Advocacy and Social Action for Professional Social Workers

Catalog description

The focus of this course is to discuss relevant theories and strategies of social and political action that promote social justice within organizations, the larger community, and society. In this course students will gain an understanding of policy practice theory and skills in regard to social, economic, political, and organizational systems, and will use this knowledge to then influence, formulate, and advocate for policy changes to meet the needs of clients. They will develop the skills to create change at the client, agency, community, and/or societal level that is founded on the principles and ideals of social, distributive, political, and economic justice. Where advocacy assumes that people have rights, and those rights are enforceable, social action involves a coordinated and sustained effort to achieve institutional change to meet a need, solve a social problem, or correct an injustice to improve and/or enhance the quality of human life and individual well-being. This effort may occur at the initiative and direction of professional social workers, or it may occur through the efforts of individuals directly affected by the problem or policy change. Professional social workers must utilize their clinical skills, knowledge, and differential use of self to critically assess values, and evaluate needs and gaps in services for our constituents.