Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Maymester

Maymester runs from Monday, May 18 to Friday, June 5, 2026. Current students and non-matriculated students will be able to take one course with an HWS faculty member for 3.5 hours, five days a week. Classes are scheduled in the mornings (9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) or afternoons (1:30 – 5 p.m.).

2026 Courses

• ARTS 161 Photography: Design in Nature
• ENV 216 Birds in Our Landscape
• GEO 182 Introduction to Meteorology
• GLS 101 Introduction to Global Studies: Minoritized
• GSIJ 204 Politics of Health

• MDSC 100 Introduction to Media and Society

• PSY 203 Child Psychology
• SLAE 325 From Tourist to Conscious Traveler: A Culturally Competent Understanding of the Spanish Speaking World
• SOC 212 Data Analysis

ARTS 161 Photography: Design in Nature
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
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. No prerequisites.

ENV 216 Birds in Our Landscape
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
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.

GEO 182 Introduction to Meteorology
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
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.

GLS 101 Introduction to Global Studies: Minoritized
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Global Studies
Professor Alaa Murad
Goals: Social Inequality (Substantial), Cultural Difference (Substantial)
Perspectives: Global and Cultural Connections

What does it mean to be a minority? And, who defines minorities as such? This course traces histories and struggles of minoritization as a dynamic process rather than a fixed identity. It takes a transnational and interdisciplinary approach to exploring how “minorities” are created through historical, political, and social processes across various temporal, geographical, political, and cultural contexts. From 12^th -century Jewish poetry in al-Andalus, and 14^th -century legal treatises of Muslims living under Catholic Spanish rule, to 19^th -century First Nations mobilizing against residential schools in North America, and the communal navigation of the Partition of India in 1947, students in this class will explore how social and political minorities (and majorities) come to be as well as how different communities shape their own experiences, respond to changing conditions, and experiment with ideas and mechanisms of belonging. No prerequisites.

GSIJ 204 Politics of Health
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Public Health
Professor Jessica Hayes-Conroy
Goals: Social Inequality (Substantial), Ethical Judgement (Substantial)
Perspectives: Ethical and Social Responsibility

This course takes an interdisciplinary, critical approach to the politics of health, with particular attention to the field and practice of public health. We begin by asking: What is health, and why is it political? Students examine how health is shaped not only by policy but also by structural inequities, cultural norms, and everyday practices. Readings draw from health humanities, scholarship on race and health, disability studies, gender and sexuality studies, and medical sociology to analyze how power operates in health systems and interventions. The course moves through three areas of focus: foundational perspectives, including the medical gaze, structural competency, racism in medicine, and critical approaches to illness and cure; disability and mental health, examining diagnostic categories, pharmaceuticalization, Black disability studies, and the politics of care; and reproductive health, with emphasis on reproductive justice, abortion, childbirth, queer and trans reproductive care, and Black maternal health. Students will evaluate public health interventions, study lived experiences of illness, and consider possibilities for more equitable health futures. No prerequisites.

MDSC 100 Introduction to Media and Society
Remote
1:30 – 5 p.m.
Media and Society
Professor Iskandar Zulkarnian
Goals: Artistic Process (Partial), Cultural Difference (Partial), Social Inequality (Partial)

This course provides an introduction to various media and their modes, methods, and themes. We will explore the role of the media in shaping social consciousness, global economies, and material culture. Examples drawn from film, television, print media, and digital environments will be contextualized, analyzed, and theorized as crucial elements of our media culture. Students will gain an appreciation for the social, cultural, economic, and political influences of global communications while performing close readings of conventional media objects. Writing assignments, exams, and projects will help to cement insights gained through close investigation of films, TV shows, advertisements, video games, music videos, and more. No prerequisites.

PSY 203 Child Psychology
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Psychological Science
Professor Julie Kingery
Goals: Scientific Inquiry (Partial), Social Inequality (Partial)

This course provides an overview of the major theories that guide the study of child development, as well as the normative physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that take place from infancy through late childhood. This course also considers contextual influences (e.g., the family, peers, schools, culture, and the media) on development and several key themes (e.g., how children shape their own development, individual differences, and the use of research findings to promote children's well-being). No prerequisites.

SLAE 325 From Tourist to Conscious Traveler: A Culturally Competent Understanding of the Spanish Speaking World
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Spanish, Hispanic, and Bilingual Studies
Professor Carolina Travalia
Goals: Social Inequity (Substantial), Cultural Difference (Substantial)
Perspectives: Global and Cultural Connections

This interdisciplinary course taught in English prepares students to engage with Spanish-speaking countries not as passive tourists but as culturally competent, informed travelers. Through the study of recent history, contemporary social issues, economic realities, and cultural practices, students will develop the knowledge and critical awareness necessary to interpret and respectfully interact with diverse communities. Through books, articles, podcasts, films and documentaries, students will examine how identity, history, politics, and globalization shape everyday life across Spanish-speaking societies. Emphasis will be placed on both shared legacies across countries and regional differences. The course combines cultural analysis with practical language acquisition through in-class communicative workshops, applied travel scenarios and structured use of Duolingo. This course is not limited to students who plan to visit a Spanish-speaking country, but rather is geared towards any student who wishes to develop a more profound understanding of the Spanish-speaking world. No prerequisites.

SOC 212 Data Analysis
Remote
9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. with a 2 – 4:30 p.m. lab on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays
Sociology
Professor Kendralin Freeman
Goals: Quantitative Reasoning (Substantial)

This course provides an introduction to the organization and analysis of data in the process of social research. Presentation of data in tabular and graphic forms, the use of elementary descriptive and inferential statistics, and the use of bivariate and multivariate analytic procedures in the analysis of data are examined. This course includes a laboratory experience in the use of computing software to display data and test hypotheses. The course is ultimately intended to prepare students for original research efforts and to help them become more sophisticated consumers of the literature of the social sciences today. No prerequisites.