Professional Values or Political Indoctrination? Inclusive Social Justice Pedagogy in Social Work

Overview: Not all social work students politically align with social justice values. This presentation conceptualizes social justice in social work higher education. Specifically, this presentation discusses key tensions around teaching social justice in North American social work classrooms and offers several strategies for inclusive social justice pedagogy for social work education.Proposal text: North American social work education is not politically neutral. Social work takes a firm political stance, whether it be by striving to dismantle systemic oppression, advocating for and with marginalized communities, or resisting hegemonic structures in order to create sustainable change (Marsh, 2005; Morgaine, 2015; Nicotera, 2019; Solas, 2008). This ethical and political stance is often echoed in left-leaning social work education that animates the very elements of social justice that are codified in the profession’s code of ethics. While social work education is fundamentally political, not all students readily align with the profession’s left-leaning politics. Some students who identify as Republican or religiously conservative frequently feel silenced, indoctrinated, disengaged or isolated in social work classrooms – specifically around topics of social justice (Flaherty et al., 2013). There is a significant minority of Republican social work students who fall under this category, ranging anywhere from 10%–30% (Davis & Mirick, 2021; Flaherty et al., 2013; Rosenwald, 2006; Toft & Calhoun, 2021). There is little known, however, about how social work educators can best engage students who hold political and ethical reservations around social work’s intrinsic value of social justice.

By featuring a recent conceptual paper on creating inclusive social work classrooms that work towards the higher project of social justice, this presentation: (1) highlights the political climate in North American social work pedagogy; (2) examines the experiences of Republican and religiously conservative students in social work classrooms; and (3) offers strategies for inclusive social justice pedagogy for social work education.

By situating the value of social justice in social work, the author conceptualizes the inherent political conviction in the social work profession and, by extension, social work education. In doing so, this presentation explores how social work’s political commitment to social justice is translated into social work education.

Following this contextual narrative, the author employs secondary data to map social work students’ political alignment in the United States. This presentation describes marked differences between self-identifying Democrat and Republican social work students, particularly regarding Republican students’ (1) perceptions of indoctrinating, harsh or unfair treatment in the classroom, (2) belief that social work classrooms are less conducive or welcoming to opposing discussions, and (3) reluctance to express contrary opinions around social justice topics (Flaherty et al., 2013). Following a discussion on key tensions around teaching social justice, this presentation concludes with specific strategies for creating dialectical exchange with BSW and MSW students. Examples of these strategies, including the circle of insight (Nicotera, 2018, 2019) and the Johari window model (Lerner, 2020), will be presented to conference attendees.

Conclusions reiterate the importance of creating a non-judgmental and engaging environment in social work higher education. Social work educators will be met with students who do not hold the same set of social justice values that the social work profession puts forth or who may subscribe to Republican politics, religiously-conservative ideals or right-wing values. If social justice is essential to the social work profession, then inclusive social justice pedagogy in social work education is vital.