Syllabus Bank
Environmental Change and Social Welfare focuses on the human impacts of climate change and environmental harms. Over the course of the semester, we learn about the rapid changes underway, including the threats posed by extreme weather events, and chronic problems, such as pollution and access to safe and healthy environments. The course examines the disparate impacts of environmental change, and explores the ways in which marginalized groups and different populations experience heightened exposure and vulnerability. The course examines the unique role of social workers in protecting human rights within a changing environment and investigates the social and policy responses that protect and promote sustainability and wellbeing.
This advanced course extends the foundations of social welfare policy by deepening the knowledge obtained in SW701, applying it to environmental justice and climate change, and developing the analytic skills needed to critically synthesize and interpret the complexities of social welfare and environmental policy. Through in person and online instruction, this course explores the values and perspectives that shape policy responses, and provides a practical framework for policy analysis and action. The course will integrate different perspectives on race and ethnicity, gender, age, ability and socioeconomic status in connection with environmental risk, and aim for a diversity of expertise and perspectives, both domestic and international. Policy principles gained through this course can be generalized to other issues.