Teaching to Transform? Addressing Race and Racism in the Teaching of Clinical Social Work Practice

ABSTRACT

Faculty members are key stakeholders to support social work students’ learning about race and racism in practice and to promote the professional standards established by the field. This qualitative study examines how 15 clinical social work faculty members teaching advanced practice in the Northeast conceptualize and incorporate their understanding of race and racism in their teaching. An analysis of participants’ responses to a case vignette suggests clinical social work faculty members view race primarily as an individual ethnic or cultural identity and lack conceptual, historical, and sociological knowledge about racism and its links to other forms of oppression. This study suggests that additional faculty development opportunities and institutional support are needed to encourage faculty efforts to address race and racism.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rani Varghese

Rani Varghese is an Assistant Professor at the School of Social Work at Adelphi University.