This program provides you with the skills needed to act as a social change agent through policy analysis and community-based action, such as:
- Administrative and legislative strategies.
- Ethics.
- Mindfulness practices.
- Research methods.
- Social justice and human rights perspectives.
These skills and competencies will equip you to formulate strategies that advance social, economic and environmental justice, use social media and cyberactivism for advocacy efforts and evaluate the success of advocacy intervention efforts. You’ll develop a deep understanding of how social policies have adversely affected marginalized or oppressed populations, such as different racial/ethnic groups, individuals struggling with mental illness, elderly individuals and more. You’ll also acquire the community advocacy tools needed to address the social problems impacting these populations, with an emphasis on past and present challenges facing various groups in the southwest.
Tailor your studies to fit your career goals
In this program, you’ll choose 10 courses to match your career goals and interests from two key focus areas:
- Diversity and oppressed populations: This focus explores oppressed or marginalized populations and systems of oppression and domination.
- Social problems and interventions: This focus specializes in social problems that disproportionately affect members of oppressed populations and change strategies.
Both focus areas include five related courses. Regardless of the courses you choose within these focus areas, you’ll graduate with a deeper understanding of social problems and issues, how these issues have historically impacted society, how they have evolved and how they continue to influence the world today.
How does this program compare to a bachelor’s in social work?
While this community advocacy and social policy bachelor’s provides a deep social work foundation, it’s different from a bachelor’s in social work (BSW). This program is regionally accredited, but it isn’t accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) as a bachelor’s in social work would be. This program won’t lead you to social work licensure or prepare you for social work roles that require a CSWE-accredited degree. However, you may pursue a master’s degree in social work after graduation.
Arizona State University’s Bachelor of Arts in community advocacy and social policy provides you with the opportunity to explore issues of diversity, oppression and privilege. You’ll graduate with the advocacy and intervention strategies needed to make informed decisions, engage in social change and advocate for the communities you seek to serve.
You’ll take a variety of courses covering topics including introductory ethics, diversity and oppression in a social work context, advocacy strategies and more. This program culminates in a final capstone project where you’ll explore your interests within the context of community advocacy and social policy.
The impressive faculty in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions inspire the next generation of public service leaders through real-world solutions to issues in areas such as child welfare, safety, city management, human trafficking and water scarcity. Faculty highlights include:
- Fellow of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
- Fellow of the American Psychological Association.
- Member of the National Academy of Public Administration.
The Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions is a comprehensive public service college dedicated to addressing social problems through teaching, research and service. Our programs, which range from public policy and social work to criminal justice and emergency management, are designed to prepare graduates to make a difference in their communities.
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No, Arizona State University’s diplomas don’t specify whether you earn your degree online or in person. All diplomas and transcripts simply say “Arizona State University.”