Who we are:

We are a collective group of USC Doctoral and Masters Social Work students who demand the School of Social Work create an anti-racist, inclusive school and curriculum that is demonstrated through all instruction and policies.

Problem Statement: 

The lack of anti-racist content in the DSW program is notable. The current asynchronous content is largely presented by individuals who are not representative of diverse cultural perspectives, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identifications, socio-political ideologies and class backgrounds.

The implications of this problem are significant.  If left untouched, ramifications will include graduates perpetuating bias, and ineffective approaches to addressing the Grand Challenges of Social Work.  This may include graduates who perpetuate dominant and oppressive behaviors and perspectives that reinforce racism and are ineffective in creating systemic change.  Ignoring this problem disregards the NASW Social Work Values, especially competence.  USC graduates should be trained to act as system disruptors as well as innovative implementors.

What we want:
 
We demand the University of Southern California School of Social Work create and implement school policies and curriculum that uphold and maintain anti-racist and inclusive policies and practices meeting the needs of society in the changing world based on core social work values and ethics. This must be done by implementing innovative, professional social work standards and practices inclusive of critical race theory and activism in all social work programs at USC that meet the education, emotional, physical, and mental health needs of all communities to achieve greater cultural humility for practitioners and the communities in which they work. Through this work USC can set the bar for other programs, but also become more preparatory and culturally inclusive for the students it seeks to serve. Graduates will be equipped to use their own privilege to interrupt oppression, demand inclusion and build collective equity.

Foundations for Change:

Given the critical need for inclusive perspectives in solving this problem, we have outlined some foundational adjustments to support the creation of sustainable school, policy and curricular changes to ensure an anti-racist and inclusive curriculum moving forward. 

• Develop a Faculty Accountability Plan
  
  • Prerequisites before being allowed to teach/guest lecture.
  • CEUs that help faculty explore topics in diversity and inclusion.
    
    • Implicit Association Test (IAT)
    • Requirement for faculty to complete bias class (similar to existing course within MSW program)
  • Assessment of faculty ability to implement pertinent theory (CRT, Intersectionality, ETC.)
     
• Reworking of the VAC
  (The VAC is not taken seriously.  It is too general and not well integrated into the overall course.
  
  • 20 pre-recorded weekly lectures done by the teaching professor allowing fluid discussion.
  • VAC teachers providing prerecorded lecture for their own course section that integrates the weeks learning and questions.
  • Questions and answers based upon all course materials.
     
• Integrate Critical Race Theory (CRT) 
  • Pre/co required course/subject matter in course early in the program.
    
    • CRT training for students prior to USC classes starting - outside training option or a USC course for those not already having obtained a B or better in course.
  • Integrate CRT into entirety of DSW curriculum.
    Faculty training on racism from professional facilitator who is focused on racism that students experience.  
  • Review of changes made and continued use of understanding applied to work and education. 
     
• Let’s talk about Whiteness
  (History of how white ethnic groups have gained white privilege and how this relates to social policy). 
  
  • Can use support of white instructors helping to educate/inform white students on racism.
     
• Where is the social welfare policy course?
  
  • Course learning objectives that explore how anti-Blackness impacts social welfare policy.
     
• Additional Elective Course
  
  • Allow students to take am elective focused on gaining more understanding of the Grand Challenge of choice.

Scope of Outcomes:

If we can address this problem, innovative social policy and social service programs can be developed that meet the education, emotional, physical, and mental health needs of all communities (including students and communities impacted by multi-layer oppression via social problems). USC can not only set the bar for other programs, but also become more preparatory and culturally inclusive for the students it seeks prepare for leadership in social work.  The leaders that emerge from the USC DSW program would share a greater understanding of systems, develop confidence and leadership skills that create the essential changes we all need to reduce intersectional oppression in society through our systems and institutions.