Summer 2024 UF Quest 2 Courses

About UF

UF Quest invites students to consider why the world is the way it is and what they can do about it. Students examine questions that are difficult to answer and hard to ignore in a world that is swiftly changing and becoming increasingly more complex. In UF Quest 2, students draw upon the biological, physical or social and behavioral sciences to explore pressing questions about human societies and/or the planet.

The UF Quest 2 Requirement

Students who enter UF in or after Summer B 2021 are required take one UF Quest 2 course to complete the UF Quest 2 requirement and to satisfy 3 credits of the General Education requirement in the Social and Behavioral Sciences, the Biological Sciences, or the Physical Sciences (see the UF Quest Requirement page for more information). Students must first complete the UF Quest 1 requirement beofre taking a UF Quest 2 course. Some UF Quest 2 courses may also fulfill either the Diversity (D) or the International (N) requirement and/or count toward the Writing requirement. 

UF Quest 2 Courses

Click on the links below to learn more about the individual courses and to access course syllabi, which will be posted at least 3 days before the semester begins. Click the Campus or UF Online button to filter by program or type in the search field to look for a particular subject, topic, instructor, etc.

For the day and periods that the classes meet, please consult the Schedule of Courses.

Course Themes Culture Built Environment Literature Music Society Art Theater Dance
General Education Requirements Diversity International 2000 words 4000 words

Campus

HOS 2333: Fighting Food Waste and Loss (Summer A)
  • Instructor: Tie Liu, Horticultural Sciences
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International 
  • The Pressing Question:
    • What are the connections between food waste and climate change, and how can addressing food waste contribute to broader sustainability efforts?
    • How can we improve the measurement and tracking of food waste and loss at every stage of the supply chain to better understand the scale of the problem and identify areas for improvement?
    • How can we improve public awareness and education about food waste, its environmental impact, and strategies for reducing it?
    • How can emerging technologies, such as data analytics and artificial intelligence, be harnessed to predict and prevent food waste and loss?
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: Biotech Medicine & Agriculture (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Kevin Folta, Horticultural Sciences
  • Format:  100% Classroom
  • Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, 2000 Words
  • The Pressing Question: 

    New technologies in food and medicine are amazing;  why do people oppose them, what information is real and what isn't? 

IDS 2935: Can we design “better” humans?
  • Instructor: Brian Harfe, Biology
  • Format: 100% Online
  •  Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International
  • The Pressing Question: 

    Humans can be created with specific “designer” characteristics, but should we? We will examine the technologies behind how the human genome can be modified and discuss the controversies surrounding these technologies.

IDS 2935: Future Food (Summer A & Summer B)
IDS 2935: Happiness (Summer A)
  • Instructor: Michael Weigold, Advertising
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: Why are Americans less happy now than ever before and what can social science teach us about how to address this problem?
IDS 2935: Siri is My Superpower: Communicating with Artificial Intelligence (Summer B )
  • Instructor: Michael Harmon, Dial Center
  • Format: 100% Online
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: How do we with communicate with AI, as explored through the ideas of who is a communicator, who is a mediator, and what is intelligence?
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: The Next Pandemic (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Gabriela Hamerlinck, Geography
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous 
  •  Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International
  • The Pressing Questions: What social, political, biological, and environmental factors led to historic disease outbreaks? What would happen if our planet experienced a pandemic today? How can we prepare for the next disease pandemic?
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: Why Chemistry Matters (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Gail Fanucci, Chemistry
  • Format:  100% Classroom 
  • Gen Ed: Physical Sciences, International 
  • The Pressing Question:
  • Syllabus
REL 2158: Religion and Social Movements (Summer A)
  • InstructorAnna Peterson, Religion
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Gen Ed: Social Sciences, Diversity, 2000 Words
  • The Pressing Question: 

    How does religion influence movements for social change?

  • Syllabus

Honors

IDS 2935: The Next Pandemic (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Gabriela Hamerlinck, Geography
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous 
  •  Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International
  • The Pressing Questions: What social, political, biological, and environmental factors led to historic disease outbreaks? What would happen if our planet experienced a pandemic today? How can we prepare for the next disease pandemic?
  • Syllabus

UF Online

IDS 2935: Future Food (Summer A & Summer B)
IDS 2935: Happiness (Summer A)
  • Instructor: Michael Weigold, Advertising
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: Why are Americans less happy now than ever before and what can social science teach us about how to address this problem?
IDS 2935: Siri is My Superpower: Communicating with Artificial Intelligence (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Michael Harmon, Dial Center
  • Format: 100% Online
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: How do we with communicate with AI, as explored through the ideas of who is a communicator, who is a mediator, and what is intelligence?
IDS 2935: The Next Pandemic (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Gabriela Hamerlinck, Geography
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous 
  •  Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International
  • The Pressing Questions: What social, political, biological, and environmental factors led to historic disease outbreaks? What would happen if our planet experienced a pandemic today? How can we prepare for the next disease pandemic?
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: Future Food (Summer A & Summer B)
IDS 2935: Future Food (Summer A & Summer B)
REL 2158: Religion and Social Movements (Summer A)
  • InstructorAnna Peterson, Religion
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Gen Ed: Social Sciences, Diversity, 2000 Words
  • The Pressing Question: 

    How does religion influence movements for social change?

  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: Happiness (Summer A)
  • Instructor: Michael Weigold, Advertising
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: Why are Americans less happy now than ever before and what can social science teach us about how to address this problem?
IDS 2935: Why Chemistry Matters (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Gail Fanucci, Chemistry
  • Format:  100% Classroom 
  • Gen Ed: Physical Sciences, International 
  • The Pressing Question:
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: Biotech Medicine & Agriculture (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Kevin Folta, Horticultural Sciences
  • Format:  100% Classroom
  • Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, 2000 Words
  • The Pressing Question: 

    New technologies in food and medicine are amazing;  why do people oppose them, what information is real and what isn't? 

IDS 2935: Siri is My Superpower: Communicating with Artificial Intelligence (Summer B )
  • Instructor: Michael Harmon, Dial Center
  • Format: 100% Online
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: How do we with communicate with AI, as explored through the ideas of who is a communicator, who is a mediator, and what is intelligence?
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: Siri is My Superpower: Communicating with Artificial Intelligence (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Michael Harmon, Dial Center
  • Format: 100% Online
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: How do we with communicate with AI, as explored through the ideas of who is a communicator, who is a mediator, and what is intelligence?
HOS 2333: Fighting Food Waste and Loss (Summer A)
  • Instructor: Tie Liu, Horticultural Sciences
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International 
  • The Pressing Question:
    • What are the connections between food waste and climate change, and how can addressing food waste contribute to broader sustainability efforts?
    • How can we improve the measurement and tracking of food waste and loss at every stage of the supply chain to better understand the scale of the problem and identify areas for improvement?
    • How can we improve public awareness and education about food waste, its environmental impact, and strategies for reducing it?
    • How can emerging technologies, such as data analytics and artificial intelligence, be harnessed to predict and prevent food waste and loss?
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: The Next Pandemic (Summer B)
  • Instructor: Gabriela Hamerlinck, Geography
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous 
  •  Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International
  • The Pressing Questions: What social, political, biological, and environmental factors led to historic disease outbreaks? What would happen if our planet experienced a pandemic today? How can we prepare for the next disease pandemic?
  • Syllabus
IDS 2935: Happiness (Summer A)
  • Instructor: Michael Weigold, Advertising
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  •  Gen Ed: Social & Behavioral Sciences
  • The Pressing Question: Why are Americans less happy now than ever before and what can social science teach us about how to address this problem?
IDS 2935: Can we design “better” humans?
  • Instructor: Brian Harfe, Biology
  • Format: 100% Online
  •  Gen Ed: Biological Sciences, International
  • The Pressing Question: 

    Humans can be created with specific “designer” characteristics, but should we? We will examine the technologies behind how the human genome can be modified and discuss the controversies surrounding these technologies.