Hobart and William Smith Colleges

J-Term

J-Term runs from January 2 to January 17, 2027. Current students and non-matriculated students will be able to take one course with an HWS faculty member for 3.5 hours, seven days a week (note that J-Term courses meet on weekends). Classes are scheduled in the mornings, with afternoons and evenings for class preparation, projects and assignments.

Please note: All J-Term courses will be offered remotely.

The tuition for all full credit courses is $3,000 and all half credit courses is $1,500. Any half credit courses are noted specifically below).

HWS matriculated students can register through their HWS PeopleSoft account from November 9 to December 18. Non-matriculated students should fill out a non-matriculated student application form and send it to Nicholas Metz at nmetz@hws.edu.

2027 COURSES

ARTS 161 – Photography: Design in Nature 
DAN 110 – Introduction to Dances of the African Diaspora
DATA 211 – Statistics for Everyone
ENV 216 – Birds in Our Landscape
FRN 101 – Beginning French I
FRNE 285 – The Troubadours: Songs of Love, War, and Redemption
GEO 182 – Introduction to Meteorology
GERE 214 – Berlin – A Cultural Biography
INRL 180 – Introduction to International Relations
LEAD 120 – Personal Empowerment (0.5 credit class)
MDSC 100 – Introduction to Media and Society
MGMT 210 - Fundamentals of Marketing
PBHL 260/360 – Graphic Medicine
PHIL 130 – Moral Dilemmas
PSY 221 – Introduction to Psychopathology

REL 200 – Jewish Comedy: From the Bible to Netflix

ARTS 161 – Photography: Design in Nature
Online Course
Art and Architecture
Professor Christine Chin
Goals: Artistic Expression (Substantial)
Perspectives: Artistic and Creative Expression

Photography allows us to see and explore the natural world in ways that expands human vision and understanding. We will use our cameras to look for specific design elements in the natural world and bring nature inside in improvised tabletop studios. Camera controls, exposure, lighting, and lenses will be discussed to help students achieve their photographic goals. Looking at the work of artists who photograph nature will help us explore larger questions: Can photography help us to understand the species who share our planet? What are the possibilities and limits on how photography can advocate for the natural world? How does photography explore the effects of and interactions between humans and nature? Students will use their cameras to complete assignments that will culminate in an individual book project. This is an introductory course in photographic image-making at Hobart and William Smith College. No prerequisites.

DAN 110 – Introduction to Dances of the African Diaspora
Online Course
Dance and Movement Studies
Professor Kelly Johnson
Goals: Artistic Process (Substantial), Cultural Difference (Substantial)
Perspectives: Artistic and Creative Expression, Global and Cultural Connections

This course introduces students to dances and rhythms from Guinea, West Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Each dance practiced is presented as a language for communicating and preserving the values and traditions of each given community with respect to its lineage stemming from the African continent. In this studio-based course, students develop a theoretical framework for the dances through movement experiences, weekly reading, viewing and writing assignments, class discussion and witnessing live dance. No prior experience is required. No prerequisites. 

DATA 211 – Statistics for Everyone
Online Course
Data Analytics
Professor Brad Cosentino
Goals: Quantitative Reasoning (Substantial)
Perspectives: Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning

The course is intended for students from any discipline interested in learning how to use data to help draw conclusions about ideas. Students will learn about what makes a good research question, different types of study designs used in the sciences and non-sciences alike, and basic strategies for collecting high quality data. Students will learn basic principles of causal inference, using graphical causal models to clearly articulate research questions and inform aspects of study design and data analysis. Basic principles of probability will be introduced as a tool for quantifying uncertainty in all aspects of data analysis. Students will be introduced to both frequentist and Bayesian approaches to estimation, providing a balanced perspective on parameter inference, hypothesis testing, and uncertainty quantification. General linear models will be introduced as a flexible tool to test hypotheses with data. Students will gain practical skills in R for organizing and analyzing data largely in the context of statistical analysis. Quantitative analysis and reasoning are emphasized throughout the course, but this is not a science or mathematics class, and students only need a background in basic algebra to succeed No prerequisites. 

ENV 216 – Birds in Our Landscape
Online Course
Environmental Studies
Professor Mark Deutschlander
Goals: Scientific Inquiry (Substantial)
Perspectives: Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning

Birds are an apparent and familiar part of our environments, whether hiking in a national forest or spending time in our own backyards. From pristine natural areas to the most urban settings, birds are ubiquitous and serve as sentinels for the health of the environment. Examining population trends and geographical distributions of birds can help us understand the impacts of urbanization, pollution and pesticides, climate change, and more. In this course, you will learn how distributions of birds inform scientists about environmental change and the impacts of change on the function of ecosystems. You will learn, firsthand through field excursions and exercises, to identify local bird species and how to conduct some basic field techniques for direct monitoring of birds. You will learn how scientists collect distribution data on birds using remote sensing and how citizen science has greatly advanced our ability to understand the distributions and movements of birds. You will also learn how scientists communicate their findings by reviewing scientific publications, which we will use as case studies of how birds in our landscape impact us and tell us about our environments. No prerequisites. 

FRN 101 – Beginning French I
Online Course
French, Francophone, and Italian Studies
Professor Coraline Kandassamy
Goals: Cultural Differences (Partial)
Perspectives: Global and Cultural Connections

For students with no French experience, or placement. This is an immersion course that teaches speaking, listening, reading, writing, and French body language through a creative combination of interactive materials that introduce students to French culture as well as language. This course uses French as the principal language of instruction in the classroom. Students will work weekly in an integrative way with interactive materials online such as online exercises, movies, music and cultural readings. No prerequisites. 

FRNE 285 – The Troubadours: Songs of Love, War, and Redemption
Online Course
French, Francophone, and Italian Studies
Professor Courtney Wells
Goals: Artistic Process (Partial), Cultural Difference (Substantial), Social Inequality (Partial)
Perspectives: Global and Cultural Connections

This course introduces students to the texts, music, and culture of the troubadours of medieval Southern France—and their legacy as the inventors of love poetry in the vernacular. Performing their songs in the most powerful and vibrant cultural centers of medieval France, the troubadours sang the praises of their beloved, incited kings to war, accused the decadence and corruption of the ruling classes, and made the vernacular an accepted medium for religious expression. But who were the troubadours? In this class, students are introduced to the language, history, religion, geography, and culture of these poets. Through the study of printed texts, CD recordings, digital images of medieval manuscripts, and artistic representations, students will learn about the origins of the troubadour lyric as live musical performance, its later transformation into written text, and the troubadours' impact on other cultures and literary traditions. No prerequisites. 

GEO 182 – Introduction to Meteorology
Online Course
Geoscience
Professor Neil Laird
Goals: Quantitative Reasoning (Partial), Scientific Inquiry (Substantial)
Perspectives: Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning

The influence of weather and climate affect our daily activities, our leisure hours, transportation, commerce, agriculture, and nearly every aspect of our lives. In this course many of the fundamental physical processes important to the climate system and responsible for the characteristics and development of weather systems will be introduced. We will examine the structure of the atmosphere, parameters that control climate, the jet stream, large-scale pressure systems, as well as an array of severe weather phenomena including hurricanes, tornados, thunderstorms and blizzards. Upon completion of this course, we will have developed: (a) a foundation of basic scientific inquiry (b) a basic comprehension of the physical processes that govern weather and climate, and (c) an understanding of the elements of weather and climate that are most important to society. No prerequisites. 

GERE 214 – Berlin – A Cultural Biography
Online Course
German Area Studies
Professor Eric Klaus
Goals: Cultural Difference (Substantial), Social Inequality (Partial), Ethical Judgement (Partial)
Perspectives: Global and Cultural Connections

Berlin has been many things, has witnessed many things and has meant many things to many people. The capital of Germany has been built, expanded, razed, divided, and rebuilt again; the space has collected and stored the past in its streets and alleys, in its buildings and monuments, in its core and environs. By reading these spaces as texts, one can learn the story of Berlin, and, by extension, an important chapter of the story of the German nation. This will be our task - examining locations throughout the city to trace the process of how the city came to signify German identity at different points in history. Driving questions for the course will include how does space inform identity, both collective and individual; how sites of memory function to provide cultural continuity and how that continuity factors into the idea of the nation; to what extent can Berlin stand for a German identity? No prerequisites. 

INRL 180 – Introduction to International Relations
Online Course
International Relations
Professor Vikash Yadav
Goals: Cultural Difference (Partially), Social Inequality (Partial), Ethical Judgement (Partial)
Perspectives: Global and Cultural Connections

As a broad introduction to the study of international relations (IR), this course is designed to give students an understanding of the basic concepts of world politics, an appreciation of the evolution of the current state system, and a sampling of various approaches and theories of IR. Readings come from primary documents, as well as a standard text. The course is grounded in an awareness of current events. Students examine how the lens used to view the world shapes understanding of the world, its problems, and possible solutions. No prerequisites. 

LEAD 120 – Personal Empowerment
NOTE: This is a 0.5 credit course that meets half the time for half the cost of other J-Term classes.
Online Course
Professor Shelle Basilio-Murray
Goals: None
Perspectives: None

Personal Empowerment is a course designed to develop and apply the core skills of Emotional Intelligence and make and sustain the behavioral changes necessary to support a positive and successful lifestyle. The course objectives include the following: To demonstrate accurate self-awareness, including the identification of one's emotions and their effect, influential factors which generate emotions, and an awareness of personal strengths and limits. To demonstrate self-control, emotional regulation and the ability to form appropriate and positive response patterns to life situations, including attitudes of adaptability, initiative, resiliency, and optimism. To demonstrate the application of empathetic responses to life situations and the understanding of others including recognition of others' needs, the value of diverse problem-solving approaches and attitudes, and the recognition of power relationships and their emotional structure. To recognize and respond effectively to relationship issues, including personal influence, communication styles, conflict management, change, collaboration and teaming, and nurturing instrumental relationships. No prerequisites. 

MDSC 100 – Introduction to Media and Society
Online Course
Media and Society
Professor Jiangtao Harry Gu
Goals: Artistic Process (Partial), Social Inequality (partial), Cultural Differences (Partial)
Perspectives: Ethical and Social Responsibility

How do the media texts we encounter - from films and television shows accessed on commercial streaming platforms to video games, texts, memes, and live videos shared via social media - shape our understanding of society? How are these media texts shaped by the states and citizens, corporations and consumers, and activists and artists that produce and circulate them? We explore the connections between media and society using key terms, theories, and methods from a wide range of scholarly and artistic fields. Whether we are grounding our analysis in aesthetics, data, ethnography or other ways of understanding media, we analyze media texts by studying their composition, their distribution, and their reception: who made this film, video, game, or meme? How? Why? How, where, and by whom was it shared? How have individuals and communities responded to it? We consider the style and the impact of media texts and research the histories, cultures, and industries they reflect. As an introduction to our practice-based major and minor, we also create our own media texts in written, visual, oral, and interactive formats, working independently and collaboratively to develop and refine our production skills. No prerequisites.

MGMT 210 – Fundamentals of Marketing
Online Course
Business, Management, and Entrepreneurship
Professor Bryan Adams
Goals: None
Perspectives: None

This course provides students with a foundational understanding of marketing necessary for designing or evaluating marketing campaigns, whether for business or a nonprofit. Topics address customer and market analysis segmentation, targeting and positioning, product pricing, and placement, social media strategies, regulation, ethical considerations, and communication strategies. After completing this course, students will appreciate how marketing strategies have changed over time, whether because of cultural norms or advances in technology, and will demonstrate the design of effective and ethical marketing strategies. Prerequisite: MGMT 101, 120, or ECON 160.

PBHL 260/360 – Graphic Medicine
Online Course
Public Health
Professor Jessica Hayes-Conroy
Goals: Artistic Process (Substantial), Social Inequalities (Substantial)
Perspectives: Artistic and Creative Expression, Ethical and Social Responsibility

This course introduces students to graphic medicine, a field within the health humanities that harnesses the power of comics to tell stories about health, illness, disability, and care. Students will read and analyze a range of graphic medicine texts addressing topics such as pandemics, disability, dementia, mental health, medical ethics, environmental health, and HIV/AIDS care, alongside critical essays that explore the field’s rapid growth and significance to medicine and public health. In addition to reading and discussion, students will experiment with making comics through guided workshops and exercises, culminating in the creation of a graphic medicine piece of their own. No prior artistic skill is required. The course is offered at both the 200- and 300-level: students enrolled at the 300-level will complete additional readings, produce an extended comparative book review, and meet higher expectations for depth and refinement in all work. No prerequisites. 

PHIL 130 – Moral Dilemmas
Online Course
Philosophy
Professor Jackie Augustine
Goals: Ethical Judgement (Substantial)
Perspectives: Ethical and Social Responsibility

A moral dilemma is a situation in which there are good reasons to do something and apparently equally good reasons for not doing it. In this course, students will see what kind of reasoning is appropriate when we are confronted with a moral dilemma. The work for the course will include (1) understanding different moral principles, (2) applying these principles to the "facts" of different cases, (3) evaluating different moral principles, (4) understanding, constructing, and evaluating arguments. Students acquire an understanding of moral concepts and how to make use of those concepts in everyday situations. Students develop the skills for making intelligent judgments about which of alternative courses of action is the morally right one. No prerequisites. 

PSY 221 – Introduction to Psychopathology
Online Course
Psychological Science
Professor Jamie Bodenlos
Goals: Scientific Inquiry (Partial), Social Inequality (Partial)
Perspectives: Scientific and Quantitative Reasoning

Why do psychological disorders develop, how are they diagnosed, and which treatments are most effective? This course examines major forms of psychopathology, including anxiety, mood, eating, personality, substance use, and psychotic disorders. Using an integrative biopsychosocial framework, students will explore the biological, psychological, and social factors that contribute to the development and maintenance of psychological disorders. Emphasis is placed on understanding diagnostic criteria, evaluating current research, and examining evidence-based psychological and medical treatments. Through case studies, personal accounts, empirical research, and class discussions, students will apply psychological theories to real-world experiences while critically examining controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, challenging common misconceptions, and exploring the impact of stigma on individuals living with mental illness. Prerequisites: AP Psych, PSY 100, or Permission from the Instructor.

REL 200 – Jewish Comedy: From the Bible to Netflix
Online Course
Religious Studies
Professor Shlomo Gleibman
Goals: Artistic Expression (Substantial), Cultural Difference (Substantial)
Perspectives: Artistic and Creative Expression, Global and Cultural Connections

Why have Jews been so persistently associated with jokes, and what makes a joke Jewish? This course is both a history of Jewish comedy and a comedy writing space. We trace Jewish comedy across three thousand years: from the humor, irony, and parody in the Hebrew Bible, Talmud, and Midrash to Yiddish fools, shlimazls and shlemiels, Sholem Aleichem’s Tevye, Babel’s Odessa gangsters and Soviet underground jokes, to Woody Allen, Seinfeld, Israeli satire, and today’s streaming sitcoms. Reading religious texts and works of fiction in translation alongside film, stand-up, television, and visual art students test major theories of humor, from Freud to Bakhtin, and ask how laughter has served as a strategy for survival and self-critique, acculturation and cultural resistance, provocation and artistic expression. We also examine what happens when a joke crosses languages and audiences. Every session ends in a workshop where students write, draw, or perform in the form they have just studied. Students revise their best pieces into a portfolio and create an original comic work, performed or scripted, with an artist statement on the tradition it draws on. No Prerequisites. 

ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL INFO

Refund Policy
Notification of withdrawal and requests for refunds must be made in writing and addressed to the appropriate Dean for HWS students and the Associate Provost for non-matriculated students. A full refund will be given to students who withdraw before the second day of classes. After this deadline, the refund of tuition and return of federal and education loans and other sources of payments are prorated based upon the percentage of the term that the student is enrolled. If the student is enrolled past 60% of the term, there is no refund of costs of attendance. The official withdrawal date will be used to determine the prorated refund.

Loan Information
Students taking one class during J-Term can apply for a private alternative loan to assist with the costs.

For more information regarding aid options, please contact the Financial Aid Office at 315-781-3315.