Overview
In this unit, you will explore the concepts of intersectionality and social justice in social work practice to address systemic inequalities and promote equitable outcomes when working with individuals, groups and communities. Using critical intersectional and identity theoretical frameworks, you will critically examine the fluidity and complexity of identity. You will explore how social constructions, such as ethnicity, culture, gender, religion, class, sexual orientation, age, disability, and other identity markers, intersect to create nuanced experiences of oppression and privilege. This analysis will help you to understand how groups are categorised, stratified and often stigmatised based on their conformity to or deviation from dominant social and cultural norms. This knowledge and the AASW Code of Ethics (2020) will inform holistic and collaborative social work assessments considering service users' lived experiences of multiple intersecting identities. You will employ intersectional-informed critical reflection to examine your identities and experiences, facilitating awareness of social work’s positionality and power relations. Reflecting on your cultural background, biases, and assumptions will promote culturally safe and sensitive social work practice. The unit explores discriminatory structures and practices and their impact on social work in Australia. It will equip you with skills to advocate for systemic changes and promote social justice to support diverse service users effectively.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.