A new book edited by School of Social Policy & Practice professor Jacqueline Corcoran highlights the day-to-day reality of social work through social workers detailing their experiences in the style of creative nonfiction.
Instead of relying on academic prose, she sought out social workers who could write about their experiences in the style of creative nonfiction—with elements like scenes, dialogue, descriptions, and narrative arcs.
“I kept hearing from instructors and having the experience myself that students didn’t necessarily connect with typical readings,” says Corcoran. “And I thought, maybe this generation needs a new way of engaging.”
“In social work, we encounter a lot of different, surprising sorts of scenarios,” Corcoran says. “And it’s good to be able to consider these in advance as a student, to tackle some of the issues that come up.” Stories crafted with a beginning, middle, and end provide a compelling way for students to encounter this material, she says. “It’s a way that we supposedly receive information, and it engages us on an emotional level.”
The director of SP2’s Doctorate in Clinical Social Work Program, Corcoran assembled the 19 narratives in the book to help first-year Master of Social Work students learn about the scope of their field and the nature of the placements and jobs they might undertake early in their educations and careers.
“The book lets people understand just how broad the career path is,” says Corcoran. “There are so many different places to be working, and with different populations and different methods.”
This story is by Juliana Rosati. Read more at SP2 News.
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