Integrating anthropology and social work education to address contemporary social issues

Abstract

Doctoral students studying anthropology are increasingly interested in developing skills in quantitative methods, policy analysis and development, community organizing, and team research. The scientific community, granting agencies, and foundations have a growing focus on research and scholarship focused on ameliorating social problems. However, students often find that they need additional skills beyond academic anthropology to address these issues. We propose interdisciplinary training in social work and anthropology as one solution. Social work offers training in quantitative methods, needs assessments for service development, program design, policy analysis, policy negotiation, and community organizing skills. The goals of a more activist anthropology harmonize well with social work’s disciplinary focus on action and solutions to social problems that are acceptable to community partners. As students cultivate the ability to communicate and act in multiple disciplinary "languages", they have the potential to make profound contributions to ameliorating social problems through applied scholarship and research in both academic and non-academic settings.

PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY

Integrated doctoral programs such as the Social Work and Anthropology (SWAN) degree are pivotal for training doctoral students for a wide range of roles addressing and contributing to solutions for social issues. Such training integrates social theory with a range of practical and research methods skills. Society needs the expertise these dually trained graduates provide; and faculty have an ethical responsibility to prepare students for positions beyond the academy. Programs considering implementing this type of program should have substantial institutional support to overcome possible structural constraints and barriers.

SOCIAL MEDIA STATEMENT

PhDs need social policy, analysis, and advocacy skills to thrive in non-academic environments focused on social change. We describe Wayne State University’s Social Work and Anthropology (SWAN) PhD program as an innovative collaboration for meeting these emerging needs.

Keywords:

• Anthropology doctoral training
• interdisciplinarity
• practice skills
• employment

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank and acknowledge our colleagues on the SWAN steering committee, Mark Luborsky, Jessica Robbins-Panko, Yuson Jung, Michael Kral, and Stella Resko for their intellectual and administrative contributions in meeting the challenges of creating and sustaining an interdisciplinary doctoral program, and to acknowledge the work and creativity of SWAN students who make this project so worthwhile.

Ethical approval

The authors of this article declare they have no conflict of interest in the program described here. The authors declare they have no conflict of interest in the analysis and background research involved in the preparation of this manuscript.

Notes

1 These challenges are similar to those faced by Anthropology PhD-MD programs such as those at Harvard, Case Western Reserve University, Yale University, Emory University, Penn State, and University of Florida.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrea P. Sankar

Andrea P. Sankar is a Professor of Anthropology at Wayne State University and past editor of Medical Anthropology Quarterly. She is the co-founder of the Wayne State University Social Work and Anthropology (SWAN) program. Her current research focuses on urban sustainability and on death and dying.

Faith P. Hopp

Faith P. Hopp is an Associate Professor at Wayne State University School of Social Work and past co-chair of the SWAN program. Her research focuses on community-based services for older adults and serious illness advocacy and policy issues.

Tam Perry

Tam E. Perry is an Associate Professor at Wayne State University School of Social Work and Training Director of the Institute of Gerontology. Her research addresses urban aging from a life course perspective, focusing on how underserved older adults navigate their social and built environments in times of instability and change.

C. M. Cassady

C. M. Cassady is a doctoral candidate in the SWAN program whose research focuses on clinical practice, decision-making, ethics, and the end of life.

Michael J. Henson

Michael J. Henson is a Social Work and Anthropology graduate, working at James Bell Associates, a research consulting firm.

Arlene N. Weisz

Arlene N. Weisz is Professor Emerita in Social Work at Wayne State University and co-founder of SWAN. Her research focuses on domestic violence, teen dating violence and sexual assault prevention.