Politically Aware Social Work - Global Perspectives and Practice

                                                       

Politically Aware Social Work
             Global Perspectives and Practice            

To be offered in fall 2022 – 2 credit (3 ECTS credits)

Click here to register for the Politically Aware Social Work Course                                                                                                    

Introduction

Political conflicts around the world take different shapes and forms, impacting the lives of individuals, communities, and societies. What can social workers do?

This course will provide students with knowledge on the implications of different political conflicts on social work clients, society as a whole, and social workers themselves. Students will be exposed to different forms of political conflict including war, terrorism, human rights crises, racial and ethnic divide, and intractable conflict and their effects on society and service users. Different approaches to political conflict will be discussed, as well as an overview of social work interventions on the macro, mezzo and micro levels.

Course Structure

  • 14 live sessions via Zoom which will be recorded to facilitate flexible study and review on:
    • Tuesdays 18:00 – 19:30 pm (IST)

Learning Outcomes

This course will teach you how to address the effects of political conflict and provide a framework for politically aware social work.

Topics Covered

  • Historical overview of political conflicts and social work
  • Political conflicts around the world: implications of social work
  • Effects of political conflict and social work service users
  • Collective trauma: Effects of political conflict on the social worker, client, and society
  • Addressing political conflict, their aftermath and peacemaking
  • Human rights, social justice and the role of social work
  • War, terrorism and implications for mental health
  • Working in a Shared traumatic reality
  • Working with the “enemy”
  • Peacemaking and conflict resolution
  • Indigenous social work framework
  • Anti-racist social work framework
  • Politically aware social justice framework for social work

Course Requirements

  • Attendance of at least 9 live sessions
  • Several short assignments
  • Final project for those wanting academic credit

Instructors

 

Mark Umbreit is a professor and founding director of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota, School of social work. He is an internationally recognized practitioner and scholar with more than forty years' experience as a teacher, researcher, and author in the fields of restorative justice, mediation, spirituality, and peacemaking.

 

Ruth Soffer-Elnekave is a lecturer at the Hadassah Academic College of Social Work. She received her BSW and MSW from the Ben-Gurion University of Be'er Sheva, Israel, and is a doctoral candidate in the University of Minnesota, USA. Her research includes historical and theoretical frameworks for social work in diverse political, social, and economic contexts, as well as culturally sensitive child welfare practices.

 

Click here to register for the Politically Aware Social Work Course


For more information or registration assistance, please contact: international@hac.ac.il