Equity Case Studies Report - School of Social Work - University of ...

UBC school of social work equity and diversity strategic plan: A compilation of case studies 77
one of their strategies in moving beyond token inclusion and moving towards fully integrating
the material. The philosophy behind such attempts to practice integrating equity into all courses
is that everything taught can be related to equity and that equity topics are not separate, and
therefore should not be compartmentalized. Additionally, all students who enter the Dalhousie
School of Social Work take a required course on anti-oppressive Social Work practice that
provides a base on which they can build on, as they continue their learning processes throughout
the program. UC Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare is also in the process of developing an
anti-oppression workshop for all incoming MSW students as part of their orientation activities.
In addition to this workshop, the School has a diversity section in each course syllabus, which
has recently been expanded to delineate diversity-related objectives of the courses and the
methods and assignments by which these objectives will be achieved. By explicitly outlining
these expectations, the School works at better integrating equity into their curriculum, as well as
offering a selection of electives on specific equity topics.
The Faculty of Social Work at U of T has undergone a process of implementing a
diversity-integration framework in curricula. The result of their process in applying this
framework is a course consisting of four modules, addressing anti-racism, Aboriginal issues,
issues of diversity and inclusiveness, and cultural competence (George, Shera, & Tsang, 1998).
After these modules were decided upon, the Faculty looked at how to provide this course. The
decision was to offer the course materials by dividing the modules and teaching them in each of
the four required courses, presenting them during the first three weeks of the fall semester
(George, Shera, & Tsang, 1998). In 1996, a ‘diversity assignment’ was created, where students
worked in groups of five to collect firsthand information about populations or communities that
experience multiple oppressions, and in the beginning of the second month of the fall semester,