TEACHING NOTE: CAN YOU CALL IT RACISM? AN EDUCATIONAL CASE STUDY AND ROLE-PLAY APPROACH

Abstract

Social work education has long struggled to acknowledge cultural diversity and identify teaching methods to prepare students to work effectively with diverse populations. This article describes an educational technique designed to teach students how to recognize racism and social injustice—in this instance, by examining an educational case study located in a multicultural human services agency in Chiapas, Mexico. One session of a multicultural social work course was devoted to a role-play based on a real incident that had occurred in this agency. Student feedback and the authors' observations address the usefulness of this educational intervention.