Teaching Note—Fostering Political Awareness in Students Through the Use of Genograms

ABSTRACT

Despite the celebrated history of social workers engaging in the political realm for the purposes of fostering social change, students sometimes seem ambivalent regarding the essential nature of their political engagement while also doubting their ability to make a difference through these efforts. How can social work educators combat feelings of disinterest or inadequacy as it relates to policy practice? This manuscript describes the use of an experiential activity that called third-year BSW students in a social policy course to create a genogram detailing the political and civic engagement of their family of origin. This was assigned with the aim of providing students an opportunity to better understand potential assets and barriers to their engaging in the political sphere.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer Hause Crowell

Jennifer Hause Crowell, MSSW, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Belmont University.