Events
The USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.
Upcoming Events
Let's Get Real!
Social Justice Virtual Book Club
Connect with others in our community around shared interest in social justice issues!
Book choice for March:
“Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card”
By: Sara Saedi
This hilarious, poignant and true story of one teen's experience growing up in America as an undocumented immigrant from Iran is an increasingly necessary read in today's divisive world.
At thirteen, bright-eyed, straight-A student Sara Saedi uncovered a terrible family secret: she was breaking the law simply by living in the United States. Only two years old when her parents fled Iran, she didn't learn of her undocumented status until her older sister wanted to apply for an after-school job, but couldn't because she didn't have a Social Security number.
Americanized follows Sara's progress toward getting her green card, but that's only a portion of her experiences as an Iranian-"American" teenager. From discovering that her parents secretly divorced to facilitate her mother's green card application to learning how to tame her unibrow, Sara pivots gracefully from the terrifying prospect that she might be kicked out of the country at any time to the almost-as-terrifying possibility that she might be the only one of her friends without a date to the prom. This moving, often hilarious story is for anyone who has ever shared either fear.
Open to students, faculty, staff, and alums
Register here: March Book Club Registration
Zoom link provided to those who register.
Sponsored by the Office of Inclusion and Diversity
Questions: Ann Marie Yamada
Social Justice Research Seminar Series
New Topics Every Tuesday - 12:00 - 12:45pm in MRF102 & Zoom
The Social Justice Research Seminar Series is a moderated panel discussion that will be held nearly every Tuesday. This series will consist of experiential discussions of current changes to policy, advocacy, and service as they relate to the field of social work.
February 25, 2025- Identifying MSW Student Self-Efficacy Levels Produced in Motivational Interviewing Training Models at USC
Presenters: Sara Schwartz - Associate Teaching Professor & Jennifer Parga - Associate Teaching Professor
To join via Zoom:
Meeting ID: 953 2784 9854
Passcode: 884803
Questions?
Contact Eric Rice
Associate Dean for Research
ericr@usc.edu
Past Events
Social Justice Book Club (Virtual)
2025:
February 2025 - "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi
2024:
February 2024 – “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” by Trevor Noah
March 2024 – “In the Country We Love: My Family Divided” by Diane Guerrero with Michelle Burford
June 2024 – “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison
July 2024 – “Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories From the 21st Century” Edited by Alice Wong
September 2024 - “American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures” Edited by America Ferrera
October 2024 - “Enrique’s Journey” by Sonia Nazario
Know Your Patient's Rights
Virtual Event on Monday, 2/24 @ 5:30pm
Speaker: Monica Valencia - Attorney Manager LA LGBTQ Center
Fear of immigration enforcement causes some immigrant families to avoid necessary services. Join us to learn about patient rights, legal protections, and how health and social care professionals can support individuals facing immigration concerns.
Highlights Include:
Overview of recent executive orders impacting immigration
“Know Your Rights” information
- Gain insights into “protected areas” policies
We welcome students, clinicians, health and social care professionals!
An Evening of Conversation with Ben M. Freeman
Wednesday, November 16, 7:30pm.
Reclaiming our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride is the second installment of world-renowned educator Ben M. Freeman’s seminal manifesto of the modern Jewish Pride movement that has revolutionized the Jewish world.
In this groundbreaking work, Freeman takes his readers – both Jewish and non-Jewish – on a powerful learning journey that explores the impact of Jew-hate on Jews and the long history of internalized anti-Jewishness.
About the Author:
Founder of the modern Jewish Pride movement, a Jewish leader, a Jewish thinker, and a Jewish educator, Ben M. Freeman is the author of Jewish Pride: Rebuilding a People and Reclaiming our Story: The Pursuit of Jewish Pride. Ben came to prominence during the Corbyn Labour Jew-hate crisis and quickly became one of his generation’s leading Jewish thinkers and voices against anti-Jewish racism.
The USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health, USC Law & Global Health Collaboration and USC Keck School of Medicine Center for Gender Equity in Medicine and Science invited us to join “Addressing the Long-Term Social and Economic Impacts of Dobbs: A View from Inside USC” on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 4–5 p.m. PST.
This one-hour virtual event brought together a multidisciplinary panel of faculty from across USC to discuss the broad social and economic implications of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Informed by the outcomes of the midterm elections in which abortion was a central issue, USC experts in the fields of law, medicine, social work, sociology and global health provided insight into the political landscape and the potential long-term ramifications for marginalized and vulnerable communities. This forward-looking conversation drew on the wide expertise of the panelists to consider the concept of solidarity and explore strategies for research and advocacy in a complicated time.
Click here to view additional recordings of previous events from the USC Institute of Inequalities in Global Health.
To watch, use your USC ID login at HBOmax.com. You will be able to log in under providers and select Univ of Southern California.
World Social Work Day
WEBINAR
15 March 2022, at 9am PST
Voices from the Borders: Social Work Responds to the Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine
This webinar gave us an opportunity to hear the experiences of some social workers who are directly involved in assisting these adults and children at the border with Ukraine.
Anti-Trans Policies & Social Work Education: A National Town Hall
March 31st at 2pm PST/5pm EST.
Hosted by: the Center for LGBTQ+ Research & Advocacy and the University of Kansas SSW.
social work scholars, educators, and students joined from across the US for a virtual town hall discussion about best practices in social work education to address anti-trans policies that conflict with professional ethics and values. The town hall took place on March 31st at 2pm PST/5pm EST.
Recording of Town Hall
Volunteer Opportunities at USC
Browse USC's Volunteer Opportunities Presented by WorkWell Center.
For questions about volunteer opportunities, please contact serveon@usc.edu.