The Master of Social Work Program at California State University, Dominguez Hills is strategically located to focus on the diverse social service needs and problems particular to the South Bay area of Los Angeles County, a large metropolitan area, populated by a wide range of socially and culturally diverse people. Because of the diversity of the various ethnic groups and cultures, the program wil
l prepare social work students for contextually competent social work practice, inclusive of issues of culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, class and gender differences, religion and the effects of bias, prejudice and institutionalized racism. These issues and concerns often obscure helping efforts if they are not appropriately recognized and dealt with in practice and in social policy development and implementation. Thus, the program aims at increasing students’ understanding of the underlying causes resulting from intersecting effects of prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping and teaches ways of identifying strategies and interventions for addressing these concerns and problems in social work practice.
