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University of Florida

FALL 2025 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/or 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 before taking a UF Quest 2 course. Some UF Quest 2 courses may also fulfill 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.

CAMPUS HONORS UF ONLINE

CAMPUS

  • Instructor: Jared Gars, Food and Resource Economics 
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • The Pressing Question: How can agricultural and environmental policy be used to address emerging food security and environmental threats around the world? 
  • Instructor: Xumin Zhang, Food and Resource Economics
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: What is poverty, and how can we eradicate it by synergizing economics, human capital, the environment, and human well-being? 
  • Instructor: Jennifer Clark, Food & Resource Economics
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can we create more circular (recycle, reuse & repurpose) food systems and evaluate the benefits and costs to society from our decisions to use scarce resources sustainably?”
  • Instructor: Lijun Chen, Food & Resource Economics
  • Format: 100% Classroom 
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Questions: 
    • How are shifting global economies reshaping the food systems and consumption patterns of today?
    • What internal and external factors are driving consumers’ food choices in response to global challenges?
    • In a world where some societies struggle with obesity while others face starvation, how can economic policies address the imbalance of food and nutrition insecurity?
    • How are emerging technologies poised to revolutionize the food system and promote equitable and sustainable consumption, and how do consumers respond?
  • Instructor: Misti Sharp, Food and Resource Economics
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How might we reconnect the world with agriculture and food systems through Agritourism?
  • Instructor: Jeremy Bailey, Allen Guelzo, Hamilton School
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Instructor: Anna Gardner, Applied Physiology & Kinesiology
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Questions: If exercise is medicine, why is our society plagued by inactivity and its associated negative health consequences? What entities do or should play a role in promoting an active lifestyle among Americans? What should this role be?
  • Instructor: Naibi Marinas, Astronomy
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: What is life, what are the conditions necessary for life, and where can we find those conditions in the universe?
  • Instructor: Elizabeth Lada, Astronomy
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: How do the disciplines of art and science converge in astrophotography to help us explore and express our relationship with the cosmos? 
  • Instructor: Paul Sell, Astronomy
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can different people view the same evidence yet form or retain different conclusions?
  • Instructor: Maria Watson, Construction Management
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: What is the relationship between society, the built environment, and the natural environment, and what does it mean to develop in a sustainable way?
  • Instructor: Brian Harfe, Biology
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • 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.
  • Instructor: Melissa Meadows, Biology
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: How do we impact our oceans, and how do they in turn impact us?
  • Instructor: Won-Ki Moon, Advertising
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: How can experts/scientists apply AI-powered services/programs in communicating (social) scientific problems for the public?
  • Instructor: Laura Acosta, Zhiyong Cheng, Diana Taft, Food Science & Human Nutrition
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: How can diet make identical twins so different, and what about unalike people?
  • Instructor:  Nigel Newbutt, Teaching and Learning
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How and why can technology be used, designed and applied to benefit people with disabilities? What are the ethical and moral implications for designing technology for disabled groups without their input and guidance? What are the dilemmas facing disabled groups and why should technologies be used? 
  • Instructor:  Agata Kowalewska, European Studies
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Period
  • The Pressing Question: Can Europeans sustain traditional food culture, competitive levels of food production, and improve population health while achieving the goals of Agenda 2023 and the European Green Deal?

     

  • Instructor: Tenisha Riley, Family, Youth and Community Sciences
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Instructor: Katherine Serafin, Geography 
  • Format: 100% Classroom 
  • The Pressing Question: How can humanity adapt to sea level rise?
  • Instructor: Angela Bacsik, University Writing Program
  • Format: 100% Classroom 
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: Whose interests are served by privacy protection and whose interests are served by surveillance? How does ubiquitous data collection and use create challenges for individuals and for social structures? What kinds of limitations might be needed and why?
  • Instructor: ​Anita Anantharam, Religion
  • Format: 100% Online
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: Is it possible to lead without compromising your values? Is an authentic leadership style which emphasizes cardinal virtues (prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude, etc.) profitable for business or is it better suited for social justice movements and non-profit contexts? How can we discern which leadership style has worked best for what contexts – and why is authentic leadership important now? 
  • Instructor: Sharon Austin, Political Science
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: 

    "What can we do to address societal issues?"  Namely, "How have filmmakers and educators used the horror genre of filmmaking to protest racism and promote social justice ideals?"

  • Instructor: Jose Reyes-De-Corcuera, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can each of us contribute to the effective deployment of practical technologies to improve the livelihood of people involved in food (cacao) production and that we may never directly interact with?
  • Instructor: Amy Martinelli, Dial Center
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can everyday people use effective communication to better understand and engage with civic life?

     

  • Instructor: Stephen Mulkey, Biology
  • Format:  100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can you and your community respond to climate change over the coming decades?
  • Instructor: Michael Harmon, Dial Center for Written and Oral Communication
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can we generate more empathy through social media interactions?
  • Instructor: Anita Marshall, Geological Sciences
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How do science, culture and society impact the way we understand, prepare for and respond to natural disasters?
  • Instructor: Kevin Jones, Anthropology
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How do materials influence society and how does society in turn shape how we use materials?
  • Instructor:  Meg Weeks
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How do we take care of ourselves and one another on the planet now?
  • Instructor: Sarah Bush, AG Education & Communication
  • Format: Hybrid
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: Can big data save the world?
  • Instructor: Esther Mullens, Geography
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How is climate change affecting the people and places within the diverse geographies of the United States?
  • Instructor: Justin Callaham, Animal Sciences
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How such things work? Should we permit such things? Do we want to support such efforts? How far are we willing to let the research take us? What policy and ethical guardrails should guide future developments in reproductive science? And, how does a foundational knowledge of applied reproduction influence one’s own analysis of modern hot button issues?
  • Instructor: William Whitham, Hamilton School
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: What is political violence? Why can defining “terrorism” be so difficult and morally charged? What sort of person becomes a terrorist and why? How do terrorists maintain organizations, exploit media attention, and (in some cases) come to power? How can societies and states prevent political violence?
  • Instructor: Neil Rogachevsky, Hamilton School
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: What is constitutional government? When can a state be called constitutional? Does a state require a formal written constitution to be constitutional? What are the political, legal, and moral factors required for constitutional government, and how might these differ across space and time?
  • Instructor: Stephen Buono, Charlie Laderman, Andrew Mictha, Hamilton School
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Instructor: Kelsi & Keri Matwick, Journalism
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • The Pressing Question: What do we eat, and how can we eat for a more sustainable future

     

  • Instructor:  Caroline Wiltshire, Linguistics
  • Format: 100% Classroom 
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: What is Linguistic Prejudice and what can we do to mitigate it?
  • Instructor: Jennifer Drew, Microbiology and Cell Science
  • Format:  100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: What insights can genetics provide us about ourselves? How do we navigate the study and analysis of our personal genome data? How can common genetic variations inform decisions related to disease risk, lifestyles, and behaviors?
  • Instructor: Monika Oli, Microbiology and Cell Science
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: Why is it important to embrace global microbial literacy for your own health and the health of our planet?
  • Instructor: Gregory Stewart, Physics
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question:  How will we meet our energy needs based on available resources in a way that is environmentally friendly, economically viable, fair, and politically attainable?
  • Instructor: Human Development and Organizational Studies
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: What if there was no stigma related to mental health problems in the U.S.? How would our lived experiences be changed and what outcomes would improve? 
  • Instructor:  Antonio Sajid Lopez Mendez, Spanish and Portuguese Studies
  • Format: Hybrid
  • The Pressing Questions: 
    • How do shared fictions shape the political and socioeconomic associations of ethnic groups in regions dominated by Hispanic elites?
    • In what ways do stereotypes and prejudices become embedded in popular culture, and how do they justify the exclusion of certain individuals or groups?
    • How do fictions portray, embed, or question stereotypes, and what impact does this have on societal norms and behaviors?
    • What are the implications of these shared fictions for democracy, citizenship rights, human rights, corruption, and violence in Latin America?How can a critical examination of fictions and social behaviors lead to personal reflection, cultural and political analysis, and the development of ideas to combat stereotypes and foster inclusive societies?
  • Instructor: Emilio Bruna, Wildlife Ecology
  • Format: 100% Classroom

HONORS

  • Instructor: Benjamin Hebblethwaite, Languages, Literatures and Cultures
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • The Pressing Question: Where do the languages we use come from? How do languages change and evolve through time? How can we use historical linguistics and artificial intelligence to understand changes in the vocabulary, semantics, phonology, morphology, and syntax of languages?
  • Instructor: Lawrence Winner, Statistics
  • Format: 100% Classroom
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can we measure and describe climate change based on available empirical data?

UF ONLINE

  • Instructor: Jared Gars, Food and Resource Economics 
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • The Pressing Question: How can agricultural and environmental policy be used to address emerging food security and environmental threats around the world? 
  • Instructor: Brian Harfe, Biology
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • 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.
  • Instructor: ​Anita Anantharam, Religion
  • Format: 100% Online
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: Is it possible to lead without compromising your values? Is an authentic leadership style which emphasizes cardinal virtues (prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude, etc.) profitable for business or is it better suited for social justice movements and non-profit contexts? How can we discern which leadership style has worked best for what contexts – and why is authentic leadership important now? 
  • Instructor: Sharon Austin, Political Science
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: "What can we do to address societal issues?"  Namely, "How have filmmakers and educators used the horror genre of filmmaking to protest racism and promote social justice ideals?" 

     

  • Instructor: Stephen Mulkey, Biology
  • Format:  100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: How can yo and your community respond to climate change over the coming decades?
  • Instructor: Kelsi & Keri Matwick, Journalism
  • Format: 100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: What do we eat, and how can we eat for a more sustainable future?
  • Instructor: Jennifer Drew, Microbiology and Cell Science
  • Format:  100% Online, Asynchronous
  • Class Periods
  • The Pressing Question: What insights can genetics provide us about ourselves? How do we navigate the study and analysis of our personal genome data? How can common genetic variations inform decisions related to disease risk, lifestyles, and behaviors?