Theories of Human Rights and Social Justice

Catalog description

Promoting social justice is a core value commitment of the social work profession, and public defense of services to those in need of help often involves the ability to articulate considerations of justice. Globally, human rights become an increasingly salient part of social justice for social workers. Yet, the nature of justice itself and its specific relationship to clinical intervention in social work and the mental health professions remain controversial. This course will introduce the student to a variety of selected currently debated theories of human rights and social justice and explore the relationship of these to mental health and to clinical intervention as practiced by social workers. The course will also touch on the challenge of global justice across cultures and national boundaries, including the nature of universal human rights, in the context of respect for alternative value systems.