Smith College recently rebranded its social work program to no longer include the word \u201cfield.\u201d<\/p>\n
A department at the Massachusetts school was formerly titled the \u201cOffice of Field Education,\u201d but is now referred to as the \u201cOffice of Practicum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carolyn McDaniel, a spokesperson for Smith College, told The College Fix<\/em> the school specifically chose the word \u201cpracticum,\u201d which means a course of study involving the supervised practical application of previously studied theory, to better reflect the experience of all faculty and students.<\/p>\n \u201cConsistent with the guiding principles of the social work profession, Smith College’s School for Social Work strives for intentional accountability,\u201d McDaniels said via email. \u201cRather than a reactive moment, this is a proactive decision to bring the language of the school’s program more in line with its goals and intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n Oxford Languages defines<\/a> \u201cfield\u201d as a noun meaning \u201ca particular branch of study or sphere of activity or interest,\u201d and as an adjective meaning \u201ccarried out or working in the natural environment, rather than in a laboratory or office.\u201d<\/p>\n Neither definition appears to discourage inclusivity.<\/p>\n Smith is not alone in its decision to ax the term \u201cfield.\u201d In January, the University of Southern California\u2019s School of Social Work announced<\/a> it would do away with the term \u201cfield\u201d to adhere to anti-racist practices.<\/p>\n At Smith, its School of Social Work sent an email<\/a> to students and faculty of the program in late April, citing Toward Racial Justice<\/a> and the college\u2019s \u201ccore principles\u201d as reasoning behind this rebranding. Toward Racial Justice, announced by Smith College in July 2020, is aimed at \u201cadvancing inclusion, diversity and equity\u201d at the school.<\/p>\n The email said the term \u201cfield\u201d holds negative associations for people of color and the change is to hold the college accountable and committed to antiracist practices.<\/p>\n According to a language key<\/a> included in the email, the use of the word \u201cfield\u201d will be discontinued in all aspects of the school, including references to professors, courses and other programs.<\/p>\n The phrase \u201cinto the field\u201d is to be replaced with \u201cin the internship experience\u201d and all titles referring to \u201cfield\u201d will be replacing the term with \u201cpracticum.\u201d<\/p>\n As of now, this change applies only to the School of Social Work.<\/p>\n MORE: You can\u2019t say \u2018crazy\u2019 at Smith College: Student paper replaces with \u2018ableist slur\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Aina Endo, a member of Smith College\u2019s class of 2025, told<\/a> MassLive<\/em>, when informed of the new title and the reason for the change, \u201cI never really saw it that way before.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHearing about it now, I think the word has many different contexts and it\u2019s the way that you use it that matters,\u201d Endo said. \u201cBut if it bothers a lot of people it\u2019s important to address.\u201d<\/p>\n Loretta Ross, a professor at Smith College with a focus on women and gender studies, told<\/a> MassLive<\/em> that the “meaning of words change and evolve so rapidly that no matter how critical or cynical one becomes, you can\u2019t keep up.”<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019m basically against all of this language policing,” Ross added, “because there seems to be a lot of anguish spent to achieve very little and it can actually be very offensive and off-putting to people who aren\u2019t even trying to get into this competitive wokeness.\u201d<\/p>\n