Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I would love to participate in this program because it seems like a great opportunity to strengthen the connection between critical social work education and collective social action, which is something I wanted to bring together for a long time. In my teaching, I focus on social medicine, social psychiatry, and the social determinants of health. I want students to move beyond understanding health inequities as individual problems and instead develop the skills to analyze and address structural causes of inequality.
In my (just started) doctoral research I want to examine how clinical social workers navigate social determinants of health through an intersectional lens. I want to highlight the importance of addressing structural discrimination and unequal access to resources rather than focusing solely on individual interventions.
The institute strongly resonates with my own understanding of social work as a profession that is inherently political and committed to social justice. I see participating as an opportunity to further develop my teaching and my doctoral research, while exploring how students can be supported in transforming critical reflection into collective action for social change. It is something my students and I have always talked about and I would love to finally get into it. So I hope to develop a course component that enables students to identify health-related social injustices, build community partnerships, and design campaigns that promote social change.
Course Description:
This course introduces students to social medical and social psychiatric perspectives within social work. Students examine how social determinants of health, mental health, disability, poverty, housing, migration, discrimination, and other structural factors shape health outcomes and access to care. The course critically explores the relationship between social inequalities and health, with particular attention to intersectionality and social justice. Through a social action component, students will identify a health-related social issue, engage with affected communities and stakeholders, and develop collective strategies for advocacy and social change.
Taught By:
Michelle Mayer
M.A. Clinical Social Work
Social Work
Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin
Read profile here.