The Role of Social Work Education to Address Environmental and Racial Injustice
Keywords:
Environmental justice, Racial justice, Education, Student advocacyAbstract
Social work is positioned to further environmental justice, and it is well established that environmental justice requires concrete development within curricula to ensure graduates have the tools to respond adequately to structural inequality exacerbated by the climate crisis. With a focus on the United States curricular guidelines and international calls to action, this case study discusses how Master of Social Work students in a large, public research university took steps to resolve a curricular gap and explored local and international environmental justice efforts. Building skills and knowledge around environmental racism, equitable climate solutions, ecofeminism, consumption behavior, and past social work responses to environmental disasters, this case study serves as a model for future student advocacy and curricular development.
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