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Social Work
How does studying abroad fit with this major?
Social work is one of the most important academic and professional fields because it promotes community development, responsibility, social justice, empowerment, and the wellbeing of all people. It is truly an all-encompassing discipline that extends into policy, education, health care, psychology, and more. Every country has its own structures and challenges when it comes to the treatment and regulation of its citizens. By studying social work abroad, students will be exposed to different approaches to the major themes across society, and gain valuable hands-on experience that they can apply to their own career and specialization.
Cross-cultural understanding is critical to the goals of the field of social work, on both a national and global scale. Social workers must be able to study and learn from other models and examples in order to shape the functional systems that organize our societies. Governments must be able to learn from each other, and work with each other to achieve social harmony. Social work study abroad programs provide more context for students to develop a comprehensive framework of the field as a whole; what has been done, what needs improvement, and how to get there, that is, the relationship between domestic and foreign concerns.
Featured Programs
Ramapo College of New Jersey
“Global Clinical Social Work in Cuba: A Community-Based Approach”
3 credit (graduate), May Program
This course (MSWK 675) will examine the history and evolution of social work practice in Cuba. Students will learn about the role of social workers in health care and the importance of their participation in interdisciplinary work as the foundation of a community-organizing model of social work practice. This course will require students to think critically, students will draw from their existing knowledge of social work practice in the US to integrate their understanding of how policies, political forces and culture shape the delivery of health care services including mental health and social services. This course will take place in Havana, Cuba, it will include attending presentations and site visits to health care settings such as a polyclinic (community health center), the ministry of work, and a center for people with mental and physical disabilities among others. The experience will include cultural excursions in Havana.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Ramapo College of New Jersey
“Global Clinical Social Work in Ghana: Cultural Integration in Social Work Practice”
3 credit (graduate), January Program
This study abroad course (MSWK 610) is designed for students who have an interest in social work. The number of students is capped, so apply early. Prior to starting the program, there will be a series of pre-departure orientation sessions (attendance is mandatory). The program faculty and international education professionals will give a brief overview of the country, politics, and social work practices. They will also review standards of behavior expected of all students. The course faculty will share prior experiences with working in Ghana and provide protocol expectations. Upon return, students will attend a debriefing session on campus.
The objective of this study abroad program to Ghana, West Africa is to expose students to differences in social work environments and the cultural implications for communities. This program offers a comprehensive overview of community social work in Ghana as well as introduction to African civilization, society, and culture. By the end of the study abroad program, students will appreciate the impact that politics play on the delivery of social work in west Africa.
Students will travel from Ramapo College – New Jersey to Ghana. They will reside and visit three main locations in Ghana: Kumasi (the main program base), Cape Coast & Accra. In each location, visits and guest lectures will allow the students to get first-hand contact and converse with members of the local and international social work communities, officials, as well as African students and academicians. Our academic base for the program will be at Ramapo’s partner institution Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Kumasi. The study abroad program will also include guided tours of major historical and tourist attractions.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Ramapo College of New Jersey
“Global Clinical Social Work in Iceland: Social Programs to Reduce Youth Substance Use”
2 credit (undergraduate) / 3 credit (graduate), Spring Program
The program is designed to provide students of many disciplines the opportunity to participate in this program. Undergraduate students will enroll in INTL 130: Global Field Experience, Youth in Iceland: Impact of Culture & Context on Substance Use Prevention (2 credits). Graduate students will enroll in a 3-credit graduate independent study course.
Course Description:
Substance use rates among Iceland youth were the highest in Europe until a comprehensive, research-informed behavioral addiction prevention program was enacted, which resulted in their rates of youth substance use to be the lowest in Europe. This faculty-led study abroad course will engage with the professionals engaged in the Youth in Iceland program that these successes have been attributed to affording a thorough understanding of the meaningful risk and protective factors. Strong predictive factors in Icelandic youth include: participating in organized activities at least three to four times per week, total time spent with parents during the week, feeling cared about in school, and not being outdoors in the late evenings. This course will review the research-based model adopted, how all parties including the youth and their families were engaged, and outcome data to support the program’s success. Students will meet with researchers, clinicians, and policy makers engaged in preventing behavioral addiction in Icelandic youth through visits to community-based programming, governmental agencies, and Reykjavik University. Unique aspects of the program that contribute to its success are $500 stipends given to families to pay for extracurricular activities for their children, strong support from Icelandic government, built-in mechanisms to collect data on program effectiveness, and a foundation in science and theory. Also, while in Iceland, students will embark on a tour of the Golden Circle and the Northern Lights.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Ramapo College of New Jersey
“Global Clinical Social Work in Netherlands: Immigrant & Refugee Trauma & Social Justice”
3 credit (graduate), Spring Program
This course will focus on the topic of trauma in the community of immigrants and refugees, and the meaning and implications of social justice as we consider the causes, experience, and consequences of human migration. The course will take place in the Netherlands where students will participate in multiple presentations and site visits to community, non-governmental, and governmental organizations. Throughout the course, social justice will serve as a lens through which we consider the nature of immigrant and refugee trauma, as well as a response to it that is consistent with the values of the Social Work profession. Students will be aided in comparing and contrasting their experience in the Netherlands with that of the current context in the United States.
In this course, the issue of immigrant and refugee trauma will be examined on three levels. On the local level, students will explore the biopsychosocial needs of immigrant and refugee communities in Amsterdam, and learn how Social Work and other humanitarian/human service organizations are striving to address those needs. On the national level, students will examine how the Netherlands has dealt with the influx of immigrant and refugee populations, as well as the national policies and programs that have been enacted or implemented to respond to the needs of these individuals, families, and communities. On the global level, students will visit The Hague to learn about programs and processes that are being implemented through the International Court of Justice to address the causes and consequences of refugee movement, in addition to efforts that are being made to advance the cause of peace and justice on an international level.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Ramapo College of New Jersey
“PERU: Community Health & Human Services”
4 credit (undergraduate), Summer program
This study abroad course (SPAN 325) in Peru provides students with the opportunity of engaging in hands-on field work in community medicine, while using their language skills and cultural competence. The emphasis in community medicine is on the early diagnosis of disease, the recognition of environmental and occupational hazards to good health, and the prevention of disease in the community. To this end, the course provides comprehensive health services ranging from preventive to rehabilitative services.
While in Lima, students will work with the guidance of a local placement advisor in the field for 25 hours a week and attend lectures for 20 hours in a four-week program. Ramapo faculty will, first, accompany students on these lectures and field hours and then meet with students to help them dissect the medical vocabulary and cultural contexts used in the local settings though lectures and class discussions. Students are required to take SPAN 202: Intermediate II or equivalent proficiency before this study abroad course, as a prerequisite.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Ramapo College of New Jersey
“Global Clinical Social Work in Portugal: From Policy to Practice to Address Substance Use Disorders”
3 credit (graduate), May program
This study abroad course (MSWK 590) will examine policies relevant to those with substance use disorders from an international perspective. This course will require students to think critically and question everything they may know about substance use. This course will take place in Lisbon, Portugal engaging in multiple presentation and site visits to learn about the Portuguese system of decriminalization. Students will meet with a parliament member active in passing decriminalization legislation, neurobiologist who shares state of the art research on addictive disorders, researchers from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), treatment providers, and law enforcement officials. The experience includes trips to the Portuguese parliament, a treatment facility, and the EMCDDA as well as cultural excursions to Cascais and Porto.
This experience offers students a trans-disciplinary approach to Substance Use Disorders in the context of the Portuguese policy of decriminalization of all drugs. Through lectures and field visits, students gain a view of substance use as a multifaceted, intertwined dynamic process that spans the expertise of social work, public health, law enforcement, medical, and political systems. Lectures by those engaged in the decriminalized system include a social worker, Member of Parliament, and a police officer. Trips include a substance use disorder treatment facility and the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction as well as cultural excursions. During the course, students will have to keep a journal, which will inform their reflections for the final course assignment. Below is a summary of the course final assignment. A detailed description of the assignment will be distributed in class.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Other Approved Programs
There are a variety of other approved program options available to students who major in Social Work. Click on the link below for a list of these options:
OTHER APPROVED PROGRAMS IN SOCIAL WORK
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