CHANGING ORGANISATIONAL ROUTINES IN DOCTORAL EDUCATION: AN INTERVENTION TO INFUSE SOCIAL JUSTICE INTO A SOCIAL WELFARE CURRICULUM

This paper describes one effort to infuse a social justice framework into a social work doctoral education programme in a prominent research university of the United States. The "Social Justice in Doctoral Education" (SJDE) Project identified Social Justice Learning Objectives (SJLOs) in the categories of scholarship, teaching, and service. Doctoral students were surveyed in 2010 to determine the extent to which the SJLOs were being systematically facilitated by their doctoral programme. The forms that guide and shape the milestones of doctoral education at that institution were revised in 2011 in an attempt to create new opportunities for social justice learning. A second survey of doctoral students in 2013 resulted in two findings. First, doctoral students reported using the SJLOs to guide their education. Second, a pre/post comparison of student perceptions indicated an increase in opportunities for social justice learning through doctoral education. This case study provides preliminary support for the modification of organisational routines to expand social justice education in social work.