CSWRK 2301 Power, Privilege & Practice
The client-worker relationship is the central relationship of professions like social work, human services, counseling, and psychology. It is essential that workers in these fields be self-aware and willing to engage in self-exploration. A component of this self-exploration is focused on the concepts of power, privilege, and oppression. These systems impact everyone on micro (individual), mezzo (family & groups), and macro (organization, community, society) levels. To effectively work with others, social workers, human services workers, counselors and psychologists must understand the role these systems play in their everyday lives. This understanding can make the worker-client relationship one that is more likely to be positively impactful and promote meaningful change In addition, the knowledge of these systems and the ability to understand how they impact the worker’s life will allow them to be the best advocate, educator, facilitator, and broker of resources for their clients. This course is focused on the understanding and application of knowledge about the systems of power, privilege, and oppression to practice in professions like social work and human services and disciplines across social sciences.