At CCSF I generally teach three courses: Introduction to Social Work and Human Services, Social Work Practicum (Summer term) and Introduction to Psychology. If you're considering signing up, the most useful resources for learning more about these classes are going to be their syllabi, calendars, and the YouTube for each course (General Psychology and Social Work); the syllabi all have similar policies, so reviewing one is much like another, with the exception of the textbooks! Note: if the links to the syllabus and calendar are not live, that means I am between semesters and don't have new ones to share yet, but you can always start with the How My Courses work videos!
SOC 11 takes a deep dive into the societal structures that impact social work services today, including structural racism, historical trauma, implicit bias, and legal limitations. We explore topics such as poverty, homelessness, child welfare, mental illness, criminality, and substance abuse through an equity and social justice lens, and each module asks students to engage deeply with first person accounts or their own lived experiences. We explore career and education options for aspiring social workers, including direct service and research positions. This class is required to complete the Social Work AA-T and its completion with a 70% or better and departmental approval are a prerequisite for Social Work Practicum.
The sample syllabus will give you an idea of what the course policies are for the class, and the Calendars page will help you locate the calendar for the current semester; in the summer the class is over 6 weeks instead of 16, so expect it to go more than three times as fast to cover the same material. If you would like to review some of the lectures for the course, please visit the YouTube playlist.
SOC 12 is in the midst of a redesign and will be offered in a Common Course Numbering compliant format beginning in Fall, 2026. In its current form it is mostly work experience without much "classwork;" the redesigned version will have slightly fewer practical hours and more classroom time. For more information about this course during the Fall and Spring semesters, please reach out to Professor Knudson. Due to the shortened timeline, in Summer semester this course is mainly for students who have their own placement to use in the class (such as a place of employment or a volunteer site). There are occasionally CCSF provided sites available in Summer, but these are limited. This class is required to complete the Social Work AA-T.
This unique take on a classic course asks students to view psychological concepts from a self-improvement lens. The first half of the class explores topics that pertain directly to personal and academic success, such as motivation, learning theory, memory, sleep and consciousness, intelligence, and others, and then requires students to use these concepts to create a plan for personal improvement as their midterm "exam." Students spend the second half of the course using their project to achieve the goals they set forth for themselves, armed with science and research-backed tools for success and their own understanding of the concepts.
The sample syllabus will give you an idea of what the course policies are for the class, and the Calendars page will help you locate the calendar for the current semester. If you would like to review some of the lectures for the course, please visit the YouTube playlist. Note I also teach this course with the same structure in person in Solano.