Speaking of replaceable:
I used AI to create a syllbabus for each of the three courses you've taught at Columbia: SOCW T660A, SOCW T660B, and SOCW T7302.
enjoy.
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SOCW T660A — Human Behavior and the Social Environment A
Draft Syllabus (Full Semester / 14 Weeks)
Instructor (section example): Anthony R. Zenkus, LCSW
Points: 3 (typical for HBSE-A)
Prerequisites: None (core course in many plans of study)
Meeting: 1x/week, 2 hours (time/location TBD)
Course format: Seminar structured discussion applied case exercises (no clinical “how-to” skills lab)
Course description
HBSE-A provides a foundation for self-reflective social work practice by examining how biological, psychological, social, cultural, historical, political, and economic factors shape development across the life course—using a person-in-environment lens and “sociological imagination.”
In the year-long sequence described in CSSW materials, the course is grounded in a Developmental Life Course Perspective (DLCP) and emphasizes critical analysis of concepts that underlie assumptions of “normality,” “deviance,” citizenship, and identity across development.
HBSE-A focus (this semester): childhood → adolescence, with continuous attention to structural inequality, identity, and context.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
Use the Developmental Life Course Perspective to describe how development is shaped by timing, transitions, relationships, and social context.
Analyze development through person-in-environment, integrating biological, psychological, family, community, and policy factors.
Apply theories of childhood and adolescence to a client vignette or contemporary social problem in a way that demonstrates critical thinking.
Identify how inequality and social stratification influence risk/protection and opportunity across development.
Required & recommended texts
Required (recommended by historical core syllabus materials; confirm current section requirements):
Austrian, S. G. (Ed.). Developmental Theories Through the Life Cycle.
Fadiman, A. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
Recommended (no purchase required):
Elder, G. (Life Course Perspective overview articles/chapters)
Bronfenbrenner (Ecological Systems)
Garcia Coll et al. (Integrative model for minority child development)
Shonkoff et al. (Toxic stress/brain development)
(Weekly readings will also include journal articles and short media.)
Course requirements & grading
1) Participation & professional engagement — 20%
Preparedness, respectful discussion, evidence-based reasoning, and reflective practice.
2) Weekly reading accountability — 20%
Short reading responses (250–400 words) or “3 questions/3 claims” memos most weeks.
3) HBSE Lecture reflection — 10%
Attend two lectures outside the classroom arranged/approved by the instructor and submit one integrative reflection.
4) Case or Social Problem Analysis Paper (DLCP application) — 40%
8–10 pages. Apply DLCP to (a) a client vignette from provided materials, field placement (fully de-identified), or (b) a social problem affecting development.
5) Proficiency exam requirement — Required (Pass/No Pass)
All students must pass a proficiency exam on core concepts/theories (typically 90% , retakes permitted) as described in core HBSE guidance. This is a course requirement and may be required for progression even if it does not materially change the letter grade.
Key course policies
Attendance: More than 1 unexcused absence may lower the participation grade; more than 2 may require remediation.
Late work: 5% per day unless arranged in advance.
Confidentiality: Field-related examples must be fully de-identified.
Accessibility: Students are encouraged to use CSSW/Columbia accommodations; communicate early.
Generative AI: Allowed for brainstorming/outlining if disclosed; not allowed for writing final submissions without explicit permission. Cite any AI assistance.
Weekly schedule (14 weeks)
(Exact dates added by instructor; readings may be swapped to reflect current events and cohort interests.)
Week 1 — Course orientation; DLCP person-in-environment
Concepts: sociological imagination, timing/transition, agency/structure
Due: baseline reflection (your “developmental assumptions” memo)
Week 2 — Theories as tools (and limits): what counts as “normal”?
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Psychoanalytic → behavioral → cognitive → socio-cultural traditions
Due: Reading response #1
Week 3 — Risk, protection, resilience; adversity across development
Developmental psychopathology; ACEs as a population lens (strengths/limits)
Due: Reading response #2
Week 4 — Prenatal development, infancy, attachment, caregiving
Attachment across cultures; caregiving constraints and structural stressors
In-class: attachment case vignette mapping
Due: Reading response #3
Week 5 — Early childhood: brain development, language, emotion regulation
Executive function; play; caregiver mental health and family supports
Due: Reading response #4
Week 6 — Maltreatment, family violence, and child development (trauma lens)
Trauma exposure, developmental impacts, protective relationships
Due: Topic proposal for Case/Social Problem Paper
Week 7 — Family systems, kinship networks, and “the social construction” of family
How policy defines family (benefits, child welfare, immigration)
Due: Reading response #5
Week 8 — Middle childhood: school, peers, bullying, disability & inclusion
School as developmental ecology; special education as a social system
Due: Paper outline (1–2 pages)
Week 9 — Culture, race/ethnicity, and identity development
Identity formation; bias and discrimination as developmental stressors
Due: Reading response #6
Week 10 — Adolescence I: puberty, brain development, risk-taking
Decision-making, peer influence, identity exploration
In-class: “risk vs. resilience” developmental formulation
Due: Reading response #7
Week 11 — Adolescence II: mental health, self-harm, suicide, and help-seeking
Stigma and access; social media as context
Due: HBSE lecture plan (choose 2 lectures/events)
Week 12 — Inequality, racism, neighborhood effects, and developmental opportunity
Chronic stress; intergenerational pathways; institutional trust
Due: Case/Social Problem Analysis Paper
Week 13 — Immigration, acculturation, and developmental transitions
Family role shifts; identity and belonging; systems navigation
Due: HBSE Lecture Reflection
Week 14 — Integration and synthesis
Student mini-presentations (5–7 minutes) of key insights from papers
Due: Proficiency exam completion status check-in
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SOCW T660B — Topics in Human Behavior and the Social Environment
Intensive Topic: Trauma and Its Impact
Draft Syllabus
Instructor (historically taught): Anthony Zenkus
Typical points: 1.5 (HBSE-B intensive in many study plans)
Format note: CSSW HBSE-B is often delivered as an intensive elective; if your section is 7 weeks, treat Weeks 1–7 below as the “core,” and Weeks 8–14 as “expanded/optional” modules.
Course description
HBSE-B intensives build on HBSE-A and deepen students’ sociological imagination by examining how privilege, oppression, discrimination, and social justice themes shape developmental trajectories.
This Trauma and Its Impact section centers trauma as both:
an individual/family developmental experience, and
a structural experience shaped by poverty, racism, gender-based violence, and systems response.
Learning outcomes (aligned to CSSW HBSE-B outcomes)
Students will be able to:
Identify how risk and protection apply across developmental trajectories.
Analyze how social/political/historical/racial/biological/economic factors shape human behavior
Demonstrate critical thinking about power and privilege using research applied to a case or social problem
Discuss current research relevant to trauma and developmental pathways.
Required materials
No single textbook required (unless instructor specifies).
Weekly readings will include: trauma theory, developmental trauma, community violence, racial trauma, intimate partner violence, sexual assault/human trafficking, and trauma-informed systems.
(Instructor may also incorporate applied training materials consistent with his professional role in victim services and education.)
Assignments & grading
1) Participation & professional engagement — 25%
Prepared discussion, respectful challenge, and application to real-world systems.
2) Weekly reflection notes — 20%
6–8 short submissions (250–400 words): “What I learned / what I’m wrestling with / how this changes practice or policy thinking.”
3) Trauma-informed case formulation — 25%
5–7 pages: select a vignette (provided or de-identified) and create a trauma-informed developmental formulation (risk/protection, culture, systems, ethics).
4) Final integrative project — 30% (choose one)
A. Mini literature review (8–10 pages) on a trauma topic implications for social work
B. Program/policy brief (6–8 pages) proposing a trauma-informed response in a setting (school, shelter, hospital, juvenile justice, etc.)
C. Training module outline (slides narrative) for a professional audience
Course policies (highlights)
Trauma-informed classroom norms: opt-out of graphic detail; content warnings; grounding practices.
Confidentiality and mandatory reporting: discuss case material in ways that protect privacy and align with current law/policy.
Weekly schedule (14 weeks)
Week 1 — Defining trauma: event, experience, effects
Concepts: acute vs. chronic; complex trauma; developmental timing
Due: Reflection #1 (your definition what it misses)
Week 2 — Neurobiology of trauma and stress
Stress response, learning/memory, regulation, dissociation (intro level)
In-class: “window of tolerance” mapping exercise
Week 3 — Developmental trauma in childhood
Attachment disruption, emotion regulation, behavior, school functioning
Due: Topic selection for case formulation
Week 4 — Adolescence and trauma: identity, risk behavior, help-seeking
Self-harm risk pathways; substance use as coping (bridge to SUD work)
Due: Reflection #2
Week 5 — Family violence, sexual assault, and coercive control
Interpersonal trauma; safety planning as a system issue
Instructor lens often draws from victim services and family violence expertise
Week 6 — Community violence, structural racism, and “racial trauma”
Trauma exposure as patterned by policy and place
Due: Case formulation outline
Week 7 — Systems responses: child welfare, schools, healthcare, courts
Trauma-informed vs. trauma-inducing systems
Due: Reflection #3
Week 8 — Evidence-based and evidence-informed trauma treatments (overview)
TF-CBT, EMDR, CPT, narrative approaches, somatic/skills-based supports
Skill focus: “common factors” and stabilization
Week 9 — Working with caregivers and families in trauma contexts
Intergenerational trauma; caregiver support; engagement barriers
Due: Draft case formulation (optional feedback)
Week 10 — Vicarious trauma, moral injury, and professional resilience
Self-of-practitioner; supervision; organizational responsibility
Due: Reflection #4
Week 11 — Trauma, identity, and culture
Cultural humility; avoiding pathologizing; strengths and meaning-making
Week 12 — Trauma and social policy
What “trauma-informed policy” could look like (schools, policing, housing)
Due: Final project proposal
Week 13 — Student project workshops
Peer feedback, research-to-practice translation
Week 14 — Final presentations & integration
Due: Final integrative project
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SOCW T7302 — Social Work Practice in Alcohol and Substance Use
Draft Syllabus (Full Semester / 14 Weeks)
Instructor (as requested): Anthony R. Zenkus, LCSW (draft template)
Points: 3
Prerequisite: T7100 required (per SIS listing)
Meeting: 1x/week, 1h50m (time/location TBD)
Course description
This course prepares social work students to provide evidence-informed, culturally responsive, and ethically sound services for clients affected by alcohol and other substance use. Content emphasizes:
Screening, assessment, and biopsychosocial formulation
Harm reduction and recovery-oriented practice
Motivational interviewing and other core clinical approaches
Treatment planning across levels of care
Co-occurring mental health, trauma, and family/system impacts
Policy and system contexts that shape risk, access, and outcomes
Course learning outcomes
By the end of the semester, students will be able to:
Conduct basic SUD screening and integrate results into a biopsychosocial assessment.
Explain major theoretical models of addiction (biopsychosocial, learning, developmental, social determinants).
Demonstrate beginning competence in motivational interviewing microskills applied to substance use.
Build a staged, client-centered treatment plan that addresses safety, withdrawal risk, and recovery supports.
Critically analyze how stigma, racism, poverty, and criminalization shape substance use trajectories and care.
Required materials
A course packet of articles/chapters (posted on CourseWorks).
Recommended reference texts (choose 1 if you want a “desk book”):
A social work–oriented SUD practice text
An MI manual/reference
Current clinical guidelines (instructor will link)
Assignments & grading
1) Participation & preparedness — 20%
Includes discussion leadership once during the term.
2) Weekly practice reflections — 15%
8 submissions (250–400 words) responding to a prompt (skills ethics systems).
3) Motivational Interviewing skills demonstration — 20%
Role-play (recorded or live) 2–3 page self-critique using MI concepts.
4) Integrated Case Assessment & Treatment Plan — 30%
8–10 pages: screening summary, biopsychosocial, risk assessment, ASAM-informed level-of-care reasoning (conceptual), goals, interventions, referral plan, relapse prevention.
5) Policy/program brief — 15%
3–4 pages: choose one policy issue (e.g., naloxone access, housing, parity, diversion) and analyze practice implications.
Practice-centered course policies
Confidentiality: Any field-based examples must be fully de-identified.
Role safety: Students can opt out of role-play scenarios that are personally activating; alternative assignments provided.
Professional writing: Use person-first language and avoid stigmatizing terms.
Weekly schedule (14 weeks)
Week 1 — Social work’s role in SUD: ethics, stigma, and frameworks
Harm reduction vs. abstinence debates; recovery orientation
Due: Reflection #1 (stigma audit)
Week 2 — Substances and effects: overview neurobiology of addiction
Reinforcement, tolerance/withdrawal, craving, learning
In-class: “myth vs. evidence” exercise
Week 3 — Screening, brief intervention, and referral basics
SBIRT concepts; common tools; engagement strategies
Due: pick case vignette for term work
Week 4 — Assessment & formulation
Biopsychosocial trauma-informed lens; readiness; risk/safety
Due: Reflection #2
Week 5 — Stages of change Motivational Interviewing foundations
Core MI spirit; OARS; change talk
In-class: dyad practice
Week 6 — MI in action: ambivalence, sustain talk, and discord
Due: MI role-play plan transcript snippet (optional)
Week 7 — Treatment planning across levels of care
Outpatient, IOP, residential, detox (overview); referral collaboration
Due: Reflection #3
Week 8 — Evidence-informed interventions for SUD
CBT/relapse prevention; coping skills; cue exposure principles
In-class: triggers → skills map
Week 9 — Medications and recovery supports (overview for social workers)
MOUD, alcohol-use medications (high-level); adherence, stigma, systems barriers
Due: MI skills demonstration (live or recorded)
Week 10 — Co-occurring disorders and trauma SUD
Integrated care principles; suicide risk considerations (overview)
Due: Reflection #4
Week 11 — Families, parenting, and child welfare intersections
Family systems, IPV considerations, mandated reporting decision points
Due: Case paper outline
Week 12 — Special populations and equity
Adolescents, older adults, LGBTQ , justice-involved, homelessness
Due: Policy/program brief draft (optional feedback)
Week 13 — Documentation, ethics, and interprofessional practice
Boundaries, confidentiality frameworks (students must verify current rules)
Due: Final case paper
Week 14 — Integration: student presentations and course synthesis
Due: Policy/program brief final
Course wrap: “what I will do differently in practice”