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.