The SWS (Speaking and Writing Seminar) courses are designed to prepare students for the writing, speaking, reading, and listening skills necessary for college-level work. Students take SWS 105 in their first year and typically take SWS 205 in their second year.
SWS 202 is designed specifically for transfer students.
SWS 105 Sections for Fall 2026
SWS 105 Sections for Spring 2027 (subject to change)
SWS 202 Sections for Fall 2026
SWS 205 Sections for Fall 2026
SWS 205 Sections for Spring 2027 (subject to change)
SWS 105 Sections for Fall 2026
SWS 105 01, Community and Community Building
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Walton
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In this class, students will investigate what it truly means to belong to a community and the process of creating one’s own community. Using various forms of written and oral texts such as short stories, op-eds, podcasts, and movies, students will unearth the benefits (and dangers) of groups centered around community. Topics may include ethnic community groups, organized religion, sport fans, and cults. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 02, People Have Opinions About Tennis
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Kambhu
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By reading op-eds, narrative essays, player memoirs, match reports, and academic articles and by listening to podcasts, match commentary, and YouTube videos, students will explore the sport of tennis through multiple lenses. Students will write and speak about how this global sport shapes and reflects cultural values, personal identities, and human relationships. Students will also analyze how various communication genres advocate particular perspectives on topics such as performance pressure, sportsmanship, and gender/race/class dynamics. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 03, Bringing Nature Home
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Coenen
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By reading social media posts, op-eds, essays, reports, academic journal articles, poems, and short stories, and by listening to podcasts and presentations, students will consider how green spaces like gardens, yards, and parks have been portrayed over time, how they reflect values of communities, how they affect plant and animal diversity, and what role they might play in the climate crisis. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 04, Molecules on the Menu
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Kueffer
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. We will examine the science and culture behind food and explore the history of various ingredients and cooking techniques. Students may read scholarly articles, popular culture articles, book passages, recipes, listen to podcasts, and watch short videos and documentary excerpts as we uncover the general science, culture, and history behind cooking and baking processes. Students will also reflect on their own experience with cooking and baking. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 05, Celebrations in a Digital Age
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Jumadinova
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will examine celebrations as cultural, civic, and technological practices that communicate values, identity, and belonging across societies. They will analyze how digital technologies such as social media, websites, and emerging AI tools shape the creation, circulation, and interpretation of celebrations in contemporary life. Through engagement with essays, articles, podcasts, videos, and digital artifacts, students will consider how audience, purpose, and platform influence celebratory messages and experiences. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 06, A Different World
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Moore Roberson
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will be introduced to college life through the perspectives of people of color in television, film, YouTube clips, narrative essays, book chapters, short stories, podcasts, and TedEx talks. The course will ask students to participate in various forms of self-reflection while we consider how our own identities inform our views of the complete college experience. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis driven written and spoken texts.
This section is by invitation only.
SWS 105 07, Chinese Environment: History, Present, & Politics
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Wu
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By reading written genres including academic journal articles, government materials, and NGO newsletters, and listening to interviews and presentations, students write and speak about how environmental protection and environmental politics evolve involve in contemporary China, how the government, NGOs, and concerned individuals perceive the environmental issues differently, and how China as a developing country addresses the conflict between economic development and “ecological civilization” by making various laws and policies. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 08, The Hero’s Journey in Film
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Dolan
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Through the exploration of different genres of written and oral communication, students will explore the concept and examples of the Hero’s Journey (monomyth) in film. Genres may include: newspaper and popular magazine articles, YouTube videos, podcasts, films, and analytical essays. Students will learn the template of the monomyth and apply it to films. They will interpret the ideas of others and form their own through reading and listening, then express those ideas in thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 09, Science in Victorian Society
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Petasis
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By reading novels, short stories, textbook chapters, essays and academic papers, and also watching dramatizations of literary works, students will learn how the Victorians lived and what they thought about science. Through writing and speaking assignments, the students will explore how the unprecedented scientific discoveries of the 19th century impacted Victorian society and continue to influence our lives today. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 10, Just children? How kids learn about politics and why it matters
Abbreviated Title: Just children?
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Williams
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will read op-eds, blogs, personal essays, children’s literature, academic journal articles, and listen to podcasts, news reports, and roundtable discussions to understand where and how children begin to learn about politics. They will write and speak about how we develop our political values and our understanding of what politics is. Students will read about how children’s exposure to politics differs based on their social position (race, gender, sexual orientation, social/economic class) and provide written reflections about their own experiences. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105, 11, A Revolution in Mental Health Treatment?
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Frambes
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students will read academic journal articles, government reports, narratives, and opinion pieces, as well as explore podcasts and documentaries to better understand the postulated medical benefits and potential dangers of drugs of abuse such as cannabis, LSD, “magic” mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs. Students will acquire understanding of the subject matter through reading and listening to the work of others, enabling them to develop their own thoughts and apply them in developing thesis-driven written and spoken texts. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 12, Finding Purpose through Storytelling
Abbreviated Title: Finding Purpose
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Lewis
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. While building their communication skills, students will learn to make meaning of their experiences, find purpose in their current and future endeavors, and develop the ability to continue to create their story throughout life. Students will examine the search for meaning and purpose by exploring how these ideas have been defined by others through fictional and non-fictional storytelling. Students will also develop and express their own sense of meaning and purpose by drawing on their experiences and the ideas of others. The use of reading and listening to interpret
ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 13, Narrating Your Way Through Nature: Environmental Storytelling
Abbreviated Title: Environmental Storytelling
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Ludewig
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students consider the topic of environmental storytelling: Why do we tell stories, in general? And specifically, what role can storytelling play in making environmental reporting, education, and advocacy more impactful? Engaging with different formats, for example, op eds, TED talks, podcasts, comics, and non-fiction writing, students appraise how storytelling varies across media, rhetorical goals, and audiences. Students then craft their own econarratives to put their learning into practice. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 14, Who Do You Follow?
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Riess
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students engage with contemporary articles, audiovisual and social media to understand why people follow some humans, ideas, or beliefs, and not others. Students write about popular figures, institutions or trends while developing the skills to reason their own choices of the paths and people to follow in the future. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105 15, Musicals Adapted From Stage to Film
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Chan
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The translation of a staged musical work into film presents a challenge for filmmakers bold enough to try. Through op-eds, blogs, narrative essays, reports, academic journal articles, short stories, podcasts, YouTube commentaries, and watching popular films, students will write and speak about how this shift in medium both strengthens and weakens the communicative impacts of the original staged musical production. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts
SWS 105 Sections for Spring 2027 (subject to change)
SWS 105, “I don’t do drugs, I am drugs”: Drugs, Culture, and Creativity
Abbreviated Title: Drugs, Culture, and Creativity
Professor Bertholomey
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students use various types of media on the topic of drugs, culture, and creativity to inform both formal and informal written work and oral presentations. By engaging with scholarly readings on cultural, legal, and psychological effects of recreational drugs, and historical and personal accounts of drug use among artists, students contextualize the relationship between drugs and creative output in modern society using diverse approaches. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105, Writing Travel, Representing Others
Professor Bryan
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Through travel writing and travel media, students examine how people describe places, cultures, and others beyond their own communities. By reading travel narratives and engaging with documentaries, television shows, podcasts, historical travel writing, and other media, students explore how history, culture, and social context shape representation. The course considers how travel stories can reinforce stereotypes, challenge assumptions, or create new forms of understanding, with attention to perspective, responsibility, and ethical representation. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105, Disney “Magic”: Race, Gender, and Religion in the World of Disney
Abbreviated Title: Disney “Magic”Professor Krone
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students read academic journal articles, newspaper articles, listen to podcasts, and watch Disney films to consider the ways that Disney engages and depicts race, gender, and religion. Students write and speak about how Disney films reflect the societies that produced and consumed these products. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105, Finding Joy
Professor Leech
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Students investigate various aspects of joy. Through engagement with various written and spoken genres and their own observations, students examine how philosophers and psychologists understand joy, explore ways in which it is experienced in diverse cultures, reflect on how it is expressed through different disciplines, and consider how it is sustained through everyday life, as well as in times of struggle or transition. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105, TBA
Professor Navarro Sanchez
SWS 105, The Scary World of Online Health Messages
Abbreviated Title: Online Health Messages
Professor Silva
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Health messages are everywhere–on our social media, on the news, in our songs, films, and television shows–but how can we know which messages to trust or who is a credible source of health information? Students will analyze a wide variety of texts talking about health and wellness and think about how they contribute to our cultural understandings and practices of health. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 105, Chinese Environment: History, Present, & Politics
Professor Wu
An exploration of four communication competencies: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. By reading written genres including academic journal articles, government materials, and NGO newsletters, and listening to interviews and presentations, students write and speak about how environmental protection and environmental politics evolve involve in contemporary China, how the government, NGOs, and concerned individuals perceive the environmental issues differently, and how China as a developing country addresses the conflict between economic development and “ecological civilization” by making various laws and policies. The use of reading and listening to interpret ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 202 Sections for Fall 2026
SWS 202 B1, Telling Stories
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Wiebel
An exploration of oral communication competencies In this course, we will think about stories, listen to stories, and tell stories. We will explore norms of storytelling across a variety of genres and think critically about the practice of spoken storytelling. Through exploring the craft of storytelling, we will enrich our understanding of what makes a good story, what it means to be a good storyteller, and how we listen to stories. The use of reading and listening to interpret the ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven spoken texts.
SWS 202 Sections for Spring 2027
SWS 202, Telling Stories
Professor Wiebel
An exploration of oral communication competencies In this course, we will think about stories, listen to stories, and tell stories. We will explore norms of storytelling across a variety of genres and think critically about the practice of spoken storytelling. Through exploring the craft of storytelling, we will enrich our understanding of what makes a good story, what it means to be a good storyteller, and how we listen to stories. The use of reading and listening to interpret the ideas of others and form one’s own ideas will be applied toward thesis-driven spoken texts.
SWS 205 Sections for Fall 2026
SWS 205 01, You Are Here
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Ferrence
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. We’re all from somewhere, and now we’re all here. Our locations — lived and otherwise — mean quite a bit about how we form relationships to ourselves and others, how our values manifest in our daily lives, and how we come to understand what “here” even means. Students will research and consider the various ways their personal locations and migrations intersect with broader cultural concepts of locality, history, and self. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205 02, Fraud in Business
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Waugh
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Occupational fraud costs businesses on average 5% of their annual revenue or more than $5 trillion worldwide. Students will explore current fraud events, fraudsters and the agencies and organizations that expose and prosecute fraud actors. Using scholarly articles, documentaries, first person accounts and multiple media accounts, students will research fraud by exploring fraud shape theories; whistleblower theories and the impact of internal controls as deterrents to occupational fraud. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205 03, Ecology, Performance, and Justice
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Mehler
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. The ecodrama movement uses theatrical performance to create ecological awareness and to model environmental justice for its audiences. Students engage with critical and creative works at the intersections of storytelling and science to explore the physical and social impacts of a changing climate. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205 04, Fiber to Fabric
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Griffin
An exploration of research-informed communication (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). Fabric is ubiquitous in our daily lives. But for thousands of years fabric was a limited resource, that took vast amounts of time, labor, and resources to produce. The transformation of fiber to usable textiles has driven economics, human-environment interactions, and technological change. Students will research and consider the ways their personal use of fiber, thread, yarn, or fabric intersects with broader themes of consumption, environmental impact, and technological innovations. Students engage with ideas by reading and listening to academic sources and build on those ideas by producing thesis-driven written and spoken texts.
SWS 205 05, Psych of Stress
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Blair
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Stress impacts everyone on a daily basis, influencing the way we think, feel, behave, and function. Here, students will explore how stress impacts physiological and psychological systems. As part of their exploration, students will select an area of interest and explore the role of stress and its influence. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205 06, What’s In Your Mug?
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Waggett
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Energy drinks, coffee, cocoa, protein shakes, smoothies, soda… these are beverages we drink everyday. Have you ever thought about where they come from, how they are made and marketed, or the effects they might have on your body or on the communities where ingredients are grown or drinks are processed? Students will speak and write about their favorite breakfast drinks, exploring the history, sourcing, marketing, and health impacts using a range of sources from historical archives to videos and social media. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205 07, 21 St Century Global Migrations
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Hernandez
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Approximately 4 % of the world population are international migrants. In this seminar, participants study a series of significant case studies from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. We analyze a diverse array of written materials (newspaper stories, testimonials, fiction, etc.) and watch documentaries and feature films depicting the migrant experience around the world to complement the course readings. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205 Sections for Spring 2027 (subject to change)
SWS 205, TBA
Professor Allums
SWS 205, True Crime Stories
Professor Bailey
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. This course investigates the production, circulation, and consumption of true crime narratives in a variety of media like film, television, podcasts, online forums, and social media. By reading, watching, and listening both to true crime stories themselves and to popular and academic sources, students consider the genre’s historical development and its current popularity. They conduct an in-depth research project into how these stories represent crime, criminality, and law enforcement and how they thereby shape cultural notions of justice and morality. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, Mathematics in Fiction
Professor Carswell
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Through an examination of some of the ways in which mathematics of all levels and specialties–including cryptography, game theory, chaos theory, and more–continues to be present in popular culture, students critically engage in discussion of the representations of mathematics in works of fiction in a variety of media, including films, plays, short stories, cartoons, and music. The extent to which mathematics is faithfully portrayed in fiction, either as obvious elements of a story or as principles subtly manifested in plot, is studied and critiqued, as is the use of mathematics as a vehicle to tell stories about the human condition. Through this process, students develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, Crime and Chemistry
Professor Chapp
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. From sarin, to cyanide, to stanozolol, small molecules have been implicated in terrorist attacks, true crime stories, and sports doping scandals. Students will explore crimes that involve a significant scientific component and examine them from a variety of different perspectives. Evaluation of case studies that appear early in the course will inform the development of independent in-depth research project related to the course topic. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205 09, K-Pop in the Zeitgeist
MW 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Chan
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. K-Pop represents the first major genre of East Asian popular music to establish a significant mainstream following within the perceived “Western Hemisphere.” The exploration of historical artifacts found in audio recordings, film, music videos, interviews, critic reviews will be used as primary sources to understand K-Pop’s origins and appeal. Students will conduct in-depth research to theorize how K-Pop has evolved over time to accommodate its globalization. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, Consumption: Meat, Products, and Politics
Professor Devries
This course provides an integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Consumption is a core part of everyday life. What we consume, how we consume, whether we consume, or if we will be consumed are questions that haunt media and cultural narratives, social development, and economics. Questions of consumption also determine the flourishing or exploitation of global societies. Students will develop evidence-based speculations about the ways we consume, and will produce a research paper and poster proposing ideas for how we might make processes of consumption—whether of food, products, labor, or media—healthier and more equitable. Students will also develop an understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, You Are Here
Professor Ferrence
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. We’re all from somewhere, and now we’re all here. Our locations — lived and otherwise — mean quite a bit about how we form relationships to ourselves and others, how our values manifest in our daily lives, and how we come to understand what “here” even means. Students will research and consider the various ways their personal locations and migrations intersect with broader cultural concepts of locality, history, and self. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, 21 St Century Global Migrations
TTH 11:00 AM 12:15 PM
Professor Hernandez
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Approximately 4 % of the world population are international migrants. In this seminar, participants study a series of significant case studies from Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. We analyze a diverse array of written materials (newspaper stories, testimonials, fiction, etc.) and watch documentaries and feature films depicting the migrant experience around the world to complement the course readings. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, TBA
Professor Herrman
SWS 205, TBA
Professor Kapfhammer
SWS 205, Terrorism
Professor Kirschner
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Terrorism has profoundly affected modern life. Students will explore how popular discourse and scholars from a range of disciplines (such as history, sociology, psychology, political science, and economics) analyze dynamics of terrorism and policy responses to it, while conducting an in-depth research project on a question related to the topic. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, Emerging Genetic Technologies: Promise and Peril
Abbreviated Title: Emerging Genetic Technologies
Professor Nelson
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Little more than a century since the word “gene” was coined to describe the basic unit of genetic inheritance, techniques such as CRISPR raise the possibility of reshaping the genomes of a wide range of organisms with unprecedented ease and precision. What about these technologies worries scientists and/or members of the general public? What cautionary tales does history reveal? Who should make decisions about the funding, implementation, and regulation of biotechnology? Drawing on scholarly books, essays, and articles, as well as documentary film and media resources, students will explore the scientific, historical, and ethical dimensions of emerging genetic technologies, culminating in an in-depth research project focused on a biotechnology of their choice. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, TBA
Professor Niblock
SWS 205, Dictators and Dictatorships
Professor Pinnow
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. The rise in authoritarian regimes and mindsets around the globe has raised concerns about the fate of democracy. Students will critically examine this development as part of an in-depth research project. The historical, cultural, political, and psychological dimensions of dictatorships are among the topics examined to understand their origins and appeal. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.
SWS 205, Whodunits: Solving Mysteries
Professor Poynor
An integration of communication competencies into research-informed learning, building on the skills developed in SWS 105. Students explore how mysteries are solved in popular media (including written stories, television shows and podcasts) and use this as a starting place to determine how mysteries are solved and questions answered in academic contexts. As part of their exploration, students will pursue an in-depth project on a related topic of interest— such as a famous historical or modern crime, an unexplained phenomenon, or other question. Students will develop an early understanding of the role of writing, speaking, reading, and listening in the interpretation and production of research-informed texts.