Roanoke College



Summer 2020 INQ Section DescriptionsTermSection NameShort Title2020SEINQ-260SO-OLElite DevianceAn examination of elite deviance, which refers to the criminal and deviant behaviors of those with power, privilege, and wealth in society including both individuals and organizations within the corporate, governmental, and political realms. Students analyze case studies, examine theoretical perspectives, and research the social costs of elite deviance. Questions addressed in this course include: What is the nature of elite deviance and its consequences for society? What social arrangements contribute to this social problem? How does the unequal distribution of wealth and power in society allow elite deviance? 2020SEINQ-300-OL1Making Life CountWhat makes life fulfilling? Do you need material wealth? How does personal attitude contribute to a successful life? This course will explore how to make our life count by examining the relationship of attitude and our perception of living a meaningful life. Do we have to be an effective member of the community to make our life count? We will discuss the very real issues of poverty, homelessness, and people with physical disabilities in our nation and around the world and examine the question “Can everyone live a life with purpose?” This course requires a service learning component. The service learning experience will allow students to work with underprivileged community members in the Roanoke Valley and gain a deeper understanding of their situation.2020S1INQ-120-OLThe Moral of Our StoryThis 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? 2020S1INQ-240-OLStatistics & Sports IndustryThe sports industry is a multibillion dollar entity that generates some extremely interesting questions about quality assessment, business, ethics, and health issues. Some of the questions we will ask are: What type data are necessary to assess the quality of a player and how can we use that data to determine the value of a player? What are the long term health risks associated with playing full contact sports and how do we determine the prevalence of these injuries and their impact on the player’s lives. The key to answering these questions is putting aside preconceived opinions and emotion and using statistical analysis to see what the data say. Under the broad umbrella of statistics, this course will use an abundance of rich data sets to uncover the enormous impact that statistical analysis has on the sports industry. 2020S1INQ-250ASL-OL1Astronomy Controversies Lab2020S1INQ-250AS-OLAstronomy ControversiesWhat creates and propagates controversy within the Sciences? How do the scientific processes of observation, measurement, and theorizing help to create and resolve controversy? Is it healthy to maintain controversy regarding theories and models in the Sciences; i.e., do the Sciences thrive on controversy? How is controversy received and interpreted by the larger society and culture? By examining four well-known controversies within the astronomical sciences, students will explore both the quantitative arguments and the historical contexts in answering the above questions. Since physics is the proper background for astronomical studies, the course will also focus on the physical concepts and processes associated with astronomical objects. Students will also take measurements, observe astronomical objects with telescopes, and interpret graphically-presented data through a required weekly night lab. 2020S1INQ-260PY-OLPositive PsychologyTwo perspectives of psychology have focused predominantly on what Abraham Maslow called “the farther reaches of human nature”: humanistic psychology and positive psychology. This course will examine the major concepts of humanistic psychology (e.g., self-actualization, fully-functioning persons), will examine the contributions and shortcomings of this approach, and will explore the more recent positive psychology movement with its stronger research-based emphasis on human strengths and civic virtues and human flourishing. A thorough investigation of one construct from humanistic psychology will be undertaken (involving an inquiry into reliability and validity studies, adequacy of support for proposed applications, and critiques). Students will then address questions concerning the quality and adequacy of assessment techniques and of empirical studies in such areas in positive psychology as love, empathy, happiness, and self-esteem; each student will select one narrower area for further inquiry and will write a literature review on their chosen research question. 2020S1INQ-270-OLMyth, Philosophy and NatureThis course will look at different ways in which people have approached the natural world, ranging from mythological accounts of the world and its origins to rationalistic attempts to understand natural processes in early Greek philosophy and in the tradition of thought it inspired. We will consider what mythological approaches to the world have in common with more rationalistic approaches developed in the western world, and how they differ, as well as ways in which contemporary understandings of the world differ from views articulated in earlier modes of thought. 2020S1INQ-271-OL1Science vs. ReligionDoes 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.2020S1INQ-271-OL2Cowboys and IndiansThis course will examine how the American West has been portrayed at home and in other countries to learn what this tells us about the function of cultural representations. We will use history, fiction, and film to explore how individuals have used the American West to construct new identities and to critique their own culture. This class will investigate the nature of those myths and explore how they were shaped and what effect they had on our own and other cultures. Myths of the American West have been created by other countries as well. The course will explore how some groups of Europeans adopted Indian roles and lifestyles. Both European and Asian cinema have found the Western a fertile genre for both critiques of the United States and expressions of their own archetypes. The course will relate these films to the historical circumstances that produced them. 2020S1INQ-300-OL1Sport in SocietyMany of us participate in or follow sports, but when we play tennis or watch the Super Bowl, we aren’t usually thinking about how society affects sport or how sport influences who we are. What role does sport play in the socialization of children and adults? How is sport connected to the economy, our schools, politics, religion, family, or our government? How does sport perpetuate or disrupt social inequalities based on race, gender, social class, or disability? How do media shape sport and our understanding of it? What problems—violence, substance abuse, eating disorders, and gabling—are reflected in or exacerbated by sport? This course will ask you to choose a problem or issue in sport for which you can offer a solution, whether it be the development of a program, policy, business, non-profit, event, research project, information campaign, or some other creative outcome.2020S1INQ-300-OL2Politics of Education PolicyHow can we redesign American education policy in a way that promotes both individual achievement and egalitarian principles of democratic citizenship? The purpose of this course is to invite students to engage this question in class discussions, readings, and a semester project. Students will first be introduced to a fundamental paradox in American education; that is, the tension between education policies that encourage student achievement based on individual talent and policies aimed at producing collective benefits for all students. Students will analyze and discuss this paradox as it manifests in several major issues in American education policy, including desegregation, finance, school choice, and separation/inclusion. Finally, using available data on American public education (e.g., National Center for Education Statistics), students will work in research teams to identify a current problem in American education policy, analyze its potential causes, and design appropriate solutions with the aforementioned political paradox in mind.2020S2INQ-240-OLStatistics and FoodDo you like food? Are you interested in issues concerning topics such as food industry, personal dietary choices, food marketing, and food shortages? In this course, you will learn how statistical methods are used to provide arguments for such issues and explanations for patterns that arise in the US today. And of course, food will be involved. You will read and reflect on articles involving food, use and create data sets concerning food, and even do a little bit of cooking! 2020S2INQ-251-OLAn Edge to ScienceThe age of information has left us with few tools, and even less time, to follow-up, gather, and learn. In fact, much of this information is incomplete, primarily because the people who produce information are under the same tool and time problem as ourselves. This is particularly true in the astronomical sciences, where wonder, imagination, and awe are already easily fueled. In this age of hyper-information, how do we determine what is scientific truth and what is falsehood? Does science have an edge, and is an edge easily defined? What is meant by the concepts of evidence, law, and proof within the realm of science? At what point does science become pseudoscience, or even science fiction? We will examine a few concepts in astronomy (exoplanets, cosmology, and black holes), first introducing the established observations and science, while also inquiring about an edge to our current understanding. We will analyze data and observations in light of the concepts of extrapolation and interpolation, and we will recognize the influence of society on the process and presentation of science. 2020S2INQ-270-OL1Gods and MonstersAsian 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?2020S2INQ-270-OLGSlavic Folklore-GlobalWho are the Slavs, and what do we mean by “the Slavic folk”? What are the oldest and deepest beliefs of the Slavic folk? On what are they based? How does the folklore reflect a uniquely Slavic understanding of the world? How does history help illuminate the forms and functions of folklore among the Slavic people? Why is this folk culture important, and what can it tell us about ourselves today? In this course, we explore the root of Slavic folklore and mythology, and examine their impact on the lives of Slavic people in the pre-Christian and Christian eras. We will consider the categories and structures of Slavic folklore and see their manifestations in ritual, material culture, and oral lore, including visual representations in folk architecture, clothing, and crafts, many of them lasting well into the 19th century. The course covers the folklore of several Slavic groups, including Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Slovak, and Serbian. 2020S2INQ-300-OLHeadline LiteratureThe 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. ................
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