Foundations of Political Social Work

This module will include the historical and current role of social workers in the political process, emerging political social work research and theory, as well as the NASW Code of Ethics standard which calls for social workers to engage in "social and political action" as part of their ethical responsibilities to the broader society.

1.1 Political Social Work Theories & Research
1.2 Political Justice & Voter Engagement
1.3 Ethics in Political Social Work
1.4 Bridging Divides
1.5 Engaging Elected Officials: An Inside Perspective

Tools for Political Social Work Practice

This module will cover skills and strategies that social workers can apply to effectively engage and communicate with constituents, policymakers, and elected and appointed officials to enact change across practice settings.

2.1 Identifying the Elected/Appointed Officials in Your Community
2.2 Activism and Advocacy
2.3 Building and Maintaining Coalitions
2.4 Political Social Work in the Workplace
2.5 Planning, Organizing, and Funding a Campaign
2.6 Identity, Messaging, Voter Contact & Targeting
2.7 Branding
2.8 Public Discourse
2.9 Reaching Your Audience: A Data Visualization Toolkit

Special Knowledge Areas for Political Social Work

This module covers important topic areas social workers should be familiar with when engaging in political social work practice, including organized labor and immigration. This module is intended to be responsive to emerging political topics relevant to social work and will be built upon and expanded in later iterations of the program.

3.1 Information Literacy: Combating "Fake News"
3.2 Political Parties
3.3 Social Work and Immigration
3.4 Environmental Justice/Climate Change
3.5 Tax Policy
3.6 Social Work and Unions

This certificate program is a self-directed online learning experience that uses our  web-based learning management system, Canvas. Each module features pre-recorded self-paced lectures and other resource materials. The program also features ongoing opportunities to meet with the certificate lead faculty for drop-in interactive question-and-answer session hosted via Zoom.

For the live interactive sessions, participants require access to high-speed Internet and a computer with a camera and microphone. You do not need special skills to participate successfully in a distance-learning environment. We will provide detailed, user-friendly instructions and technical support.

We are dedicated to prioritizing the accessibility needs of participants in this program. If you have any questions or concerns related to your learning needs, please contact [email protected].

$420 for the 28-hour certificate program.

$380 for UM SSW field instructors, faculty, and staff.

The University of Michigan School of Social Work, provider #1212, is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) www.aswb.org, through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. The University of Michigan School of Social Work maintains responsibility for the program. ASWB Approval Period 5/15/2023-5/15/2026. Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval. Social workers participating in this course will receive 1 synchronous interactive online, 1 ethics asynchronous online, and 26 asynchronous online social work continuing education contact hours.