Family violence is an overarching term for many areas in the study of interpersonal abuse, aggression, and violence. This course will provide an introduction to the multiple aspects of the study of family violence and is intended to provide a foundational knowledgebase for further study in the context of social work practice, research, and policy. The course will cover both historical and current controversies and standpoints of family violence research, practice, and policy. This course is structured as a critical examination of family violence from a social work perspective. Family violence is a dynamic and complex issue, posing diverse challenges for clinical, legal, research, and policy professionals. A multidisciplinary approach to the study of abuse, aggression, and violence in the context of familial relationships including partner violence, child abuse, sexual abuse, elder abuse and sibling violence informs the basic structure of the course. Using a critical analysis framework that considers ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and sexual orientation in context, the course will cover topics including: the meaning, nature, and types of family violence; biological, psychological, and sociological theories that attempt to explain interpersonal abuse, aggression, and violence; the outcomes and consequences of violence; a range of family violence prevention and intervention strategies in clinical and judicial settings. The primary focus of the course is on the American family, though references will be made to other countries and cultures, particularly issues relevant to immigrant families.
In this course, we will explore different types and aspects of love and relationships and examine how our lived experiences, identities, worldviews, and sense of curiosity influence how we encounter, make sense of, and respond to love. While there is no greater determinant of happiness and health than our access to and engagement in loving and healthy relationships, our questions and dilemmas about how to define what love is, how to choose the “right” people to experience it with, and how to develop and maintain satisfying relationships persist. Though these core questions and challenges are undoubtedly centuries-old, the nature and complexity of them continue to evolve over time and many of their “answers” and “solutions” remain elusive. The primary objective of this course is to engage you in a process of inquiry and self-examination, critical dialogue, and reflection about your own ideas, beliefs, values, and experiences with love and relationships. Together, through your engagement with the course materials and our group discussions, we will wrestle with the following questions, share ideas, and generate possible answers (and likely more questions!): * Where do our ideas, beliefs and assumptions about love come from? How have they changed over time? * What determines or influences one’s capacity to give and receive love? Are these capacities different and/or related? * How do societal and cultural influences help or hinder our freedom and ability to love well and be loved? * What happens to us biologically, emotionally, and psychologically, when we are in love? * What determines satisfaction, resiliency, and longevity in relationships? How does this change across the lifespan? * What enables some to heal and move on after heartbreak, loss, or betrayal? * How do you want to show up differently in your relationships? What/Who might help you do so?
Artists often explore powerful issues of mental health through literature and film. “No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul.” (Ingmar Bergmann 1918-2007) In this course, we will draw on classic examples from literature and film to highlight and understand aspects of mental health in ways that are more vivid and visceral than any text book can illustrate. Materials will be chosen from novels, poems, and films to illustrate various mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), dissociative identity disorder (DID), and schizophrenia. We will look at how some of the disorders fare in psychological treatments that either succeed or fail. Guest speakers may be invited to highlight some topics.
Social justice and wellbeing are one and the same”- Dr. Sará Yafa King. How can you care for yourself while shaping change in a world that is overwhelmed with narratives, systems, and structures of oppression? In order to care for our communities, we must care for ourselves, self-regulating with the wisdom of the body. This course is designed to help you deepen your practice and share mindfulness with your community and with the world. We’ll begin with an introduction to mindfulness, examining the theory and science from its origins in wisdom traditions to the modern mindfulness movement, and move toward a meaningful practice that will allow you to better heal and serve.
A site for IMA NY Students to find equivalent courses outside of IMA NY
For most students joining IMA in Fall 2022 and beyond, there is a new program structure that affects the categorization of courses on this site:
Any class in any IMA major elective category (ie "Art & Design") refers to the IMA program structure previous to those entering in Fall 2022. If you are in the class of 2026 (most entering Fall 2022 or later), any course in an IMA elective category are generic IMA electives in the new structure.