Social Work Honors

Overview

• The curriculum of the Social Work Honors program at the University of Tennessee Knoxville , which includes field practice (internship) experiences, is geared toward preparing students to become highly competent social workers who advance human rights, engage in practice-informed research and policy practice, engage diversity in practice, and effectively encounter and strategically work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Firmly rooted in our professional code of ethics, students work with faculty, staff, and field instructors who are connected with and committed to advancing social, economic, and environmental justice for all.

Vision and Mission

• BSSW Program Mission: Grounded in social justice, the BSSW program equips professional social workers with the skills needed to serve diverse and vulnerable populations. Embracing a generalist practice model, we prepare the next generation of professional social workers to be critically informed thinkers, opinion shapers, and transformative leaders in pursuit of social, economic, and environmental justice.
• A Vision for Diversity: In striving for excellence our professional values, ethics, history, and future demand that social work educators, researchers, and practitioners are culturally competent and vested in responding to oppressive institutional, societal and political trends. Thus, the College seeks diversity in its faculty, field instructors, students, and staff. Cultural relevance and sensitivity to the personal, social, economic, and political needs of vulnerable, high-risk groups is emphasized throughout the education, research, and service of students and faculty.