Courses in the Scientific Inquiry (SI) domain are designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn the methods of modern science and its impact in understanding the world around us. Courses are designed to help students develop a more complete perspective about science and the scientific process, including:
- an understanding of the major principles guiding modern scientific thought;
- a comprehension of the varying approaches and aspects of science;
- an appreciation of the connection among the sciences;
- an awareness of the roles and limitations of theories and models in interpreting, understanding, and predicting natural phenomena; and
- a realization of how these theories and models change or are supplanted as our knowledge increases.
Where required, Quantitative Reasoning (MAT 120) is a prerequisite for SI Domain courses. Generally, two SI courses are required; depending on their program of study students may be required to take a designated SI Science as a Way of Knowing (SWK) or SI Lab, or both. The QR and MCD waiver cannot be applied to the SI Domain.
Learning Outcomes
Scientific Inquiry: Science as a Way of Knowing
Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the natural science content that is the focus of the course.
- Interpret and create multiple representations of data (e.g. graphical, mathematical, pictorial/diagrammatic, and/or descriptive).
- Use scientific evidence to support or refute predictions made by scientific hypotheses, state the limitations of the scientific method, and identify unsubstantiated claims, such as those based on pseudoscience.
- Describe the process of scientific research, including aspects such as skepticism, ethics, collaboration, diversity of community, disparate impacts, funding, peer review, or the dissemination of results.
- Substantiate the claim that scientific knowledge inherently evolves over time as previous understandings are revised with new evidence and perspectives.
Scientific Inquiry: Lab
Students will be able to:
- Pose meaningful scientific questions and generate testable scientific hypotheses.
- Plan, design and conduct scientific investigations in a collaborative environment using appropriate tools and techniques to gather relevant data in order to test and revise scientific hypotheses.
- Develop and use scientific models (conceptual, physical, and mathematical) to make predictions and develop explanations of natural phenomena.
- Address variability in the data and recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions.
- Communicate scientific procedures, results, and explanations and engage in arguments based on scientific evidence.
Courses
Below please find examples of courses previously offered for scientific inquiry credit. For information on current offerings, please consult Campus Connection.
Scientific Inquiry: Science as a Way of Knowing Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | ||
| ANT 130 | SCIENCE AND PSEUDOSCIENCE IN ARCHAEOLOGY | 4 |
| ANT 270 | HUMAN EVOLUTION | 4 |
| Asian Studies, Global | ||
| AAS 230 | INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION | 4 |
| Biology | ||
| BIO 104 | EVOLUTION AND SOCIETY | 4 |
| BIO 105 | THE SCIENCE BEHIND HUMAN HEALTH | 4 |
| BIO 110 | EVOLUTION IN HEALTH AND MEDICINE | 4 |
| BIO 115 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY | 4 |
| BIO 118 | MARINE BIOLOGY | 4 |
| BIO 119 | FROM MUSIC TO MIND: THE NEUROSCIENCE OF MUSIC | 4 |
| BIO 120 | THE SCIENCE AND ART OF VISION | 4 |
| BIO 121 | INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND IMMUNITY | 4 |
| BIO 122 | INTRODUCTION TO PALEOBIOLOGY | 4 |
| BIO 126 | BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR | 4 |
| BIO 134 | HOW THE HUMAN BODY WORKS | 4 |
| BIO 140 | THE SCIENCE OF BEEKEEPING | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| CHE 102 | MOLECULES THAT SHAPED THE WORLD | 4 |
| CHE 104 | CHEMICALS, DRUGS AND LIVING SYSTEMS | 4 |
| Education | ||
| EDU 125 | THE SCIENCE OF HUMAN COGNITION | 4 |
| Environmental Science | ||
| ENV 101 | INTRO TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE WITHOUT LAB | 4 |
| ENV 116 | GEOLOGY OF THE ENVIRONMENT | 4 |
| ENV 118 | EARTH THROUGH TIME | 4 |
| ENV 200 | CITIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT | 4 |
| ENV 202 | RESOURCES, POPULATION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT | 4 |
| ENV 204 | ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT | 4 |
| ENV 230 | GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE | 4 |
| Geography | ||
| GEO 101 | ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY | 4 |
| GEO 210 | INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION | 4 |
| GEO 219 | WOMEN AND SCIENCE | 4 |
| GEO 243 | EARTH OBSERVATION | 4 |
| Health Sciences | ||
| HLTH 150 | DISCOVERING DISEASE: SMALL POX, HIV, AND ZIKA | 4 |
| Neuroscience | ||
| NEU 120 | THE BRAIN THROUGH SCIENCE FICTION | 4 |
| NEU 121 | YOUR CHANGING BRAIN: THE SCIENCE AND APPLICATION OF NEURAL PLASTICITY | 4 |
| Physics | ||
| ID 104 | HAPTICS | 4 |
| PHY 104 | THE SUN & ITS PLANETS | 4 |
| PHY 120 | HOW THINGS WORK | 4 |
| PHY 200 | LIGHT AND ATOMS | 4 |
| PHY 204 | FRONTIERS OF THE UNIVERSE | 4 |
| PHY 205 | EINSTEIN'S PECULIAR IDEAS | 4 |
| Public Health | ||
| MPH 101 | THE SCIENCE OF PROTECTING THE PUBLIC'S HEALTH | 4 |
| School of Continuing and Professional Studies | ||
| SNC 209 | EXPLORING EARTH'S PHYSICAL FEATURES | 4 |
| SNC 210 | PREHISTORIC LIFE | 4 |
| SNC 225 | BIODIVERSITY | 4 |
| Women's and Gender Studies | ||
| WGS 219 | WOMEN AND SCIENCE | 4 |
Scientific Inquiry: Lab Courses
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropology | ||
| ANT 104 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | 4 |
| ANT 120 | SCIENCE OF ARCHAEOLOGY | 4 |
| The Art School | ||
| ART 223 | LIGHT, COLOR, AND PHOTOGRAPHY | 4 |
| Biological Sciences | ||
| BIO 155 | INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY WITH LABORATORY | 4 |
| BIO 156 | FOOD, FUEL FOR LIFE | 4 |
| BIO 160 | MARINE BIOLOGY WITH LAB | 4 |
| BIO 161 | INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND IMMUNITY WITH LABORATORY | 4 |
| BIO 162 | THE BRAIN: BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR | 4 |
| BIO 166 | INTRODUCTION TO PLANT BIOLOGY WITH LAB | 4 |
| BIO 191 | GENERAL BIOLOGY I FOR SCIENCE MAJORS | 4 |
| BIO 192 | GENERAL BIOLOGY II FOR SCIENCE MAJORS | 4 |
| BIO 193 | GENERAL BIOLOGY III FOR SCIENCE MAJORS | 4 |
| BIO 202 | HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| CHE 103 | ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| CHE 105 | EXPLORING NUTRIENTS/SCIENCE OF NUTRITION | 4 |
| CHE 107 | PROTEINS AND THEIR GENES | 4 |
| CHE 109 | FORENSIC CHEMISTRY | 4 |
| CHE 130 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I | 3 |
| CHE 131 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY I LABORATORY | 1 |
| CHE 132 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY II | 3 |
| CHE 133 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II | 1 |
| CHE 134 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY III | 3 |
| CHE 135 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY III | 1 |
| Environmental Science | ||
| ENV 102 | INTRO TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE WITH LAB | 4 |
| ENV 115 | ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY | 4 |
| ENV 117 | EARTH THROUGH TIME WITH LABORATORY | 4 |
| Film and Television Production | ||
| FILM 254 | IMAGE, OPTICS AND CINEMATIC MOTION | 4 |
| Nursing | ||
| NSG 230 | WOMEN'S HEALTH: THE PHYSICAL SELF | 4 |
| NSG 232 | MEN'S HEALTH: THE PHYSICAL SELF | 4 |
| Physics | ||
| PHY 110 | BASIC ELECTRONICS: PRINCIPLES & TECHNIQUES | 4 |
| PHY 114 | EXPLORING OTHER WORLDS | 4 |
| PHY 150 | GENERAL PHYSICS I | 4 |
| PHY 151 | GENERAL PHYSICS II | 4 |
| PHY 152 | GENERAL PHYSICS III | 4 |
| PHY 155 | GENERAL PHYSICS | 6 |
| PHY 156 | GENERAL PHYSICS | 6 |
| PHY 170 | UNIVERSITY PHYSICS I | 4 |
| PHY 171 | UNIVERSITY PHYSICS II | 4 |
| PHY 172 | UNIVERSITY PHYSICS III | 4 |
| PHY 206 | SOUND AND ACOUSTICS | 4 |
| PHY 232 | INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL ELECTRONICS | 4 |
| School of Continuing and Professional Studies | ||
| SNC 320 | MAMMALOGY | 4 |