Complex Questions: Global Challenges & Social Justice

Complex Questions: Global Challenges & Social Justice

Word cloud in the shape of the Nott Memorial. Includes the words: democracy, human rights, digital inequality, gender equality, big data, social justice, cyber security, artificial intelligence, aging, human rights, climate change, poverty, genetic engineering, health, migration, pollution, equity, energy, water scarcity.

Today, we face increasingly complicated, urgent problems. These issues don't have straightforward histories or simple solutions -- and they often intersect. To take effective action, we need to understand them from multiple disciplinary and social perspectives.

Unlike typical general education systems that focus mainly on distribution, Union’s Complex Questions (CQ) curriculum groups courses into two Areas of Inquiry. One is Justice, Equity, Identity, and Difference, and the other is Global Challenges. This architecture helps you develop a wide range of academic skills while exploring connections between disciplines.

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Learn more about the CQ Curriculum

The Curriculum

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Featured Courses

Approved Courses


Judith Lewin - Director of General Education
Sara Garrand - Program Administration

(518) 388-6056
education@union.edu


Number of Course Requirements

Entering, Class Year# of Perspectives# of Areas of Inquiry
Entering fall 2022, Class of 202662
Entering fall 2023, Class of 202762
Entering fall 2024, Class of 202872
Entering fall 2025, Class of 202982