SW 503 - Diversity & Opprsn: Prac & Pol

Credits: 3

The primary purpose of this course is for students to be able to grapple with and identify meaningful, working definitions of prejudice, discrimination, and oppression and to situate these definitions and people’s lived experiences within historical and contemporary societal contexts in social work practice, research, policy, theory and activism. The course is designed to create explicit linkages between practice and policy. Students will discuss racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, biphobia, ageism, classism, ableism, xenophobia, etc., as well as the ways in which these overlap and intersect, and the societal implications of such overlaps and intersections. Students will examine and develop models of culturally competent, ethical social work practice by integrating an understanding of the dynamics of prejudice, discrimination and oppression with a professional use of self and a commitment to social justice. Prerequisite: admission to MSW program.