Share, Explore, Engage, Discover (SEED) Mini-course

Students in this course will interact with the research and practice expertise of community leaders and members who support African American older adults across the contexts of health and healthcare, housing, criminal justice, caregiving, and long-term care. Special sub-topics will include stress and coping, discrimination and health, social relationships, financial wellbeing, and technology. Students will glean from community narratives, media, instruction, and hands-on activities, the unique benefits and barriers to productive aging in a distinctly urban context, including implications for micro and macro social work practice. Community advisory board members of the Healthier Black Elder's Center in Detroit and the Michigan Great Lakes chapter of the Alzheimer's Association will partner with students to integrate community-based participatory principles in the design of a final presentation that tackles a social justice issue for African American older adults. Working alongside community members and researchers will undoubtedly strengthen the connection among students with the surrounding community. Course discussions will foreground the intersections of race, class, gender, ability, geography and aging in framing life-span development; yet another opportunity to explore privilege, oppression, diversity and social justice (PODS) within the context of minority aging. The introduction to principles of community-based participatory research and engagement will include direction on how to equitably involve community partners while facilitating co-learning, capacity building, and trust with diverse community partners. These introductory principles are foundational level skills that students can continue to use in their fieldwork and in community building within the School of Social Work.