Science Exploration - Curriculum

Consider how an organism moves through its environment: you may think about the biology of the organism, the physics behind moving appendages, the chemistry of muscle contractions, or mathematical models to describe the motion. Science is inherently integrated and interdisciplinary. This is the first semester interdisciplinary sciences course that highlights key, interdisciplinary topics that are taught in other courses, like biology, chemistry, physics, math, and statistics, and expands your working knowledge of the sciences. (Prerequisites: ASTP-660 or equivalent course. Co-requisites: PHYS-612 and ASTP-610 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall).

Look at the current problems facing humanity: health, pollution, climate change, clean energy to name a few. None of these problems will be solved by a single person with mastery of a single STEM discipline. Solutions to these problems will be discovered by teams of researchers (biologists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, and imaging scientists) working together. Science is inherently integrated and interdisciplinary. This is the second semester interdisciplinary sciences course that presents elements of biology, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, and physics in a practical, integrated, application-based context. (Prerequisites: INTS-151 and INTS-155 or equivalent course. This class is restricted to SCIEXP-UND students. Co-requisites: INTS-156 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This is a project-based lab course spanning multiple topics and disciplines as students develop basic laboratory skills. This is the corresponding lab course for the first semester interdisciplinary science course that presents biology, chemistry, mathematics and statistics, and physics using themes that are tightly integrated with the co-requisite lecture course. The lab sessions will provide experiences that reflect real-world approaches to science in the 21st century. (Prerequisites: This class is restricted to SCIEXP-UND students. Co-requisites: INTS-151 or equivalent course.) Lab 3 (Fall).

Science is inherently integrated and interdisciplinary. This is the corresponding lab course for the first semester interdisciplinary science course that presents biology, chemistry, math, and physics using themes that are tightly integrated in the equivalent lecture courses. Students will work on projects that span multiple topics and disciplines as they develop basic laboratory skills. The lab sessions will provide experiences that reflect real-world approaches to science in the 21st century. (Prerequisites: INTS-151 and INTS-155 or equivalent course. This class is restricted to SCIEXP-UND students. Co-requisites: INTS-152 or equivalent course.) Lab 3 (Spring).

RIT 365 students participate in experiential learning opportunities designed to launch them into their career at RIT, support them in making multiple and varied connections across the university, and immerse them in processes of competency development. Students will plan for and reflect on their first-year experiences, receive feedback, and develop a personal plan for future action in order to develop foundational self-awareness and recognize broad-based professional competencies. (This class is restricted to incoming 1st year or global campus students.) Lecture 1 (Fall, Spring).

Writing Seminar is a three-credit course limited to 19 students per section. The course is designed to develop first-year students’ proficiency in analytical and rhetorical reading and writing, and critical thinking. Students will read, understand, and interpret a variety of non-fiction texts representing different cultural perspectives and/or academic disciplines. These texts are designed to challenge students intellectually and to stimulate their writing for a variety of contexts and purposes. Through inquiry-based assignment sequences, students will develop academic research and literacy practices that will be further strengthened throughout their academic careers. Particular attention will be given to the writing process, including an emphasis on teacher-student conferencing, critical self-assessment, class discussion, peer review, formal and informal writing, research, and revision. Small class size promotes frequent student-instructor and student-student interaction. The course also emphasizes the principles of intellectual property and academic integrity for both current academic and future professional writing. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).