social work
An unparalleled experience that promotes both personal and academic growth.
Program overview
Social work is a profession committed to working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and the community to maximize well-being and to help resolve, minimize, or prevent problems in living. Social Workers practice in a variety of settings such as, schools, hospitals, mental health clinics, substance abuse and rehabilitation agencies, juvenile and adult probation, and many other public and private agencies. This unique semester abroad opportunity in Dingle, Ireland, will expose students intent on majoring in Social Work to issues surrounding social justice through a comparative, global lens with examination of the the Irish system of social programs.
SO 239/SW 224– Human Diversity and Social Justice
3 Credits
Liberal Arts Exploration
- Social & Global Awareness
- Humanistic Inquiry
- Social/Behavioral Science foundational core
Offered
Summer 2 Short Term
Faculty
Sasha Hazen Aaronson, MSW, MPA
Stefania Agliano, Ed.D., LMSW
Description
Learn about human diversity and social justice through a comparative, global lens in Dingle, Ireland. Possible experiences integrated into the course will be visits with community members to highlight experiences of diversity and social justice, as well as the John Moriarty Institute for Ecology and Spirituality.
This course provides a framework for understanding how diversity characteristics shape the human experience and are critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity can be understood as the intersection of multiple factors and, because of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim.
This course includes the integration of a social justice and human rights perspective in line with the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Students will develop beginning skills in assessing and intervening in macro practice that addresses social inequities, oppression, and equitable access to resources.
SW 265/565/PO/SO/CJ 299 - Social Welfare Policy and Social Control in the Welfare State
3 Credits
Offered
Winter Short Term
Faculty
Description
DESCRIPTION
Irish and U.S. social welfare history and practice today are distinctive one from the other but both retain structural and cultural vestiges of their shared English Colonial roots. In this course, students will explore the common foundation of social welfare in both nations and follow the singular paths of each nation in establishing their own priorities in social programs and practices to support and control of their citizens. Students will learn from Irish lecturers as well as SHU faculty about the fundamentals of social welfare, while exploring in breakout groups how housing, healthcare (including mental health), food and water, child welfare, immigration and criminal justice are structured and implemented in both nations. A study of commonalities and contrasts, this course challenges students to consider the perspectives and practices of these two very different political entities both to support and control their populations, and the structural and cultural variations that have informed U.S. and Irish practice today
