Overview
The Application and Demonstration Assignment 1: Spirituality, Religion & Culture Paper (CSWE Core Competency 2,3,6,7,8,9).
The Application and Demonstration Assignments gives students hands-on, active and engaged learning within their community. This assignment will allow you to demonstrate your growing understanding of cultural differences within a religious institution/spiritual experience and to employ knowledge of human behavior in the social environment that will facilitate your ability to promote social and economic justice through practice with diverse client systems.
For this application and demonstration assignment you will visit a religious institution that is different from your own religious/spiritual path. In a 3-5page essay applying two scholarly (peer-reviewed or research) articles and the Hutchinson text (page limit does not include the cover and reference page), address the following:
- Provide a brief description of the religion/religious institution including a summary of primary beliefs. In addition, describe the major beliefs/customs (if any) related to birth, death, marriage and sexual orientation (appropriate citational evidence expected).
- Identify the religious institution you visited and describe your time there.
- Reflect on your visit. Address how diversity and difference shape the human experience and the formation of identity by discussing the dimensions of spiritual person, religion and culture.
- Briefly identify and describe two theoretical perspectives (cite text) that may be helpful in enhancing professional social workers’ understanding of spirituality, religion and culture. Discuss how each perspective may facilitate engagement, assessment, intervention or evaluation of practice with individuals, families and groups.
- As it relates to spirituality, religion and culture, discuss three strategies to promote social and economic justice and human rights with individuals, families and groups.
Suggested Institutions in Louisville, Kentucky: Drepung Gomang (Buddhist) Monastery; Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall; St. John Vianney Vietnamese Catholic Church, Passionist Earth & Spirit Center; Debre Haile St. Gabriel Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church; Swaminarayan (Hindu) Temple; Baha’is’ Center; The Louisville Islamic Center, Bosniak American Islamic Center
Review the grading rubric before you submit the paper.