Digital short

Here is my completed digital short.

Story board

I want to add more photos and I'm still on the hunt for more. I also need to come up with a good hook. The ending shouldn't be too hard. I'm going to use audio from an interview with a social worker and somehow incorporate some statistics into the first few slides.

Digital short overview

I'm about using audio clips of my interviews with social workers during my digital short. I'm planning on using mostly photographs to coincide with the subject a worker is speaking about. I'm going to include social worker's answer to questions such as "Have you ever been burnt out?" or "What were the causal factors?". I haven't nailed down the exact questions yet. I'll probably use some statistics of various social issues that workers have to deal with also. I still have time to work out the details.

Project Update

So far I have:
Interviewed one person
Scheduled more interviews
Some research
Introduction
Digital script
Found a focus question

I need to:
Interview a few more people
Do more research
Finish methodologies and paper
Create digital short

Pic

Intro: The Fried Social Worker

            When we think of the American workforce, we think of businessmen or businesswomen, teachers, secretaries, bankers, nurses, and fast food employees. As we drive through town, delivery trucks, 18-wheelers, and construction crews are visible and going about their daily duties. Less noticeable are the social workers that are tucked away in public schools, the department of children services, homeless shelters, nursing homes, hospice services, hospitals, and mental health agencies. They attempt to help others deal with their problems and pain. Social workers see the bruises and scars of abused children, the track marks from a heroin needle, and the bandages of a burn victim. They listen to the schizophrenic homeless man or the returning veteran who can’t cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, social workers are notoriously underpaid and overworked. How do social workers cope with this combination of stressors?  How do they prevent burnout in order to continue helping their clients? 

Archive Material

The list of social work values and ethics  has been used as a guideline for workers to better serve their clients.  These values include service dignity and worth of the person, social justice, integrity, and competence. These values encourage social workers to seek to help those who may be marginalized by society, find good qualities in each person, be honest with clients by knowing their (worker's) limits, and appreciate the relationships individuals have with each other. This list has aided social workers in their work for years, and is taught repeatedly in college.

Three Cups of Tea

            Three Cups of Tea is a book about Greg Mortenson and his philanthropic efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The book is an excellent example of ethnography because it informs the reader of various ethnicities and customs of the central Asian population. The author explains many of the intricate differences in the native ethnic groups, which is beneficial and necessary for a reader who is unfamiliar with the culture of that region. The author also provides numerous cultural differences that are more obvious, especially to western readers.

            Sometimes it seems that Mortenson has a difficult time fitting in in both the United States and Pakistan. In America, Mortenson couldn’t always relate to the rich people he often interacted and would often wear his clothes he bought from Pakistan. At the event where he met his wife, the wealthy people bought him new clothes while they before the event began. In the years following 9/11, his work with the Muslim communities angered some Americans. Their ignorance and threats almost made him quit his work. Because of his appearance and nationality, Mortenson sometimes had trouble blending in with the Pakistanis, but after he displayed his knowledge of the local customs, language, and religion he was mostly well received. This is especially impressive because he is seen as an infidel to Muslims.  The other provides many examples of cultural clash and Discourse throughout the book, which keeps readers engaged.           

            The author involves readers in central Asian culture by providing explanations of rituals such as the Muslim habit to cleanse oneself before prayer to Allah. One of the best techniques the author uses to keep readers engaged is including the vocabulary of the Pakistanis and Afghans. Most of the time a foreign word (to us) would be defined in English once or twice and then used throughout the book, which makes the reader remember the terms in order to follow the story. Food, drink, and business customs are also explained in detail. This inspirational book is an excellent example of ethnography because of the author’s ability to explain a foreign culture to his audience while simultaneously keeping them engaged. 

Letter

Dear someone in my safe audience,

In my third year writing class we are moving along quickly towards our project. We've been going over some of the basic skills involved, and I have interviewed one person. I transcribed our conversation and pasted it in my blog. Initially, I was unsure about our assignment and the ambiguity made me nervous, but now it is making more sense. I plan on starting to do more after spring break (Heather and I are still unsure of where we want to go). I've already spoken with one professor and gotten permission to interview her. My other professors are helpful, so I'll probably have no problem interviewing them. I'm also going to probably interview a social worker here at Belmont and a senior who is in their second internship. Reviewing some journals and research on the library's database will probably also be part of my plan. I'm anxious to begin and sort of get it over with.

Tate

First interview

I interviewed a social work student, Cara Craig, and asked her about her expectations about the social work profession. When I asked Cara what she expects one of her biggest stresses, she said,

"I think the thing that will stress me out the most is probably when I have to keep my opinion to myself. I’m not very good at that. When there are others who are doing things I don’t necessarily agree with, I think that will be a problem for me, especially if they fall in line with my morals."

 Cara told me she wants to work with children and pregnant teenagers. She said, "Teenagers don’t like to listen to anything adults say, especially when they’re in a stage of rebellion. So I think the fact that they aren’t going to listen and want to do the opposite of whatever you have to say is probably going to stress me out a lot."

Social Work Jargon

Here is a list of some social work jargon and terms:

Micro level- when a social worker conducts practice, one on one counseling, or small group therapy.It means to be working with one person or small groups.

Mezzo level- Working at a mezzo level means a social worker is working with a medium sized group such as a community, small town, or maybe an organization.

Macro level- Macro level work is done usually on a statewide, county wide, or federal level. It mostly involves legislation, grant writing, and non-profit work.

Systems theory- A theory that explains how an individual (client) is affected by all the systems or groups in their environment. Examples: family, school, church, government

Co-morbid- This is used to describe an individual who has a mental illness along with an addiction problem.

Compassion Fatigue- this is just a fancy/nicer term for "burnout".

DCS- department of children services

DSM-IV- Diagnostic and statistical manual 4. This is a reference for clinicians to use when they're trying to diagnose someone with a mental illness.

HUBSE- pronounced "hub see"  stands for understanding human behavior in the social environment. HUBSE 1 and 2 are classes that social workers must take.

Practice- counseling/therapy. Micro work.

Interview with Keith

I interviewed Keith about his thoughts on being a student here at Belmont University. He said he chose to attend Belmont for three reasons. First, his mom graduated from Belmont. Second, he likes being close to home (30-45 min. away) because he sings in a quartet on the weekends. Third, Belmont has a great music program which is what he is studying. I asked him if the students and professors were friendly, and he said that they were. He said the professors are very helpful. One thing he said he didn't like about Belmont is that the advising is too ambiguous and sometimes confusing. He likes convos and thinks they are a good idea to experience different learnings. Keith also likes the fact that students can pick and choose which ones they want to attend. Overall, Keith had many positive things to say about Belmont and has enjoyed being a student here so far.

The bold letters in the paragraph above were edited. The result is the paragraph below with the changes in bold. 

I interviewed Keith about his thoughts on being a student here at Belmont University. He said he chose to attend Belmont for three reasons. First, his mom graduated from Belmont. Second, he likes being close to home (30-45 min. away) because he sings in a quartet on the weekends. Third, Belmont has a great music program which is what he is studying. Keith said that the students are friendly and the professors are very helpful . His only complaint is that advising can sometimes be confusing because of ambiguity. He likes convos and thinks they are a good idea to experience different learnings. Keith also likes the fact that students can pick and choose which ones they want to attend. Overall, Keith had many positive things to say about Belmont and has enjoyed being a student here so far.

SW map

This crude map simply displays the location of the social work department (shaded area) in the Inman building. This is where professors' offices are located, meetings are held, and students hang out in between classes. The social work department will be an important resource for me as I begin my project. This is where I'll do the majority of my fieldwork. I will interview my professors, talk with other students, and network with people in the office and lounge.

Lists and categories

Unfortunately, I've gotten behind on my blogs. This is a catch up blog and there will be another one soon.

 Lists and especially categories are pretty numerous in the field of social work. First, there are two major types of social work, micro and macro. Micro deals with counseling and small community work while macro relates mostly to policies, grants, and other things on a large scale. Within the category of micro practice, a clinician can work with specific populations such as mentally ill people, the elderly, survivors of abuse, etc. These categories can also serve as lists to help a college student decide which population they want to work with.
The DSM-IV is an example of a book of categories and lists to help a social worker do their job. The DSM is what psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical social workers use to diagnose individuals with mental illness. There are specific lists of criteria to be met in order to have a disorder. There are also different categories and axes of disorders. Personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and mood disorders are examples of various categories within the DSM. It can also be used as a reference when trying to understand someone with a disorder.
Obviously, this is more of a brief than an exhaustive list of categories and lists in the social work field, but hopefully it gives the reader a better idea of how these lists are used.

Item or symbol of research site/culture.

Our assignment for today was to read chapter 3 in Style Lessons in Clarity and Grace and edit our in class writing.  Bold sentences are the newly edited ones.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has a unique, specific set of values and ethics that social workers adhere to.

Social workers adhere to a set of unique, specific set of values and ethics that is provided by NASW.

In class, these values and ethics are referred to regularly.

We refer to these values and ethics regularly in class. 

These concepts can become tangible when they're printed in a text book, poster, or article.

The concepts become tangible when they're printed in a text book, poster, or article.

  When social workers deal with difficult people and situations daily, NASW values come in handy if a solution to a problem can't be found easily. 

NASW values are useful when social workers are dealing with difficult people and situations. 

Observations....

Here are my field notes from Friday's class activity.  

Record                                                                                   Response

2 guys eating outside                   Why would the eat outside when its so cold? 

                                                                                   To smoke?

People walking by

Middle aged couple walks by

Older guy, business attire                                                  Is he a professor?

Maintenance  man walks inside                I wonder if he's going to fix something.   

Guy eating in smoking session doesn't smoke                                         ?

Piano being played in Neely Dining Room                                 Sort of soothing

Parents and children taking a tour inside              I wonder how man will choose Belmont

Mom and Son leave group                                           Are they bored or out of time? 

Girl walks by, singing                                                             She can't sing well.

I sat in the picnic area outside of Massey (next to corner court) and observed people as they walked to and fro. I shared with the class how I was confused by one of the guys I was observing.  It was 37 degrees outside, he was standing instead of sitting (plenty of available seating), and eating a full meal in the designated smoking area. I found this peculiar but I guessed he might want to smoke after he ate.  My guess was wrong and he just wandered off after he threw his trash away.  It surprised me, and I guess you could say it slightly disturbed me as well.  I also noticed that there was a tour taking place inside Massey for prospective students and their parents.  All of a sudden, a mom and son opened the door quickly and walked away very quickly.  It wasn't very dramatic, but I still was intrigued to find out why they abruptly left in the middle of the tour. Where they late for something else? Angry? Bored? I don't know.  I guess that's really all I saw that was out of the ordinary.

Project Proposal: The Fried Social Worker

There are several facets of the social work profession that are unknown to most people outside of this field of work.  Social workers can work in a macro setting that involves policy making, grant writing, and jobs that deal with legislation, or they can work in the micro realm which involves counseling, case management within agencies, DCS, and psychotherapy.  Despite the vast differences in job title and responsibilities, one of the things that unite social workers is the high likelihood of burnout.  There are many factors that can cause a social worker to burnout.  Listening to client’s stories of abuse, death, and illness on a daily basis can have such a negative effect on social workers that it is considered secondary trauma.  This is just one example of what could erode a social worker’s morale. Being a social work major, I decided it would be interesting and beneficial for me to propose the question, “how can social workers prevent burnout?” 

I’m planning on answering this question by interviewing my professors who have worked in various areas of the profession.  I also plan on reviewing literature that is accessible to me as a student.  Currently, I consider myself to be somewhere in between an insider and outsider of social worker culture.  I have spent a lot of time studying the profession and have picked up on a lot of the dialect, but I haven’t worked in the field like my professors and some peers have.  I’m hoping to discover rituals or strategies that social workers use to cope with their everyday stress.  

Project

I haven't decided what culture I'm going to study for my third year writing project.  I'm a social work student, so I'm thinking about studying either students or actual workers.  Social workers are usually tight knit and follow the same NASW codes of values and ethics religiously.  There are many different types of social workers. They can work with the elderly, mentally ill, children, minorities, individuals in hospice, and can also become involved in policy making.  I'm not sure which one I would study.  I'm not sure if this is a very good culture to study, so I might end up changing my mind.

I feel like I need some examples of project topics.  I think we're talking about some in class today, so I'll probably just wait and blog more when I get a better idea of what's going on.

Discourse

This is a clip from the mediocre movie, Talladega Nights.  This scene is a humorous display of discourse between a Frenchman, Jean (Sacha Baron Cohen), and an American, Ricky (Will Ferrell).  Ricky is confused by the French word "crepes", and almost accepts Jean's compromise upon realizing that he actually likes crepes. He then snaps back into his role as a "proud American" and allows Jean to break his arm.