What is your big question?

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What's your big question?

You know your Harry Potter house and your inner Disney Princess. But...

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Beginning in Fall 2024, the I-Series courses will officially be rebranded as “Big Question” courses. The name Big Question will do a better job of communicating the thread that is shared among this suite of courses: complex questions for which there are not simple, singular answers.Any courses previously taken as I-Series courses will count toward the Big Question requirement. Only the name is changing. (Even the course code is still SCIS.) Don’t panic!Instead, let's have some fun and consider what course will answer the question burning inside you ...

Big question Courses At UMD

construction project management

statistics

digital storytelling and poetics

Which minor would you be most likely to consider?

last-minute cram session fueled by Insomnia cookies

reserve an ESJ huddle room for my study group

reading in a hammock on McKeldin mall

Your homework style is....

an AI expert

a social media influencer

Supreme Court justices

You would most enjoy debating with...

photographic memory

aesthetic note-taking

can write a 10-page essay in my sleep

What's your academic super power?

create an imaginary planetary system

hold a mock United Nations summit

create a chair from cardboard (no glue allowed)

Pick a class project:

Have you ever wondered if humans will ever terraform Mars or Europa so we could live there without a spacesuit? Have you ever suspected novelists and scriptwriters of creating ridiculous planets that violate scientific laws? Does the fate of our planet's thin biosphere keep you up at night? These are difficult questions, but the Science and Fiction of Planetary Systems will help you develop a deeper understanding of why planets are the way they are. Along the way, you'll see examples of mistakes made in classic science fiction movies, novels and short stories and get the chance to invent your own plausible planets!

ASTR230

The Science and Fiction of Planetary Systems

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Confucius, Mencius, Zhuangzi and other Chinese thinkers who lived more than 2,000 years ago would argue that the contemporary Western emphasis on self-discovery (Find yourself) and self-acceptance has led you astray. See what they have to say and discuss what relevance it has for the modern world as you study how early Chinese thinkers wrestled with questions of existence, morality, and governance. You'll discuss ideas that are both historical and relevant to students' lives. What is "the Way"? How do we cultivate spontaneity? Is there a stable self? How can we be more alive? These are questions important for ancient kings but also for UMD students choosing a major.

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SLLC286

Living the Good Life: Chinese Philosophy in the Modern World

How do designers envision better futures? You will discover answers to that question through active learning in this course. Design in Practice teaches design thinking for innovation and entrepreneurship. By the end of the semester, you will be able to collaborate in diverse teams to identify real world design challenges and apply design thinking to create solutions. While most students in this course do not plan a career in the design professions, this course will help you apply design thinking to become a change agent in your own life and career. Bonus: you might also make an amazing cardboard chair!

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ARCH270

Design in Practice

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