2026 Global Social Work Midterm Question #3
Describe a form of sexism that exists in your country. Now consider the best practices described in Half the Sky and the reading about challenging gender norms via women's entrepreneurship. Describe a best practices global social work intervention you would like to carry out to counteract that form of sexism.
2026 Global Social Work Midterm Question 1
1. Please watch the Ted talk by Philip Zimbardo:
https://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_the_psychology_of_evil
a. Name four characteristics of social systems that can pressure good people to do very bad things.
b. Zimbardo also describes how some people manage to resist systemic pressures; they are "heroes." Name one hero in your own country, what the person did, and what makes the person a hero.
2025 Global Social Work Midterm
Imagine you want to raise children or help parents who want to raise children who will:
a. never murder,
b. not regard persons experiencing poverty as inferior or causing their own problems,
c. understand individuals need to be able to disagree and respect their disagreements and also see themselves as inherently interdependent with their cultural community.
What four key guidelines from our readings and discussions would you use to accomplish that goal?
2025 Global Social Work Midterm
Question 2
Consider how the Vieques project, the Dancing in Jaffa project, and Muhammad Yunus’ precept of using “imagination” all can be examples of advancing peace and social justice using the arts and transforming social narratives. Recall also the Malence Ted Talk about teaching persons who experience poverty to be clothing designers so they can become entrepreneurs without reinforcing negative stereotypes and exploitation of Africa’s bountiful resources (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtYVqpylLhs).
a. a) Describe the principles for building justice-focused arts interventions that you see as key, based on those examples.
b. b) Briefly describe an arts-based, justice-focused project you could implement or have seen implemented in your country.
2025 Global Social Work Midterm
Question 1:
Consider Grodofsky’s paper about creating peace-building centers staffed by social workers allied with lawyers and the Dibbets et al. paper about human rights based practice. Now consider your country and areas where human rights-oriented peace-building efforts with specific local advocacy are especially needed. Briefly describe
a) the conflict or problem you believe needs to be addressed and
b) a center that exists in your country, or a center you would like to create, or a center that exists in another country that you would like to import.
You can ally with professionals from any speciality, such as lawyers, physicians, dentists, physical therapists, media experts, etc. Describe how you would use the global social work principles you have been learning to combine human rights-based practice with advocacy.
3. Choose a problem of acute poverty in your country and describe a global social work intervention you could create (assume you have plenty of resources) to remedy that problem. Briefly summarize the poverty-correcting intervention and then describe how you would apply it. For examples, you can use:
a. the human rights cooperatives led by community members supported by social workers and lawyers described by Grodofsky;
b. the response of Muhammad Yunus to remedying acute poverty and homelessness in Bangladesh;
c. Bianco’s paper about encouraging female entrepreneurship;
d. Onwuegbuchulam’s paper about a capability approach in KwaZulu Natal.
Global Social Work Midterm Question 2
2. Now imagine you are a Global social worker working as a leader with the U.N. like Professor Ruskus and Professor Leinarte, or working for an NGO like “Fight for Rights” for persons with disabilities in Ukraine. Apply the many lessons you learned from the multi-media campaign for the liberation of Vieques from the U.S. Navy using the town as a bombing trial site. What would be your strategic plan to remedy the dehumanization you described in your answer to “1” above?
1. Consider the readings and youtubes about dehumanization and Mr. Ayalew’s presentation about dehumanization and compliance with authority as presented in Zimbardo’s work. Now choose one of the following problems and apply Zimbardo’s ideas about dehumanization to ONE of the following populations you are concerned about. Describe how dehumanization of that population occurs and remember the concepts of “deindividuation” and “moral accountability” to describe what happens when people dehumanize others.
a. The dehumanization of women, as evidenced by using them as objects of war crimes, only for child bearing and male pleasure (Memory Banda’s TED talk and global sex trafficking as described by Kristof and Wudun in Half the Sky),
b. The dehumanization of persons on the basis of race, as evidenced in the Youtube about racism and the global problem of discrimination, genocide, and robbing of resources such as metals, land and forests against persons who are indigenous and of color,
c. The dehumanization of persons on the basis of religion, nationality, or tribal affiliation, as is the justification for the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the Holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda, and other acts of genocide and imperialist aggression;
d. The dehumanization of persons with disabilities, as occurred during the Holocaust and as occurs worldwide in the deprivation of rights to de-institutionalization and supported decision-making.
Why knock knock made me cry
Knock knock speaks for so many who I cared for as a social worker
Persons who suffered under mountains of oppression so heavy and high I felt helpless
Mothers and fathers who suffered for their children’s suffering
Thank you, knock knock, you were never silenced, you have a voice, you are heard
Knock knock we have to hear and do to lift those mountains, it takes all of us together
Katherine
Question 3:
Imagine that you are invited to speak to some international policy-makers who are having a debate about the problem of poverty on a global scale. The central question is: Can global poverty be remediated? There will be a debate, one side arguing 'yes,' and using examples from countries with the lowest rates of poverty in the world (look them up!).
The other side is arguing 'no' – that those countries are unique and their strategies cannot be used in other contexts.
You are asked to argue "yes" and to respond thoughtfully to your opponent’s points.
Describe your argument: consider your opponent’s main point and how you would argue against it; use examples from our readings and others if you like about what can be done to remedy global poverty that is glocalized – using global principles in local contexts. You can include shifting narratives and cultural values as well.
Question 2:
Imagine you were air-lifted into a village with one of the following problems:
Drawing from the readings, what would be your approach as a global social worker?
1. Read and listen to the following 2018 Nobel prize speech by Nadia Murad (Thanks to Barakat, a student from last year, for this suggestion):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqB0cMvGnIk
If you can, read more about the history of the Yazidi people, their opposition to killing and advocacy for peace, and their oppression and genocide by several groups, and the enslavement of Yazidi women and children. Consider what she is saying about how the world stood by while her people were murdered and women and children subjected to sexual slavery. Consider her proposal: That the UN would prevent the genocide, liberate women and girls who were being held captive, offer special protections to survivors and outlaw terrorism in Iraq and other countries.
She says she hears the cries of other women
and children who still are being subjected to sexual violence and the world should
stop this. Choose efforts that are being made by global social workers and their partners to stop violence against women, in your country, another country, or several countries (international efforts). Answer a and b below.
a. Describe who is carrying out those efforts and their central activities.
b. What principles and concepts of global social work based on a human rights and peace-building approach are actualized by that program?
Some cool TED talks by Global Social Work Students - Excellent work!
Check them out:
By Jillian Kornak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Ge_Mhs30k
By Tianna Orr
https://loyolauniversitychicago-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/r/personal/torr3_luc_edu/Documents/Attachments/WIN_20220428_10_35_39_Pro.mp4?csf=1&web=1&e=Lkfhvm
Choose a blog post and write a reflective response, using the readings, to expand, critique, or support the post you chose.
3. Think about the readings and our lectures about global poverty. Consider one of the following dimensions of poverty and describe the social work interventions that can be used to ameliorate that condition:
a. Most persons in poverty in the world are women, and this trend is likely to continue if women cannot receive education and means to make a living. Describe briefly what Grameen Bank has done about this problem for Bangladesh and how you might apply this solution to another country.
b. Refugees are especially prone to poverty because they have lost their livelihood as well as their homeland. Consider refugees in poverty in your own country and describe a social work intervention that can be used to support their empowerment.
