UCOR Section Descriptions

Browse UCOR section descriptions and explore Seattle University's academic writing seminars, course offerings, and faculty for upcoming terms.

UCOR 1800-05 Health and Disease (SUCCESS)

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Bourns, Brenda

Term:

Fall

Year:

2024

Module:

Module I

Course Description

Should I change the way I eat and exercise or is everything pre-determined by the genes I was dealt so why bother? Daily we are bombarded by a myriad of “facts” attempting to convince us which product to purchase or which diet to follow. The scientific process will give you powerful a tool to assess evidence and critically evaluate it to inform your opinion on a topic.

UCOR 1800-06 A Sound Ecosystem

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Lee, Se-Yeun

Term:

Winter

Year:

2025

Module:

Module I

Course Description

What threatens the health of the Puget Sound ecosystem? This course will focus on the ecosystem of the Puget Sound, the pollutants that can be found there, where they are coming from and how we can prevent them. Students will do their own investigations on effects specific chemical are having on animal health and how rain gardens and river repair programs can prevent pollution from reaching the Sound.

UCOR 1800-06 Taking Flight: Avian Biology

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Hartley, Rebecca

Term:

Spring

Year:

2025

Module:

Module I

Course Description

This course focuses on one group of animals, the birds. Descended from dinosaurs, bird species have evolved to survive and reproduce in their natural environment and each displays numerous biological adaptations in anatomy, physiology, and behavior. Lectures will cover many aspects of bird biology and behavior and labs will give students hands-on experience with birds and their unique features and will include time on campus becoming familiar with local species.

UCOR 1800-07 A Sound Ecosystem

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Lee, Se-Yeun

Term:

Winter

Year:

2025

Module:

Module I

Course Description

What threatens the health of the Puget Sound ecosystem? This course will focus on the ecosystem of the Puget Sound, the pollutants that can be found there, where they are coming from and how we can prevent them. Students will do their own investigations on effects specific chemical are having on animal health and how rain gardens and river repair programs can prevent pollution from reaching the Sound.

UCOR 1800-07 Environmental Skeptic

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Pool, Thomas

Term:

Fall

Year:

2024

Module:

Module I

Course Description

Environmental sustainability gives us an extraordinarily relevant avenue to investigate the question: how do we know what we know about the natural world? We will explore the fundamental biology behind sustainability to better make informed choices about how to live in our only ecosystem, the earth. In lab, we will learn 'hands on' by exploring a question of personal interest using the methods of science as well as visiting environmental sustainability related locales.

UCOR 1800-07 Taking Flight: Avian Biology

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Hartley, Rebecca

Term:

Spring

Year:

2025

Module:

Module I

Course Description

This course focuses on one group of animals, the birds. Descended from dinosaurs, bird species have evolved to survive and reproduce in their natural environment and each displays numerous biological adaptations in anatomy, physiology, and behavior. Lectures will cover many aspects of bird biology and behavior and labs will give students hands-on experience with birds and their unique features and will include time on campus becoming familiar with local species.

UCOR 1800-08 Environmental Skeptic

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Pool, Thomas

Term:

Fall

Year:

2024

Module:

Module I

Course Description

Environmental sustainability gives us an extraordinarily relevant avenue to investigate the question: how do we know what we know about the natural world? We will explore the fundamental biology behind sustainability to better make informed choices about how to live in our only ecosystem, the earth. In lab, we will learn 'hands on' by exploring a question of personal interest using the methods of science as well as visiting environmental sustainability related locales.

UCOR 1800-08 Solar Systems: Ours and Others

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Hughes Clark, Joanne

Term:

Spring

Year:

2025

Module:

Module I

Course Description

The nature, formation, and evolution of our Solar System and other planetary systems, and how we learn those, through scientific inquiry. Background physics will be introduced and explored in laboratory exercises and independent observational and computational work. Discussions of the methods, costs, and gains from robotic space exploration, leading up to the search for planets and life elsewhere in the Solar System and the Galaxy.

UCOR 1800-09 Mountains to Sound

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Gualtieri, Lyn

Term:

Spring

Year:

2025

Module:

Module I

Course Description

The overarching questions this seminar will address are "How does the geology along 1-90 in Washington state change and what accounts for the geologic differences east and west of the Cascade Mountains?" You will design your own research questions, conduct your own geologic fieldwork, collect your own data and learn how to apply the scientific method in a geologic setting. You will participate in fieldtrips to geologically significant locations both east and west of the Cascade Mountains.

UCOR 1800-10 Mountains to Sound

Course Type:

UCOR 1800 Inquiry Seminar in the Natural Sciences

Faculty:

Gualtieri, Lyn

Term:

Spring

Year:

2025

Module:

Module I

Course Description

The overarching questions this seminar will address are "How does the geology along 1-90 in Washington state change and what accounts for the geologic differences east and west of the Cascade Mountains?" You will design your own research questions, conduct your own geologic fieldwork, collect your own data and learn how to apply the scientific method in a geologic setting. You will participate in fieldtrips to geologically significant locations both east and west of the Cascade Mountains.