Native Peoples as Authors of Social Work Curriculum

Curriculum that informs students about social work practice with Native Peoples must be culturally relevant and responsive. However, the voices of Native Peoples are often excluded from identification of needs and relevant practice models for services. A unique partnership between the Native People from several tribes and a rural southwestern social work program led to an innovative project of curriculum development for social work practice with Native Peoples. The curriculum content evolved directly from the experiences of Native tribal members in the region. A retreat format initiated the process with subsequent quarterly meetings that provided a venue for course development with specific attention to the development of Native faculty as authors and teachers. The impact of this process is discussed through the voices of Council members, students, and Native instructors. This paper offers guidance to social work programs who are interested in expanding their understanding of Native curriculum development.