Interdisciplinary and General Studies

How to schedule and prepare nutritious meals throughout the week with one trip to the grocery store. Students experiment with hands-on cooking in the Test Kitchen, under the guidance of Skidmore Executive Chef Jim Rose. They also study the natural history of the transformation of food, international trend of food writing, and cooking shows.    

Mediation is a conflict resolution process that is used in close cooperation with the courts. Cases such as small claims court disputes and parent/teen conflicts are often referred by the courts to mediation by trained volunteers. The mediation training is a partnership with Mediation Matters, a nonprofit agency in Saratoga Springs that provides mediation services and receives its funding from the New York court system. This training will certify students as volunteers enabling them to mediate campus disputes through our own peer mediation program as well as cases referred to Mediation Matters by the courts. This is an intensive 30-hour training using film clips, role plays, readings, and discussion that focuses on building facilitation skills. 

A topic seminar that may emerge from a Scribner Seminar or as a novel offering (e.g., a film series). The topic(s) will be addressed from the perspective of different disciplines. The frequency with which the seminar meets will vary depending on the goals of seminar.

Independent work for first-year students in collaboration with two different project leaders. The project leaders will define the nature of the interdisciplinary project and recruit first-year students for participation. The participating students will serve as apprentices to the project leaders and learn about several different approaches to investigating the particular project.

Students will be required to present themselves in a variety of situations related to career development. Learning contexts will include formal job and information interviews, formal and short impromptu presentations, and dialogues regarding career issues. Students will have the opportunity to apply skills taught by theater instructors and business professionals. Academic and professional mentors will provide essential knowledge to students regarding the presentation of self in diverse situations. This course covers the following dimensions for studying management and business in context: II, III, IV.

An introduction to the theory and practice of collaborative learning and mentoring as they relate to the interdisciplinary issues raised in Scribner Seminars. The course examines the role of mentors, the ethics of mentoring, and common mentoring problems. Students engage in a consideration of the readings and topics in selected Scribner Seminars, placing them in wider intellectual and pedagogical contexts, and undertake a term project on mentoring.

Academic credit for participation as a peer mentor in a Scribner Seminar. Peer mentors earn credits for completing the general expectations associated with the position, including: attending all seminar classes, completing all reading assignments and in-class projects, participating in class discussions (when appropriate), helping the faculty with fourth-credit hour programming, completing other duties assigned by the instructor, and mentoring first-year students. Mentoring first-year students includes supporting them as they make the academic and social transition to college, meeting students outside of class, and cultivating a robust living-learning community. Faculty may choose to require a modest writing assignment or some other project.

An introduction to the concepts and principles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for computerized mapping and spatial analysis in the social and natural sciences. Students will be introduced to major concepts and principles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for computerized mapping and spatial analysis in the social and natural sciences. Students will be introduced to major concepts in GIS, become versed in the types of problems and analyses that GIS can be used to address and perform, and create effective presentations of geospatial information. Students will define a problem in spatial analysis, obtain relevant data from online sources, and use geoprocessing operations to produce quality maps. The course is designed to enable students to be self-sufficient, project-oriented GIS users.

A study of tensions arising from the dynamics of social identity and belonging in multicultural societies. Students combine methods from history, political science, legal studies, anthropology, sociology, and media studies to analyze incidents of serious socio-cultural conflict. The class is a discussion-based seminar with students working on a substantial field project.

This course is geared toward all science majors, with the goal of highlighting the experience of individuals in minoritized groups in science and building a more inclusive community in the sciences, especially focusing on the intersection of multiple identities. Students will explore how power is distributed within the modern scientific community, how the unequal distribution of power affects participation in the sciences, and what steps those in the scientific community can take to alleviate injustices. The course will consist of discussion on readings as well as informal discussion about the students’ own experiences in the sciences. A large part of the course will be a semester-long service-learning project that aims to improve the science community at Skidmore in relation to the experience of minoritized identities in the sciences.

An introduction to the assessment, treatment, and transport of critical and emergent patients. The Emergency Medical Technician-Basic EMT-B course follows the most current United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) National Standard Curriculum for EMT-B. Students will explore physiological and pharmacological principles as they develop the technical proficiency necessary to provide pre-hospital patient care at the level of an EMT-B.

An interactive course devoted to using academic inquiry and community engagement to examine how societal power structures influence science education and the practice of science. Students will ground their understanding of the STEM experience at Skidmore in national and global contexts, specifically looking at the way in which race/ethnicity, class, gender expression & identity, sexuality, (dis)ability, nationality, and religion shape our experiences in and uses of science. Students will reflect on their own experiences in STEM, read interdisciplinary peer-reviewed literature, and survey existing evidence-based inclusive practices at a range of educational institutions; Students will design their own group projects on building a more inclusive scientific community that will be presented to the community.

Representation in STEM - An introduction to the challenges historically faced by women and minorities in sciences and medicine and the impact/influence this historical discrimination still has today. In medieval Europe, women with knowledge about the healing properties of herbs were persecuted as witches. In colonial America, racial discrimination was used to establish the dominance of colonists of European descent. Students in this course will explore the impact of these historical events that are still evident today. Exploring the work of individuals, past and present, from underrepresented groups in various STEM disciplines, students will create blogs and podcast to highlight their contributions. Students will explore the policies of professional societies within STEM to make their field more inclusive.

An introduction to the tools and methods of social entrepreneurship to creatively and effectively address social challenges. Students will work through these concepts by designing their own  project. Unlike many similar courses, we will take a holistic approach to the topic of social entrepreneurship, focusing in equal parts on (a) a systems approach to social challenges, (b) the social enterprise (or project), and (c) the social entrepreneur.

Topically organized courses based on themes or problems that bring together the perspectives of multiple disciplines. The specific problems may differ from year to year. Examples include the Sophomore Transitional Program of the Skidmore Scholars in Science and Mathematics (S3M) Scholarship grant from NSF.

Independent work for sophomores or more advanced students whose academic interests require an interdisciplinary approach beyond the academic structures available through established departmental courses. The student must have the background appropriate to the proposed study, must have completed at least one other interdisciplinary course at Skidmore, must carefully define a plan of study, and must enlist the guidance of one or more faculty, as appropriate. Proposals for ID 271 are reviewed by the chair(s) of the sponsoring faculty member's home department or interdisciplinary program; or in the case of students with an approved self-determined major, by the chair of the Self-Determined Majors Subcommittee.

Overview of Chinese culture and effective teaching strategies in a university environment. Students learn and practice pedagogical techniques as English language teachers in China. Additional topics include travel, living situation, health and medical concerns, social and professional life.

Various techniques are used to manipulate audio signals. Both signals that have been recorded and manipulated through filtering and compression, and those that have been created using synthesis methods will be explored. Techniques such as additive, distortion, FM, and granular together comprise what is known as Signal Processing - whether applied to audio or not. In addition, students will gain a deeper understanding of the acoustic and electrical principles involved in the creation of synthesized music. Students will also explore their understanding through the creation of a series of short, 1 minute compositions that utilize each technique. A variety of programs will be introduced, such as Audacity, Amadeus, Matlab and Max/MSP. 

Topically organized courses based on themes or problems that bring together the perspectives of multiple disciplines. The specific themes or problems may differ from year to year. Examples include "the family" as a biological, psychological, sociological, and artistic construct; science and music; and creativity in the arts and in the sciences.

Independent work for juniors and seniors whose academic interests require an interdisciplinary approach beyond the academic structures available through established departmental courses. The student must have background appropriate to the proposed study, must have completed at least one other interdisciplinary course at Skidmore, must carefully define a plan of study, and must enlist the guidance of one or more faculty as appropriate. Proposals for ID 371 are reviewed by the chair(s) of the sponsoring faculty member's home department or interdisciplinary program; or in the case of students with an approved self-determined major, by the chair of the Self-Determined Majors Program.

Internship experience for students in all classes who wish to gain professional or vocational experience within an educational context at an entry level, or who wish to have educational and work experience in a field not directly related to an academic department or program at Skidmore. This course is also appropriate for students who have not completed advanced coursework in a major field offering internship credit at the 300 level. The internship experience must take place for at least five weeks and follow the guidelines for contact hours (1 credit requires at least 45 contact hours; 2 credits requires at least 90 contact hours; and 3 credits requires at least 135 contact hours). Proposals require faculty sponsorship and are reviewed for credit by the Associate Dean of Faculty for Student Academic Affairs.