Course Description
Exploration of the complex concerns that emerge in diverse environments in order to understand the historical, political, and sociological realities of perceived and genuine differences that can lead to ethnocentrism, biases, prejudice, discrimination, exploitation and oppression within, among, and between groups. Students will be challenged to expand their visible and invisible perceptions of those who are different from themselves.
Athena Title
Pow Opp Soc Just Pract Adv Div
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in SOWK 2156
Non-Traditional Format
This course will be taught 95% or more online.
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall, spring and summer
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- By the end of this course, students will achieve a heightened ability to understand social justice, marginalized populations, and oppression other nationally and internationally.
- By the end of this course, students will achieve a heightened ability to comprehend the value diversity within the profession of social work.
- By the end of this course, students will achieve a heightened ability to increase their personal awareness of their own biases regarding race, gender, religious beliefs, age, sexual orientation, disabilities, socioeconomic differences, political ideologies, and regional differences.
- By the end of this course, students will achieve a heightened ability to understand their implicit assumptions which contribute to biases and prejudices.
- By the end of this course, students will achieve a heightened ability to acquire and display behaviors that are consistent with social work values and attitudes that are respectful of human diversity as well as strategies for addressing discrimination and oppression personally and professionally.
- By the end of this course, students will achieve a heightened ability to control their biases, stereotypes, prejudices.
Topical Outline
- Week 1: History of the profession, social justices, marginalized populations
- Week 2: The human condition, perception theory, sociology of oppression
- Week 3: Differences of self/identifying self (normal v. not normal, attribution theory
Assignment Autobiography (difference and sameness)
- Week 4: Differences of self/identifying self (normal v. not normal, attribution theory Assignment Autobiography (difference and sameness)
- Week 5: Race & ethnicity- break gap between unique, ownership v. what is part of them
- Week 6: Race & ethnicity- break gap between unique, ownership v. what is part of them
Generic and variant characteristics
- Week 7: Religion/Spirituality
- Week 8: Gender
- Week 9: Age –vertical differences of hierarchy
- Week 10: Sexual orientation
- Week 11: Disabilities – late onset v. birth, self identity of disability
- Week 12: Socioeconomic/class/education/political differences
- Week 13: Regional differences
- Week 14: Global differences/xenophobia
