Need to add few pages to each section based on what I have wrote before.
This paper is designed to help you reflect on messages you received while growing up, related to your race, ethnicity, social class, gender, sexuality, abilities, religion, etc. It provides you with an opportunity to critically assess your own experiences and perspectives in order to prepare you for thinking about the role of these factors in the lives of those with whom you will work. Understanding what you believe, why you believe it and how those beliefs inform what you do will enhance your ability to work respectfully and competently with diverse populations.
In Section I (5-6 pages), examine the origins of your attitudes, values, and beliefs regarding three different aspects of your identity. To guide your thought process, you may consider how you learned about each aspect of your identity and describe a specific experience that showcase how you understood the power, privilege, or marginalization of aspect of your identity. You must choose three aspects of your identity, including one where you are privileged and one where you are marginalized. Try to challenge yourself! After discussion, the origins of your beliefs you should reflect over how these ideas are related to how we socially construct identity on a societal level. Do not simply tell a story, but analyze your beliefs in relationship to the larger discussion of power, privilege, and oppression in society.
In Section II (5-6 pages), based on one of the aspects of your identity explored in the section 1, pick a specific social issue with important relevance to social work and discuss how the issue is embedded in the existing power structure of our society. Then explain how your beliefs and attitudes about this topic/issue have been influenced your understanding of the specific social identity it relates to from Section I (i.e., how your understanding of your identity in relationship to society). You should reflect how these two components are related to socialization. You should use information from the course and outside sources to discuss the topic. This will require you to do a small literature review on the topic using peer-reviewed sources. You are required to use at least 4 peer-reviewed primary or secondary sources. The purpose of this section is to help you integrate your reflection into an issue that is relevant to social work practice.
In Section III (5-6 pages), identify and describe ways that your beliefs and attitudes made social work a possible career choice. Discuss how your intersecting identities inform what you hope to do as a social worker. You should identify a practice area, describe two hypothetical situations you might encounter as a social worker (e.g., interaction with a client, community group, policy, etc.) and explain how some aspects of your identity might influence your professional response. You should discuss the role of power, privilege, and oppression in this interaction as it relates to the identities of all individuals involved. You will need to describe a scenario with clients with similar and differing social identities. You should conclude this analysis with a discussion of how the NASW Code of Ethics will guide you in working with each client.
