Master of Social Work Program draft

Program Overview

Algoma University's advanced standing Master of Social Work program prepares graduates for generalist practice in diverse communities, emphasizing equity, diversity, and inclusion. With a focus on anti-oppressive and anti-racist principles, the program explores disparities in health and welfare services between Northern and Southern Ontario. Graduates are equipped for a wide range of settings and are particularly sought after in Northern, rural, and remote regions. The program's unique location on the former site of the Shingwauk Indian Residential School provides opportunities for experiential learning and a critical understanding of Indigenous perspectives.

Program Outline

Marie and Timmins campuses. The program emphasizes equity, diversity, and inclusion, aligning with CASWE's plan for anti-oppressive, anti-racism, and social justice practice, teaching, and learning. A key differentiator is Algoma U's location on the former site of the Shingwauk Indian Residential School, which allows for unique learning experiences incorporating lectures and presentations from residential school Survivors. The curriculum explores the differences between Northern and Southern Ontario communities regarding health services, family and child welfare, and the social welfare system. The program was developed in consultation with local employers to address the growing need for social workers in Northern, rural, and remote regions. The program aims to prepare students for generalist practices rooted in anti-racist, anti-colonial, and anti-oppressive principles, promoting equity and justice for diverse communities. It's committed to social justice, equity, and reconciliation, prioritizing the dismantling of various forms of oppression and highlighting Indigenous knowledge.

Outline:

The MSW program is a full-time, three-semester program (Fall, Winter, Spring). Students can choose between a thesis stream or a field practicum stream.

• Thesis Stream:
• Fall Semester: Five required courses.
• Winter Semester: Two elective courses and thesis work.
• Spring Semester: Thesis completion.
• Field Practicum Stream:
• Fall Semester: Five required courses.
• Winter Semester: Two elective courses and beginning field practicum placement.
• Spring Semester: Field placement completion (450 hours required).

Required Courses:

• SWRK5000: Advance Critical Research Methodology in Social Work
• SWRK5002: Ethics in community practice: A reflexive Approach
• SWRK 5004: Reflexive and Critical Anti-Oppressive Clinical Social Work
• SWRK 5012: Critical theory and practice
• SWRK5010: Research Seminar (Thesis Stream) / Field Placement Seminar (Practicum Stream)

Elective Courses (selection from):

• Queer Studies in Social Work
• Indigenous perspectives and worldviews
• Climate and ecological crises and Land back
• Asian Feminism in Social Work
• Special Course in Social Work: Food Sovereignty and Social Determinants of Health
• Critical Perspectives and Practice Approaches with the Aging
• SWRK 5004: Reflexive Anti-Oppressive Clinical Social Work (Independent studies)
• SWRK 5004: Reflexive Anti-Oppressive Clinical Social Work (Practicum Stream only)
• SWRK 5005 -Social work in Black

Teaching:

The program uses interactive lectures, small group work, hands-on practice, and community engagement. The faculty actively participates in collaborative community research and teaching initiatives, fostering enriching experiential learning opportunities. The program emphasizes partnerships with colleges, communities, and organizations, and works towards advancing accreditation standards.

Careers:

Graduates are prepared for generalist social work practice in a broad range of settings: public agencies, private businesses, hospitals, clinics, schools, nursing homes, private practices, police departments, and courts. The program aims to fulfill the need for social workers in Northern, rural, and remote regions, where a degree in social work is highly sought after. The text states that social work graduates generally have an easier time finding employment after graduation than graduates in most other fields.

Other:

The program employs a critical cross-cultural theoretical and conceptual basis of social work knowledge, ethics, and practice. It incorporates a multi-centric approach, including perspectives on anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-colonialism, Orientalism, structural and diverse critical perspectives, Anishinaabe perspectives, critical feminist perspectives, Indigenous perspectives, critical queer and trans studies, and disability/ability. The program emphasizes the importance of understanding and applying critical and ethical decolonizing methodologies in practice and research, acknowledging the colonial historical damage of mainstream/western social work practice and providing ethical knowledge on decolonizing mainstream social work knowledge and practice.