Inquiry Courses

在人类历史上，第一次有更多的人居住在城市而不是农村. 在过去十年左右的时间里，这一城市化进程加快了, providing new and critical challenges for providing sustainable living conditions for cities around the world. 以联合国2030年可持续发展目标为框架, 我们将着眼于在当地城市实现这些目标的挑战和解决方案, nationally, and globally.

Is there a single "American culture"? Sayings such as "American as apple pie" would suggest "yes." But culture is a complex phenomenon, especially in a nation of many peoples such as the United States. Are there certain customs, institutions, manners, foods, habits of dress, or ways of speaking that are truly unique to the U.S.? What have others concluded? 我们将从历史的角度出发，考察一些早期的著作, including some by travelers from outside the U.S. 有时候，需要一个“局外人”才能看到一种文化中“局内人”认为理所当然的方面. 最后，我们将为今天的旅行者制作一份按字母顺序排列的美国指南.

This course is recommended for international students. 其他感兴趣的学生可在导师许可下注册.

在美国，家族史已经成为一个价值数百万美元的产业, with sites like Ancestry.com boasting more than two million subscribers. Why are Americans so interested in finding their “roots”? 我们对祖先的探索能告诉我们网赌信誉排名网站自己和整个社会的什么? In addition to examining the modern business of ancestry, we’ll consider how people have used ancestry in the past both to find belonging and exclude "others." We’ll also learn how researchers uncover family history. 你会找到一些你自己的祖先，并把他们的故事生活在电子剪贴簿.

What does it mean to be an adult? That depends on where you live and who you ask. Even Google won’t provide an easy answer. The concept of adulthood has changed over time, which can make responsible adulting seem like a moving target. This course will explore some fundamentals of coming of age such as career and educational planning, budgets, financial planning, managing a household, taking care of your mental and physical health, and being an engaged citizen. 我们将寻求回答一些永恒的问题，比如“我该如何支付这笔费用??，同时确定学生可以用来制定在成年后获胜的计划的工具和资源.

Mathematics and art have long been intertwined. 从几千年前神圣的几何符号到现代数学家用钩针将复杂的拓扑空间形象化, mathematics has bred creative endeavors, and many creative endeavors have their foundation in mathematics. In this course we will investigate those connections through topics such as how to “weave” an invisible carpet; why engineers find origami useful; and what daisies, the irrational number phi, and Leonardo Da Vinci have in common. 学生们在锻炼自己的创造才能的同时，也会发现自己的联系. 除了好奇心和开放的思想，不需要特别的数学技能!

“嘿，SIRI，我的职业领域在5年、10年和20年后会是什么样子?" The continual development, refinement, 人工智能(AI)的实施是一股颠覆性的力量，几乎影响着每一个职业领域. 在许多情况下，它的实施正在提高系统的速度和效率.g. fraud detection in banking), but in others the impact can potentially have more damaging effects (e.g. 自动驾驶汽车对卡车运输业就业的影响). Through an exploration of AI past, present, and future, students will consider various forms of artificial intelligence, how the application of AI impacts society in general, 更具体地说，人工智能对个人职业选择的潜在影响.

This course is an introductory course, offering an overview of major themes, issues, and concentrations in African American Studies. 为了探索非裔美国人经历的复杂性和丰富性，学生将参与书面文本, film, art, music, and literature. 本课程旨在为非裔美国人研究打下基础，激发学生的好奇心，并鼓励他们进一步探索这一主题.

Is coffee an important part of your daily routine? Do you know what it goes through before it gets to your cup? In this class we will learn about where coffee comes from, brewing methods, coffee’s historical importance, and more. 活动将包括与至少一位当地烘焙师的亲身体验. And, of course, we will drink coffee!

Where have all the monarch butterflies gone? And should we care? This course will begin with an overview of monarch biology, population decline, and conservation status. Equipped with this knowledge, students will engage in citizen science activities, analyze trends in monarch behavior, 权衡人类需求与环境需求的竞争优先级, and discover appropriate monarch conservation strategies.

我们将一起探讨工艺行业和当前的工艺趋势. We will learn about the history of craft with a focus on glass, ceramic, fiber, metals, jewelry, and furniture. 我们将研究手工艺如何与文化、身份和我们当地的詹姆斯敦社区联系起来. We will also discuss current “craft” movements, for example candle-making, soap making, distilling spirits, and brewing beer. 本课程将邀请演讲嘉宾，并与当地工匠联系. Students will engage in hands-on craft projects and presentations. Prior knowledge of art, craft, or curation is not necessary, only a curiosity to discuss the lineage of craft, community, and creativity.

This course will start with a broad question: What is persuasion and in what ways are we persuaded to change our attitudes, values, and beliefs? 然后，我们将扩展这个问题，进一步了解说服性信息在我们日常生活中的流行程度，以及最成功的说服性信息的类型. But we'll take it one step further: What traits do successful persuaders have and why does this matter for us as citizens? 我们将看看成功的说服者，从邪教领袖和政治家到Instagram上的影响者，并考虑我们作为信息解码器和创造者的角色. How can persuasion both empower and hinder us?

知道如何阅读和书写草书有什么意义吗? 由于要求的草书教学已经从我们的大多数小学中退出, do you say "good riddance,或者你认为这项技能是一门手艺——也许是一种富有表现力的艺术形式——值得保留吗? 今天，大量的年轻人既不会读也不会写. Using open resource teaching tools and simple writing supplies, 学生将接受草书教学，并培养阅读能力, or "translate," it when encountered in academics and in life. In addition, 我们将探讨不同教育家的不同观点, psychologists, journalists, and artists as to the place of cursive in contemporary discourse.

黑暗旅游如此吸引人，为什么人类会被这些阴森恐怖的地方所吸引? Thanatourism, or Dark Tourism, is an extreme and alternative form of tourism as well as a growing and curious part of the industry. This course explores the diverse forms of Dark Tourism and the motivation to visit sites that are associated with death, disaster, destruction, and the macabre. In this course, students study the impacts of such tourism on culture, economies, the environment, and the ethics involved. 学生还将运用理论知识为特定的黑暗旅游市场或研究项目创造自己的利基产品.

如果雇主要进行在线搜索，你的数字资料会显示什么? Can ethics and civility be demonstrated in the online environment? How can you protect yourself and your digital identity? 本课程将探讨这些问题，让学生更深入地了解技术在他们的生活中扮演的角色，以及成为数字公民意味着什么. In this course, students will explore their social media use and examine the potential effects as aspiring professionals. In addition, 学生将创建一个电子作品集，用于收集和整理他们从学术生活过渡到专业工作场所的数字档案.

宗教可以在人类最需要的时候提供有益的道德指导. 但是宗教机构总是像他们的原则所建议的那样“对别人做”吗? 本课程将探讨宗教与人权之间的复杂关系, for times present and past. We will examine the responses of different religious traditions to the major human rights abuses or our time. We will also look at the role of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions, specifically, in questions of human rights from throughout history. 学生们将有机会分享自己独特的故事和观点, research the past, analyze news articles and other sources, and meet local people who have stories to tell. The goal is to strengthen students’ critical thinking skills while helping them develop a passion for human rights, maybe even leading to a related career.

学生们将学习20世纪20年代到40年代为种族隔离影院制作的独立电影. Through research, discussion and video creation, 我们将努力与“种族电影”的观众产生共鸣:黑人演员的电影面临着诸如肤色线之类的问题, Jim Crow, the few allowed role models, Blackface minstrelsy, the Harlem Renaissance, and northern migration.

Want to learn more about the food you eat? In Food!, we will explore various approaches to eating (such as paleo, vegan, Atkins, Mediterranean), looking at current research on healthy eating, government guidelines, ethical issues in farming, and sustainability.

In what ways do our kitchens inform us about our world? 每周我们都会聚在一起，在自己的厨房里做一顿饭，同时寻求这个问题的答案，扩大我们的味觉. 一些星期将邀请不同学科的专家来了解世界是如何在厨房餐桌上聚集在一起的. 学生将被要求每周写一篇博客，分享他们的烹饪经验，并记录他们厨房的故事. Access to a kitchen (stove, oven, and sink) during class meeting times is required; pantry staples and cookware can be provided by the instructor.

How do virtual worlds affect how we collaborate with others? Gaming is like any other journey in life, especially an academic one: When students come to college, they are presented with new “open worlds.他们需要发展新的技能，开启新的旅程，让自己“升级”，以便回顾过去，为未来做好准备. Only after repeating the “mission” over and over again, can students become truly skilled; in such a cycle, they become academic masters. 特色:Eve的虚拟星系与特别嘉宾:雇佣兵V来自 Cyberpunk 2077 and the child combatant soldiers of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

What does it mean to be a global citizen? How does one become a global citizen? Why does global citizenship matter? These are a few of the questions students will contemplate, while considering what it takes to be successful locally and globally in our diverse and interdependent world. 积极参与动态的21世纪环境需要对知识的认识, skills, values, and attitudes of others. Through self examination and reflection, 学生将探索全球公民的权利和责任，以及他们当地生活经历对全球社区的相互联系和影响.

Would you like to spice up your research projects? While our libraries’ databases are far-reaching, reliable tools when seeking information and opinions on a topic, 也有经过充分研究的新闻和可信的编辑内容可以在不一定在搜索结果中找到. 本课程将鼓励你考虑杂志和网络杂志, while rooted in pop culture, nevertheless address the social, environmental, and political issues at play in our current discourse. 我们将探讨广泛的主题，因为我们检查不同的观点, styles, and ethos revealed in the pages of publications you might not otherwise read or consider valid sources. 最后，你将与同学合作制作一本原创杂志.

本课程将着重于当今世界移民的经历. 通过故事和个人访谈，学生将检查和比较思想, challenges, perspectives, and journeys of migrants. Students will answer the questions: Why do people leave their homes? What are the impacts and challenges for them, the communities they leave and those that receive them? Through community outreach, 学生们将了解生活在我们地区的移民，并将捕捉他们的故事作为数字故事项目的一部分.

你的老师有没有在课堂上提出过新闻话题, but you don't have any knowledge about? Is your response, “I think I have heard about it, but I am not sure?” News is available through a lot of different mediums, 但你真的注意或利用了可用的东西吗? We will discover together newsworthy events of local, national, and global concern while discerning  appropriate sources for them. No “fake news” here. 学生将在整个课程中遵循自己感兴趣的主题，并在每周和期末项目中与全班分享他们的发现. Get ready to learn about what is going on all around us.

In this course, 学生将研究爱尔兰和爱尔兰文化的关键问题和网赌信誉排名网站是如何被文本代表和塑造的. “文本”的概念将广泛地包括文学和非文学印刷文本, visual arts, music, theatre, cinema, television, architecture, folk arts, and other expressions of self. The cultural, national, and historical contexts to be examined in light of these texts will include: Celtic and Gaelic origins, emigration, borderlands, the Irish language, religion, landscape, agriculture, postcolonialism, and globalization. Particular attention will be given to the cyclical relationships between contexts and texts (or life and art).

你是否梦想有一天能环游世界，甚至只是一个特别的国家? 在本课程中，你将学习如何研究和计划一次成功的旅行，去你梦想中的国家，这将永远留在你的心中. 你将学会问所有正确的问题，使你成为一个知情和安全的全球旅行者, 同时了解世界各地有趣而多样的文化. 最后的项目是你用几个完整的彩色旅行小册子, 去各个国家的信息丰富的行程，有一天可能会变成真正的旅行，只需要微小的改变(比如航班) & cost)!

How does the sport industry drive our culture today, and can sports be a catalyst for social change? This course will examine the current and historical influence of the sport industry on American society. Students will examine what diversity, equity, 在美国体育产业中，通过对种族的审查来实现包容性, ethnicity, sex, gender, and sexual orientation. They will also take a critical look at management practices. The sport industry has a disconnect between the individuals who play and work versus those that lead and own. 体育一向提倡公平竞争和遵守规则. 但如果是这样的话，那些管理联盟的人也必须公平竞争.

Quilters, bricklayers, and flooring specialists do it. Architects of the Middle East did it, as did artists like M.C. Escher. Even epidemiologists and cell biologists find it useful. What brings this interesting mix of people together? Patterns called tessellations. In this course we will explore how these fascinating designs are formed and how they shape the world we live in. 他们对看似不相干的工作和学习领域有什么价值呢, and what lessons can they teach us about art, science, and how we see the world?

In this course, 学生们将参与考察当地和地区食品系统的实践活动, including community gardens and urban farms, the local farmers markets, and organizations such as soup kitchen and food pantries. 我们将看看食物是如何在整个地区种植和分配的, 学生们将有机会种植和保存自己的食物.

传说可以在塑造一个社区的文化和身份方面发挥强大的作用. But sometimes they are more fiction than fact. How do untruths arise and why do they get passed on? To what effect? From ancient earthworks to Underground Railroad hideaways, religious radicalism to sensational murders, 本课程将揭开我们这个地区一些最有趣的传说背后的事实和谎言，并探讨它们在今天的意义. 我们将至少进行一次非现场实地考察，寻找各种第一手资料，以找到神话背后的真实故事. 我们将把我们的发现结合起来，创建一个可以与社区分享的项目或展览. ​

Humans are inherent storytellers. 这是我们理解周围世界并与他人建立联系的方式. 我们的媒体内容大多围绕着爱情、冲突、分手和化妆的故事. In what ways do these media stories shape our own experiences and realities of love and connection? Using the songs and lyrics from one of today’s leading storytellers, Taylor Swift, 我们将探讨人际关系形成的关键理论, conflict, attachment and healthy communication behaviors. Is it a love story? Or is it death by a thousand cuts? 我们讲述的网赌信誉排名网站感情的故事是如何帮助我们牢牢记住的呢? 

Vampires, zombies, werewolves, and giant beasts play essential parts in our culture, 这些部分根据不同的情况和解释而有所不同. Indeed, these figures often represent safe spaces where we can examine and discuss our fears about the world around us. 本课程将研究这些怪物以及它们所代表的恐惧和紧张. 课堂讨论和作业将着眼于这些怪物在文学作品中的表现, art, popular culture, and history.

Using scenes and sketches from the Monty Python comedy troupe’s infamous TV show and movies (including The Argument Clinic, The Parrot Sketch, and How To Tell a Witch, among others), 学生将探索围绕生命意义的文科持久问题. Issues that will be examined include "What is the nature of justice?", "What is human happiness?、“什么条件和行为最有助于获得幸福??", "What rights and liberties are inherent to being human?",  "What responsibilities do humans have?", and "What is the nature of truth, love and beauty?"

Frank Fitzpatrick, a critically acclaimed songwriter, astely将音乐描述为“人类生活必不可少的一部分，是我们作为个体和物种发展的一个组成部分。.” Every culture has always had music. Since love, death, and spirituality are also essential to our existence, it’s not surprising that more songs likely have been sung about those three topics than any others. How does music help us to celebrate love, come to terms with death, and connect in spirit with something larger than ourselves?  How does music about these topics add to our human experience, enabling us to discover deeper truths about ourselves? 本课程将探讨这些以及其他与不同风格的音乐有关的问题, time periods, genres, and student interests. 学生将发展相关的问题，因为他们探索和解释自己选择的音乐. Music listening, discussion of multiple perspectives and meanings, personal reflection, and some research will be important components of our inquiry. No prior experience with music is required for this course, and it welcomes students of all majors.

Did you know we spend approximately one-third of our lives sleeping and that all of us experience dreams? 你有没有想过梦是从哪里来的，它们想告诉你什么? 本课程将从哲学的角度探讨梦背后的迷人科学, psychological, socio-cultural, and neurological perspective. Students will delve into a variety of dream-related queries, such as the reason why some people clearly remember their dreams while others claim they don’t dream at all.

本课程将探讨传染病的演变和出现. 我们将整合来自生物学、人类学和公共卫生的信息. 我们将特别注意世界各地用于防治新出现疾病的卫生运动所提出的伦理问题, which include public perceptions, politics, and the stigma that can result.  Students will work on a simulation to “contain” a local outbreak.

This course helps students understand the psychological origins and evolution of their own political views—specifically, conservativism and liberalism. After exploring partisan politics on a theoretical level, students will research their own "political genealogy.“他们会考虑自己观点的所有潜在来源，并采访与自己观点相似或相反的人. 本课程还将探讨美国政治话语的现状以及当前谴责不受欢迎观点的运动. 政治正确在我们当前的政治气候中扮演着什么角色? 24小时的新闻周期和社交媒体是如何促成群体极化的? The roots of extremism on both the right and left will be explored. 学生将就如何改善当今世界的政治话语提出建议.

本课程将探讨当前社会面临的更广泛的健康问题的理解. We will explore a range of topics associated with health, such as: population growth, food security, affordable healthcare, environmental disease (cancer), emerging diseases (virus outbreaks), food-borne illness, hazardous waste, and human health risk assessments. As a semester project, students will choose a current health issue and create a public service announcement that represents the problem, focusing on possible interventions and solutions.

Don’t be afraid to say the “F” word; feminism, that is. 本课程旨在探讨女权主义和女权主义的根源和意义.  Through participatory learning, collaborative projects, critical thinking, and creative expression, students will engage with differences that cut across race, gender identities, class, and national origin. 本课程将强调学生作为知识的积极生产者的角色，并要求学生参与课堂讨论, written work, and project-based learning. Students will engage with sources ranging from graphic novels, social media, journal articles, and readings from various sources. Additionally, students will be required to complete a creative final project that integrates research with campus life.

Advanced manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing, machine learning, robotics and others continue to grow in importance in manufacturing. The role for humans in industry will continue to change as well as a result of those technological changes. Students will explore the social, cultural, 随着制造业的高度自动化，非常个人化的变化可能会发生. A battle plan will be developed to stay relevant and highly employable in the face of those changes.

100 years ago in the US, 当时发明电影的技术只有20年左右的历史，而且还在不断发展. This is the time of the suffragist and the 19th Amendment, the flapper, Prohibition, speakeasies, and bathtub gin. The movies grow up in these years, still silent until 1929, and according to film historians, more women are involved in writing, producing, and directing these movies than there have ever been since. In this course students will study the movies circa 1905-1929, the times they sprang from, and the women who created them. To better understand the process, students will create their own silent movie scene and decide who deserves the pre-1929 Academy Awards.

学生们将探索跨文化的游戏历史，以此审视游戏作为社交参与媒介的潜力, community cohesion, and individual growth. 学生将玩各种历史和现代桌面游戏，旨在通过合作游戏和解决问题来鼓励亲社会参与和批判性思维. 选定的游戏还将使学生接触到各种游戏机制和设计. Based on research, course readings, and hands-on gameplay, students will collaborate to create and demonstrate gameplay for a tabletop game of their own design, ultimately answering the question: How do games make us better?

什么是城市发展，它对世界各地的社区有什么影响? Students will explore what it means to live in a neighborhood, and who gets to decide what neighborhoods need to be "renewed.学生们还将关注社区如何受到食品安全等因素的影响, disasters, and pollution. Finally, students will analyze a neighborhood and design ways to make neighborhoods more livable in the future.

我们都听过朋友们传下来的故事. Sometimes, these are ghost stories, such as the vanishing hitchhiker story about a young woman who finds a ride with a sympathetic driver only to disappear. 有时，这些故事涉及城市下水道里的短吻鳄或大学宿舍里的危险. Called urban legends, these stories are set in contemporary cultures and often reflect concerns and imagined dangers of specific time periods. In this course, 学生将研究各种都市传说，以确定其整体意义, meanings and perceived moral lessons.

Many stereotypes exist about the people called the Vikings. But who were the real Vikings? This course will challenge the stereotypes, including assumptions about violence, sex and gender roles, and social roles and hierarchies. We will utilize media and evidence from history, archeology, biology, pop culture, and literature to build a more accurate picture of the time, place, and people, while incorporating hands-on activities, including traditional food and games.

If you ask people what they want in the future, health/wellness and happiness are often high on the list. 大学生希望未来的事业和人际关系能给他们带来意义和幸福. 当我们把目光投向一个幸福的未来时，我们究竟在设想什么? How does wellness intertwine with happiness and how can we use writing to investigate these topics? In this course, 我们将研究从幸福和幸福的科学研究中收集到的经验教训. 学生们将找出使个人和社会幸福的因素, 并将探讨如何增加他们的个人健康和幸福. 将特别关注多维健康模型, happiness, gratitude, and positive well-being.

What does it mean to be human? Using an interdisciplinary, collaborative and active approach, students will explore the unique characteristics that make us human. Throughout history, 人们做了许多尝试来定义人类，包括学习能力, communication, music, religion, creativity and curiosity. As the pursuit for a concise definition progresses, and scientific inquiry advances, 我们已经更加认识到地球的重要性，并且一切都依赖于我们生态系统的谨慎平衡. Throughout the course, 学生将有机会研究人类物种的独特性, 同时也加深了对地球上不稳定平衡的理解.

弗洛伦斯·南丁格尔一直被誉为现代护理的奠基人. This journey in time will start at the beginning, researching the common medical practices of Florence's time. From there we will travel forward through history, 正如佛罗伦斯曾经知道的那样，这些进步改变了医疗实践. 我们将讨论这些变化以及由此产生的积极和/或消极结果. Our journey will end with a glimpse into the future and with what we propose medical practices might be. 一路上，我们会经常停下来问自己:弗洛伦斯·南丁格尔会说些什么?

Every decision has a consequence. 有些决定很容易，你甚至没有意识到你正在做出决定. Others are complicated with many factors to consider, 其中一些可能是我们无法控制的，或者是由我们所生活的社会所塑造的. Traditional college age students face significant life decisions such as selecting a career pathway, living with parents or on their own, beginning or ending a romantic relationship. 年龄较大的学生可能会面临与职业变化、婚姻和孩子有关的决定. 如果你正面临一个重要的人生决定-这门课程是为你准备的!

Where do you find meaning in life? Do you know your purpose? 人生的意义和目的如何给你力量去应对生活中的挑战? 如果你很难回答这些问题，本课程可以帮助你自己发现这些问题. In this course, we will analyze the writings of Viktor Frankl and explore the history of concentration camps during World War II. 学生将通过完成论文和个人反思来应用他们所学到的知识.