2020-2021

US Mexico Border Social Work, Minor

Arts and Sciences

Provost Office

Are you passionate about social and economic justice along the U.S. Mexico border? Do you want a rewarding career working with those populations along the U.S. Mexico border that are disenfranchised, vulnerable, and oppressed? Is your passion to provide service to diverse individuals, groups, and communities? A social work minor at NAU-Yuma will help you accomplish these academic and professional goals. With a minor in social work, you can expand your current major by applying knowledge on social policy and special topics on social work like healthcare, child welfare, and more.

This plan will not be available to new students after Summer 2024

  • A minor is earned in conjunction with a bachelor's degree.

    To receive a minor (18 - 24 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0. At least 12 units of the minor must be unique to that minor and not applied to any other minor.

In addition to University Requirements:

  • Complete individual plan requirements.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

No more than fifty percent of the units used to satisfy minor requirements may be used to satisfy major requirements.

Minimum Units for Completion 21
Major GPA C
Some online/blended coursework Required

Purpose Statement

The US Mexico Border Social Work minor provides students with the knowledge, values, and skills required to those social and economic injustices issues along the US Mexico border.  The US Mexico Border Social Work minor is guided by a person and environment construct, a global perspective, respect for human diversity, and knowledge based on scientific inquiry.  This perspective is an excellent preparation for a wide variety of occupations along the US Mexico border.  The purpose of the US Mexico Border Social Work minor is actualized through its quest for social and economic justice, the prevention of conditions that limit human rights, the elimination of poverty, and the enhancement of the quality of life for all persons living along the US Mexico border.
 
Our curriculum is designed for students to be exposed to the CSWE core competencies: professional identity, ethical practice, critical thinking, diversity in practice, human rights and justice, research based practice, human behavior, policy practice, practice contexts, and the planned change process.  This curriculum is provided to the students through traditional classroom lecture and discussion, service-learning experiences, community change projects, and community engaged research.  Students will leave this program with a sense of leadership and service in the provision of social welfare to people, families, and communities, globally, regionally, and locally.  Our students also leave this program as globally engaged stewards of US Mexico border issues and committed to Hispanic populations, the Defense, Customs and Border Patrol and Military communities.

Student Learning Outcomes

Ethical Practice

  • Social workers recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows professional values to guide practice;
  • Social workers make ethical decisions by applying standard of the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and, as applicable, of the International Federation of Social Workers/International Association of Schools of Social Work Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles;
  • Social workers tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts; and
  • Social workers apply strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions.
Critical Thinking
  • Social workers distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of knowledge, including research-based knowledge, and practice wisdom;
  • Social workers analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and evaluation; and
  • Social workers demonstrate effective oral and written communication in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and colleagues.
Diversity in Practice
  • Social workers recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and power;
  • Social workers gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse groups;
  • Social workers recognize and communicate their understanding of the importance of difference in shaping life experiences; and
  • Social workers view themselves as learners and engage those with whom they work as informants.
Human Rights and Justice
  • Social workers understand the forma and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination;
  • Social workers advocate for human rights and social and economic justice; and
  • Social workers engage in practices that advance social and economic justice.
Research Based Practice
  • Social workers use practice experience to guide the processes of assessment, intervention, and evaluation; and
  • Social workers use research evidence to inform practice.
Policy Practice
  • Social workers analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance social well-being; and
  • Social workers collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy action.
Practice Contexts
  • Social workers continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales, populations, scientific and technological developments, and emerging societal trends to provide relevant services; and
  • Social workers provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services.

Minor Requirements

  • This minor is not available to students pursuing the Social Work degree. Please contact ad advisor for more information.

  • Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.