INDS B.A.: Child Centered Community Development
Spring 2025 Capstone
My INDS Degree
My Individualized Study Degree will focus on developing knowledge around the area of child-centered community development with the goal of helping me to become an effective resource for communities and families in my future career. I hope to use my INDS degree to strengthen and deepen the knowledge I am gaining through my social work major in order to be the best practitioner and resource for future clients that I can be. My ultimate career goal is to work as a social worker. Defined by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), social workers “help individuals, families, and groups restore or enhance their capacity for social functioning, and work to create societal conditions that support communities in need” (NASW, 2024). They also state that “the practice of social work requires knowledge of human development and behavior, of social, economic, and cultural institutions, and of the interaction of all these factors” (NASW, 2024).
I plan to create this degree by developing my knowledge primarily in the areas of psychology, healthcare, and education. Studying the psychology of social and family interactions, child development, and culture helps me to understand why people act and react in the ways they do. This will equip me to deal with these issues that are central to social work in a scientifically grounded way. Since healthcare has such a profound impact on communities, taking classes in the discipline will be indispensable to developing my understanding of many complex issues. This includes access to nutritious foods and family planning, maternal and child health and supporting those who are under and uninsured. The American healthcare system is difficult to navigate and affects the average person in a real way, daily, understanding its ins and outs allows me to be a better advocate for those I plan to work with in the future. Similarly, education is an important socializer and shapes lives significantly. Through learning about how the system facilitates achievement gaps, uneven access to higher education, and the failure to support children with special needs, I will be better able to advocate for those who may have fallen through the cracks. By focusing on these disciplines, specifically in the context of community and child development, I hope to gain a wide breadth of knowledge on issues affecting my future clients on a daily basis to better support and advocate for them!
Post Graduation Plans
After graduation, I plan to pursue a Masters of Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in Child and Family or in Early Childhood Mental Health. My goal is to become a licensed clinical social worker. I would love to work within a school or early learning center to make a difference for both the children I am working with and their families, as well as the larger community. The wide scope of knowledge I have gained from my INDS degree will help me approach large social issues from multiple perspectives and be able to contribute to change from both micro and macro levels.
Courses In My INDS Degree
✅Interlocking Community & Child Centered Systems: Gain a more in depth knowledge of the systems working with communities and children, specifically education, child protection, and healthcare. This will allow me to be able to navigate these systems effectively alongside my clients.
(EDUC 311, PBHL 398, SOCY 345, SOWK 387)
✅ Community Building and Social Change: Understand social interactions, cultural differences within communities, and how to create social change by exploring social issues. An essential component of being able to do this work well is gaining real-world experience, which is why field instruction is included here as well.
(AMST 380, PSYC 230, 340, PUB 150, 300, SOWK 480)
✅Families and Lifespan Development: Develop knowledge of human development and family dynamics in order to be better prepared to work with the family unit as a whole with members in every life stage.
(AGNG 200, PSYC 305, 306, 465, 388)
✅ Individualized Study: Courses necessary to create my own degree as well as engage with multidisciplinary perspectives and disciplines.
(INDS 330, 335, 399, 410/SOWK 480, 480, 490)