Online Certificate in Political Social Work

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