Karen Rice

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.

Utilizing Expressive Arts to Explore Educational Goals among Girls in Haiti

ABSTRACT In Haiti, deeply held familial beliefs about gender roles, as well as systemic barriers, block opportunities for women and girls, making the attainment of education a near impossibility for many. This research study utilized expressive arts as a therapeutic tool to facilitate group work with children to explore their aspirations to better understand the collective dreams and hopes of a group that has been marginalized by cultural beliefs and systemic barriers. The youth were clearly shaped by context and articulated the traditional expectations associated with being a Haitian woman. Implications for social work practice with groups are discussed.

The Learning Institute: Promoting Social Justice Advocacy within a Continuing Education Program.

ABSTRACT The pursuit of social justice is an overarching framework that defines the social work profession. The goals of macro social work practice are centered on issues of social justice with strategies that include changing community conditions and creating a sense of solidarity, with particular emphasis on broadening the opportunities for marginalized populations. Given the natural alignment between social justice and macro social work practice, the exclusion of macro practice content in educational experiences should concern social workers and educators alike. The Learning Institute emerged in large part from a school’s shared concern with the micro/macro dichotomy that often characterizes the profession, as well as the faculty’s commitment to renewing the profession’s dedication to our social justice mandate. Results from this formative assessment clearly suggest that participants in the Learning Institute series may have experienced bifurcated education, exposure, and training to social justice advocacy on the macrolevel. Implications for future research and continuing education are discussed.