Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I am interested in participating in the Virginia Institute on Teaching Social Action because I want to strengthen the connection between experiential learning, social work education, and students' capacity to translate learning into meaningful action. Much of my teaching focuses on helping students understand how social, historical, cultural, and institutional contexts shape individual and community experiences. I am particularly interested in moving students beyond identifying inequities toward developing the skills to respond to them thoughtfully and collaboratively.
I would like to adapt this approach within my Ghana study abroad program. The program already incorporates cultural immersion, historical learning, critical reflection, and engagement with Ghanaian communities and institutions. I would like to explore how social action pedagogy could add a carefully designed action component that allows students to apply what they learn while remaining attentive to cultural humility, reciprocity, and the priorities of community partners. My goal is not for students to enter another country assuming they should identify or solve community problems, but rather to learn how ethical social action can emerge through listening, partnership, and shared decision making.
Course Description:
A study of global issues focusing on social matters affecting the Global Western Africa (Ghana); using a strength's perspective, biological, psychological, social, and spiritual factors will be considered as they relate to Global Social Work. Issues to be examined will include globalization, slavery, Pan-Africanism, individual and structural racism, imperialism, identity development (American/individual), race and ethnicity. The history and development of these issues, how culture of individual countries or regions affect the development and response, as well as future possibilities for resolution will be examined. Students will learn about the country and region's geography, economy, political institutions, participate in social service programming, understand the importance of religion in the culture, and social issues, with an important theme on how race has impacted the state of Ghana. [1]
Taught By:
Erica Brown-Meredith
Assistant Professor of Social Work
Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work
Norfolk State University
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