Abolition Social Work Certificate

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This four-course certificate will engage both working professionals and degree-seeking students in a deeper understanding of the history and values of the social work profession. Participants will apply abolitionist theories and strategies to create a more transformative and equitable social work field.

The Alverno difference

At the completion of the program, the successful student will have engaged with, assessed, and developed new abolitionist social work interventions at all levels; participants will be able to quickly demonstrate learning in system thinking as well as the ideas of mutual aid, community partnerships, and alternative ways of punishment to colleagues, clients, and employers.

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Courses

The Abolition Social Work Certificate consists of four 8-week classes offered during Alverno’s academic schedule in Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. Courses include both synchronous and asynchronous activities, held fully online at meeting times convenient for working professionals. The Certificate is comprised of four graduate-level courses covering general practice in Abolitionist Social Work:

• SW 630: Social Work Towards Abolition
• SW 720: Prisons, Policing, Surveillance
• SW 721: Abolition Feminism Now
• SW 722: Dreaming a New World – Collectivist Abolition Lab

Cost (non-credit): $2,000

Register here.

(Those interested in receiving graduate-level credit must contact the Registrar’s Office: Alverno.Registrar@alverno.edu.)

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Coursework

Through this course progression, students will examine their positionality, assess the history and values of the social work profession, and apply abolitionist theories and strategies to create a more transformative and equitable social work field. Students will explore the ways in which feminism can undermine state violence and transform communities intersectionally, and will apply abolition feminist theory to critically analyze carceral logic and systems as well as attempts at reform. Learning culminates in the Future Building Lab which facilitates students’ collective work of engaging with, assessing, and developing new abolitionist social work interventions at all levels.

Learn more about the foundations of Alverno’s Abolitionist Master of Social Work program here.

The Annual Crime and Fire Safety Report for Alverno College, which includes crime statistics and annual fire safety statistics, can be found online. A hard copy of the report is available upon request. Please send your request to Jason Pilarski, director of Campus Safety.