Race, Ethnicity & Culture in Social Work

Curriculum guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course code
SOWK 2433
Descriptive
Race, Ethnicity & Culture in Social Work
Department
Social Work
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Contact hours

Lecture: 4 hours/week

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, discussion, group work, case studies, and presentations.

Course description
This course examines the historical and contemporary dimensions of race, ethnicity, and culture in Canadian social work practice. Students will explore diverse theoretical approaches, with emphasis on understanding the systemic nature of racism, colonialism, and white privilege, and their impact on Indigenous, racialized, and ethno-culturally diverse communities. Through critical analysis, experiential learning, and reflexive practice, students will develop the knowledge, skills, and ethical frameworks required to engage in anti-racist, decolonizing, culturally inclusive, and equity-focused social work. The course centres lived experience and community knowledge and includes attention to Indigenous-settler relations, multiculturalism, immigration and refugee systems, and the resilience and resistance of marginalized communities in British Columbia and across Canada.
Course content

• How race, ethnicity, and culture are socially constructed and shape social work practice
• Colonialism, racism, and their ongoing impacts on Indigenous Peoples and racialized communities in Canada
• Key theories used to understand race, ethnicity, and culture in social work
• Systemic racism and white privilege in social work institutions and services
• Multiculturalism and its limitations in relation to Indigenous sovereignty and equity
• Histories and lived experiences of Indigenous, racialized, and ethno-culturally diverse communities
• Community strengths, resilience, and cultural knowledge in social work practice
• Anti-racist and decolonizing approaches across social work settings
• Cultural humility, self-reflection, and social location in professional practice
• Responding to oppression at individual, community, and systems levels

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Define and critique the terms race, ethnicity, and culture;
  2. Distinguish among major theoretical approaches to race, ethnicity, and culture in social work;
  3. Describe the historical and current realities of colonialism in Canada as understood through Indigenous Peoples' perspectives and experiences;
  4. Critically assess the concept of multiculturalism, and explain the ways it can function as a tool of erasure obscuring Indigenous ways of knowing, being, and doing;
  5. Describe important aspects of the histories and current realities of diverse ethno-cultural groups and racialized communities in Canada;
  6. Apply an understanding of cultural resilience, resistance, and resources to social work with diverse Indigenous, ethno-cultural, and racialized communities in Canada;
  7. Develop and apply anti-racist, decolonizing, and culturally inclusive strategies to social work practice;
  8. Demonstrate cultural humility in reflecting on one’s own social location and the ways in which it impacts one’s ability to do anti-racist, decolonizing, and culturally inclusive social work practice;
  9. Develop the skill set to respond appropriately to various forms of oppression related to race, ethnicity, and culture.
Means of assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. This is a letter-graded course.

Typical means of assessment include the following:

  • Written papers
  • Presentations
  • Projects
  • Exams
  • Participation
  • Attendance
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester.

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies