SWK4643H Special Topics in Social Justice and Diversity: Eco-Social Work Practice and Climate Justice – Elective

This interactive and engaging five-day intensive interdisciplinary course explores four key issues related to climate change, environmental justice, and ecosocial work practice:

1. Ecological Crises and Their Impacts: Climate change, extreme weather events, and human-caused environmental degradation have led to ecological crises with significant health, economic, in/justice, and social consequences.
2. Inequality and Social Injustice: The causes and effects of ecological crises are unevenly distributed, exacerbating social injustices and inequities based on race, gender, class, Indigenous status, sexual orientation, and other intersecting forms of social marginalization.
3. Climate and Environmental Justice: Climate and environmental justice approaches offer multi-level strategies—such as community activism and policy reforms—to reduce environmental harm, promote equity, and foster socially just and sustainable futures.
4. Ecosocial Work Practice: Ecosocial work provides multi-level practice approaches (individual, family, community, institutional, structural) to address climate and environmental impacts. These include disaster risk reduction, community activism and community building, and citizen science.

The course aligns with the Canadian Association for Social Work Education’s objectives on environmental sustainability and ecological practice, as well as the Canadian Association for Social Workers’ climate change and social work position statement. By the end of the course, students will have a deeper understanding of the links between climate and environmental issues and social work practice, along with real-world strategies to address these challenges through an intersectional and social justice-centered lens.