Social Justice and Diversity

This course examines how social, economic, political, and cultural processes mediate relationships between societies, families, and individual well-being. It challenges students to move beyond "passive empathy" to question their own positionalities and engage in actions promoting justice. Students examine their own privileges while studying social constructions of race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability/disability. The course introduces social work practice with diverse communities including African Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, immigrants, and LGBTQ communities. Through critical self-reflection, dialogue, questioning, and teach-ins, students learn to disrupt mechanisms of oppression and extend understanding of social justice to global contexts.

This course examines how social, economic, political, and cultural processes mediate relationships between societies, families, and individual well-being. It challenges students to move beyond "passive empathy" to question their own positionalities and engage in actions promoting justice. Students examine their own privileges while studying social constructions of race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability/disability. The course introduces social work practice with diverse communities including African Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, immigrants, and LGBTQ communities. Through critical self-reflection, dialogue, questioning, and teach-ins, students learn to disrupt mechanisms of oppression and extend understanding of social justice to global contexts. [1]

Erin Johnson

Clinical Assistant Professor

Social Work

University of Michigan-Flint