Increasing Social Work Students' Political Interest and Efficacy: The Experience and Impact of a Social Welfare Policy Course from the Students' Perspective

Abstract

Students of accredited social work programs are expected to demonstrate ten core competencies, including the ability to "engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services" (Council on Social Work Education, 2008). Despite this expectation, almost half of licensed social workers surveyed disagreed with the notion that they were adequately prepared for political engagement by their social work education (Ritter, 2007). Because social welfare policy

Social Policy in Social Work PhD Programs in the United States

“…Another group examined the features of specific policies (four) and the factors associated with these, such as childcare subsidy policies and quality regulations in states in the United States (Kim, 2015), which also fit either within the policy evaluation field or policy design field. Finally, four dissertations focused on aspects of policy training in social work, which included the impact of a social welfare course upon the political interest and efficacy of students (Bernklau Halvor, 2013). This last category, while certainly relevant to policy, is more appropriately classified as education research rather than policy research.…”

From Private Practice to Academia: Integrating social and political advocacy into every MFT Identity

“…While some curricula focus on infusing social and political advocacy content across courses (DeRigne, Rosenwald, & Naranjo, ), other programs have developed specific courses dedicated to social policy and advocacy (DeRigne, ; Leukefeld, ; Shdaimah, ). Examples of courses include a social welfare policy class (Bernklau Halvor, ), as well as interdisciplinary courses that bring together students from other fields to promote interdisciplinary collaborative approaches to advocacy (e.g., journalism, political science, and social work) (DeRigne et al., ). There are a number of methods and approaches employed to support learning in these courses, including: (a) the decision case method (DeRigne et al., ; Wolfer & Gray, ); (b) scaffolding activities such as teaching students to understand and write policy briefs (DeRigne et al., ; Sundet & Kelly, ); and, (c) employing mixed media such as documentaries, political blogs, and internet‐based videos (DeRigne et al., ; Leukefeld, ; Shdaimah, ).…”