INQ 120-A Choosing the Good Life Dr. Partin 1:30 3:40 PM

Intellectual Inquiry Courses for Fall 2016 rev Mar 8, 2016

Sections satisfying the Global Perspective requirement are highlighted in yellow.

June Session, 2016S1

INQ 120-A Choosing the Good Life Dr. Partin 1:30 – 3:40 PM

The premise of this course is that life, like art, is about making choices, good and bad. Focusing on several dramas and supplemental, relevant readings, students in this course will examine choices made by playwrights and by the characters in their dramas and will then reflect on those choices and their consequences and the relevance of both to their own lives. Students will consider the choices made by playwrights from Sophocles to Ionesco and from non-dramatic writers from Plato to Sartre and will be then asked to reflect not only on their own reactions to those writers but also on the reactions of their peers. The overarching ethical questions that will form the thematic core of the course will include: What is the good life? How is the good life achieved? How do we connect our choices to our personal search for the good life?

INQ 120-B The Moral of Our Story Dr. Wisnefske 8:30 – 10:40 AM

This course introduces students to ethical inquiry by reading accounts of slaves, POWs, holocaust survivors, and important events in the 20th century such as the bombing of Hiroshima. Through these non-fiction narratives we will gain insight into key questions in moral philosophy such as: Is morality all relative? Why should we be good? How can we know the difference between right and wrong?

INQ 240-A Statistics & Music Industry Dr. Childers 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

What does it mean to have a platinum selling album in the age of music streaming? Who has the best vocabulary in hiphop? How did the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001 effect the record sales of the soundtrack from the motion picture “O Brother where art thou?” If you have ever found yourself thinking questions like this, this is the class for you. Statistics is often used to describe, and predict, trends in the Music industry. The challenge we will face in this class is to figure out what the statistics we see (and even compute!) really say about music. From collecting, to interpreting, to presenting, and to predicting; prepare to jam with data.

INQ 250BI-A and 250BIL-1

One Billion Microbes per Gram & Lab Dr. Crozier 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM

An introduction to the principles and processes of the science of microbial ecology and agriculture. Designed to provide students with a focus on the fundamental properties of soil, leading to a better understanding of the critical importance of soil conservation. The course offers a focused approach on how the science of discovery assists scientist’s understanding of life through hands on laboratory activities. Topics include organismal diversity, use of energy, genetics, disease, and soil chemistry, structure and ecology. Application to current events surrounding agriculture and soil science will also be discussed.

INQ 250CH-A and 250CHL-1

Chemistry & Crime Livingston 9:00 – 11:10 AM

& 12:00 - 3:00 PM

How can chemistry contribute to the investigation of crime? The evening news, the primetime TV lineup, and the local bookstore are all filled with examples of the work of forensic scientists. This course will emphasize fundamental chemical principles that allow us to understand the techniques used to analyze evidence from a crime scene. From bloodstains to drug identification to DNA fingerprinting, commonly employed techniques of the forensic scientist will be studied. In the laboratory, students will perform some of these same analyses used by professional criminologists to solve simulated crimes. Students will also use general chemistry principles to design their own analysis methods.

INQ 251-A Energy & the Environment Dr. Anderson 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

One of the most pressing questions of the 21st century is how to produce enough energy to satisfy the demands of all nations without causing irreparable harm to the environment. We will examine the chemical principles behind energy production, examining both fossil fuels and renewable resources. We will also explore what impact these processes have on the environment, looking particularly at air pollution, climate change, and ocean acidification.

INQ 270-G1 Reality & Illusion-Global Dr. Zorn 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

This course focuses on the Indian sage Samkara, who founded a system of thought, Advaita Vedanta, that has had a profound influence in India and that continues to attract millions of followers around the world today. Central to his thought is a view of reality that is radically different from the western common sense view of the world, along with an equally radical view about how one should lead one’s life. Samkara’s work raises the questions, then, what is ultimately real, how do we come to awareness of reality, and what implications might this awareness have for one’s life? We will explore Samkara’s writings as well as the cultural and religious contexts in which they arose.

INQ 270-G2 Gods, Ghosts & Monsters-Global Dr. Hawke 1:30 PM – 3:40 PM

Asian literature abounds with supernatural beings of all sorts—gods who hold grudges, monsters with 12 heads, hungry ghosts that wander the earth, and spiritual masters who can conquer all of them. These tales offer an excellent window into Asian religion and literature, because while they are fantastic (and fun to read), they make sense when read in the context of Asian belief systems. This class will survey Indian, Chinese, and Japanese religious and ethical world views as a foundation for reading the many genres of Asian literature. The class will consider the following questions: What ethical and religious beliefs help explain the nature of these gods and monsters? Why are people, gods, and monsters punished under these belief systems? What do the human protagonists learn about themselves? What do the supernatural characters teach us about the human condition?

INQ 271-A Science vs. Religion? Dr. Wisnefske 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

Does science make religion obsolete? This course examines the clash between modern science and religion in the Western world. It will focus on the debates between the natural sciences and Christian thought over questions such as evolution, the nature and destiny of the physical universe, and the status of our knowledge of nature. The rise of modern science set off a revolution in thinking which religion and philosophy are still adjusting to, and it has largely been responsible for setting Western life and thought on its distinctive course. We will examine in particular how contemporary physicists, biologists, and theologians understand the controversies that arose during this time, and what room for compatibility they see between science and religion today.

INQ 300-A Issues in Education Dr. Whitt 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

What is the role of formal education in preparing students for life in the 21st century? What knowledge and skills must be a part of the educational canon? What challenges does the U.S. face as it tries to meet the changing needs of a global society? Student will research the latest trends in and historical foundations of education policy. Through an inquiry process they will engage with cross-disciplinary texts that offer a variety of views of what life in the 21st century requires of U.S. citizens. Assignments will require students to read and reflect on a wide range of perspectives as well as engage in both individual and collaborative research, writing, and presentation.

INQ 300-B Global Health Disparities Dr. Destro 1:30 PM – 3:40 PM

Why are children in places such as Sub-Saharan African more likely to die in infancy than are children living in western, Democratic nations like the U.S.? Why do some countries have higher rates of obesity than others? This course will ask students to determine how one’s country of residence affects one’s likelihood of ill or good health. Throughout this course, students will consider the country-level social, economic and political factors associated with major global health problems, including the rise of chronic disease (obesity, Type II diabetes) and prevalence of childhood illnesses and other conditions (measles, diarrhea, low birth weight). Students will also consider how these health conditions disproportionately affect groups within countries across race, gender, class and other important categories. For their final projects, students will propose and defend an intervention strategy aimed at the reduction of a selected adult disease or child health issue. Students’ proposals should target a particular county and risk-group.

INQ 300-C Headline Literature Dr. Kuchar 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

The course looks at contemporary issues through the lens of literature. It is not a literature course but a course that uses literature to talk about issues of immediate concern to all of us. While we use novels to help identify current issues, the approach in the course will be interdisciplinary, drawing on each student’s training and interests in culture, history, political affairs, science, psychology, and human relations. The reading list includes novels set in countries across the globe such as Cuba, Nigeria, Ukraine, Pakistan, China, and the U.S. Each book is a response to a set of specific social and political events, which we will explore. In so doing, we will see how history and current events shape lives in relation to family, social standing, community values, and traditions.

July Session, 2016S2

INQ 240-A Statistics in the Music Industry Prof. Slagel 3:40-5:50 PM

What does it mean to have a platinum selling album in the age of music streaming? Who has the best vocabulary in hiphop? How did the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001 effect the record sales of the soundtrack from the motion picture “O Brother where art thou?” If you have ever found yourself thinking questions like this, this is the class for you. Statistics is often used to describe, and predict, trends in the Music industry. The challenge we will face in this class is to figure out what the statistics we see (and even compute!) really say about music. From collecting, to interpreting, to presenting, and to predicting; prepare to jam with data.

INQ 251-A Impact of Disease on Human History Dr. Pysh 10:50 AM - 1:00 PM

Throughout history, the human population – as with all populations – has had to deal with infectious (and sometimes deadly) diseases. In many instances, these infectious diseases have had a significant impact on the development of modern society. In this course, we will study the biology of the causative agents of several major infectious diseases with the goal of understanding how these agents make us sick (and sometimes kill us) and then consider the impact these diseases have had on past societies and, consequently, on the development of modern society.

INQ 260AN-G1 Things in Contact—Global Dr. Leeson 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

This course offers students an introduction to the study of material culture—“things.” In their social life, “things” do more than communicate meaning, they also create meaning by shaping the lived experiences of the people who make, use, and exchange them. Using the material of colonies, we will explore the ways in which natives and newcomers alike crafted a social persona using the “things” circulating between and among them as gifts and commodities. To fully understand how things made people in a complex and changing, colonial economy, students will grapple with several related questions—How do objects acquire value?; How do things-in-motion make reputations and memories?; How do they respond to historical transformations?; and lastly, How do they develop their own form agency?

INQ 260LI-A Language and Identity Dr. Viera 3:40 PM – 5:50 PM

Language is usually seen as a complex tool that human beings use for communication. However, we fail to perceive that language also has a crucial role in the construction of communities. What role does language have in the creation and shaping of social identities in human groups? Sociolinguist research has long shown that certain language features, namely patterns of pronunciation or the use of determined grammatical choices, signal membership to a social group and express our social persona. This course aims to explore in what ways language serves to construct and preserve social identities within a given group. Students will be able to recognize language features of English and other languages that have an active role in this process, and to quantify and measure the relation between linguistic items and societal issues. This course provides training in social science methods of research and scientific reasoning.

INQ 270-G Gods, Ghosts, Monsters—Global Dr. Larson-Harris 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

Asian literature abounds with supernatural beings of all sorts—gods who hold grudges, monsters with 12 heads, hungry ghosts that wander the earth, and spiritual masters who can conquer all of them. These tales offer an excellent window into Asian religion and literature, because while they are fantastic (and fun to read), they make sense when read in the context of Asian belief systems. This class will survey Indian, Chinese, and Japanese religious and ethical world views as a foundation for reading the many genres of Asian literature. The class will consider the following questions: What ethical and religious beliefs help explain the nature of these gods and monsters? Why are people, gods, and monsters punished under these belief systems? What do the human protagonists learn about themselves? What do the supernatural characters teach us about the human condition?

INQ 271-A Women Playwrights Dr. Stewart 1:30 PM – 3:40 PM

This class will examine select works of female playwrights from different eras and analyze the characters, plots, themes, and concerns to see if there are any patterns in these that represent a standpoint that is uniquely a woman’s. We will ask if the playwright’s experiences as a woman offer us a perspective of the world that is somehow different than a male playwright might show us. The course introduces work from the first known female playwright and then focuses on select plays from the 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

INQ 300-A Global Citizenship Dr. Stallions 10:50 AM – 1:00 PM

What is your definition of Global Citizenship? Do you have the knowledge, skills and attitude required to function effectively as a citizen of a highly interdependent, interconnected and culturally diverse world? How do you know that your cross-cultural views are valid? This course seeks to answer these questions through an inquiry process where students are intellectually challenged to explore their values, beliefs, experiences and engage in research addressing global issues from a cross-cultural perspective. Course textbooks offer a wide range of readings from US and international authors and scholars, offering authentic world perspectives. Class assignments provide opportunities for students to examine targeted global themes, engage in critical reflective tasks, participate in collaborative inquiry team activities and conduct individual research projects.