All Stories

Space is still available in the class Trauma Across Social Contexts (SWK 400FW), which has now been designated as Writing Intensive for fall. This course is intended to broadly cover the implications of trauma across social contexts so that cross-disciplinary learners can approach their clients, patients, students, etc. in a trauma-informed manner.

Trauma Across Social Contexts has relevance to many different majors, including education, nursing, psychology, sociology, women and gender studies, neuroscience, occupational therapy, criminal justice, and more. If you have any questions, please contact Professor Debra Minsky-Kelly at dkelly1@carthage.edu.

Why are so many community leaders talking about trauma? Research is growing on the impact of traumatic stress on the brain, on communities, and on social institutions. Students will be provided with an overview of the impact of traumatic experiences including, but not limited to: child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, exposure to war, natural disasters, genocide, and more.

Institutional forces, such as poverty, racism, and sexism, will be explored in terms of their relationship to both traumatic experience and to the community response to trauma. Students will learn about the latest research which underscores the impact of trauma on brain development, on the human body, on a person’s ability to learn, and on human relationships.

Students will critically examine approaches to addressing trauma in various settings. The foundation of this course is the social context in which trauma occurs, and includes examination of counseling approaches, educational interventions, and medical model, as well as alternative promising practices, including yoga and theater, and how these fit into the response to trauma.