Academics and courses

Pre-College students will join Skidmore College students in class and can choose from the following foundational liberal arts options. All of our courses are small – ranging from 5 to 20 students – and enrollment includes the benefit of numerous college support resources on campus, such as our writing center, library, and more.

Residential students must enroll in two courses
Commuting students may enroll in either one or two courses

2024 Course Descriptions

Morning

Anthropology of the Human Past (AN 102)
Professor Heather Hurst
M/T/W/TH/F 10:00 AM – 11:50 AM
3 Credits

An introduction to the biological and cultural evolution of humans. In learning about the origins of human diversity, students come to understand concepts of time, space, and context as critical factors in our ability to reconstruct the human past. Students engage in a variety of scientific evaluation sessions involving data common to archaeological analysis of human evolutionary and cultural change to learn how this reconstruction occurs.

Human Genetics (BI 170) • Lab fee $80
Professor Bernie Possidente
M/T/W/TH/F 9:00 AM – 12:10 PM
4 Credits

An introduction to the principles of genetics and their application to human biology. Topics include the history of genetics; the structure, function, and inheritance of genes; medical genetics; and genetic engineering.
Note(s): Nine hours of lecture, six hours of lab per week.

Introduction to Microeconomics (EC 104)
Professor Rodrigo Schneider
M/T/W/TH 9:00 AM – 12:05 PM
4 Credits

Prerequisites: Placement in this course requires a score of at least 650 on the SAT Mathematics (MSAT I) examination, a score of at least 570 on any Mathematics SAT II subject examination (MSAT II), or a score of at least 28 on the Mathematics ACT examination, emailed to lroutled@skidmore. If scores are unavailable, Skidmore will determine eligibility through a review of the student's high school transcript.

An introduction to the study of markets. Students will develop the basic economic model of supply and demand to illustrate how choices regarding the production and distribution of goods and services are made by firms and households in a market economy. Students will also examine the possibility of market failure and the appropriate government response. Policy topics may include poverty and homelessness, health care, the environment, antitrust, discrimination, international trade, unions, and minimum wage laws.

History of Modern Japan (HI 247P)
Professor Jennifer Day
M/T/W/TH 9:00 AM – 12:05 PM
4 Credits

An examination of the historical transformation of the Japanese archipelago from a feudal society to a modern state and imperial power, and to a postwar economic giant and a “bubble economy” in the 1990s. Students will explore how Japanese women and men have transformed elements of other cultures to create forms of government, society, and the arts that are uniquely Japanese. Sources include a diary, short stories, legal documents, and films.

Afternoon

Writing Seminar II: Under the Influence (EN 105)
Professor Thaddeus Niles
M/T/W/TH 1:15 PM – 3:35 PM
4 Credits

"Under the Influence - Argument and Persuasion in our Lives"

Argument seems inescapable. Its rituals have shaped the Western academic tradition, which is perhaps reason enough to study it more closely. But argument is also a central feature of our lives as citizens and consumers. In this writing course, students will consider the nature of persuasion, various methods of thinking critically, and approaches to translating these methods to academic texts. Class projects include essays examining the language and logic of persuasive appeals, as well as a final collaborative project.

Introduction to Comparative and International Politics (PL 103)
Professor Charmaine Willis
M/T/W/TH/F 1:30 PM – 3:20 PM
3 Credits

A survey of the key concepts and principles of comparative politics and international relations. Issues covered include state building and state failure; the functioning of democratic and non-democratic regimes and the ideologies that support them; the changing nature of the international system; the causes of war and search for peace; and problems of national and transnational security, such as terrorism, globalization, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and environmental challenges.

Introduction to Psychological Science (PS 101)
Professor Lucas LaFreniere
M/T/W/TH 1:30 PM – 4:35 PM
4 Credits

An introduction to the science of psychology through a survey of theories, methods, and principles of behavior. Students will learn about empirical studies that are central to the various subdisciplines of psychology.

Physics: Sound & Music with Lab (PY 109)
Professor Jill Linz
M/T/W/TH/F 1:30 PM – 4:40 PM
4 Credits

The physical principles of sound - how it is produced, propagated and perceived. Emphasis will be placed on music and music theory and will look at some of the mechanisms used to produce different types of musical sounds as well as the physical principles guiding the development of music theory throughout history. The weekly lab sessions will provide hands-on experience in understanding the physical principles discussed in lecture.

Religion: American Gods (RE 105W)
Professor Chelsea Taylor
M/T/W/TH/F 1:15 PM – 3:40 PM
4 Credits

An introduction to the diversity of religions in America and to basic categories and questions in the academic study of religion. The United States is one of the most religiously diverse nations on earth. This course investigates that diversity, in the past and in the present, and explores traditions imported to America, recent traditions born in America, and/or traditions indigenous to the Americas. Students will explore what counts as “religion” in America and how religious traditions shape and are shaped by other forms of difference (race, class, gender, age, sexuality, etc.)

*Courses subject to change. All course placements are subject to approval by the Pre-College Program director.

Faculty

	Jennifer Day Associate Professor of History
Jenny Huangfu Day 皇甫峥峥 is Associate Professor of History and the Francis Young Tang ‘61 Chair in China Studies at Skidmore College. She obtained her PhD in History from the University of California San Diego in 2012 and her BA from the University of Washington in 2007. She has published works in intellectual, diplomatic, and legal history of late imperial and modern China. Her forthcoming monograph examines international law and transnational fugitives in modern China. It examines the role of Sino-foreign diplomats, jurists, and political actors in creating the boundaries of legitimate political actions. It tells the story about how the Qing and its Republican successor states negotiated for the right to declare their enemies, define their crimes, and gain juridical sovereignty over transborder rebels from the 1860s to the 1930s. Her next book project will explore the politicization of history in modern China. It seeks to understand how policymakers, bureaucrats, intellectuals, and grassroots educators understood the goals of historical education from the late Qing to the post-Mao period.

	Heather Hurst Professor, Anthropology
Heather Hurst specializes in Mesoamerican archaeology with a focus on the study of art production, iconography, materials analysis, identity, and the role of art in society. She has ongoing fieldwork on Maya mural painting in Guatemala, as well as research on Olmec rock art in Mexico. Her publications and illustrated volumes include The Murals of San Bartolo, El Petén, Guatemala. Part 1, The North Wall, and Part I1, The West Wall. She collaborates with chemists, conservators and epigraphers, resulting in recent articles including, “Strategies for 14C Dating the Oxtotitlán Cave Paintings, Guerrero, Mexico,” and “Maya Codex Book Production and the Politics of Expertise.” Dr. Hurst earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Yale University. Her courses include Mesoamerican Archaeology, Archaeological Field Methods, Imaging/Imagining the Past, and Built Environments.

	Lucas LaFreniere Assistant Professor of Psychology
Research interests include treatments for worry, anxiety, and depression, therapeutic effects of savoring positive emotions, ecological momentary interventions/smartphone interventions, and processes and applications of mindfulness. Fun fact: I used to give counseling on a 90-year-old sailing vessel to youth charged with juvenile delinquency.

	Jill Linz Physics Senior Instructor
With a background in theoretical physics and classical music, Jill joined the physics faculty in 1992. Soon after, she developed Sound & Music, an introductory acoustics course that is a popular class for non-science students and science students alike. She has also developed courses in advanced acoustics and music synthesis techniques. Her works include a children’s book titled “Adventures in Atomville: The Macroscope” and an experimental music project titled “Atom Music”.

	Thad Niles Lecturer and ESL Specialist for the Writing Center
Professor Niles has been an ESL specialist at Skidmore since 2010, teaching composition and coordinating the college's first intensive English program. Thad’s professional interests include the learning experiences of international students, academic literacies/English for Academic Purposes, Structural-Functional Linguistics/Genre Pedagogy, and new teaching grammars.

	Bernie Possidente Professor of Biology
Dr. Possidente's general research area is genetic analysis of behavioral mechanisms. His research focuses on the function of biological clocks in controlling circadian (daily-endogenous) rhythms using mice and fruitflies as model systems: manipulation of rhythms in mice and fruitflies with genetic, pharmacological, and photoperiod treatments in order to identify functional properties of circadian system components and their physiological mechanisms.

	Rodrigo Schneider Assistant Professor of Economics
I received my Bachelor’s degree in economics from Insper in 2010; my Master’s degree in economics from the University of Brasília in 2012; and my Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2018 and I have taught undergraduate courses in economics for more than 10 years. Teaching is my passion, and I'm particularly interested in teaching introductory courses and being able to relate economics with classic works of literature and philosophy. My current research is focused on public finance, policy analysis, Latin American studies, and voting behavior and I have published in peer-reviewed journals related to my field, such as Economic Policy, Economics & Politics, Public Choice, Fiscal Studies, Economía LACEA Journal, Latin American Research Review and Latin American Politics and Society.

	Chelsea Taylor Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Research and teaching interests include history of religions in the United States, Christian nationalism, Evangelicalism, religion and popular culture, performance studies, adaption studies, gender and sexuality studies.

	Charmaine Willis Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science
Received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York. She studies comparative politics and international relations, with a regional focus on East Asia. Her dissertation project examines the interplay of social movement framing and political opportunity structures in the context of anti-US-military movements in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Prior to obtaining her Ph.D., she received her BA in Political Science from the University of Southern Maine and MA in International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service.