IdeaLab Courses

PourMore: Skidmore Lava Project 
Taught by John Galt (Art) and Jennifer Cholnoky (Geosciences)
Spring 2022, Spring 2020

Basalt is one of the most common rocks in Earth’s crust. It underlies all of our ocean basins. Tremendous eruptions of flood basalt coincide with some of Earth’s largest extinction events. It is the bedrock of many locations including Hawaii, Iceland, and the Galapagos Islands. It has also been used to create sculptures across cultures and millennia up to the present day. In this course, we will learn how basalt melts, flows, and solidifies under different conditions. We’ll study the physical and chemical properties of basalt lava and rock; we will learn how to create the tremendous heat needed to melt basalt using a furnace; and we will learn how to manage the flow and solidification of lava. The course will culminate in a Lava Pour event that will be managed and run by students.

Study and Struggle 
授课:Dominique Vuvan(心理学)和Lucia Hulsether(宗教研究)
Spring 2022, Fall 2021 (Pop-Up Course)

本课程是一个废奴主义阅读小组，由密西西比的 political education and abolition project called Study and Struggle. Specific topics 每学期的阅读材料都会随着政治，经济，社会的变化而变化 and activism-relevant factors. Participants will become part of an international network 学习者的学习，反思和组织对话与共享 curriculum. 本课程涉及新颖的教学方法，并可能包括机会 to connect with study groups from outside Skidmore. 

Pandemic Bardo
授课:Benjamin Bogin(亚洲研究)，Adam Tinkle (MDOCS/媒体与电影研究) and Thomas Yoshikami (Tang)
Fall 2020, Spring 2021

本课程的学生将为原创作品的创作和制作做出贡献 六集播客，通过西藏人的视角探讨COVID-19大流行 Buddhist concept of the bardo. Through remote online instruction and collaboration, 学生将学习哲学、仪式、文学和艺术表达 古典中阴的传统和探索其奇怪的历史解释 in the United States. Students will also develop skills in engaging in critical dialogue 并在网上讨论设置，数字音频编辑和制作，协作 design and social media publishing.

Testing the Limits of Documentary Practice
Taught by Cecilia Aldarondo (English)
Spring 2018

部分工作坊，部分访问艺术家系列，这五节课的实验课程探索 推动边界的纪录片实践在美国，通过一系列身临其境 火博体育学生与纪录片领域杰出领袖的交流 arts. 每次会议都包括周四晚上的公开演讲，由来访者和 a six-hour Friday workshop.

Math/Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling
由Lucy Oremland(数学与统计)和Csilla Szabo(数学)授课 and Statistics)
Fall 2017, Spring 2018

本课程为学生提供了一个独特的学习开放式跨学科的机会 问题的格式更接近于代表它们可能的项目类型 encounter in their careers.  The main objective of this course is to prepare for the 数学建模竞赛和跨学科建模竞赛(MCM/ICM); 一个国际竞赛，学生团队提出开放式问题的解决方案 problems. 在成功完成课程后，学生将有几个练习 过去的MCM/ICM问题，包括模型建立，分析，仿真，正式写作 ups, and oral presentations. Some examples of previous contest problems include:  创建一个可持续发展的城市和一个“智能”增长的指标，优化乘客 throughput at airport security, and model refugee immigration policies.

Historic Preservation Theory and Practice
Taught by Amber Wiley (American Studies)
Fall 2017

Historic Preservation is a necessarily interdisciplinary field. Born of grassroots 努力维护我国早期的文化遗产，营造“民族感” 血统，”这个领域已经扩展到包括城市规划，公共历史，考古学， 景观研究和经济发展，仅举几个相关领域的例子. As 因此，这个为期一年的课程由一学期的历史和保护理论组成 (4学分)和一学期的文物保护实习(3学分)(可选) 参加国家公园系统咨询委员会地标委员会会议(1个学分) 应该对美国研究、艺术管理、 艺术史、商业、环境研究、历史、政治学等. The course will take advantage of the local resources in the Capital Region. Guest 来自萨拉托加战场国家历史公园专家的讲座 温泉保护基金会，伊利运河国家遗产走廊和新 纽约州历史保护办公室将是班级结构的中心，在 addition to site visits. Students will also have the chance to attend a National Park Service meeting in Washington, D.C. in the fall.

What Now?
由Sarah Sweeney(美术)、Cecilia Aldarondo(英语)、Katherine Ball协助 (化学)，伊恩·贝瑞(唐)，莎拉·古德温(英语)，加布里埃尔·克里斯塔尔，布鲁克·麦康奈尔， Crystal Moore(社会工作)，Bradley Onishi(宗教研究)，Minita Sanghvi(管理) Adam Tinkle (MDOCS/媒体和电影研究)，Jamin Totino (SAS)， Dominique Vuvan (Psychology), and Erica Wojcik (Psychology)
Fall 2016 (Pop-Up Course)

在这个快闪课程中，学生、教师、员工和社区都被邀请来参加 一起谈论，思考，并对2016年总统大选做出反应. 这门课程是由学生主导的体验，由来自不同国家的教师共同推动 disciplines. The class provided context for the election and offered a space to formulate collaborative responses. The course was the result of a public brainstorming session, and was facilitated the IdeaLab and the Tang Teaching Museum.