Call for Course Proposals, Foundations in Methods of Inquiry Courses
Deadlines: Oct 15 – Methods of Inquiry Initial course proposals due to CCIC
Submit all files as attachments to: – Indicate Methods of Inquiry in subject line
Teams of three faculty members from meaningfully different disciplines are invited to propose a Foundations in Methods of Inquiry course anchored by the topic of their choice, to be taught as early as Spring 2019. This course provides students their first opportunity in the Marquette Core Curriculum to engage a particular topic in an explicitly multidisciplinary setting, in advance of and in preparation for deeper multi- and interdisciplinary explorations in the Marquette Core Curriculum’s Discovery Tier.
Students will take this course within their first two years of study at Marquette, after successful completion of any two of the Philosophy, Theology, or Rhetoric courses in the Foundations Tier.
Guiding Principles and Assumptions
1. Every course in the Marquette Core Curriculum is responsible to the overall outcomes of the Marquette Core Curriculum and to the specific Learning Objectives specified in Marquette Core Curriculum documents.
2. Methods of Inquiry courses should include three faculty from three clearly distinct disciplinary perspectives and focus on a single topic.
3. Courses should include opportunities to reflect on the different approaches to inquiry highlighted by each discipline.
4. The aim of this course is to prepare students for the Discovery Tier by demonstrating how to engage in multi-disciplinary thinking and problem solving.
Course Format
A central feature of the Marquette Core Curriculum is to provide students with a structured experience in which they can forge their own critical worldview in the complex multidisciplinary environment at Marquette and in terms of the fundamental values of a Catholic, Jesuit education.
The fourth Foundation Course provides students with their first opportunity to engage a particular theme in an explicitly multidisciplinary setting, in advance of deeper multi- and interdisciplinary explorations in the Discovery Tier. It builds on the skills of inquiry and communication developed in the first three Foundation Courses in Philosophy, Theology, and Rhetoric, and follows the Ignatian pedagogical paradigm linking context, experience, reflection, and action.
Foundations in Methods of Inquiry is a regular, 3-hour semester long course co-taught by three faculty members who share instructional responsibility for three sections of around 33 students each. Each instructor will rotate across all sections in approximately 5-week modules over the course of the semester, reiterating his or her discipline’s approach to the study of the course's particular topic. This “anchoring topic” should be broad enough to be repeatable with different faculty combinations and accessible to a variety of disciplines: for instance, social justice, compassion, corporate responsibility, the environment, capitalism. Unique, low-stakes assignments within each module will prepare students for standardized reflection papers at the end of each module. A standardized final reflection paper will ask students to compare and contrast the questions, methods, and limitations of each disciplinary approach. More information can be found here [http://www.marquette.edu/common-studies-revision/documents/AppendicestoMarquetteCoreCurriculumProposal2017.pdf]
Approval for the Methods of Inquiry courses is a multi-step process. This initial proposal is the first step. Faculty whose proposals are approved will be asked to submit complete proposals including a syllabus to be approved for the Marquette Core Curriculum. Details for the complete proposal will be provided at a later date.
For additional information on this requirement and the Marquette Core Curriculum as a whole, visit the Marquette Core Curriculum revision website: http://www.marquette.edu/common-studies-revision/.
Direct questions to Dr. Sarah Feldner, Director of the Marquette Core Curriculum, .
Methods of Inquiry Course Proposal Form
Deadlines: Oct. 15, 2017 – Methods of Inquiry Initial course proposals due to CCIC
Submit all files as attachments to: Marquette Core – Indicate Methods of Inquiry in subject line
Topic (in 30 or fewer characters)
Instructors’ names, departments and/or colleges, and email addresses
Instructors must have a PhD or an equivalent degree in the field and be regular participating faculty members.
Student-Focused Description of the class: In approximately 100 words, provide a student-centered course description that gives an overview of the topic and its importance and attracts students to the course. For example:
Foundations in Modes of Inquiry: Suffering
Suffering is a fundamental part of the human experience. It can be felt, analyzed, and/or treated. It can apply to the self or to others. It can be considered as a physical, emotional, or spiritual experience, a set of statistical data or points on a chart, or a legal category deserving some societal response. Sometimes, it is supremely unimportant. This course looks at suffering from three distinct disciplinary perspectives, inviting students to understand and reflect upon some of the very different ways it can be approached.
Rationale. In approximately 300 words, address the value of the proposed topic for a Methods of Inquiry course in light of:
· The topic’s connection with Marquette’s mission, broadly defined.
· The topic as an appropriate point of intersection among the three disciplines.
o How is the topic important to each of the three disciplines?
o How do the disciplines represent clearly different approaches to the topic, while also being complementary enough to encourage creative and synergistic connections by students in their end-of-semester reflection papers?
Proposals must include a statement of support from the department chairs of faculty. Chair support indicates that the faculty member can be available to teach the class at least 3 times within the next 3 years.