Jessica A. Skolnikoff

photo of Jessica A. Skolnikoff
Jessica A. Skolnikoff, Ph.D.Professor of Anthropology

Contact Information

(401) 254-3556jskolnikoff@rwu.eduFCAS 133

Education

B.A. The College of Wooster
M.A. Ph.D. American University

Contact via Zoom:

Play ball, let the games begin

Research Statement: 
Dr. Jessica Skolnikoff is a cultural anthropologist investigating youth dispositions toward physical activity across the United States. Her work explores how children develop attitudes and habits related to exercise and physical activity. Dr. Skolnikoff’s cross-cultural research highlights the relevance of social and cultural values that affect long-term beliefs about physical activity and related behaviors. The breadth of her research includes: sport, recreation, play, gender, children, disability and identity, and teaching scholarship.

Courses Taught:
ANSOC 100 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANSOC 280 Anthropology of Sport
ANSOC 310 Applied Anthropology
ANSOC 320 Reading Ethnography
ANSOC Special Topics: Language and Culture

Professional Service
ܽƵ Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) to the National Collegiate 
Athletic Association (NCAA)
Co-advisor to ܽƵ Best Buddies Chapter
Past-President of the Northeastern Anthropological Association (NEAA)

Publications
NEAA Bulletin: Undergrads in the Workplace: The Many Hats of Anthropology Alumni. Co-authored with B. Fitzpatrick, Northeastern Anthropological Association. (2020)

Respect on Campus in an Age of Growing Disrespect. Co-authored with R. Engvall. Lanham: Lexington Press. (2019)

Losing Touch with Physical Education: While Obesity becomes a Mounting concern, phys-ed programs have been marginalize in K-12 systems. Co-written with R. Engvall in School Administrator: Essential Insights and Commentary for School System Leaders. Number 7 Vol. 72. (2015)

Athletic Capital and Why it Matters. Co-written with R. Engvall in School Administrator: Essential Insights and Commentary for School System Leaders. Number 7 Vol. 72. (2015)

Young Athletes, Couch Potatoes, and Helicopter Parents: The Productivity of Play. Co-authored with R. Engvall. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. (2013)

“Politics of Colonialism through the Lens of Baseball Academies” In The Politics of Baseball: Essays on the Pastime and Power at Home and Abroad. Co-authored with R. Engvall.  Ron Briley ed. North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers. (2010)    

Presentations
Does the Path Toward Greater Equity in Sport Run Through Transcendent Stars? Paper presented at the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport Conference. New Orleans, Annual Conference, Co-authored with R. Engvall. (2023)

Flagging the Future: Football Moving Forward. Paper presented at Popular Culture Association Conference. San Antonio, TX.  Co-authored with R. Engvall. (2023)

Is Baseball Hastening Its Own Demise? Paper presented at 29th Annual NINE 2022 Spring Training Conference, Tempe, AZ. Co-authored with R. Engvall. (2022)

The Have and Have Notes—Athletic Capital Continues. Popular Culture Association Conference, Virtual Annual Meeting. Co-authored with R. Engvall. (2021)

Faculty – Staff Collaboration. Presentation at Women @ ܽƵ Conference and Showcase, Bristol, RI.  Co-presented A. Finney. (2019)

Is the Classroom as Divided as the Country? Paper presented at Popular Culture Association Conference, Washington, DC. 49th Annual Meeting. Co-authored with R. Engvall. (2019)

What’s a Parent to Do? The Contradictions among the “Arms Race” of Youth Sports. Paper presented at the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport Conference. Vancouver, BC 39th Annual Conference, Co-authored with R. Engvall. (2018)

The New Growth in Living Learning Communities: Have College Sports Been Ahead of the Times? Paper presented at the College Sports Research Institute Conference, Columbia SC. Co-authored with R. Engvall.  (2018)

Organized Recreation: The Evolution of Adult Pickup Basketball. Paper presented at Northeastern Anthropological Association Conference, 57th Annual Meeting. Bridgewater, MA Co-authored with J. Clough and R. Engvall. (2017)

Let’s Talk Sports, Recreation, and Culture. Roundtable organizer and presenter at the American Anthropological Association Conference, Minneapolis, MN 115th Annual Meeting. (2016)

Gym Legacies: The Formation of Identity? Paper presented at Northeastern Anthropological Association Conference, Saratoga, NY 56th Annual Meeting. Co-authored with D. Bernier, E. Wall, and J. Lavoie.  (2016)