What are Inquiries?
The urge to explore, to know more, to seek out and expand the boundaries of our knowledge with every tool at our disposal defines the habit of learning at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
To these ends, Inquiries are specially-designed sets of courses that allow you to use your Core distribution requirements to explore an idea, question, or problem. While every SMCM student has to take courses in the arts, cultural perspectives, humanistic foundations, mathematics, natural sciences (with lab), and social sciences, students in Inquiries use these requirements to experience the impact of multiple disciplinary perspectives on a central topic. Consequently, students in the Inquiries will fulfill these requirements in 4-5 classes whereas other students will need 6 classes to do so.
Social Justice
This Inquiry explores the concept of justice as it relates to political systems and to protest. In the second semester of the Inquiry, you’ll focus more specifically on race in connection justice – both philosophically and in terms of lived experience. In your computer science class, you’ll get to choose a project that connects to your Inquiry topic. Students fulfill requirements in social sciences, arts, humanistic foundations, cultural perspectives, and mathematics (that’s four courses for five requirements).
Sustainability
This Inquiry provides foundational experiences that will deepen your understanding of climate and climate change, providing the tools for thinking and communicating about climate change from a range of perspectives. In your computer science class, you’ll get to choose a project that connects to your Inquiry topic. Students will fulfill requirements in social sciences, mathematics, humanistic foundations, and natural sciences.
Invention of the West
This Inquiry focuses on the emergence – and contemporary impact – of what we have come to call the “Western World.” From developments in science, technology, and literature to the European colonial conquests – and later, empires – that reshaped the globe, understanding the West is one way to unpack the complexity of the world we now live in. Students will satisfy Core requirements in humanistic foundations, natural sciences, arts, cultural perspectives, and social sciences.
If you are interested in being a part of an Inquiry, please tell your SOAR advisor, and we’ll get you added to the right courses.
“By linking general education courses thematically, students will experience the impact of multiple disciplinary perspectives on real-world problems such as climate change. They’ll get the chance to see, early in their academic career, the power of bringing diverse forms of knowledge and different methodological approaches to bear on complex topics.” –Christine Wooley, Associate Dean of Curriculum and Associate Professor of English
Your Move
St. Mary’s College offers an education on par with the best private liberal arts colleges, at the value of a public institution, in a setting that’s breathtakingly beautiful. If that sounds up your alley, take the LEAD.