May 2025 Non-Travel IL Courses
Non-Travel IL Courses for May 2025
You can register for any of these non-travel courses via Self Service. Some courses have prerequisites which are listed below.
Room and Board for May 2025 is included in your Spring Semester Room and Board fees. Note that some courses have an additional fee for day trips or trips away from campus. These will be charged to your Self Service account in April, 2025. Couses with a C as the first letter of the section (e.g. INQ-177-CC) are on-campus courses that may have day trips associated with them. Those with an F as the first letter (e.g. INQ-177-FA) spend most of their time on-campus but will include travel for a few nights to another destination. Please talk with the instructor if you have specific questions.
INQ-177-CA Symbolic Narrative: The National D-Day Memorial
Dr. Tom Carter
Campus
How does a monument tell the story of the event that it memorializes? This course looks at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford and will examine how its design and construction creates symbols that tell the story of the Normandy Invasion. Students will first learn about the invasion through books and films and will make several trips to the memorial for first-hand analysis. Students will present their final reports at the memorial.
INQ-177-CB Demystifying Foods
Dr. Marilee Ramesh
Campus
Fee: $65
In this course, we will examine an activity we do on a daily basis: eating. We will explore some of the biology and biochemistry of the plants, animals and fungi which make up our diet. We will look at the ancestors of certain food organisms and discuss how agricultural practices transformed them into the foods we include in our diet. Next we will bring biology into the kitchen-how do we transform the plants and animals from the field into cuisine at the table? We will explore the mechanisms behind the transformation of milk into cheese and ice cream, the transformation of grains to breads and beer, and techniques involved in food preservation. Finally, we will discuss the politics of food and food production, including aspects of organic food and Genetically Modified Organisms. The role of food in our culture and traditions will be incorporated throughout this course.
INQ-177-CC Strategic Visual Communication*
*pending faculty approval
Dr. Tracy Lauder
Campus
In this intensive three-week course, be prepared to develop a strong understanding of design principles, create a professional portfolio, collaborate through constructive critiques, and build key communication and career skills that will set you up for success in a visually driven world. You’ll tackle a variety of projects—including designing ads, logos, brochures, and social media posts—while using Canva to apply core design and typography principles. You'll also strengthen NACE competencies like communication, teamwork, professionalism, technology, and critical thinking—all essential for thriving in today's professional landscape.
INQ-177-CD Hands on Science – Developing Science Kits for Elementary Students
Dr. Fatima
Campus
In this course we will develop hands-on physical science kits geared towards the Virginia standards of learning. These kits will contain supplies, instruction manuals, and lesson plan booklets in order to provide elementary school teachers with a toolbox of fun and exciting activities which will spark the children’s interest and curiosity about science. Field trips to the local area schools will provide the opportunity to test the kits in their intended environment.
INQ-177-CF Speculative Fiction Workshop
Dr. Teresa Milbrodt
Campus
Fees: $0
Why are people drawn to read and write fantasy, sci-fi, and speculative fiction? How can these literary works suggest new possibilities for the future, or paths that could led to destruction or recreation? This type of fiction may go outside the bounds of reality to shape new worlds or tweak the world we know. Speculative fiction might involve an element of social commentary, or function as escapism and entertainment. Among other issues, this class will discuss the social role of writers in shaping new possible realities and questioning conventions. We will consider how to make fantastical elements integral to our stories, what we can say using speculative fiction that may not work as well within the bounds of realism, and how we can describe/enact/embody the fantastic so precisely that the reader doesn't doubt its reality in the fictive world.
INQ-177-CI/PHIL-177-CI The Trial of Socrates
Dr. Hans Zorn
Campus
This course will look at the trial of Socrates and examine different views about it. Was he a martyr for the truth, for example, or a victim of political intrigue? Was he guilty of the accusations set against him, or unjustly prosecuted for his religious and political views? How should we understand the reports of those who wrote about his trial? Finally, what would we have to know about his society and intellectual milieu in order to answer any of these questions?
INQ-177-CK The Mathematics of Gambling & Games
Dr. Michael Weselcouch
Campus
The gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar industry that relies on the mathematics of its games to drive their profits and avoid their losses. This course provides both a hands-on and a computational analysis of the probabilities involved when gambling and playing games. We include an introduction to the rules of and basic winning strategies for roulette, blackjack, various forms of poker, and other games, including selected board games and sports. Students will also learn to apply skills developed in this class to other games they come across.
INQ-177-CL The Celluloid Boot: Visions and Versions of Italy through her Films
Dr. Guiliana Chapman
Campus
Fees: $0
This course will focus on Italian historical, cultural, and geographical identities as presented through Italian films. What version of history is revealed through her films? What do these films tell us about the Italian nation and her people? The course will study major movements in modern Italian history (the Risorgimento & Unification, the rise of Fascism, WWII and post-WWII, the North/South divide) and the attempts of some of Italy’s film directors (Luchino Visconti, Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, and others) to contextualize these periods. The artistic innovations and contributions made by filmmakers such as Federico Fellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini will also be examined. In order to better gain an appreciation for the Italian sense of place and belonging, the regions and cities that appeared in the frame will be explored to understand why these images endure. Daily screenings are mandatory and selected readings will include Italian history and some literature in translation. Proficiency in Italian is not required.
INQ-277-CA The Films of Alfred Hitchcock
Dr. Srikanth Mallavarapu
Campus
Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most important filmmakers of the twentieth century, with a body of work that includes classics like Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and North by Northwest. This course will examine Hitchcock’s contributions to film form, style, and narration. We will examine the themes and motifs that run through Hitchcock’s films. We will also analyze these films as social and cultural artifacts that reflect the context in which they were produced.
INQ-277-FA Natural History of the Southern Appalachians
Dr. Rachel Collins
Field Trip
Fee: $400
This course is designed for those interested in the natural history of the Southern Appalachian region. Biology majors, environmental studies majors, and others with strong curiosity or experiences in the natural world are welcome. We will explore the biodiversity and ecology of forest communities as naturalists do. Students will keep field notebooks and develop skills for identifying trees, forest wildflowers, birds, and other animals common in the region. The course will include a number of day trips to nearby forest and a multiple night camping trip to an Appalachian natural area (an area with extremely high biological diversity).
INQ-277-FB Identity Quest at Washington, DC
Dr. Nadia Martinez-Carrillo
Field Trip
How accurately is identity represented in popular media? What are the implications of these representations for us as individuals as well as for our society? In this course, students will learn about the history of some underrepresented social groups such as African American, Indigenous, and Latinx people. Students will learn about current issues that affect these groups, and how these issues and their identities are portrayed in popular media. The class will travel to historical landmarks, museums, and explore cultural events, art, and food relevant for these groups