Urban Encounter-Helping Professions

Catalog description

The purpose of this course in essence is two-fold. First, to expose students to cultural diversity, experience the universality of trials and triumphs, and recognize how cultural structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, create, or enhance privilege and power in shaping the person. Secondly, students will be exposed to a number of social services agencies in order to provide a real world glimpse of social work practice in an urban setting. In addition, students will examine how their values and biases may influence their work with diverse populations. Students will be encouraged to view themselves as learners through living out the love of Jesus in connecting with others in seeking opportunities to dialogue with those served by various systems. Through these experiences students will further develop an understanding of being a world changer within the social work profession. Prerequisite: SWK-170.