FUA-AUF’s Social Work Class Broadens Student's Perceptions of Intersectionality and Systemic Inequality

FUA-AUF’s Social Work class challenges and expands student perceptions of intersectionality, systemic inequality, and different world outlooks. The course delves into some of the fundamentals of social work principles such as values and codes of ethics in the lens of how those affect minority groups. Many students reflect on how before taking this course they did not deeply reflect on how factors can contribute to systemic inequality.


FUA-AUF student, Lindsay Baker shared how her perspective has changed after taking this class.

“I now understand systemic inequality is a product of institutions like schools or governments, groups, and individual biases,” Baker said. “It is not just caused by one thing."

In the class, students learn and discuss real-life examples of how these structures affect people now. One of the examples that were talked about was ageism in the context of healthcare systems, which can lead to "undercare" of elders which snowballs into more problems such as isolation, which can lead to disease. Students expressed that, prior to taking the class, these were issues and topics they had not thought about, as they have yet to experience or be worried about them.

In addition to lectures and discussions, students had the opportunity to hear from guest speakers and visit Misericordia, an organization in Florence dedicated to providing aid to marginalized communities in the area. Reflecting on one of the most impactful parts of the course, FUA-AUF student Kailynd Burgess said, 
“Visiting the Misericordia was interesting to see everyone doing their own part to help out the community.”

Experiencing how Italy approaches aiding its marginalized communities allows students to be able to make the connection of how structure back in The United States functions. These comparisons encourage them to think critically about how their own structures help or put others at a disadvantage. For their final presentation, students integrate all of these concepts and apply them to an organization they would like to create to help a community in need. Groups focused on a myriad of different communities such as the elderly and para-athletes.

FUA-AUF’s Social Work class leaves students reevaluating their perceptions of what is normal and acceptable. One of the biggest takeaways of the class for Baker was, “That societies all over the world create challenges for certain individuals through their day-to-day practices which form systemic barriers leading to oppression of certain groups.”