Development and implementation of an ecological justice advanced practice curriculum for master of social work students

ABSTRACT

This article outlines the development, evolution, and implementation of an ecological justice advanced practice curriculum for Master of Social Work students at the University of Denver, USA. This work began in 2011 and continues to evolve to meet student needs and societal pressures. Key ingredients in the success of this program have been critical leadership support, gathering of expertise, maintaining a critical eye toward emerging social, natural, and physical sciences, and a university and profession that provides an implicit curriculum supportive of preparing university students for a precarious future. The social work profession is responding to global environmental change.

KEYWORDS:

• Ecological justice
• global environmental change
• polycrisis
• social work education
• social-ecological systems

Acknowledgments

The authors are enthusiastic to acknowledge the curriculum development team: Karen Bensen, Sarah Bexell, Daniel Brisson, Ethan Crawford, Eric Des Marais, Rachel Forbes, Kristen Greenwald, Elissa Hardy, Lisa Reyes Mason, Colleen Cummings Melton, Ann Petrila, Philip Tedeschi, and James Herbert Williams. We especially want to thank Deans James Herbert Williams and Amanda Moore McBride for their progressive and stalwart support to dedicate precious human resources and time to the development and implementation of this curriculum.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work received no additional funding support.