Terry and Jennie interview Donna Aguiniga, Associate Professor of Social Work at UAA. We discuss the 19th century origins of social work, the myth of the noble poor, and how what has historically been a female-dominated profession experienced the path to professionalization differently. Returning to modern times, we discuss the ethics of working with populations who may be vulnerable or even powerless, including minors. We also discuss the system itself, including the consequences of working in under-resourced organizations, and of working within a larger system that one knows to be biased.
Links and resources:
The National Association of Social Workers: https://www.socialworkers.org/
The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics: https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English. This is the code of ethics that all accredited schools of social work and state licensing boards in the U.S. use.
Not directly related to social work, but Jennie mentions bossism, so here's a fascinating journal article on the political boss who used to run her hometown of Cincinnati.
Learn more about UAA's College of Engineering.
Learn more about UAA's School of Social Work.
Learn more about UAA's Department of Philosophy.
