Social Politics of “Passing”
Assignment 1: The Social Politics of “Passing”
(Social Politics of “Passing”)
Many people have had the experience of being informally tested for fitness for membership in a peer group. However, for members of an oppressed group who can pass as a member of the dominant group, such as members of a racial minority who look like members of the dominant group, “passing” takes on a special significance. One study (Stuckert, 1958) estimates that over 150,000 Americans with some degree of African American blood passed for white between 1861and 1950. For these individuals, it was a complex decision that had a profound impact on them as well as American history. Understanding the significance of passing and its impact on your work is important for your future as a social worker.
- · Submit a 2-page paper using APA formatting.
- · Also provide historical references and references from the resources.
- · In the paper, analyze the relationship between passing and privilege in North American society, identify at least two incidents where passing may lead to greater privilege, and explain the implications of passing on social work practice.
References (use at least 2)
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Assignment 2: Recognizing and Responding to Those Who Self-Harm
For some adolescents, experiencing physical pain becomes a regular practice for managing psychological pain. Whether used as a coping mechanism, a way to express anger, or to deal with intense emotional pain, self-harming is often a call for help.
In school settings, faculty and staff are charged with protecting students, but how can they protect those students who choose to harm themselves? The importance of educators understanding the circumstances, causes, and effects of self-harming behavior so they can respond quickly and effectively cannot be overstated.
For this Assignment, consider your role as a social worker and think about how you would raise awareness for educators to respond to this increasing maladaptive coping mechanism.
- Submit a 5 slide PowerPoint presentation explaining the indicators of self-harm, appropriate interventions, and follow-up steps for educators needing to respond to those who self-harm.
References (use at least 2-3)
Moorey, S. (2010). Managing the unmanageable: Cognitive behaviour therapy for deliberate self-harm. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 24(2), 135–149.
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
