Inquiry 111 Section Themes
Most first-year students at 鲸鱼传媒 begin their college journey by taking Inquiry. The Inquiry 111 course introduces students to the study of the liberal arts, explores different ways of 鈥渒nowing鈥� and 鈥渦nderstanding,鈥� and applies the liberal arts perspective to specific social, moral and political issues. The All-College Honors Program contains alternative courses that fulfill First-Year Program requirements, including Inquiry 111
Inquiry sections are organized around special themes, which are described below. Students will be able to rank the themes that they find most interesting when they complete the Academic Interest Form, so that they can be placed in one of the sections that aligns with their interests.
This course takes students into the middle of today鈥檚 biggest environmental challenges. Through case studies and outdoor experiences, students will explore how different perspectives shape environmental decisions by connecting science, ethics, storytelling,and culture while discovering how their own interests and values can create a sustainable world.
Creativity is more than smart people having a series of "a ha" moments--"creativity is intelligence having fun" (Einstein). In this section, we will discuss how looking at the world in new ways fuels breakthroughs--in science, business, the arts, and life.
Explore the transnational linkages between individuals and societies and how these global connections impact the lives of the groups and individuals they connect. Extra attention will be paid to various aspects of globalization, including its impact on economic wellbeing, its effects on society and its impact on individual and national identities.
Embark on a journey through historical and contemporary contexts of changemaking, from grand-scale transformations to the power of small-scale changes. Get ready to reflect on the impact of changemaking in your own backyard, discovering your unique role in sparking positive transformations. This course culminates in a hands-on community engagement project where you and your peers will join forces with community members, channeling your passion into a real, positive change right here in our local area. Get ready to be inspired, motivated, and actively involved in shaping a better world!
Why might we prefer to listen to a rapper instead of a lawyer on the subjects of crime and punishment? Why do we turn to poetry, music, and visual art when we consider what is just and what is unjust? What special powers do these means of expression provide? We鈥檒l try to address these questions as we read and write poetry while making our inquiry into the liberal arts and responsible citizenship. This adventure will require us to learn from multiple perspectives as we learn to appreciate and create just representations of our world.
Using the CBS television series "EVIL," this themed seminar explores liberal arts education skills and experiences that help us question what we see and what we can't see. Students explore the known and unknown while understanding the limitations of perception and assumptions. They encounter the diversity of the human experience through multiple lenses. Just as the characters in this television drama use critical thinking and different ways of knowing to investigate supernatural claims, students use these approaches to investigate classic and emerging questions about human social and intellectual concerns. Our learning community examines how the liberal arts mission embraces healthy curiosity, fosters experiences through various intellectual perspectives and uses interdisciplinary study tools to become lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and engaged global citizens in a rapidly changing world.
How do we know what鈥檚 true? How do we decide what matters? How can we prepare to engage with questions that haven鈥檛 even been asked or phenomena that haven鈥檛 been discovered yet? In this section, students will be exposed to a wide range of written texts and other forms of expression. Throughout the course students will engage in a variety of activities designed to sharpen their critical thinking, writing and presentation skills.
Books, shows, movies. We are entertained in many ways in our everyday lives. But we don鈥檛always realize what our entertainment is telling us鈥攁bout the world and about ourselves.What can we learn from what we read, what we watch, what we see? How and why doauthors and directors and actors and other creators do what they do to tell us their stories? The answers to these questions, and more, in our next episode鈥�
Some contend that vaccines are the most significant of all human achievements; others see vaccination as a grave threat to individual autonomy. We will critically explore these seemingly contrary perspectives, looking to understand and evaluate arguments for each. Are personal beliefs and emotional appeals a legitimate foundation for truth? Is evidence-based scientific authority? Can we know what is true? As part of our consideration of these questions, students will have the opportunity to engage in a research project to assess their peers鈥� attitudes toward, and knowledge of, vaccinations.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to choose a simpler life? The area around 鲸鱼传媒 is home to a large community of members in Old Order Amish churches. In this class we will explore a wide range of questions about why people choose to live the Amish way.
We hear from time to time when we are down on our luck: 鈥淟ife鈥檚 not fair.鈥� But what is fair? By playing games, discussing biases and social justice, and investigating governmental structures, we will explore how different perspectives color our perception of fairness. Further, these games and discussions will help us understand how fairness impacts our lives. To this end, we will build social, historical, and quantitative lenses through which to interpret the question what is fair?''