Integrating anthropology and social work education to address contemporary social issues

Doctoral students studying anthropology are increasingly interested in developing skills in quantitative methods, policy analysis and development, community organizing, and team research. The scientific community, granting agencies, and foundations have a growing focus on research and scholarship focused on ameliorating social problems. However, students often find that they need additional skills beyond academic anthropology to address these issues. We propose interdisciplinary training in social work and anthropology as one solution. Social work offers training in quantitative methods, needs assessments for service development, program design, policy analysis, policy negotiation, and community organizing skills. The goals of a more activist anthropology harmonize well with social work's disciplinary focus on action and solutions to social problems that are acceptable to community partners. As students cultivate the ability to communicate and act in multiple disciplinary "languages", they have the potential to make profound contributions to ameliorating social problems through applied scholarship and research in both academic and non-academic settings. Integrated doctoral programs such as the Social Work and Anthropology (SWAN) degree are pivotal for training doctoral students for a wide range of roles addressing and contributing to solutions for social issues. Such training integrates social theory with a range of practical and research methods skills. Society needs the expertise these dually trained graduates provide; and faculty have an ethical responsibility to prepare students for positions beyond the academy. Programs considering implementing this type of program should have substantial institutional support to overcome possible structural constraints and barriers. PhDs need social policy, analysis, and advocacy skills to thrive in non-academic environments focused on social change. We describe Wayne State University's Social Work and Anthropology (SWAN) PhD program as an innovative collaboration for meeting these emerging needs.