Eleven one-unit courses make up the Intellectual Inquiry Curriculum. To complete degree requirements credit must be received for the two first-year seminar courses, one Intensive Learning Course, the required number of Intellectual Inquiry Perspectives courses, and the capstone. Each INQ Perspectives course, INQ 240 – 271, explores a question from one of the following three perspectives:
1. Western Perspectives
Courses that address questions from this perspective
explore the natural and cultural aspects of the Western
world, now and in the past. For example, questions may
include the following: How have our ways of life been
shaped by events, cultures, and institutions from other
times and places, including the civilizations of Europe and
the ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds?
What characterizes “the American experiment”?
2. Global Perspectives
Courses that address questions from this perspective seek
to make connections in the global context in which we
live. For example, questions may include: What can we
learn about and from the natural and cultural forces that
shape societies beyond our familiar world? What do we
need to know about the interaction of societies in the
world community? What do we need to know about the
role and impact of the United States internationally, as
seen from other perspectives?
3. The Natural World
Courses that address questions from this perspective
examine the world of nature and our place in it. For
example, questions may include: What laws govern natural
phenomena, and how do we discover them? How do
human beings fit into the world of nature? How does the
natural world enrich human life, and what impact does
human activity have on nature?
All INQ courses emphasize critical thinking.
110 Intellectual Inquiry
Introduces students to critical thinking in higher education,
taking as its starting point a focused topic in a scholarly field.
Critical inquiry will be taught in the context of careful reading
of important intellectual works, as well as inquiry-based writing
assignments. Research and collaborative skills will also be
developed in an integrative setting designed to promote a student’s
journey toward a life of critical inquiry. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
120 Living an Examined Life
Investigates questions of values, individual and communal, from
the standpoint of a particular field of learning. The course will
teach reasoning skills through reading, writing, and oral communication
by linking key works with broader traditions of
critical reflections on the good life. Students will be encouraged
to explore ways in which they can use the course material
for their own reflections on what it means to live well. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
177/277/377/477 Intensive Learning
Concentrated study of a special topic from any department.
Consult the Courses Offered List for a brief description of
each course. Courses that can be used for major credit in a
department are cross-listed with departmental offerings. (1)
Prerequisites: Set by the instructor
240 Statistical Reasoning
Provides an inquiry-focused introduction to statistical methodologies.
Questions and applications will be drawn from one
of Western Perspectives, Global Perspectives, or the Natural
World. Students will gain an understanding of how decision
making is accomplished using modern statistical techniques.
Topics include descriptive statistics, graphical methods, estimation,
elementary probability, and statistical inference; students
will apply the techniques of data analysis to data sets and statistical
studies that address questions of the perspective. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
241 Mathematical Reasoning
Further develops the ability to use quantitative, mathematical,
and computational reasoning by exploring a problem or issue
drawn from one of the three Intellectual Inquiry perspectives.
Through a focused topic, students gain insight into mathematics
or computer science as a mode of inquiry that, along with
other ways of knowing, can deepen our understanding of
Western Perspectives, Global Perspectives, or the Natural
World. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: INQ 240 (or a Mathematics or Statistics course);
sophomore standing is recommended.
250 Scientific Reasoning I
Introduces the methodologies of the natural sciences through
an inquiry-focused approach to a topic drawn from one of
Western Perspectives, Global Perspectives, or the Natural
World. Students will explore the types of questions that science
asks and how it attempts to answer them by defining and
classifying information, developing models, identifying patterns,
and drawing conclusions based upon data. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.; Laboratory: 3 hrs/wk.
251 Scientific Reasoning II
Further develops the ability to use the methodologies of the
natural sciences by exploring a science topic in depth. The
course will be narrowly focused within science while allowing
connection to a social, political, ethical, or historical issue. The
course seeks to develop an appreciation for ways in which the
natural sciences, along with other ways of knowing, can
deepen our understanding of Western Perspectives, Global Perspectives,
or the Natural World. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: INQ 250 (or a laboratory course in Biology, Chemistry,
or Physics); sophomore standing is recommended.
260 Social Scientific Reasoning
Introduces the methodologies of the social sciences through an
inquiry-focused approach to a topic drawn from one of Western
Perspectives, Global Perspectives, or the Natural World.
The course seeks to develop students’ critical thinking skills
through the exploration and application of social scientific
methods. Individual sections will be taught in a particular discipline.
(1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
270 Human Heritage I
Develops a sense of historical perspective and the ability to use
the methodologies of the humanities or the fine arts by
exploring a subject drawn from the period before 1500. The
course seeks to develop an appreciation for ways in which the
humanities and fine arts, along with other ways of knowing,
can deepen our understanding of Western Perspectives, Global
Perspectives, or the Natural World. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
271 Human Heritage II
Develops a sense of historical perspective and the ability to use
the methodologies of the humanities or the fine arts by
exploring a subject drawn from the period from 1500 to the
present. The course seeks to develop an appreciation for ways
in which the humanities and fine arts, along with other ways
of knowing, can deepen our understanding of Western Perspectives,
Global Perspectives, or the Natural World. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk
300 Contemporary Issues
Asks students to look back on their experiences and their
work in the Intellectual Inquiry Curriculum in order to make
explicit, meaningful connections to contemporary issues. In
addition to individual written assignments, students will work
in small groups to research and develop a proposal concerning
a concept, approach, or solution to a problem that will be presented
in a formal defense. (1)
Lecture: 3 hrs/wk.
Prerequisite: Completion of all required 100-level and -200-level
INQ courses.