UCOR 1440 - Inquiry Seminar in the Humanities

5 credit hours

Courses that introduce students to the subjects and methods of inquiry of the humanities by engaging in focused study of one or more particularly important historical or literature-based questions arising from a humanities discipline. These courses introduce students to key concepts, knowledge, and principles of the relevant discipline as they relate to the questions being studied in the individual section. They are not intended to be survey courses or broad introductions to the discipline, but should be content-rich, with the content revolving around and connected to the central questions being studied. Each section incorporates the interpretation of primary texts (prose fiction, poetry, drama, non-fiction essays and books, historical documents, works of art, film, digital media, speeches, etc.) in relation to their cultural and historical contexts; explores the relationships between language, narratives, thought, and culture; and examines the ways in which important texts and events relate to each other across time. Essential goals include: Introducing students to an important question in the humanities, the relevant content necessary to study that question, and the ways in which the humanities pursue and generate knowledge; preparing students to read and evaluate primary texts in relationship to their contexts, and the use of those texts and interpretations as evidence to construct theses or arguments. In addition, these courses teach the following skills: academic writing, argument construction/critical thinking, library research, critical reading, and oral presentations.