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Huckabay Teaching Fellowship Proposal
Applicant: Alex Smolak
Mentor: James DeLong, Director of Extended Degree Programs, UW SSW

Project Description
Student Statement

Social Work with Muslim Families

 Background for Project

 Within the field of social work, it is crucial for the practitioner to be aware of his or her own values and worldview.  Without this awareness, the practitioner’s decision-making process could be unknowingly affected.  Often this effect could have negative implications for the client.  This is due to values and bias unintentionally influencing the practitioner’s decisions.  Members of marginalized groups are those who are most often affected by this process.  One such group is Muslims.

 The Muslim population in the United States is increasing with each passing year[1] and, in direct reflection of the national statistics, Seattle’s Muslim population is also noticeably rising.  Muslims in general and, particularly Muslim refugees, such as the Somalis and Bosnians, have become significant consumers of social services in the greater Seattle area.  Many of the UW School of Social Work’s BASW and MSW internship agencies work with Muslim families.  Former Dean of the School of Social Work, Nancy Hooyman[2] has stated, “I do not see how a social worker will not have to work with Muslims during their career.”

 Central to the UW School of Social Work’s mission is a commitment to promoting social and economic justice for poor and oppressed populations.  In addition, the School of Social Work’s core values include a deep respect for cultural diversity and multiculturalism[3].  To that end, the School of Social Work has offered courses focusing specifically on oppressed populations, including gays and lesbians, immigrants and refugees, African-American families, and persons with disabilities.  However, the School of Social Work has yet to offer a course focusing on social work practice with Muslims.  Such a course would be a vital addition to the School of Social Work’s curriculum[4].

 Description of Project

 If received, the Huckabay Fellowship will be used to develop and teach a course that will have two primary goals:

 1.  Identifying and managing personal bias.  A number of exercises and readings will be used to facilitate this process of introspection.  Classroom activities and web discussions will be structured in seminar format.  Classroom activities, such as discussions, lectures, and exercises, will be implemented to assist in the internalization of the learning goals.  Ethics, specifically ethics in application to bias against clients, will also be discussed.

 2.  Providing future social workers from the University of Washington School of Social Work the competence and capabilities required to work with Muslim families.  A study of Islamic family life and societal norms will be the center of this component.  Guest speakers from the diverse Seattle Muslim community will be hosted.  Issues and scenarios specific to the Muslim community that the students will most likely encounter will be discussed and explored through role-play.  Moreover, the implementation of social work interventions in a culturally effective manner that takes into account the diversity within the Muslim community as influenced by culture, nationality, ethnicity, and history will also be considered through lectures, discussions, and role-play.

 The applicant and the mentor will work together on the following items: (a) structuring the course content to compliment existing social work courses; (b) selecting reading materials; (c) syllabus development; (d) development of learning objectives; (e) assignment design; (f) formatting the course in order to most effectively utilize the aforementioned teaching strategies.  The goal of said objectives will be that students may most benefit from both the mentor and the applicant’s experience, knowledge, and insight into the highly complex subject of social work with Muslim families.

 The applicant will gain experience in designing, implementing, and evaluating a course.  An important characteristic of an effective social worker and instructor is the ability to facilitate groups.  Teaching the proposed class will provide the applicant with significant experience in group facilitation.  The applicant will also gain invaluable experience by working closely within the mentor/mentee relationship and, thus, accumulating a deeper appreciation and respect for his mentor, as well as the knowledge accumulated by his mentor.  Specifically, the mentor will share his experience and knowledge on the topics of teaching social work practice issues, group process, and identity/ bias awareness.  Moreover, the applicant will gain satisfaction from knowing that he has served his community to the best of his ability by helping to prepare culturally competent social service providers. 

 Students will gain experience, knowledge, and insight crucial to interacting, both professionally and personally, with one of the world’s fastest growing populations[5].  Students will acquire the aforementioned experience, knowledge, and insight from discussions, lectures, and other interactions involving persons within said population; namely, the applicant and guest speakers.  Students will also have the opportunity for exposure to knowledge and skills for working with Muslim people, to learn how to identify and counter personal biases, and to acquire skills in applying ethical principles to social work practice.  Additionally, students will further their growth and progress as students in the School of Social Work by participating in an original class that is cognitively stimulating as it will challenge cultural biases and ethnocentrism as well as sharpen students’ understanding of the inherent difficulties of cross-cultural social work practice.  If received, the Huckabay Fellowship will result in a higher degree of culturally competent social work practice with Muslim communities and clients.

 Evaluation

 The applicant will request that students provide anonymous feedback via the Catalyst web tool.  This feedback will be incorporated into future class sessions.  Students will be required to submit learning summaries.  These will offer additional feedback as to students’ understanding and internalization of the material, as well as address any concerns regarding the course itself.  The applicant will keep a journal of his reflections concerning class meetings and will discuss them with the mentor every other week.  Lastly, during the course the mentor will observe a class session and provide feedback to the applicant.  The applicant will consult with Center for Instructional Development and Research staff both during the development and implementation phases of the course.  Finally, students will evaluate the course in the final session using the standard Office of Educational Assessment student evaluation forms. 

 Huckabay Teaching Fellowship Application: Student Statement
Alex Smolak

 Teaching Background and Preparation

The applicant has facilitated entire class sessions on the topics of religious discrimination and ethics as applied to social services.  This unusual opportunity was offered to the applicant during the last two years of the applicant’s undergraduate work at The Evergreen State College.  Additionally, the applicant has facilitated classroom discussions on the topics of Islam and bias as applied to social services during the applicant’s graduate studies at the University of Washington School of Social Work.  The applicant has also completed a course in the facilitation of groups.  In the autumn of 2004, the applicant worked with the mentor to organize and coordinate a panel of Muslim women who spoke to and answered questions from the entirety of the first year cohort at the School of Social Work.  The panel was well received and stimulated on-going discussions about the misconceptions and misinterpretations of women in Islam. 

Reasons for Interest in Project

The applicant is currently a first year MSW student and will begin his third quarter of full-time graduate study in the spring of 2005.  He entered the MSW program with a clear goal: to gain the education required to work as a social worker and a college level instructor.  He has chosen to pursue both of these professions in order to integrate his deeply held personal values of social justice and multiculturalism into his professional career.  As he has progressed through his social work education, he has become aware of other graduate students’ lack of preparation and competence regarding working with his own marginalized group, Muslims; a group with which the applicant is intimately familiar.  In fact, the applicant is himself an active and practicing Muslim.

The applicant has found there to be many varied but often intense emotions and thoughts regarding the issue of Muslims and, specifically, Muslims within the United States.  Regrettably, popular media has often promoted misconceptions of Muslims, and students within the School of Social Work are not immune to such misconceptions.  The degree of such emotions and thoughts concerning Muslims has significantly increased in recent years, particularly after September 11, 2001.  Hate crimes against Muslims have become commonplace[6] and the need for social services by Muslims is rapidly increasing[7].  Much of this increase is in direct response to the ever-growing Muslim refugee population.  As the son of refugees, the applicant feels a sincere and profound motivation to effectively prepare social service providers to work with Muslims and, more specifically, Muslim refugees.    

Tasks Applicant will Perform

The applicant will develop and teach the course “Social Work with Muslim Families”.  Included in the applicant’s tasks will be:  researching and writing to create the new course; compiling a literature/syllabus review and examining materials that are being considered for the course; researching and developing self-reflection exercises for the course; facilitating meaningful discussions within the course. 

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