Cultural competence in practice requires that social workers critically investigate their own beliefs and biases as they influence interactions with supervisors, co-workers, and clients. The literature on cultural competence and diversity education describes a variety of teaching methods (e.g., passive, reflective, active-learning, and immersion activities) to help social work students develop the skills and knowledge to undertake this critical investigation. This article describes the “Good, Bad, and Ugly” exercise—an innovative, in-class exercise that complements and builds on these teaching methods by having students practice critiquing their writing, and the writing of their peers, for bias and prejudices. Examples of student writing and critique are presented, along with feedback from students and reflections from the instructor. The article also includes the proposed writing assignment, guidelines for students, and suggestions for instructors who want to use the exercise in their courses.
The assignment seemed simple: write a paper about an oppressed population of which you are not a member. After all, we had just spent three weeks discussing discrimination and oppression. Yet, when I am sitting and grading these papers, I am appalled by their widespread use of harmful stereotypes (e.g., “persons with disabilities are either ashamed or angry about their disabilities”) and demeaning attitudes (e.g., “homeless women lack the resources to become better people”). I keep wondering if they remembered that I was actually the person who would be reading their papers! Weren't they listening in class?