Digital Reading Room 2.0 -- HSRV 476: International Social Work in Canada

HSRV 476: International Social Work in Canada Report a Broken Link

This course provides a comprehensive examination of international social work, emphasizing its applications within Canadian contexts as well as abroad. Students will explore the roles and responsibilities of human service and social workers when engaging with diverse individuals, communities, organizations, and systems. Adopting an inquiry-based learning approach, the course encourages student engagement and growth through critical analysis and reflection. Students will be expected to analyze how neoliberal policies and global forces shape social work practice at local, national, and international levels, with a focus on understanding the implications for service delivery, social justice, and human rights. In particular, the course will be rooted in critical and Indigenous perspectives which challenge Eurocentric conceptualizations of human services, social work, and social justice. This includes integrating Indigenous perspectives, such as two-eyed seeing methods, to provide students with a nuanced understanding of reconciliation and culturally competent practice with Indigenous populations, examination of postcolonial theories to understand how colonial legacies continue to impact social welfare systems, eligibility criteria, cultural competence, and service provision. Students will explore how these theories inform engagement with migrant populations, displacement, and settlement processes.

Introductory Post

Belly Button Teachings

Module 1: What Is International Social Work?

Healy, L. M., & Thomas, R. L. (2020). International social work: Context and definitions. In International social work: Professional action in an interdependent world (3rd ed.) (pp. 1–24). Oxford University Press.

Healy, L. M., & Thomas, R. L. (2020). Theories and concepts underpinning international social work: Development, environment, and sustainability. In International social work: Professional action in an interdependent world (3rd ed.) (pp. 57–84). Oxford University Press.

Healy, L. M., & Thomas, R. L. (2008). Theories and concepts underpinning international social work: Globalization. In International social work: Professional action in an interdependent world (2nd ed.) (pp. 25–51). Oxford University Press.

Healy, L. M., & Thomas, R. L. (2008). Values and ethics for international professional action. In International social work: Professional action in an interdependent world (2nd ed.) (pp. 239–259). Oxford University Press.

Conceição, P. (2024). Human Development Report 2023–24: Breaking the gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world. United Nations Development Programme.

Haug, E. (2005). Critical reﬂections on the emerging discourse of international social work. International Social Work, 48(2), 126–135.

International Federation of Social Workers. (n.d.). Social work and the United Nations sustainable development goals.

Institute of Development Studies. (2021, March 16). What is neoliberalism and how does it effect development? [Video]. YouTube.

Module 2: International Social Work in the Context of a Postcolonial World

Fortier, C., & Wong, E. H. (2019). The settler colonialism of social work and the social work of settler colonialism. Settler Colonial Studies, 9(4), 437–456.

Gill, J. K. (2021). Unpacking the role of neoliberalism on the politics of poverty reduction policies in Ontario, Canada: A descriptive case study and critical analysis. Social Studies, 10(12), 485.

Noyoo, N., & Kleibl, T. (2020). Introduction. In T. Kleibl, R. Lutz, N. Noyoo, B. Bunk, A. Dittmann, & B. Seepamore (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of postcolonial social work (pp. 1–8). Routledge.

Sousa, C., & Marshall, D. J. (2017). Political violence and mental health: Effects of neoliberalism and the role of international social work practice. International Social Work, 60(4), 787–799.

TEDx Talks. (2016, March 3). Foreign aid: Are we really helping others or just ourselves? | Maliha Chishti | TEDxUTSC [Video]. YouTube.

Eigenberger, M. (2011, October 11). Neoliberalism as a water balloon [Video]. YouTube.

Module 3: Diversity and Oppression: Implications for Human Rights and Social Justice

Dumbrill, G. C., & Yee, J. Y. (2019). Chapter 1: What are oppression and anti-oppression? In Anti-oppressive social work (pp. 1–28). OUP Canada.

Dumbrill, G. C., & Yee, J. Y. (2019). Chapter 2: Thinking critically about what we know and how we know it. In Anti-oppressive social work (pp. 29–57). OUP Canada.

Mapp, S., McPherson, J., Androff, D., & Gatenio Gabel, S. (2019). Social work is a human rights profession. Social Work, 64(3), 259–269.

Meer, N. (2019). The wreckage of white supremacy. Identities, 26(5), 501–509.

Young, I. M. (2014). Five faces of oppression. In S. N. Asumah & M. Nagel (Eds.), Diversity, social justice and inclusive excellence: Transdisciplinary and global perspectives (pp. 3–32). State University of New York Press.

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Seattle Channel. (2018, July 3). Dr. Robin DiAngelo discusses “white fragility” [Video]. YouTube.

TEDx Talks. (2012, November 5). “How studying privilege systems can strengthen compassion”: Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools [Video]. YouTube.

Module 4: Anti-Oppressive Practice: An Intersectional Approach to International Social Work

Bilge, S., & Denis, A. (2010). Introduction: Women, intersectionality and diasporas. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 31(1)1–8.

Esposito, L., & Romano, V. (2016). Benevolent racism and the co-optation of the Black Lives Matter movement. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 40(3), 161–173.

Mayaka, B., & Truell, R. (2021). Ubuntu and its potential impact on the international social work profession. International Social Work, 64(5), 649–662.

Sakamoto, I. (2007). An anti-oppressive approach to cultural competence. Canadian Social Work Review, 24(1), 105–114.

Tew, J. (2006). Understanding power and powerlessness: Towards a framework for emancipatory practice in social work. Journal of Social Work, 6(1), 33–51.

First Session. (2021, June 29). Anti-oppressive social worker | Melissa Taylor | First Session resources [Video]. YouTube.

Module 4 - Exercise 1

Module 4 - Exercise 2

Module 5: Social Work with Migrants

Briskman, L. (2019). Social work co-options and colonial border. In T. Kleibl, R. Lutz, N. Noyoo, B. Bunk, A. Dittmann, & B. Seepamore (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of postcolonial social work (pp. 51–60). Routledge.

Clarke, J., & Wan, E. (2011). Transforming settlement work: From traditional to a critical anti-oppression approach with newcomer youth in secondary school. Critical Social Work, 12(1), 14–26.

El-Lahib, Y. (2015). The inadmissible “other”: Discourses of ableism and colonialism in Canadian immigration. Journal of Progressive Human Services, 26(3), 209–228.

Fiske, L., & Briskman, L. (2009). The empire strikes back—refugees, race and the reinvention of empire. In D. Bennett, J. Earnest, & M. Tanji (Eds.), People, place and power: Australia and the Asia Pacific (pp. 217–238). Black Swan Press.

Furman, R., Sanchez, M., Ackerman, A., & Ung, T. (2015). The immigration detention center as a transnational problem: Implications for international social work. International Social Work, 58(6), 813–818.

Schmidt, C., Bhuyan, R., & Lash, R. (2022). Transnational family separation among migrant women in Canada: An intersectional analysis. Social Work Research, 46(4), 304–316.

Having difficulties opening readings in the DRR? When this happens, the problem is usually in the browser’s stored cache and cookies. Opening links in Incognito/Private mode in your browser usually prevents most of the issues, and we recommend doing this whenever you do AU Library–related work. You can also try clearing your cache and cookies. Trying a different browser might also help—if a link doesn’t work in Chrome, it will often work in Edge and vice versa.

Trimikliniotis, N., & Tsianos, V. (2023). A refugee crisis or a crisis of anti-immigrant politics? Hostile refugee reception, the pandemic and new solidarities in Cyprus. In V. Ioakimidis & A. Wyllie (Eds.), Social work’s histories of complicity and resistance (pp. 183–203). Policy Press.

Anish, K. R., Borrmann, S., Nguyen-Meyer, N., Zhao, Y., Moen, H. B., & Liu, W. (2023). The art of not-knowing: Valuing diversity and intercultural competences in international social work education. International Social Work, 66(4), 991–1004.

Module 6: Environmental Justice and Social Work

Beltrán, R., Hacker, A., & Begun, S. (2016). Environmental justice is a social justice issue: Incorporating environmental justice into social work practice curricula. Journal of Social Work Education, 52(4), 493–502.

Dominelli, L. (2014). Learning from our past: Climate change and disaster interventions in practice. In C. Noble, H. Strauss, & B. Littlechild (Eds.), Global social work: Crossing borders, blurring boundaries (pp. 341–352). Sydney University Press.

Erickson, C. L. (2018). Chapter 1: Environmental justice and social work practice: Historical roots. In Environmental justice as social work practice (pp. 1–24). Oxford University Press.

Erickson, C. L. (2018). Chapter 2: Social work’s foundational concepts: Values and skills for environmental justice. In Environmental justice as social work practice (pp. 25–42). Oxford University Press.

Velez, C. M., Machado-Escudero, Y., Gilliam, C., & Sloan, L. (2022). Environmental reproductive justice and social work praxis. Smith College Studies in Social Work, 92(3), 200–217.

Noble, C. (2020). Ecofeminism to feminist materialism: Implications for Anthropocene feminist social work. In V. Bozalek & B. Pease (Eds.), Post-Anthropocentric social work (pp. 95–107). Routledge.

Pihkala, P., & Kamenetz, A. (2022). Interview with Pany Pihkala. Climate Mental Health Network.

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Module 7: Moving Forward

Grain, K. M. (2017). The social justice turn: Cultivating “critical hope” in an age of despair. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 23(1), 45–59.

Goulet, S. (2018). From racism to reconciliation: Indigenous peoples in Canada. In D. Este, L. Lorenzetti, & C. Sato (Eds.), Racism and anti-racism in Canada (pp. 74–101). Fernwood Publishing.

Segal, E. A. (2011). Social empathy: A model built on empathy, contextual understanding, and social responsibility that promotes social justice. Journal of Social Service Research, 37(3), 266–277.

Williams, C., & Briskman, L. (2015). Reviving social work through moral outrage. Critical and Radical Social Work, 3(1), 133–143.

Van Breda, A. D. (2019). Developing the notion of Ubuntu as African theory for social work practice. Social Work, 55(4), 439–450.