Native American Studies would be one class that this would be absolutely legitimate. Know a professor of Nat Am studies who uses skinwalkers as his theme around Halloween. You are, of course, aware that the subject of skinwalkers and Navajo witchcraft have been serious anthropological subjects for over 100 years now, right? Probably one of the most famous anthropologists who studied the subject was Clyde Kluckhohn.
Surprise! It's actually a serious subject:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/320159/Clyde-KM-Kluckhohn
PS. This link can help you locate Kluckhohn's book at your nearest library. I have a first edition hardback copy here myself. Kluckhohn's collection of "were-animal anecdotes" begins on pg. 141 of the hardback edition with this opening account:
"Witches would wear an animal's clothes. My old grandfather was called Many Hats. he was the head of all the witches. He send a man from the Salt Water clan to see if a man they wanted to die was still living. This man from the Salt Water clan would dress himself in a wolf's skin and go back and forth and report to my grandfather." (pg. 141, Kluchohn, Navaho Witchcraft)
http://www.worldcat.org/title/navaho-witchcraft/oclc/21718928
ok, i have typed up the Ritual of the Lesser Pentagram, and made it very simplified and easy to follow. here is a link to the pdf. https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=BEF77C7580C82D52!3820&authkey=!AM7seFY_9X7G9_c&ithint=file%2cpdf
hopefully this should make it easier for anyone in need of this.
Sorry, don't want to be a stickler here, but "перевертыш" means changeling, that's the literal translation. A better word that's also popular (at least according to https://context.reverso.net/translation/english-russian/a+skinwalker ) would be "кожеход" which literally translates to skinwalker.
A changeling is a generally a fairy/spirit/demon kind of thing.
I’m getting a book on witches wizards, healers and seers that talks about them, I’ll drop a link.
Witches, Wizards, Seers & Healers Myths & Tales: Epic Tales (Gothic Fantasy) https://www.amazon.com/dp/183964236X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_RDHT0ZS825J190DXPM0R
The book linked below, Hunt for the Skinwalker as well as some articles you can find online by George Knapp, effectively detail a scientific investigation. They had a lot of trouble gathering data because it was like trying to do a scientific study on a subject who is actively deceiving you and trying to sabotage your efforts. MUST READ.