COURSE NUMBER:
COURSE TITLE:
SEMESTER AND YEAR:
TIMES:
INSTRUCTOR:
PHONE:
EMAIL:
OFFICE HOURS:
SOWO 501
Confronting Oppression & Institutional Discrimination
Spring Semester, 2013
Section 501-05: Mondays 5:30-8:30, TTK Room 500
Teresa Ilinitch, MSW
TTK Building, Room 345
919-962-4366
teresatl@email.unc.edu
Mondays 12:00-2:00 and by appointment
Course Description: This course examines institutionalized oppression and its implications
for social work practice at all levels, emphasizing the consequences of social inequality and the
social worker’s responsibilities to fight oppression.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of prejudice and the impact of discrimination on
individuals and groups, especially with regard to race, gender, disability, sexual identity, and
ethnicity.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of the historical and social forces that have worked for and against
the exclusion of groups of people from opportunities and services at the institutional,
community, and societal levels.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the roles played by advocacy groups in minimizing barriers to
opportunities and services for populations who experience discrimination.
4. Identify and consider ways of addressing institutional discrimination as it appears in social
welfare policy and in the management and practice of human services.
5. Demonstrate an ability to apply social work values and ethics to practice with diverse
populations.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of differential assessment and intervention skills needed to serve
diverse populations.
7. Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of human diversity and family and
community strengths.
Course Rationale:
Evidence based practice is defined as the use of the best available evidence to make practice
decisions. It involves integrating the preferences of clients and one’s own accrued practice
expertise with current scientific information. Because “the evidence” is unlikely to ever be so
robust as to fully inform practice with the diversity of human kind, the evidence must always
be interpreted and, in some cases, extrapolated. It is in this crucial process that knowledge of
the impact of discrimination and inequality on human behavior becomes paramount.
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
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The Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) stipulates that one
of the ethical principles that must guide social workers is that “Social workers challenge social
injustice” (1999, p.2). Specifically, the Code directs social workers to “pursue social change,
particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people.
Social workers' social change efforts are focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment,
discrimination, and other forms of social injustice” (NASW, 1999, p.2) These activities are
anchored to one of the fundamental missions of the social work profession, which is to “strive
to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice” (NASW, 1999,
p.1). The intent of this course is to prepare students to fulfill their responsibilities related to
fighting injustice and oppression, as prescribed by the Code.
All social workers have a responsibility to meet the needs of diverse client systems in our
society; therefore, all social workers must have knowledge and understanding of the
structures, systems, and policies that create and maintain institutional oppression. The focus is
on special population groups that should be understood in the context of not only problems
that often accompany their particular status, but also from the richness of their heritage and
the potential for their beneficial contribution to society.
This course serves as a foundation for the understanding of the nature, character, and
consequences of being excluded or left out of many available opportunities and services. This
course explores the implications and connections of discrimination for oppressed groups,
including racial and ethnic minorities, women, older persons, people with disabilities and gay,
lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) people. The common denominator for all of these
groups is the fact that they have been constantly affected by social, economic and legal
biases—they have been victimized by institutional structures and social policies that maintain
and perpetuate their oppression.
Required Texts:
Adams, M. et al., eds. (2010). Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.
[hereafter referred to in the syllabus as Adams]
Carlton-LaNey, I. (2005). African Americans Aging In the Rural South: Stories of Faith, Family, and
Community. NC: Sourwood Press, Inc.
Additional required readings are listed in this syllabus and posted on Sakai.
Teaching Methods and Expectations:
Teaching methods will include lecture and class discussion, as well as multimedia
presentations, guest speakers, and experiential activities. My perspective is that we all have
much to learn AND much to teach. Full participation is essential to your learning process in
the class, and will allow you to successfully apply the course material in a way that is
personally and professionally meaningful.
The class will ask you to personally reflect on issues and material that may not always be
comfortable. We will discuss early on the concept of “safer space,” and will generate some
guidelines that will allow all of us to engage authentically, and to treat each other with respect,
compassion, and honor.
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SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
Your regular attendance is critical to your learning, as well as to the atmosphere of
inclusiveness and trust in the class. I ask that you contact me, in advance, if you will miss a class.
Any student with significant difficulty with class participation requirements should speak
with me at the beginning of the semester so that alternative forms of contribution can be
identified.
Assignments:
Descriptions, instructions, and grading rubrics for the course assignments are at the end of this
syllabus. We will discuss further guidelines and resources as we move through the semester.
Grade Scale:
H
P
L
F
Clear Excellence
Entirely Satisfactory
Low Passing
Failed
94-100 points
80-93 points
70-79 points
<70 points
Each assignment comprises the following percentage of the total grade.
Completion of the on-line course A Brief History of Oppression and Resistance
Class Participation
Heritage Gallery: due Jan 28
Community Meeting: due Feb. 25
Personal Reflections (total of 3): due Feb. 11, Mar. 18, Apr. 8
Analysis Paper on Crash: due Mar. 25
Team Presentation on Alliance and Just Practice: due Apr. 15 and 22
Individual Paper on Alliance and Just Practice: due Apr. 22
TOTAL
10 points
10 points
5 points
10 points
15 points
20 points
20 points
10 points
100
Policies on the Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom:
I expect that we will all be invested in creating a learning environment of respect and
engagement. I welcome the use of laptops in class for taking notes or completing small group
tasks. However, I ask that you use them only for relevant activities – not for checking email or
surfing the Web. During class, cell phones and other devices should be silenced.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities which affect their participation in the course should notify the
instructor if they wish to have special accommodations in instructional format, examination
format, etc., considered. Accommodations and services are provided by Disability Services
(Voice/TDD 962-8300; 966-4041). Learning Disability Services (962-7227) provides supportive
services for students with learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
Honor Code:
Students are expected to complete assigned and independent readings, contribute to the
development of a positive learning environment, and demonstrate their learning through
written assignments and class participation. Original written work is expected and required.
The University of North Carolina has a rich and longstanding tradition of honor. If you have
not yet done so, please see the Student Code of Honor. All submitted work must conform to
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
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the Honor Code of the University of North Carolina. For information on the Honor Code,
including guidance on representing the words, thoughts, and ideas of others, please see:
http://instrument.unc.edu
Please note that plagiarism is defined in the Code as “representation of another person’s words,
thoughts, or ideas as one’s own.” Violation of the Honor Code will result in an “F” grade, and
referral to the Honor Court. From the Code: “It is the responsibility of every student to obey
and support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing
when these actions involve academic processes or University, student or academic personnel
acting in an official capacity. Students will conduct all academic work within the letter and
spirit of the Honor Code, which prohibits the giving or receiving of unauthorized aid in all
academic processes.”
All written work must be accompanied by a signed Honor Code statement, and work lacking
this affirmation will not be accepted. The statement is to read as follows:
I have neither given nor received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment.
<Student’s Signature>
Class Participation:
To maximize everyone’s learning, we will rely on the contributions and insights of all students
when issues are discussed. The participation of each student is essential, and responsibility for
class discussion will be shared by both the instructor and the students. Class participation
includes such things as being prepared to discuss readings and assignments, sharing your
opinions on the topic at hand, facilitating the participation of other students, and engaging the
guest speakers.
Attendance:
Attendance is crucial to both your learning experience and the learning of your peers. Students
with more than one excused absence will not earn an H. Students with more than two
excused absences will not earn a P. It is your responsibility to notify the instructor in advance
if you will miss class.
Readings:
You are responsible for reading ALL assigned material before the class date for which they are
assigned. This is imperative as these readings will provide the background you need to fully
understand, benefit from, and participate in the class discussion. To help guide your readings,
refer to the weekly Reading Questions posted on the course sakai site.
Assignment Guidelines:
All written assignments must be typed and follow APA format. Several writing resources are
posted on the SSW website. You can also refer to the APA Publication Manual (6th edition),
and to a tutorial on APA style at http://www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/citations/apa/index.html.
Links to the useful APA and writing websites are on Sakai. Papers that do not follow APA
guidelines will be returned to the student for revision.
Policy on Incompletes and Late Assignments:
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Spring 2013, Ilinitch
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Papers and assignments are due electronically via Sakai by the beginning of class on the
due date. Papers received after 5:30pm on the due date are considered late. Late assignments
are strongly discouraged, but may be accepted in some cases. You must contact me prior to a due date if
you would like to request an extension. Late papers, including those needing revisions to conform
to APA style, will be reduced by 10% for each day they are late (including weekends and the date
on which the assignment was due, if submitted after the beginning of class).
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SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
COURSE SCHEDULE
Class and
Date
Class 1
Jan. 14
Topics
Assigned Reading
DUE
INTRODUCTION: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Introductions
Syllabus Review
Course Rationale (Mission of Social Work and our School)
Objectives and Requirements
Creating a Safer Space
Key Concepts on Discrimination from the Code of Ethics
Required Readings:
National Association of Social Workers (1996/2008). Code of Ethics. Washington, DC: Author.
Class 2
Jan. 28
THE NATURE OF OPPRESSION & EFFECTS OF DISCRIMINATION
Personal Privilege
Development of Minority Identity
Theories of Discrimination and Oppression
HERITAGE
GALLERY
Required Readings:
Adams: Section 1, Conceptual Framework, readings 1, 3, 5, 6, and 7
McIntosh, P. (1990). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack: Independent School. 49(2),
31-35
Class 3
Feb 4
Class 4
Feb. 11
Watt, S. K. (2007). Difficult dialogues, privilege and social justice: Uses of the privileged identity
exploration (PIE) model in student affairs practice: College Student Affairs Journal, 26(2),
114-126.
CLASS, POVERTY AND PRIVILEGE
Required Readings:
Adams: Section 7, Classism, (All readings EXCEPT 31, 32, 34, 35, and 40)
RACISM
Historical and Social Forces Impacting Exclusion
Defining Racism
“Color Blindness”
White Privilege
Video in class: Essential Blued Eyed
Required Readings and Videos:
Adams: Section 2, Racism, readings 8, 10, 14, 20, 22, and 24
Tatum, B. D. (1997). Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? New York: Basic Books.
Chapter 4: Identity Development in Adolescence
Chapter 5: Racial Identity in Adulthood
Please view the following video clip before class. It is 7-8 minutes long
Interracial Couple Harassed:
http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/
A Girl Like Me:
http://www.kiridavis.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=88888953
FIRST PERSONAL
REFLECTION
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
Class 5
Feb. 18
7
DYNAMICS OF EXCLUSION AND NORTH CAROLINA’S RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES – PART 1
The Civil Rights Movement
The Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King
Required Readings:
Davis, L. (2011, January 18). Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Would Be Surprised. [Online].
http://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/?p=7296 [Retrieved 01/20/12].
King, M.L., Jr., (1963, April 16). Letter from Birmingham City Jail. [Online].
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html [Retrieved 01/3/12].
King, M.L., Jr., (1963, August 28). Address at March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (I have a
dream). [Online]. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs [Retrieved 01/3/12].
Carlton-LaNey, I. (2005). African-Americans aging in the rural South. North Carolina: Sourwood
Press. (Part 1, 1-43.)
Class 6
ANTI-SEMITISM AND RELIGIOUS OPPRESSION
Feb. 25
Guest Speakers: Dean Jack Richman and Wendy Bodzin Kadens, MSW Candidate, 2013
COMMUNITY
MEETINGS
PAPER DUE
Required Readings:
Adams: Section 4, Religious Oppression (all articles EXCEPT 52 and 53)
Hodge, D. (2002). Does social work oppress evangelical Christians: A “new class” analysis of
society and social work. Social Work, 47(4), 401-414.
Recommended Readings:
United States Department of State. (2008). Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism: A Report Provided to
the United States Congress. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/102406.htm
Class 7
FEMINISM AND SEXISM
Mar 4
Guest Speaker: tba
Required Readings:
Adams: Section 4, Sexism, pp. 199-260.
Gibelman, M. (1998). Women’s perceptions of the glass ceiling in human service organizations
and what to do about it. Affilia, 13(2), 147-159.
Mead, M. (1947). What is Happening to the American Family? Journal of Social Casework, 323-330.
MDPage Today. (2011). Women MDs Lose Ground in Starting Salaries.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealthPolicy/GeneralProfessionalIssues/24689
selected feminist poems
Mar. 8
12:002:30
Mar 11
CRASH SCREENING (OPTIONAL VIEWING)
Class 8
UNIT 5: GENDER , SEXUAL IDENTITY, AND HETEROSEXISM
Gender Identity and Gender Expression
HAPPY SPRING BREAK!
SECOND
PERSONAL
REFLECTION
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
Mar. 18
8
Understanding heterosexism
Working with LGBTQ clients
Becoming an Ally
Guest Speaker: Will Hall, UNC doctoral candidate
Required Readings:
Adams: Section 5, Heterosexism, pp. 261-318.
Class 9
Mar. 25
DYNAMICS OF EXCLUSION AND NORTH CAROLINA’S RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES – PART 2
The Experiences of American Indians and First Nations peoples
Immigration – myths and facts
Guest Speakers: tba
Video in class: La Bestia: The Death Train
Required Readings:
Bordewich, F.M. (1996). We ain’t got feathers and beads. In Killing the White Man’s Indian (pp. 6690).
Immigration Policy Center. (2010). Giving Facts a Fighting Chance. Washington, DC: Author.
Pew Hispanic Center. (2009). Characteristics of the Population in North Carolina.
http://www.pewhispanic.org/files/states/xls/NC_09.xls
Tatum, B. D. (1997). Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? New York: Basic Books.
Chapter 8: Critical Issues in Latino, American Indian, and Asian Pacific American Identity
Development
Recommended Readings:
Pew Hispanic Center. (2006). The State of American Public Opinion on Immigration.
http://www.pewhispanic.org/2006/05/17/the-state-of-american-public-opinion-on-immigrationin-spring-2006-a-review-of-major-surveys/
North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. (2008). North Carolina’s First People. Raleigh, NC:
Author.
Cross, T. (2010) Disparities, decision paths, and disproportionate placement of native American
children. Race in America: Restructuring Inequality: Families, Youth, and the Elderly. Center on Race and
Social Problems, University of Pittsburgh,.
Class 10
Apr 1
DISABILITY
Ableism
Civil rights fight for people with disabilities
Guest Speakers: Christopher Egan, MSW, Clinical Program Coordinator, Developmental
Disabilities Training Institute (DDTI), Mary Slade, and Eileen Slade, MSW Candidate 2013
Required Readings:
Adams: Section 6, Ableism
ANALYSIS OF
CRASH
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Spring 2013, Ilinitch
9
Mattlin, B. (December 7, 2005). Valuing life, whether disabled or not.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5042181. (Retrieved 12/21/12)
Snow, K. (09/2005). People first language. [Online].
http://www.disabilityisnatural.com/images/PDF/pfl09.pdf, (Retrieved 12/20/2012).
Class 11
AGE
Ageism
Apr. 8
THIRD
PERSONAL
REFLECTION
Guest Speaker: TBD
Video in class: Maggie Growls
Required Readings:
Adams: Section 9, Ageism, (Articles 116 and 122)
Carlton-La-Ney, I. (2005). African Americans Aging in the Rural South, Parts 2 and 3, pp. 44-99)
Class 12
WORKING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE: BECOMING AN ALLY
April 15
Required Readings
Adams: Section 10, Working for Social Justice
Class 13
SOCIALLY JUST PRACTICE
Identifying Personal Issues
Managing Differences
Wielding Power within an Organization
April 22
Required Readings:
Goodman, L. A., Litwin, A., Bohlig, A., Walker, J., White, L., & Ryan, N. (2007). Feminist
Theory to Community Practice: A Multilevel Empowerment Intervention for Low- Income
Women with Depression. In E. Aldarondo (Ed.), Advancing Social Justice Through Clinical Practice
(pp. 265-290). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
PRESENTATIONS:
SUPPORTING
OPPRESSED
GROUPS
PRESENTATIONS:
SUPPORTING
OPPRESSED
GROUPS
INDIVIDUAL
PAPERS ON
SUPPORTING
OPPRESSED
GROUPS DUE
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
10
HERITAGE GALLERY ASSIGNMENT (5 pts.)
Purpose:
Heritage is rich, deep, and ever-present in people’s lives and actions. It is often cherished and sacred,
coming from those who have lived and died. Heritage names us and shapes us in profound ways. It is a
piece of human essence. The ways we express heritage are numerous and varied. Heritage exists in
food, clothes, gardens, art, music, and language. Heritage exists in rituals, symbols, festivals, and
ceremonies. Heritage exists in technologies, architecture, and artifacts. Heritage tells of our past and
our futures. This assignment is designed to honor the heritage of everyone in class.
Instructions:
For the second class, bring an expression of your heritage for display and discussion. This can be an
artifact, food, glossary of terms, tradition, a performance, an art form —anything that comes from your
group identity. Be prepared to briefly explain and share this part of your heritage to the class, in no
more than 10 minutes.
Grading Rubric:
Presentation includes the artifact and how it represents part of your familial or social
identity formation
Explanation covers how this part of your heritage continues to affect your life
Presentation demonstrates self-reflection, planning, and creativity
2 points
2 points
1 point
TOTAL
5 points
COMMUNITY MEETING (10 pts.)
Instructions:
Attend a community meeting of a population subgroup OTHER THAN YOUR OWN. You may attend
a church service, AA meeting, concert, play, dance production, precinct meeting, or club meeting, for
example, the Junior League or the Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club. It is essential that
you go alone. In 3-4 pages, describe the meeting, including the purpose, audience, setting, and elements
of difference. Analyze your experience using concepts from this class. Present your personal response
and explain how this assignment will affect your professional practice.
Your paper cannot exceed five pages.
Grading Rubric:
Description of the meeting, including the purpose, audience, setting, and elements of
difference
Analysis of the experience using concepts from readings and class
Personal response to the experience
How the assignment will affect your professional practice
Adherence to assignment writing standards (see page 5 of syllabus)
3 points
TOTAL
10 points
2 points
2 points
2 points
1 point
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
11
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS (5 points each)
Purpose: to encourage your personal responses to class readings and activities.
Instructions:
These exercises will allow you to think through (in writing) your personal responses to course
readings and/or activities. There are three due dates for the journal/reflections throughout the
semester. You can feel free to focus on any aspect of the readings or in-class activities that strike you
on a personal level. The reflections should be 1-2 pages long (longer if you like, but not necessary), can
be written in first person, and do not need to use APA style.
You should begin with a brief reference to the reading(s) or activity on which you will be
reflecting. For example “This reflection focuses on my personal responses to the classism activity that
we completed in class,” or “This reflection focuses on the Cycles of Oppression and Liberation
described by Harro in the Adams text,” or “This reflection focuses on two sections in the Ableism
section of the Adams text (state which 2 sections).”
In writing your reflection, the following questions may be helpful in developing your thoughts (don’t
let these limit you, however; feel free to use them as needed to jump start the reflection process):
·
In what way did this reading or activity strike a personal chord for you?
·
What is the nature of your reaction to the reading or
activity? Positive? Negative? Ambivalent? Confused? Dissonant? What emotions did you
experience?
·
Where or in what way do you see the content of the reading or activity playing out in your
professional or personal life (for example, field placement, interactions with friends or family,
experiences here at the school)?
·
How do your personal responses relate to your ongoing development as a social
worker? What areas of strength and/or potential growth can you identify?
Your thoughts do not need to be fully formed or organized in an “academic” way. Anything that you
communicate will be held in confidence, and you will not be required to share anything that you write
with other class members.
Grading Rubric:
The reading/activity being reflected upon is clearly introduced
The reflection explores the student’s own personal response and the reasons for it
The reflection explores implications for the student’s practice
1 points
2 points
2 points
TOTAL
5 points
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
12
ANALYSIS PAPER ON CRASH (20 points)
Crash addresses issues of oppression, privilege, racism, and classism (as well as others, including
sexism) via complex interactions among characters. Your paper will address these issues and
interactions. The paper should be 5-7 pages long (length is not absolute – you will not be penalized if
you are a bit under or over the suggested pages). You can feel free to write in first person.
You do not need to repeat or summarize readings in the paper, but please do incorporate them in your
discussions of the constructs (in italics, below), and use appropriate APA citation format when
referring to material from the readings.
Please select 4 of the following to address in your paper (use subheadings or question numbers to
identify your choices). Try to focus on questions that will allow you to best articulate your own
insights, questions, and responses to the film.
1. Identify a character in the film who embodies the construct of internalized oppression. How is
internalized oppression evident in that character’s life and actions? Where might it have come
from? What are the consequences?
2. Select one white person and one person of color in the film. How might you describe each one
in terms of his/her stage of racial identity development?
3. How do racism and classism intersect in the film? How do they amplify each other’s impacts
from the perspectives of both perpetrators and victims? Identify an example from the film that
illustrates your insights.
4. What (if any) hope does the film offer regarding the possibilities for altering destructive
dynamics of privilege and oppression on interpersonal or societal levels?
5. Select one character who makes (or at least embarks on) a transition in terms of racial identity.
What facilitates that transition? What is its impact?
6. Select one character with whom you identify in the film. What elements particularly resonate
with you? What personal insights can you gain from reflecting on the character’s development
or experience in the story?
7. Select one character from the film. Describe how, for that character, the “system of privilege and
oppression” operates – that is, identify the way in which racism, classism, or sexism reverberates
through personal interactions, neighborhoods and communities, social institutions, and
cultural beliefs and assumptions.
Brief introduction sets the scene for the paper & lets the reader know what topic areas or
themes will be addressed
Selected question insightfully answered, with effective integration of readings
Selected question insightfully answered, with effective integration of readings
Selected question insightfully answered, with effective integration of readings
Selected question insightfully answered, with effective integration of readings
Conclusion effectively integrates the major themes & ideas discussed in the paper
Writing is clear, descriptive, free of errors
TOTAL
1 point
4 points
4 points
4 points
4 points
2 points
1 point
20
points
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
13
TEAM PRESENTATION ON ALLIANCE & JUST PRACTICE WITH OPPRESSED PERSONS
(20 points)
This 20-30 minute presentation will be completed in teams of 3-4 students. You will identify an
oppressed population that is of interest to you. You can draw from your past or present experiences,
or can focus on a group with whom you hope to work in the future. You should pick whatever is most
salient to you, since you will be doing lots of critical reflecting on your work with this group. You are
free to focus on a population that we have discussed in class, or to identify another group of interest to
you. You might also decide to focus on a group experiencing intersections of oppression – for example:



African American gay males (or females)
Aging adults with disabilities
Political refugees experiencing religious persecution
You are free to use PowerPoint or other media, or activities to communicate your message. Using the
scholarly literature as your foundation, address the following:
1. How has this group been treated historically in our culture?
2. What assumptions, beliefs, or attributions appear to drive the oppression or discrimination
of this group?
3. What are examples of specific oppressive or discriminatory practices that this group has
encountered as they have interacted with various institutions? You can include social,
economic, educational, faith, legal, and/or health care institutions in your discussion, as
well as any others of relevance.
4. What are the outcomes or implications of these experiences? Consider the range of biopsycho-social-spiritual outcomes and others of relevance.
5. What strengths or sources of resilience do members of the group bring to their lives?
6. What are implications for the social worker who wants to ally with individuals, families,
groups, or communities from this population?
a. What might be your priorities in terms of functioning as an ally for a member or
members of this group?
b. What are 2-3 specific ways that social workers can put the concept of alliance into
practice in their work with the group? You can focus on structural issues (how
services are organized and delivered), process issues (interactions), system issues,
or any others that come to mind.
c. What are 2-3 specific ways that social workers can embrace and build on the
strengths and resilience of the group?
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
14
d. Finally, what are specific ways in which social workers can be allies on a broader
scale along with members of the group?
Grading Rubric:
CONTENT
Description of the oppressed group, including its history and factors that contribute to its
oppression
Specific oppressive practices that affect this group and the outcomes of these practices
Examples of strengths and resilience of group members
Strategies and practices for alliance
Evidence of scholarship (references, source materials, etc.)
PROCESS
Inclusion/role for all group members in preparing and delivering the presentation
Creativity and effectiveness of presentation
Effective use of materials
TOTAL
3 points
4 points
3 points
5 points
2 points
1 point
1 point
1 point
20 points
ALLIANCE & JUST PRACTICE INDIVIDUAL PAPER (10points)
This 3-5 page paper is to be written on the same group that was the focus of your team’s presentation,
above (although you can shape the focus a bit in order to reflect your specific interests). Based on your
emergent knowledge of (a) how privilege and oppression have played out for you in your own life, (b)
personal attitudes, beliefs, and/or attributions that you bring to your work with this group, and (c)
the scholarly research that you completed for the team presentation, you will reflect on your own
strengths, limitations, and areas for evolution in terms of moving toward socially just practice with
the group. Since this is a reflection assignment, APA styles is not required, but please include
appropriate citations and references if you use them in your reflection. Specifically, you should address
the following:
1. In what ways are the experiences of oppression for members of this group similar to, or
different from, your own? With what do you most identify? What dimension of the group’s
experience feels most foreign to you?
2. What attitudes, beliefs, or attributions might you bring to your work with a member of this
group? Where in your own life might these have come from? What do you imagine might be
their impact on your practice with this group?
3. How might you begin to confront these attitudes, beliefs, and attributions? What might be the
most challenging of these in your quest to become an ally for members of the group? What
personal work might you need to do in order to facilitate this process? In what ways do you
feel that you can make the most impact?
SOWO 501
Spring 2013, Ilinitch
15
Grading Rubric:
Prompt 1
Prompt 2
Prompt 3
Writing is clear and effective. If utilized, citations and references are provided in APA format.
3 points
3 points
3 points
1 points
TOTAL
10 points
.