References and Resources for Social Justice Pedagogy

 

In addition to NASW social justice priorities and resources (NASW, 2018), CSWE Learning Academy resources for teaching social justice (CSWE, 2016), and IFSW (IFSW, 2016) and IASSW (IASSW, 2018) resources, the following ten sources provide helpful social justice curricular concepts and materials for social work educators’ consideration:  

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• Holistic Engagement: Transformative Social Work Education in the 21st century (Pyles & Adam, 2016) offers a holistic approach to educating transformative social workers in the spirit of liberation pedagogy and critical consciousness, applying Freirean pedagogy and social work ethical commitments to classroom pedagogy.

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• Social Work and Social Justice: Concepts, Challenges, and Strategies (Reisch & Garvin, 2016) provides the historical, conceptual, and theoretical foundations of social justice, and applications in various practice, policy, and research modalities, but does not focus on classroom pedagogy or strategies for educating social workers. 

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• Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice (Adams et al., 2016) provides a complement for educators to Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. It presents social justice definitions, theoretical foundations, core concepts, and principles of practice focused on topical application, i.e. racism, sexism, classism, and ableism.

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• Advancing Human Rights in Social Work Education: (Libal et al., 2014) discusses curriculum development with a focus on human rights and its intersectionality with educating toward social justice. There is a section on policy, research and social justice, and education strategies, and a chapter on Fordham University’s effort to revise their social work curriculum to focus on human rights and justice.

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• Social Justice and Social Work: Rediscovering a Core Value of the Profession (Austin, 2014) focuses on social justice in social work practice. There is no section on pedagogy, however one chapter in the Social Justice in Practice section discusses the University of Michigan’s efforts to infuse social justice into the curriculum.

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• Readings for Diversity and Social Justice, Third Edition, (Adams et al., 2013) is an excellent resource for teaching both social justice theory and practice. It also has a companion online page, with videos, discussion questions, activities, and resources.

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• Social Work and Social Policy: Advancing the Principles of Economic and Social Justice. (Colby, Dulmas, & Sowers, 2013) discusses social welfare policy as a form of social justice, policy challenges in working for social justice with marginalized and disadvantaged groups, and globalization and social justice.

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• Educating for Social Justice: Transformative Experiential Learning. (Birkenmaier, et al., 2011) provides an overview of the status of social justice in social work education, offers social justice classroom innovations, and non-classroom academic transformational experiences.

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• Social Justice and Social Work: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide (Hutchison, 2011) provides an overview of social justice and social work and includes a section on Teaching for Social Justice that contains resources for social justice educators that focus on teaching methodology and social justice content, and it also includes a section on globalization.

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• Diversity Education for Social Justice: Mastering Teaching Skills, 2nd edition (Van Soest & Garcia, 2008) presents practical teaching methodologies, a theoretical framework, and skills to promote social justice and diversity pedagogy and practice. It includes chapters on key concepts and integrating social justice into the curriculum.​

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• Incorporating Peace and Social Justice into the Social Work Curriculum: Curriculum Materials and Suggestions for Faculty and Students (Van Soest, 1992),  provides practical, albeit dated, social justice pedagogical and curricular materials for educators to use in the classroom, to translate theory into practical pedagogy.

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Research has shown that despite the complications and concerns inherent in defining and delivering social justice classes, they do make a difference. As Krings, et al. (2015) found, “participation in social justice education courses is associated with increases in both student confidence in and commitment toward political participation, civic engagement, and multicultural activism” (p. 414).  Arguably, a lack of political participation, civic engagement, and multicultural activism has contributed to the fierce urgency of our current divisive, discriminatory, and oppressive economic, political, cultural, and social climate.  

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In the fierce urgency of now, the transformative possibilities and potential that a renewed commitment to social justice pedagogy holds open to our students, to social work, to all of us, is ultimately hopeful. I hope and trust that the Circle of Insight process, and considerations and resources presented here can provide a framework and tools to engage in a courageous and critically important process of curricular transformation, a process that will enable us to more effectively address the injustices of the current historical moment.