Global Social Work Practice
The Global Social Work Pathway is for those social work students interested in dedicating themselves to global issues. The pathway addresses topics, such as migration, displacement, poverty, climate change, indigeneity, etc. from a perspective that recognizes an imbalance of power and cultural differences within a global context.
Students will engage with culturally diverse communities, domestically and abroad; they will become part of a global community of social workers who use their knowledge, skills, and values to work with communities in promoting social change, empowerment and supporting the liberation of people.
Students will develop a critical understanding of how their own assumptions, values, biases, positionalities (gender expression, age, race/ethnicity, etc.) affect their practice of global social work. Students will examine issues of power, privilege, oppression, social justice, and the processes and impact of the global capitalist project - acts of war, colonization, extraction, international aid and development, and democratization.
Implications for global social work policy and practice will be explored by evaluating programs and policies, co-developing training with agencies in international settings, advocating and organizing in collaboration with diverse communities, and by participating in field-based projects, global independent studies, and courses and lectures by local and international experts, community leaders and practitioners.
Pathway Practice Scope & Clinical Licensure
Students interested in pursuing social work clinical licensure in the United States of America are recommended to select a primary pathway that focuses on direct, interpersonal practice such as 1) Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, & Substance Abuse, 2) Welfare of Children and Families, or 3) Social Work Practice with Older Adults and Families from a Lifespan Perspective and the Global Social Work Practice pathway as their secondary pathway.
For more information on licensure, please visit the Professional Licensing and Exam Preparation website.
Careers
Examples of career (job) titles and positions relevant to this pathway include but are not limited to:
- Academic Advisor/Student Affairs Advisor (provide international student support)
- Capacity Building Specialist
- Case Manager (resettlement and immigration)
- International Family Development Specialist (i.e. international adoption)
- International Development Worker
- Health Educator
- Human Rights Advocate
- Policy Advisor
- Program Assistant (international or research grants)
- Program Development (international or research grants)
- State Department or U.S. Embassy Worker
- Study Abroad Program Manager
Field Experience
Types of agencies and settings where students in this pathway may engage in field learning:
- Michigan-based placements that focus on global issues/populations
- National based placements that focus on global issues/populations
- Field placements outside the US with U-M partners
Global Opportunities
Global Field Placements
Global field placements offer students who are committed to global social work in the Advanced Standing, MasterTrack MSW, or out-of-sequence, 16-month curriculum track the opportunity to complete a spring/summer field placement in a global location. The Office of Global Activities also works with the Office of Field Education to provide domestic field placements that address cross-cultural and global social work issues. If you are interested in a field placement outside the U.S., please make sure to reach out to the Office of Global Activities by emailing ssw.oga@umich.edu.
Learn more about global field placements »
Global Independent Study
The global independent study option offers students in all curriculum tracks the opportunity to work with a social work faculty sponsor to develop a project to explore or research a particular social work issue in a global context. Travel occurs during the spring/summer term.
Learn more about global independent study »
Peace Corps
The Masters International Volunteer Program offers 20-month and advance standing students in any practice area or concentration the opportunity to incorporate 27 months of Peace Corps service into their MSW program. The Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program provides Returned Peace Corps Volunteers the opportunity to earn a Master in Social Work at the University of Michigan.
Program Details
Pathway Requirement
- Program Evaluation and Applied Research, 3 credits
- Power in the Global Context, 3 credits
- Critical Reflexive Global Practices, 3 credits
Pathway HBSE Requirement (choose one)
- Behavioral, Psychosocial and Ecological Aspects of Health, Mental Health and Disease, 3 credits
- Mental Health Disorders in Adulthood, 3 credits
- Mental Health and Mental Disorders of Children and Youth, 3 credits
- Contemporary Cultures in the United States, 3 credits
- Contexts of Life-course Development: Childhood, Adolescence, and Early Adulthood, 3 credits
- Adulthood and Aging, 3 credits
Pathway Policy Requirement (choose one)
- Children and Youth Services and Social Policies, 3 credits
- Health Care Policies and Services, 3 credits
- Mental Health Policies and Service, 3 credits
- Integrated Health Care Policy and Services, 3 credits
- Theories and Principles of Socially Just Policies, 3 credits
- Policies and Services for Older Adults, 3 credits
- Financing the Revolution: How the Financial System Contributes to Inequality and What You Can do about it, 1 credits
Please see course planning worksheets for a full list of courses associated with this pathway.
Pathway Faculty
Cristina B. Bares
Associate Professor of Social WorkExamines biological, psychological and social determinants of child and adolescent health and the interactions that give rise to adaptive and maladaptive behavior
Kathleen L. Lopez
Director, Office of Global Activities and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor
Rogério Meireles Pinto
Associate Dean for Research and Innovation and Professor of Social WorkImplementation Science; HIV prevention; Oppressed Groups; Practitioners; International Research
Fernanda L. Cross
Assistant Professor of Social WorkLatinx mixed-status families, undocumented immigrants, ethnic-racial socialization, discrimination experiences, adolescent mental health and academic outcomes