Course Catalog: 2025 Summer Session 1
Accelerated Summer College students can take up to two of the courses below, each course is worth four credits (unless otherwise specified). Students should be advised that credits earned at Saint Michael’s College are transferable at the discretion of the receiving institution. All courses meet 100% online (asynchronously) for all 6 weeks.
Accelerated Summer College Catalog – Summer Session 1: May 19 – June 27, 2025
Anthropology
ANT 109: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology – Professor Jason Hirsch
An introduction to the principles and processes of cultural anthropology. The course not only provides students with basic insights into facts and theories, but also, most importantly, the anthropological attitude of a commitment to understanding and tolerating other cultural traditions.
CORE: History & Society AND Engaging Diverse Identities
Art
AR 216: Street Art: Culture & Activism – Professor Gordon Glover
Dive into the vibrant world of street art to uncover its cultural significance and activist roots. From graffiti’s rebellious origins to large-scale public murals addressing global issues, this course examines street art as a tool for storytelling, resistance, and social commentary. Students will analyze key works and artists from around the world while engaging in critical discussions about public space, legality, and art’s role in society.
CORE: Literature & The Arts
Biology
BI 110 Topics: Controversies in Science – Professor Heather Fitzgerald
Even before this politically divisive moment, it was often difficult to determine, after reading or listening to an argument, if it was true. In this course we will explore the nature of truth and facts and how they relate to the scientific method. You will learn and practice skills that will allow you to follow the evidence, a much more satisfying process than finding evidence to support a preferred position.
CORE: Scientific Inquiry
BI 207 Human Anatomy and Physiology – Professor Paul Constantino
Students will study the structures of the vertebrate body and will also learn how the vertebrate structure has been modified over evolutionary time. The primary focus will be on mammalian, including human, anatomy.
Prerequisites: (BI-151 or BI-152 Minimum Grades C-) and (BI-153 Minimum Grade C).
BI 257 Virology – Professor Dagan Loisel
Despite their tiny size, viruses have a huge impact on life on Earth. In this course, we will explore the different types of viruses, the basic make up and structure of viruses, the ways that they move from one host to another, how they invade and manipulate host cells, and the many potential consequences of viral infection. In addition, we will discuss selected viral diseases, the human immune defenses, and how we can protect ourselves against dangerous viral pathogens.
Prerequisites: (BI-153; Minimum grade C) and (CH-103 or CH-110)
Digital Media & Communications
DMC 209 Introduction to Digital Photography and Visual Storytelling – Professor Jerry Swope
This online course introduces students to the art and craft of digital photography as a means for visual storytelling. Students will learn to create thoughtful digital images using whatever digital camera they have available (camera phone, point and shoot or digital SLR) and learn to edit and manipulate images using Adobe Photoshop or other free professional quality editing software. While assignments will span a range of genres, emphasis will placed on documentary photography.
CORE: Literature and the Arts
Economics
EC 101 Principles of Macroeconomics – Professor Samantha Trajkovski
An introduction to the macroeconomic approach to economic analysis. Students learn how to measure and interpret: Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment and price levels through a discussion of fundamental economic concepts and the role of markets. We examine macroeconomic instability through a study of causes and policy prescriptions from two major opposing schools of thought: Classical and Keynesian. We continue with a study of money, interest rates and the Federal Reserve.
Education
ED 241 Multicultural Literature for Children and Adolescents – Professor Soo Joung Kim
This is a survey course introducing literature for children and adolescents with emphasis on criteria for identifying high quality fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students will develop familiarity with a broad range of books for all ages and the implications of developmental characteristics for book selection. Theory and research about reader response, gender, and multiculturalism will be examined. Students are expected to read a substantial number of books for children and adolescents.
Core: Literature & The Arts
Interdisciplinary
ID 498: Internship Practicum – Professor Paul Olsen
This course offers opportunities for supervised work experience. Interns focus on integrating theory and practice while developing skills required for success in a business environment. This course is designed for a student’s first internship experience. Students must have an internship in place by the second week of the semester. They can contact the instructor for guidelines, or the Career Education Office by making an appointment in Handshake.
Prerequisites/Restrictions: 2.0 GPA or higher; Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors only. Not open to students who’ve already completed an academic internship, ID-498. Students who have completed or are currently enrolled in ID-498 should meet with a Career Coach to learn alternatives to receive credit for an additional internship.
Philosophy
PH 103 Philosophy and the Good Life – Professor Patrick Standen
The course both shows the student the nature and value of philosophical inquiry, using only primary texts such as Plato’s dialogues and other major philosophical writings, and, at the same time, invites the student to become personally philosophical by developing their own way of seeing the meaning and value of things. One way of coming to see how deeply human and profoundly personal the questions of meaning and value examined in philosophy are is by coming to understand how they would remain unanswered even if some day we were able to answer all the questions of the sciences.
CORE: Philosophical Questions
Note: Students may take PH-103 only once.
Psychology
PS 252 Child Development – Professor Renee Carrico
An introduction to the basic principles of human growth and development from the prenatal period through middle childhood. Topics include physical, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and language development. The hereditary, psychological, and environmental influences on development will be considered, along with a variety of theoretical and experimental approaches to studying development.
Prerequisites: PS-101
PS 350 Psychology of Health and Illness – Professor Melissa Vanderkaay Tomasulo
Theory and research regarding the biological, psychological, and social aspects of health and illness will be examined. The interrelationships of stress, emotion, and illnesses including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and immune dysfunction will be discussed. Students will complete a health genealogy project to improve his/her quality of life (physical and psychological).
Prerequisites: PS-101 or PB-101 or BI-152
Religious Studies
RS 120 Christianity: Past and Present – Professor Eva Pascal
A survey of Christianity, its origins and major periods in its historical development, the character of its faith in God and in the person of Jesus Christ, and theological and ethical perspectives it offers on contemporary issues of moral choice and human community.
CORE: Study of Christian Traditions and Thought
Note: This course is not open to students who have completed or are enrolled in RS-130 or RS-140.