The USC School of Social Work offers cross-cultural study-abroad opportunities for participants to gain a deeper understanding of another culture and other models of social service in an international setting.

Social Conflict, Empowerment and Creative Problem Solving
Tel Aviv University, Israel
Participants will explore Israel in an intensive two-week immersion where they will observe practice with a variety of client groups in the region’s urban and rural, Jewish and Arabic, and immigrant communities in different social settings including schools, immigrant-absorption centers, prisons and community centers. The program offers a comparative perspective on similar social issues approached differently in the United States and Israel, and showcases expressive practice skills and techniques. Students will delight in the social and cultural life of Israel through daily interaction with faculty and students at Tel Aviv University and members of local community groups, and take part in field excursions to Galilee and Jerusalem.

International Social Work Practice in the United Kingdom
MSW Post-Graduate Certificate Program, London
Designed for MSW graduates who want to extend their knowledge of social work and social policy in a comparative international context, the International Social Work Practice in the United Kingdom Post-Graduate Certificate Program immerses participants in the United Kingdom’s social welfare system for six months. Through a professionally supervised and paid practice placement in a social welfare agency in London, students will gain an intercultural experience that offers opportunities for personal growth and professional development, in addition to competence in conducting comparative research at the international level.

Feminist Theory, Social Action and Social Work
University of the Philippines, Dilliman
Focused on the feminist viewpoint in social work and its influence in facilitating social change, this seminar offers guest speakers on labor issues, land ownership, poverty, prostitution, legislative process and healthcare, in addition to field trips to such places as a women’s prison, a peasant community and a red-light district. Journaling and completing a field research project supplement the educational experience for participants, who seek a more informed perspective of the political, economic, social and cultural forces shaping Filipino society and a new vantage point to work more effectively with Filipino immigrant clients.