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Wright Questions General Education Program
The College of Liberal Arts is excited to offer a new Wright Questions program through the Wright State Core. We are starting with one question designed for (but not limited to) those interested in health care professions. Soon, we will offer four questions, each centered on different "Wright Questions," each which serves as a through line across a set of five Core courses. Students completing one of these programs of study will have met many of their Core requirements and will earn a Certificate in Applied Humanities.
Starting in Fall 2025 and running through Fall 2026, students are invited to enroll in the pilot question, which centers on the Wright Question, "What Is a Healthy and Good Life?" The Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore sano” means “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” But what does it mean to be healthy? To obtain good health, do we consider our brains or our bodies first? Or are the two overlapping and interconnected? And can we be healthy if the world we live in is not healthy? How are purpose and meaning related to health and happiness? What are the relative values of strength, excitement, and change to security and stability? Why do people sometimes do dangerous things?
Three other Wright Questions are to follow, starting in Fall 2026, focused on Wright Questions relating to violence, machines, and the environment. Each will satisfy students' Core requirements in English, History, Arts and Humanities, and one social science (as well as their Global Inquiry, Inclusive Excellence, and Integrated Writing requirements).
Wright Question #1: What Is a Healthy and Good Life?
The following courses together form the pathway and seek to answer the question, "What Is a Healthy and Good Life?"
Fall 2025
ENG 1100: Academic Writing and Reading/Focus on Health
Section 30, MWF 1:25–2:20 p.m.
Instructor: Christine Junker
ML 2300: World Narratives of Trauma and Forgiveness
Section 1, MWF 2:30–3:25 p.m.
Instructor: Kirsten Halling
Spring 2026
HST 1200: The West and the World Since 1500/Focus on Health
Section 1, TR 12:30–1:50 p.m.
Instructor: Awad Halabi
COM 2620: Culture, Health, and Healing
Section 1, TR 2:00–3:20 p.m.
Instructor: Marie Thompson
Fall 2026
ENG 2100: Research Writing and Argumentation/Focus on Health
Section and time TBA
Instructor: Barry Milligan
The professors leading students on this pathway are all award-winning teachers collaborating to create a learning community for each cohort. Only 24 students will set off on the pathway. These students will get all the benefits of small class size and built-in community, as they will take six classes together over three semesters---all focusing on a Wright Question.
Class size is limited, so reserve your seats for Fall 2025 now!
The Four Central Themes of “The Wright Questions”
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Wright Question #1: What Is a Healthy and Good Life?
The Latin phrase “Mens sana in corpore sano” means “a healthy mind in a healthy body.” But what does it mean to be healthy? Are we really minds that inhabit bodies, or are the two interconnected? Can we be healthy if the world we live in is not healthy? How do purpose and meaning relate to health and happiness? What are the relative values of strength, excitement, and change compared to security and stability? Why do people sometimes engage in dangerous activities?
2
Wright Question #2: Can Humans Live in Harmony with Nature?
Human beings share the planet with millions of other species, as well as with one another. Our decisions locally affect living and non-living entities globally. Since we are interdependent with our environment and human neighbors, we must find ways to live peacefully together, avoid exploitation, and coexist with nature. This pathway pairs issues of environmental sustainability with questions of intercultural understanding and global cooperation.
3
Wright Question #3: Are Humans Different from Machines?
How are humans different from machines and animals? How are they the same? Various cultural and thought traditions attribute qualities to human beings that make them unique, such as being made in the image of God, having souls, using language, and exercising reason. How do these ideas hold up in light of developments like Artificial Intelligence and animal rights? Can there be life without physical bodies? How do notions of humanity intersect with race, gender, class, and sexuality?
4
Wright Question #4: What Explains War, Violence, and Injustice—and What Can Stop It?
Analyzing historical and contemporary conflicts and problem-solving, should we accept war as an inevitable aspect of the human condition, or is it possible to imagine a world beyond war? Is there ever a justification for war? If wars must be conducted, is there an ethical way to do so? What is the relationship between violence and injustice? How can we effect meaningful change with non-violent practices? Will violence disappear in a perfectly just society?
While some of the Wright Questions will appeal more to students in specific majors, we believe all of them are relevant and have the potential to spark interest across a broad and diverse student population at Wright State. Upon entering Wright State, all students will have the opportunity to select a general education pathway that aligns with their professional interests and enhances competencies in areas highly valued by employers, including complex analysis, critical thinking, oral and written communication, persuasion, ability to evaluate context and contingency, and understanding and respect for diversity of experience, perspectives, and values.
