Students in the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program design individualized, interdisciplinary graduate study programs in the arts, humanities, natural and social sciences. Working with Skidmore faculty and the MALS Director, students create curriculum and choose courses that facilitate in-depth exploration of their proposed research topic and fields of concentration. After finishing their coursework and passing successfully through the Academic Plan review, students complete an interdisciplinary Final Project that serves as the culmination of their program of study. Typically, students compose a 60-75 page Master’s thesis incorporating multiple disciplinary perspectives. Students may also include creative work in their final project, provided that a significant part of the work entails a theoretical discussion. (Note: the program closed in February, 2020.)
Theses from 2006
La polygamie vue et vecue dans Une si longue lettre par Mariama Ba et Xala! par Ousmane Sembene Simone, Simone A. Feaster-Armour
Mythological Intertextuality in Nineteenth Century Ballet Repertory, Liane Fisher
Environmental Education and a Proposal for Its Implementation in Public Schools, Casey Putnam
Theses from 2005
Poetic Prophecies of a Vintage Boy Scout: Robert Frost and Wilderness Therapy Theory, Andrew Shawn Andermatt
Addiction Studies: To Be the Baker or the Tailor, David Chastain
Iroquois and Dutch: An Exploration of the Cultural Dynamics and Rise of the Iroquois Resulting from the Fur Trade, Nancy M. Clark
Theses from 2004
Worthy is the Lamb: Pastoral Symbols of Salvation in Christian Art and Music, Jo W. Harney
An Examination of How Playfulness Can be Used to Enhance Corporate Culture and Increase Organizational Effectiveness, Freemon Wade Nixon
Facing Uncertainty, Proceeding with Caution, Living with Joy: Women with Multiple Sclerosis and the Motherhood Decision, Anne L. Van Acker
Theses from 2003
Northwood School: the Survival Story of an Educational Jewel in the Adirondacks, Perry Babcock
Anthropogenic Influences on Avian Life, Past and Present, Within the Adirondack Park, Melodee A. DeCoteau
Technology Education and Integrated Learning for Adult Learners, Karen K. Lawson
Detours and Syncopations: in Search of Lost Time Through the Lens of "Les Intermittences du Coeur", Martha Graham Wiseman
Life Review Process and the Self: A Quasi-ethnographic Study of the Elderly, Mark Allen Zappone
Theses from 2001
Premarital Counseling and Divorce, Michael L. Davis
Ethical Leadership, Mary Jaworski
The Moroccan Jewish Piyyut: A Judeo-Arabic Cultural Synthesis, Joshua Levitt
Literature of Loss and Place: An Illustrated View, Polly Parkinson
The Benefits of Supplementing the Eighth Grade American History Curriculum with Historical and Realistic Fiction Novels, Susan Shadle
Theses from 2000
The Leadership of Ernestine Rose 1848-1860, Joseph Haley
Still Swimming Against the Tide: Obstacles to Gender-Neutrality in Parenting Arrangements, Helen Lafferty
American Popular Culture and the Struggle for Art: Rock 'n ' Roll as Metaphor, David R. Larson
The Diffusion of British Steam Technology and the First Creation of America's Urban Proletariat, Mark Stephen Stanzione
Theses from 1999
One Grand Park: Remaking New Hampshire Farms into Summer Homes, 1870-1930, Lorayne Billings
Schooling in Cultural Context, Marilou Bradley