The coronavirus pandemic has made public health a major part of our national discourse. In this Inquiry, you’ll use your LEAD Knowledge and Methods requirements to explore questions such as:
- How do scientific knowledge and knowledge of human behavior shape policy decisions?
- What is the relationship between health and climate change?
- How are health outcomes affected by racial and economic disparities?
Students in the Public and Environmental Health Inquiry take five classes and complete a 1-credit Integrated Learning Portfolio. Courses in the Public and Environmental Health Inquiry (PEHI) give students the ability to engage with these and other questions. Students build a strong foundation for thinking critically about public health and communicating what they know effectively and creatively.
Enrolled in this Inquiry?—Click here for a requirement checklist.
Inquiry Course Requirements
PEHI students take courses that give them both a broad background and some key tools for understanding public health. PEHI students start by taking:
- Introduction to Public Health (IDIS 122)
Meets LEAD Knowledge and Methods outcomes in Mathematics and Cultural Literacy
and - Contemporary Bioscience (BIOL 101); Principles of Biology (BIOL 105); Contemporary Chemistry (CHEM 101); or General Chemistry II (CHEM 106); or Introduction to Environmental Science (ENST 250)
Meets LEAD Knowledge and Methods outcomes in Natural Sciences
(Scores of 4 or 5 on the biology, chemistry, or environmental science AP exams also satisfy this element of the Inquiry)
Students choose one of the following ethics courses:
- Introduction to Ethics (PHIL 120) or Environmental Ethics (PHIL 321) or Bioethics (PHIL 323)
Meets LEAD Knowledge and Methods outcomes in the Humanities
A course that develops their creative thinking and expression:
- Introduction to Drawing (ART 204); Introduction to Visual Thinking (ART 205); Introduction to Painting (ART 206); Illustration (ART 207); Portrait Photography: Identity and Social Justice (ART 211); Introduction to Photography (ART 212); Book Arts; Text Image and Design (ART 213); Introduction to Digital Media Art (ART 214); Printmaking 1: Traditional and Contemporary Techniques (ART 223); Printmaking 2: The Matrix and The Painterly Print (ART 224); Topics in Studio Art (ART 233); Painting and Drawing from Life (ART 239); Landscape Drawing and Painting (ART 240); Introduction to Animation (ART 247); Community Arts (ART 269); Topics in Writing: Science Writing or Environmental Storytelling (ENGL 201) Meets LEAD Knowledge and Methods outcomes in the Arts.
And a foundational course in the social sciences:
- Introduction to Anthropology (ANTH 101); Principles of Microeconomics (ECON 102); Introduction to Politics (POSC 100); Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 101); Introduction to Sociology (SOCI 101)
(Scores of 4 or 5 on psychology or microeconomics AP exams also satisfy this element of the Inquiry.)
When this coursework is finished, all Inquiry students complete:
- Integrated Learning Portfolio (1 credit)
Integrated Learning Portfolio (ILP)
The final requirement for any Inquiry is the Integrated Learning Portfolio. The ILP is the place where students articulate the connections they see among their courses– and where they reflect on the contribution each course makes to the Inquiry topic. Portfolios can include assignments from each Inquiry class, or artifacts from the class itself: images, articles, data– whatever material has been most significant to you.
Assembled as a Google Site or through a similar platform, the ILP is submitted as the student completes their Inquiry coursework. During their final semester in the Inquiry, students will be registered for their ILP by the Inquiry Lead. The ILP is worth one credit and graded on a Credit/No Credit basis.
About LEAD Inquiries
LEAD Inquiries give students an opportunity to apply coursework from a range of liberal arts disciplines to a common topic or question. In an Inquiry, students satisfy their LEAD Knowledge and Methods requirements by taking a set of courses– each connected to the Inquiry topic– and completing an Integrated Learning Portfolio. Through their Inquiry coursework, students can fulfill their LEAD Knowledge and Methods requirements in four or five classes (the number varies depending on which Inquiry you take), rather than six.
