Discussion 1: Classism Income and wages are measurable indicators of how prosperity is distributed amongst social class. Wealth, often determined by an individual's net worth (assets minus liabilities), is another indicator that is used to determine class. Wealth for working class families is measured by their cars, savings, and home. As people improve their social and economic standing, wealth may include things like stocks and bonds, commercial real estate, and expensive jewelry. Wealth is an important indicator because it spans past, present, and future generations. For example, compare the children of parents who can save money and leave an inheritance with children of parents who economically struggle and have few assets to pass on to the next generation. Historically, the creation and accumulation of wealth provides evidence of the legacy of racism, sexism, and discrimination and their role in determining class. Black/African Americans, women, and Hispanic/Latinos have historically been denied the means to obtain assets and grow wealth. Consider the impact of chronic marginalization on the Black/African American community's ability to build wealth. While the income gaps between various ethnic groups may be decreasing, the gap between assets remains wide. Data from the Pew Research center show that the median wealth of Caucasian households is 20 times that of Black/African American households and 18 times that of Hispanic/Latinos households in the U.S. (Pew Research Center, 2011). Class extends beyond wealth and other financial indicators. Class also includes details like the amount of free time you enjoy (because you are not working three jobs to make ends meet) or feeling like there is a "right" way to speak and act in order to be heard. For this Discussion, analyze how classism has impacted your life. · Post an analysis of how classism has factored into your life. · Then, explain a strategy you might use as a social worker to address the impact of class and class differences on the lives of your clients. References (use 2 or more) Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice . (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press. Discussion 2: Power, Privilege, and Classism Power, privilege, and classism are interconnected. The more privilege you enjoy, the more power you have to access opportunities that build wealth. The more wealth you can amass, the higher your social standing. It is important to note that having wealth is not an indictment. However, the privileges that have often led to inequalities in wealth distribution are real. As a social worker, you may find yourself working with clients who do not enjoy the privileges you knowingly or unknowingly enjoy. The more you understand your own relationship to power, privilege, and class, the better you will understand your clients' realities. For this Discussion, review how classis.

1. Discussion 1: Classism
Income and wages are measurable indicators of how prosperity
is distributed amongst social class. Wealth, often determined by
an individual's net worth (assets minus liabilities), is another
indicator that is used to determine class. Wealth for working
class families is measured by their cars, savings, and home. As
people improve their social and economic standing, wealth may
include things like stocks and bonds, commercial real estate,
and expensive jewelry.
Wealth is an important indicator because it spans past, present,
and future generations. For example, compare the children of
parents who can save money and leave an inheritance with
children of parents who economically struggle and have few
assets to pass on to the next generation. Historically, the
creation and accumulation of wealth provides evidence of the
legacy of racism, sexism, and discrimination and their role in
determining class. Black/African Americans, women, and
Hispanic/Latinos have historically been denied the means to
obtain assets and grow wealth. Consider the impact of chronic
marginalization on the Black/African American community's
ability to build wealth. While the income gaps between various
ethnic groups may be decreasing, the gap between assets
remains wide. Data from the Pew Research center show that the
median wealth of Caucasian households is 20 times that of
Black/African American households and 18 times that of
Hispanic/Latinos households in the U.S. (Pew Research Center,
2011).
Class extends beyond wealth and other financial indicators.
Class also includes details like the amount of free time you
enjoy (because you are not working three jobs to make ends
meet) or feeling like there is a "right" way to speak and act in
order to be heard. For this Discussion, analyze how classism has

2. impacted your life.
·
Post
an analysis of how classism has factored into your life.
·
Then, explain a strategy you might use as a social worker to
address the impact of class and class differences on the lives of
your clients.
References (use 2 or more)
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W.,
Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013).
Readings for diversity and social justice
. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Discussion 2: Power, Privilege, and Classism
Power, privilege, and classism are interconnected. The more
privilege you enjoy, the more power you have to access
opportunities that build wealth. The more wealth you can amass,
the higher your social standing. It is important to note that
having wealth is not an indictment. However, the privileges that
have often led to inequalities in wealth distribution are real. As
a social worker, you may find yourself working with clients
who do not enjoy the privileges you knowingly or unknowingly
enjoy. The more you understand your own relationship to
power, privilege, and class, the better you will understand your
clients' realities. For this Discussion, review how classism is
represented in the Hernandez family.
·
Post

3. an explanation of how classism is demonstrated in the
Hernandez video.
·
In your explanation, describe how power and privilege function
to highlight classism in this case study.
·
Provide recommendations for how social workers might address
issues of classism present in the Hernandez case and advocate
for change and address classist policies in their agencies and
society at large.
References (use 2 or more)
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W.,
Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013).
Readings for diversity and social justice
. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013).
Hernandez Family(Episode 26)
[Video file]. In
Sessions
.
Discussion 3 : Case Study Evaluation
Being too heavy or too thin, having a disability, being from a
family with same-sex parents, having a speech impediment,
being part of a low socioeconomic class—each of these is

4. enough to marginalize (placing one outside of the margins of
societal expectations) a child or adolescent. When children and
adolescents are marginalized, they often experience
consequences like lower self-esteem, performing poorly in
school, or feeling depressed and anxious. In order for social
workers to help facilitate positive change for their clients, they
must be aware of the issues that can affect their healthy
development. For this Discussion, review the case study
Working With the Homeless Population: The Case of Diane and
consider the issues within her
environment that serve to place her outside of the margins of
society.
·
Post
a brief explanation of the issues that place Diane outside of the
margins of society.
·
Be sure to include an explanation about how these issues may
have influenced her social development from infancy through
adolescence.
·
Also explain what you might have done differently had you
been Diane’s social worker. Please use at least 2 Learning
Resources to support your answer.
References
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014).
Social work case studies: Foundation year.
Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing.
[Vital Source e-reader].

5. Working With the Homeless Population: The Case of Diane
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016).
Understanding human behavior and the social environment
(10th ed.)
.
Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Chapter 4 (pp. 178-253)
Working With the Homeless Population: The Case of Diane
Diane is a 15-year-old, Caucasian female. She is a freshman at a
new high school where she began 3 weeks into the semester.
Her current residence is the homeless shelter in a local church.
Diane’s teachers felt she was having difficulty adjusting to the
new school because she sat with her head down and was very
quiet, so they referred her to me. I am a school social worker,
part of the child study team, and I regularly do social
assessments on students to evaluate how they are functioning
from a biopsychosocial perspective.
Upon first meeting with Diane, I noticed that her clothes were
wrinkled and her hair seemed as if it had not been washed in
some time. Eager to develop rapport, I introduced myself and
explained my role at the school. Diane was quiet, with her eyes
downcast and provided one-word answers to my questions.
When I realized I was not building rapport, I gently asked how
she was feeling, and she replied, “Awful.” I asked what was
causing this feeling and she began to cry and inventoried what
was upsetting her. She told me it was too difficult for her to
shower at the shelter as there was a limited amount of time and
some people took too long. She also reported that she felt so
embarrassed about her appearance, she didn’t have any friends,
she was lost in her classes, and her mother cried all the time.
She explained that she had seen her mother abused many times,

6. and they finally escaped and found “this church to help us.”
I was grateful that she opened up and realized that there were
many issues to address. Recognizing that some of these were
basic needs, I decided to first tackle her physiological needs to
provide some relief, and then later I would address some of the
other concerns, such as safety, her sense of belonging, and
academic issues.
After learning Diane did not have lunch due to a lack of money,
I got her some food from the cafeteria, and we began to develop
a plan together. We drew a large circle and placed her name in
the circle along with all the presenting problems she had named.
We began with physiological needs. I gave her information
about the free lunch program, explaining to her that other
students would not know she was enrolled in it because she
would have a cafeteria swipe card identical to everyone else’s. I
also said that I would try to coordinate for her to shower in the
girl’s locker room after school. This, however, would require
interacting with other entities such as the shelter, school
administration, and, of course, her mother. We drew circles
around the large circle so I could show her all the interactions
that needed to take place. We decided to check things off as we
made progress. We set up weekly meetings for the next month
to address and fine-tune these issues.
As the month progressed, Diane was coming to our meetings
much more relaxed. She was enrolled in the free lunch program
and was showering after gym class during her study hall. Once
her physiological needs were being met, I noticed that her
grades began to improve. I felt we could begin to address some
of her social and emotional needs, such as developing
friendships and healing from the abuse she witnessed.
Diane expressed interest in painting, and I mentioned the after-
school art club that worked in the school studio and went to
museums and galleries. Diane was interested in attending, and I
thought that this was a good place for meeting potential friends.
When I gently broached the subject about counseling, Diane
became anxious. I gave her the hotline number and the location

7. for the local domestic violence agency and told her that they
offered free counseling services and had creative arts therapies,
which would allow her to use her painting as an expression for
her healing. I encouraged her to connect with the agency to see
what it was like and to see the art therapy room.
Diane stops by my office less frequently now. Recently she
informed me that after 6 months of counseling at the agency I
recommended, she feels excited and empowered to make a
difference for others. She signed up for the volunteer training at
the domestic violence agency, and she wants to paint murals in
the art therapy room. She recruited a friend from the art club to
join in the training.