = <94-90% B = <87-84% C = <77-74% D = <67-64%

B- = <84-80% C- = <74-70% D- = <64-61%

Grade Components

  • Career Interest Essay (Step 1) — 10%
  • Career Interview (Step 2) — 20%
  • Career Interest Presentatio n (Step 4) — 40%
  • Current Event Discussion Topic — 15%
  • Attendance & Participation — 15%
  • Total — 100%

Please be aware that Canvas provides ESTIMATES of grades. Based on what has/has not been graded, Canvas may be significantly over or under estimating grades. For accuracy, please be in regular communication with me.

ASSIGNMENTS & EXAMS

Career Interest Project: An important part of this course is to stimulate thinking about your future. The goal of this assignment is to help you become comfortable talking with professionals in the field of human services as well as to begin exploring specific career goals and strategies to start preparing for a career. If you are undecided about a career option, this assignment will give you the chance to research some of the areas that interest you.

STEP 1 (10 points): Identifying a career and potential interview. Details on Canvas.

STEP 2 (20 points): Conduct a live interview, by phone/Skype/Zoom or in person, include questions about ins and outs, things you wouldn’t normally know about the profession, benefits and drawbacks, etc. Details on Canvas.

STEP 3 (not an assignment, but important): Access Career Services and other sources of information on a career which you may wish to pursue. Find information on training, prospective future employment, salary, working conditions, necessary qualifications, licensing requirements, etc. Develop a plan to enter this career. Include what steps you must take now (while in college) and what steps will be necessary after you graduate in order to pursue this career. The Occupational Outlook Handbook had a lot of good information on these careers.

Final Presentation: (40 points) Present on what career you investigated, what did you learn, etc. Details on Canvas

Feedback: (10 points) All students need to watch everyone else’s presentation and provide feedback to them. Details on Canvas

Current Events Assignment: (15 points) The purpose of this assignment is to generate discussion and reflection on how a human services professional may have different perspectives about current events. You will be exploring how your own perspective and reactions may be different depending on what career you find yourself in. These will be generally in class, though some may be online to be completed by the next class meeting. Details and sign ups on Canvas.

Any assignments must be typed, double-spaced, and spell-checked. Regular 12-point font, Arial or Times New Roman. All assignments (except in-class assignments) must be submitted via Canvas, please note due times as well as dates. I reserve the right to refuse to accept any assignments if a format issue is incorrect.

Course Outline

Tentative ScheduleTentative ScheduleTentative Schedule
DateTopicAssignments Due
Aug 27Introduction & Career DevelopmentCurrent Events throughout, see Canvas
Sept 3Values
Sept 10Roles & Skills
Sept 17Intro to LicensureSept 19- CIP Step 1
Sept 24Degrees & Licensure Options
Oct 1Licensure Continued
Oct 8Populations
Oct 15PopulationsOct 17- CIP 2- Interview
Oct 22Settings
Oct 29Settings
Nov 5Client Presenting Issues
Nov 12Client Presenting Issues
Nov 19Presentations In ClassNov 18- Presentations uploaded to Canvas
Nov 26Thanksgiving Break, No Class
Dec 3Dept Research SymposiumDec 4- Presentation Feedback
No late work accepted after Dec 9

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignments
Late work will be accepted on a case-by-case basis. In other words, I reserve the right to refuse any late work handed in. Contacting me before the assignment is due increases the likelihood of consideration. I generally incur a late penalty of up to 15% reduction in total points possible per calendar day, usually no more than 50% of the total possible points. No late work will be accepted after the last day of classes (the day before finals begin). Final presentations cannot be made up.

Attendance Policy

I have found that students are best able to succeed in my classes if they participate regularly. This course, more than any other I have taught, fits the phrase, “You will get out of it what you put into it.” Participation will be tracked via attendance in person and active engagement in class discussion and counts as a portion of your final grade. This class is developmental in nature and entirely structured around active discussion, with students bringing in outside information to provide context and application for course concepts, so attendance during the scheduled class time is very important. Such participation in class discussions must be appropriate and respectful. This includes recognizing each individual’s right to have and share their own viewpoint without fear of retribution, harmful criticism, or violation of individual confidentiality. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior or any action in violation of the student handbook will result in being asked to leave.

Additional Course Policies and Statements

Using External Sources of Writing

Since professional development and critical thinking skills are part of the learning outcomes of this course, all writing assignments should be prepared by the student. Developing strong competencies in this area will prepare you for a future career. Therefore, all work must be your own. AI-generated submissions or hiring another person/entity to write for you for any coursework are not permitted and will be treated as plagiarism.

I strongly encourage you to use campus resources such as the Writing Center or class peers to help you with editing/refining your work, as writing tutors can teach you how to improve your overall writing skills without generating the content for you. AI editing will not be able to teach you, and thus is not permitted in this course.

Student Wellbeing

The Southern Utah University Psychology Department values our students irrespective of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, culture, religion, nationality, capabilities, or disabilities. Our faculty and staff are committed to the intellectual, physical, and emotional health of all members of the campus community. Should anyone experience problems or issues with depression, anxiety, grief, discrimination, alienation or marginalization, helplessness or hopelessness, or thoughts of suicide, we implore you to seek us out. Our commitment is to listen, and help you find the resources you need.

Final Statement

Should you have any questions, feel free to ask in class, as you will often find that other students share the same questions. However, any issues or questions that you feel uncomfortable bringing up in class, feel free to contact me after class or by phone or email. Remember, I cannot help you unless you ask. This class is, after all, for your benefit. I would appreciate any constructive feedback to make this course more beneficial to you and future students.

You, as a student, have full rights to confidentiality in your interactions with me, though there are some issues of which I am a mandated reporter (Title IX). While I may discuss situations related to this class with fellow instructors and my supervisors for instructional purposes, I will not discuss any situations related to a specific individual without express consent of that individual.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.