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Mission of the School of Social Work
The mission of Howard University School of Social Work is congruent with the
mission of the University, which is to provide quality social work education
for students irrespective of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation,
disabilities or national origin. The School is committed to educating
students for advanced professional social work practice and doctoral careers
in teaching and research who will be able to assist in the solution of
human, organizational and social problems, particularly those affecting the
poor and oppressed and Black people. That commitment is realized through
educational programs, research and scholarly inquiry and community service.
The mission is expressed in the concept of the Black Perspective as evolved
from Black experiences. This mission reflects a commitment to the historical
roots of Howard University, while preparing professional social workers to
meet emerging challenges.
The mission of the School of Social Work is an expression of our guiding
philosophy known as the Black Perspective in social work. This Perspective
is described in the following Statement of Principles.
Principle 1:
The Black Perspective is an affirming and profoundly liberating stance at
both the individual and collective levels. It celebrates the richness,
productivity and vigor of the lives of African Americans and Blacks in the
U.S. and in other parts of the world. The School of Social Work is
committed to imbuing social work practice and theory with this
Perspective. This mission means a commitment on our part to use increasing
levels of scholastic productivity and rigor, teaching effectiveness, and
social work practice competence as tools to advance the contemporary Black
agenda, as well as a commitment to public services, a service arena of
importance to the Black community.
Principle 2: Precisely because the Black Perspective is first of
all an affirmation of strength, it insists on delineating ways in which
that strength can be used to respond to the continuing oppression of Black
people. The search for the causes, consequences and elimination of
oppression is inherent in all areas of social work practice, research, and
education.
Principle 3: The Black Perspective is distinctive but not
monolithic. Simplistic, global characterizations of Black individuals,
families, groups and communities are intolerable. It is equally
unacceptable to overlook the genuine cultural, economic, political and
social bonds of distinctiveness that do exist. Producing social work
practitioners, researchers and educators who are faithful both to the
commonalities of interest and experience, and to the rich and complex
diversities within the Black population is a demanding educational task.
Knowledge of commonalities and diversities is continually expanding.
Keeping abreast of that knowledge, contributing to it, and shaping social
work practice to it are prime elements of our mission.
Principle 4: The Black Perspective is a positive and vivifying
stance, not a negative or exclusionary one. This means that the School of
Social Work has a special mission to educate Black social work
practitioners, researchers and educators while at the same time providing
quality professional education to all students regardless of race, creed,
sex or national origin. The School’s curriculum gives primacy to Black
content and, in fact, the School is a national leader in the development
of social work curriculum materials that are responsive to the Black
population. At the same time, the curriculum provides all of our students
with a broadly- based professional preparation which gives them career
flexibility and the skills to work with the diverse elements of modern
American society.
Principle 5: The Black Perspective means a special sensitivity to
the experiences of all oppressed and underserved groups in American
society. There is no contradiction between giving primacy to the Black
experience and being responsive to the perspectives and experiences of
other groups who have been subjected to oppressive forces. Howard
University’s heritage as a leader in the struggle for social justice
places the School of Social Work in a uniquely advantageous position to
work with all groups seeking equality and freedom from oppression.
Principle 6: An international dimension with a special emphasis on
Africa and the Caribbean area is intrinsic to the School’s Black
Perspective. The School of Social Work has a mission to educate
international students for positions of direct social work practice and
leadership roles in social welfare administration and policy in their home
countries. A second aspect of the international dimension is our School’s
commitment to developing that area of social work practice dealing with
refugees and other displaced populations -- both those individuals
displaced within their own countries and those displaced across national
borders. A final aspect of the international dimension is the School’s
desire to foster in its graduates a sense of involvement and commitment to
other parts of the world as an element of their professional identity.
This is especially important for those areas where issues of social
justice and social welfare for people of color are crucial.
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