Anti-racism / Anti-oppression in Doctoral Education: Designing, Developing and Directing an Inclusive Online PhD Program

Concurrent Session 8

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

This session will present strategies, successes and challenges in designing, developing and directing a hybrid PhD program using anti-racist / anti-oppression framework to create an inclusive environment for BIPOC students. Faculty engagement, inclusive strategies for course delivery, pedagogical partnerships, peer allyship, mentoring approaches; qualitative data from student interviews will be discussed.

 

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Jennifer Wilson, Sacred Heart University

Dr. Wilson has served individuals, families and communities affected by trauma and issues of social justice for over 20 years. Her early work began in a grassroots organization in California serving homeless families, followed by many years in child welfare, foster care, and clinical outpatient services treating sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, and a range of mental health conditions. Dr. Wilson approaches social work practice from a holistic perspective, with an emphasis on therapeutic trust and relationship building, trauma informed care, anti-racism, as well as practitioner self care and well being. She facilitates trainings and support groups for helping professionals, students, interns and volunteers in the field. Dr. Wilson has written several successful grants to fund HIV/AIDS prevention and outreach, homeless services, and programs for former foster youth; funded by agencies such as Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and local Homeless Coalitions, city and county governments. She has several publications and has presented her work at national conferences. Dr. Wilson has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in academic settings, both on ground and online for 14 years. In that time, she has also supervised students placed in internship placements and in training as child welfare professionals. As an educator, Dr. Wilson aims to create inclusive learning environments, foster a student-centered approach to learning, while integrating anti-racism, social work values, ethics, empathy and compassion. She encourages students to engage in self reflection, self care, stress management and mindfulness-based practices as part of professional and personal development on their paths to working as agents for social change. Jennifer Wilson is a Clinical Associate Professor at Sacred Heart University in the School of Social Work where she is also the Director of the PhD in Social Work Program. Jennifer Wilson is a Wiley Fellow.

Co-presenter: Quianna Daniels-Smart, Sacred Heart University (Virtual Presenter)

Co-presenter: Jen Melanson, Sacred Heart University (Virtual Presenter)

Extended Abstract

Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of diverse backgrounds are underrepresented in doctoral programs across the country, including PhD in Social Work / Social Welfare programs (CSWE, 2017; NSF, 2021). Although their enrollment numbers are generally increasing, institutional racism and discrimination present persistent barriers for potential applicants and create negative experiences for diverse students enrolled in predominantly white institutions (Ghose, Ali, & Keo-Meier, 2018; Vaishnav, 2021). 

Anti-racist, anti-oppressive approaches create opportunities to confront structural barriers in higher education (Ash, Hill, Risdon, & Jun, 2020). As well, advances in the development of inclusive teaching strategies in program and course design and delivery improve outcomes for all students, while creating a sense of belonging for diverse students in the learning environment (Tuitt, Haynes, & Stewart, 2016). 

One barrier is that traditional PhD programs (and specifically PhD in Social Work programs) are largely offered full time, on campus in R1 and R2 universities and - other than HBCUs - are largely predominantly white institutions. These programs require doctoral students to commit full time to the program and their research, often putting their careers and income on hold. Another major barrier is that doctoral programs and the institutions that house them center whiteness in the teaching and learning environment, making students of color feel excluded, unheard, isolated and unsupported (Gildersleeve, Croom, & Vasquez, 2011; Vaishnav, 2021). Students of color, especially Black women and men in PhD programs experience heightened stress, microagressions, and structural barriers to their success. Many students of color who graduate from doctoral programs do not pursue careers in academe, citing their negative experiences. 

Online, part-time programs broaden opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds, regions, socioeconomic groups and especially minoritized, marginalized populations and students with disabilities. It is not enough to design an accessible program for underrepresented students, the next layers include recruitment, retention and creating an environment where students of all backgrounds will thrive. Students from minoritized backgrounds and diverse identities are often interested in conducting research about issues of social, racial and economic justice. The institution and its faculty should be prepared to actively support  and encourage research on understudied populations.

This session will present strategies, successes and challenges in designing, developing and directing a hybrid PhD in Social Work program using an anti-racist / anti-oppression framework to create an inclusive environment for BIPOC students. Program proposal and development, mission alignment, course and curriculum development, faculty engagement, mentoring approaches, on-campus activities, and other aspects of this program will be described. The presentation will include inclusive strategies for course development and delivery, implementation of pedagogical partnerships, peer ally groups and BIPOC student mentoring. Barriers, challenges and potential solutions will be analyzed. Findings of interviews with doctoral students will be reported. Directions for the future will be explored in an open discussion format.

 

References

Ash, A.N., Hill, R., Risdon, S, and Jun, A. (2020). Anti-racism in higher education: A model for change," Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice: 4:3(2).  
DOI: https://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/rpj/vol4/iss3/2

Council on Social Work Education. (2018). 2017 Statistics on social work education: Summary of the CSWE annual Survey of Social Work Programs. https://www.cswe.org/CSWE/media/CSWEAnnualReports/cswe_2017-2018AnnualReport_WEB.pdf

Gildersleeve, R.E., Croom, N.N. & Vasquez, P.L. (2011). “Am I going crazy?!”: A critical race analysis of doctoral education. Equity & Excellence in Education, 44:1, 93-114. DOI: 10.1080/10665684.2011.53947

Ghose, T., Ali, S., & Keo-Meier, B. (2018). Diversity in social work doctoral programs. Research on Social Work Practice, 28(3), 265–271. https://doi-org.sacredheart.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1049731517710725

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, National Science Foundation. (2021). Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2020. NSF 22-300. Alexandria, VA. Retrieved from: https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf22300/

Tuitt, F., Haynes, C., & Stewart, S. (2016). Race, Equity, and the Learning Environment : The Global Relevance of Critical and Inclusive Pedagogies in Higher Education: First edition. Stylus Publishing.

Vaishnav, S. (2021). Using Photovoice to explore racial microaggressions experienced by doctoral students of color. Journal of Counselor Preparation & Supervision, 14(2), 1–30.