Perceptions of poverty in America: using social empathy to reframe students’ attitudes

Abstract

Within this paper, a new course for first year social work students that targets the development of a nuanced understanding regarding issues of poverty in the United States will be explored. Using a framework of social empathy, this course uses multiple strategies to engage students in interpreting the cultural messages surrounding them, in personal circles and social media, and in the development of empathic understanding through exploring the stories of individuals experiencing poverty firsthand. Student attitudes on poverty were assessed before and after completing the course. Students’ views of welfare programs and those who use them as well as the causes of poverty, specifically, the belief that structural barriers contribute more to individuals’ lack of equal opportunity changed after completing the course. Implications for pedagogy, research, and practice will be discussed.

Keywords:

• Poverty
• marginality
• pedagogy
• first-year students
• social work