Social Work, Politics, and Power

This Banded Dissertation explores the specialty of social work known as Political Social Work. Through archival research, the past sociopolitical social work movement known as The Rank-and-File Movement was explored. This movement was compared to current sociopolitical movements and how The Rank-and-File Movement, and its demise, informs organizing and the sociopolitical participation of social workers today. Additionally, faculty perceptions around the importance of civic education, its place in social work curriculum, and the preparedness of students to participate in civics post-graduation were explored. The Banded Dissertation culminates in the completion of a qualitative archival research paper, a quantitative descriptive study, and a professional presentation at a peer reviewed conference that disseminated the findings of the archival project surrounding the Rank-and-File Movement.