Interpersonal Anti-Racism

Abstract

This course will develop and enhance students’ practical knowledge and skills in anti-racism, with an emphasis on social work practice contexts. It offers a space to learn about all aspects of racism, with a specific focus on how racism manifests in interpersonal contexts, such as direct social work practice, through microaggressions, microinvalidations and the impact of these experiences. Students will interrogate their own complicity in racist behaviours and systems and will learn how to address racism in their social work practice.

Teaching in this course is guided by principles of adult education, which view students as active and self-directed learners. The modules will be comprised of instructor lectures available in asynchronous modules which allow students to move at their own pace. Independent reflexive activities are built into each module, which ends with a discussion board, where students may engage in questions and further conversation about the content. Students are expected to be self-motivated when working individually in in groups, to engage with course materials, and facilitate discussion around core themes of the course. A key concept in adult education is valuing the experiences and prior knowledge of students and harnessing the potential for sharing this knowledge to deepen our individual and collective learning. The instructor and all classmates are responsible for creating a supportive and open learning atmosphere in which we can discuss the subject of racism with a keen attention to the differential impacts of these discussions. To this end, I would invite you to think about what full participation in the course means for you, including being prepared for critical reflexivity.

Both racialized and non-racialized students will be supported in understanding the impact of racism on their personal experiences and professional practice. Caucus groups for white and racialized students will provide students with space to openly discuss their positioning vis-a-vis racism and explore the emotions that arise when attempting to address racism. These caucus groups prioritize the learning needs of racialized students and can act as a space for racial healing.

Modules include stop and reflect prompts for personal reflection as well as ungraded and graded critical reflection or analysis discussions, which link the course material, including readings and class discussion, to personal experiences. A summative assignment with two options includes a) an option to create an anti-racism roadmap document that provides guidance around how an individual or organization can embed anti-racism into their practice or b) a social media video essay, which covers a concept related to anti-racist social work practice.