Practical Application of Critical Race Theory: A Social Justice Course Design

Abstract

ABSTRACTSocial work education aims to prepare students to effectively engage with diverse people and groups. This article presents a practical application of critical race theory (CRT) toward that end. It describes a brief history of curricular approaches to teaching diversity and social justice and examines a few of the challenges with current curricular approaches that CRT has the potential to mitigate. I provide an overview of CRT and discusses the utility of applying CRT to the design of a diversity and social justice course in a social work education program. A logic model, which illustrates the application of CRT and a social justice approach, is presented and discussed. The model includes strategies, course methods, student outcomes, and influential factors.