Social work isn't merely an academic dsicipline
As a social worker and physician, I must comment on Robert Rosthal's piece on academic freedom versus indoctrination ("Academic freedom doesn't include right to indoctrinate," Second Opinion, Nov. 18). Rosthal is misapplying his doctrines of neutrality and reasoned scholarship. These doctrines may suffice for disciplines whose sole mission is scholarship within the confines of the university. However, the disciplines of social work and medicine serve dual missions of scholarship and professional training.
Faculty members in these disciplines would be negligent if they did not teach codes of professional ethics. These codes assure that professionals do not promote personal interests or the interests of organizations and governments at the expense of the people they serve.
Yes, I "swore fealty to a creedal formulation" -- the Hippocratic Oath -- when I graduated from medical school. Members of the helping professions should be obliged to promote the well-being of their clients, to assure clients' rights to make their own decisions and to do so with justice and without intentional harm.
To challenge these codes is fine but to claim they should not be taught is foolish. Otherwise, on what basis do we condemn the actions of the likes of Josef Mengele, who abandoned his professional ethics to serve the Nazis?
Rita Layson
Greensboro
Comments (4)
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I agree with the above comments. The classroom is to present concepts as well as to orient a person to the profession of Social Work. This orientation is not an indoctrination or an indoctrination to a cultlike profession. Critical thinking and challenging questions are necessary for the growth of our profession. The classroom starts this process. As our country changes and the social landscape changes, our profession must be knowledgable, flexible and open to change and coming up with proposals for a better and healthier society. If someone is indoctrinated, they may not be open to this or be able to participate in responding to change that is meant for a changing time.
Posted on November 27, 2007 7:04 PM
Calling someone foolish and invoking Nazi's.
"As a social worker and physician, I must comment.."
Yes, you must. You can't help yourself. Because you are right and everyone else is wrong.
Throw in calling someone foolish and invoking Nazi's and I think you start seeing the problem.
Posted on November 28, 2007 10:20 AM
Another Supercilious Jerk speaks up for Wineburg and his ilk. In my blog I predicted they would be choosing up sides at UNCG in the case of Wineburg vs Rosthal and the Wineburg crowd would be louder and more virulent because this kind always is.
I also issued a challenge to these superior ones: Let us have these who know best what will cure the needs of society and are therefore superior teachers as well as human beings to spend one week teaching at either Smith or Dudley. It will give them an opportunity to have hands on experience with the problems that their social worker education students will be encountering in the real world where the values that these lofty ones have imparted to them will undoubtedly be of great value. Yes indeed. A week at Smith or Dudley and they will have solved all the problems of the shouting and out of control students. Because you see they KNOW it is the oppressive system and these students are merely acting out in frustration. They will be able to empathize with these students, gain their confidences and lead them to overthrow and therefore overcome what is wrong with America today. They will of course do this and keep their cool unlike that music teacher who lost hers recently. Who knows maybe they will even make history and be recorded on more than one (prohibited by school policy) cell phone so that their proud victory against the status quo will live forever as a testimony to their righteousness. BB
Posted on November 29, 2007 8:33 AM
BB, Thanks for writing me off. My response was to this letter and not the Wineberg vs Rosthal controversy(?) Just got back in town so I am out of that loop.
I (we) are not pompous, self righteous, or know-it-all. I think that we know the problem(s) all too well. It is, unfortunately, a broad brushed landscape which lends itself to no easy response. The problems often are relational: a relationship between influences in the classroom and influences in the community (family for one). We work both in the school system and the community--it's a systems perspective that we work from. I posit this, sincerely and humbly, knowing that my perspective is just one of many.
Posted on November 29, 2007 10:21 AM