Honors Courses Spring 2013

Honors Courses Spring 2013 THREE SPECIAL HONORS TRAVEL COURSES! -I. JANUARY TERM: ART COLLOQUIUM IN NEW YORK (ASAG 3350) Prof. Philip Van Keuren Intensive analysis, discussion, and writing concerning works of art in museum collections and gallery exhibitions, and in alternative exhibition spaces. The class topics studied will deal with the philosophical as well as the practical in order to define and understand the nature of the art that our society produces and values. The colloquium will meet in New York City for a period of two weeks in early January. For individuals accepted, arrival in New York is required on Sunday, January 6, 2012 and departure will be on Sunday, January 20, 2012. -II. SPRING: THE RENAISSANCE (CF 3313) Prof. Kathleen Wellman, Virginia-Snider 303, Tu 2-4:50 p.m. This course will focus on two key cities of the Italian Renaissance: Venice and Florence. Students will study each city's political and social history and its art and science. The format of the class will be a three-hour seminar on Tuesday afternoons from 2-5 p.m., with extensive reading and writing. Each student will develop a particular focus for a research project, which will lead to a 15-20 page paper using primary and secondary materials. The course will also require reviews of texts for class discussion as well as a trip journal. Additionally, the course will require a trip over Spring Break to Venice and Florence, funded by the Richter Foundation. -III. SPRING: LAW, POLITICS, AND THE SUPREME COURT (PLSC 3330) Prof. Joseph Kobylka, Dallas Hall 138, WF 2-3:20 PM An introduction to the uniquely political and legal role played by the Supreme Court in elaborating the scope of governmental power and defining individual rights and liberties. A trip to Washington, D.C. over Spring Break is required. Students and professor will visit important sites in the city and each student will work on the papers of a Supreme Court Justice they have selected. The UHP will cover all expenses for this trip. NOTE: Travel courses are highly selective and require instructor's permission to enroll. Email the professors directly for an interview. 1

FIRST YEAR HONORS FOUNDATION COURSES SPRING 2013 DISC 2306 Honors Humanities Seminar II This course confronts profound ethical questions through considerations of history, literature, psychology, philosophy, and sociology. Beginning with a story by Flannery O Connor that poses questions about ethical conduct, students explore texts and events that challenge the foundations of philosophical and religious ethical systems. The course also addresses contemporary ethical questions regarding individual freedom and responsibility and the meanings of community. MWF 001H 9-9:50 am Stone (VS 203) 002H 10-10:50 am Stone (VS 203) 003H 11-11:50 am Hopper (Dallas 120) 004H 12-12:50 pm Hopper (Dallas 120) 005H 8-8:50 am Schott (Dallas 102) 007H 9-9:50 am Boulanger (Dallas 143) 010H 11-11:50 am Foster (VS 203) TUES/THUR 006H 9:30-10:50 am Goyne (Dallas 137) 008H 11-12:20 pm Goyne (Dallas 137) 009H 11-12:20 pm Grumbles (Dallas 357) ALL FIRST-YEAR HONORS STUDENTS MUST ENROLL IN DISC 2306 DURING THE SPRING SEMESTER ARTS PERSPECTIVES/PILLARS JANUARY TERM TRAVEL COURSE: ASAG 3350 Art Colloquium in New York City January 6, 2013 (arrival) through January 20, 2013 (departure) How to Enroll: Contact Professor Philip Van Keuren at PVanKeur@smu.edu for an interview. Contact Dr. Doyle for the UHP Scholarship Application. Intensive analysis, discussion, and writing concerning works of art in museum collections and gallery exhibitions, and in alternative exhibition spaces. The class topics studied will deal with the philosophical as well as the practical in order to define and understand the nature of the art that our society produces and values. The colloquium will meet in New York City for a period of two weeks in early January. For individuals accepted, arrival in New York is required on Sunday, January 6, 2013 and departure will be on Sunday, January 20, 2013. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. No incompletes are given. Trips to most of the following institutions but not necessarily limited to them: Metropolitan Museum, American Folk Art Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of the City of New York, Guggenheim Museum, National Academy of Design, Museum for African Art, New York Historical Society/Luce Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Public Library, Brooklyn Museum of Art, The New Museum, Asia Society, P.S. 1, Jewish Museum, The Drawing Center, The Cloisters, Dia Center for the Arts (various SoHo sites and Dia:Beacon), Neue Galerie New York, International Center of Photography, The Frick Museum, The Museum of Natural History, Noguchi Museum, Sculpture Center (Queens), Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, Museum of Contemporary Arts and Design 2

Galleries: Uptown, 57th Street, SoHo, Chelsea, and other locations as schedule permits. Attend performances, talks, readings, theater, concerts, movies, etc. as they are available and relevant. Visits with curators, critics and private dealers whenever possible. Studio/artist visits as they can be arranged. LITERATURE ENGL 2312-002H Fiction TuTh 12:30-1:50 PM Jayson Sae-Saue, Dallas Hall 102 Class # 2928 Analysis, interpretation and appreciation of fiction, with attention to terms and issues relevant to the genre. Creativity and Aesthetics I Writing ENGL 2314-001H Doing Thing With Poems MWF 1-1:50 PM Timothy Rosendale, Dallas Hall 120 Class # 3051 Introduction to the study of poems, poets, and how poetry works, focusing on a wide range of English and American writers. Some attention to matters of literary history. Satisfies Poetry requirement for English Majors. Creativity and Aesthetics I Writing WL 3340-001H Semiotics and Interpretation TuTh 12:30-1:50 PM William Beauchamp, Room TBA Class # 6235 Semiotics is the study of how meaning is produced and communicated. In this course we apply semiotic approaches to the interpretation of that most complex of all human communications literary (artistic) texts. The course is designed for students who would like to explore -- with a small, select group of like-minded peers -- how interpretation works and why there is often so much disagreement about whose meaning is right and whose isn't. The texts studied will be drawn from a variety of national literatures, mostly twentieth century, equally divided among prose fiction, poetry, and drama/theatrical performance. (Semiotic approaches to literature will suggest insights for the understanding of other, non-literary texts as well. By way of example, we will explore a news story (at the end of the section on prose narrative), a print ad (at the end of the section on poetry), a TV show and the Madonna Pepsi commercial (at the end of the section on drama/performance). Our key semiotics textbook will be Marcel Danesi, Messages, Signs, and Meanings: A Basic Textbook in Semiotics and Communication Theory, 3 rd ed. (Toronto: Canadian Scholars Press). POLITICS/ECONOMICS ECO 1312-001H Principles: Inflation, Recession, and Unemployment (Macroeconomics) TuTh 11-12:20 PM Rajat Deb, Umphrey-Lee 303 Class # 3321 The second term of a liberal arts education sequence discussing issues such as inflation, unemployment, and growth from both national and global perspectives. Tools of economic analysis include models of open economies. 3

PLSC 1320-003H Intro to American Government and Politics TuTh 11-12:20 PM Dennis Ippolito, Dallas Hall 115 Class # 2624 The organizations, functions, and processes of our national government, with particular attention to parties, pressure groups, and other forces that influence its course. Attention will also be given to the Texas Constitution. Individuals, Institutions, and Cultures I PLSC 1340-003H Introduction to Comparative Politics TuTh 11-12:20 PM Michael Lusztig, Fondren Science Building 152 Class # 2791 Analyzes and contrasts different patterns of national political development in Western, Marxist- Leninist, and Third World countries. Political dilemmas confronting each type of system will be examined. Individuals, Institutions, and Cultures I PLSC 3330-002H Law, Politics, and the Supreme Court WF 2-3:20 PM Joseph Kobylka, Dallas Hall 138 Class # 5890 Instructor Permission Required. Please contact Prof. Kobylka directly. An introduction to the uniquely political and legal role played by the Supreme Court in elaborating the scope of governmental power and defining individual rights and liberties. A trip to Washington, D.C. over Spring Break is required. Students and professor will visit important sites in the city and each student will work on the papers of a Supreme Court Justice they have selected. The UHP will cover all expenses for this trip. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES ANTH 1321-001H The Anthropology of You TuTh 9:30-10:50 AM Marty Authier, Virginia-Snider 203 Class # 3341 Study the most interesting person in the world... YOU! The course will be a general introduction to the four sub-fields of anthropology (physical anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and linguistics) that will require students to conduct a semester long research project on themselves. Students will collect data on themselves related to language, gender roles, kinship, social organization, food consumption, rituals, and other anthropological topics, which will be analyzed in weekly reports. Each week, seminar discussion will relate the anthropological topic of the week to relevant current events. Students will write a research paper focusing on three of these topics with an overarching emphasis on the role of gender, ethnicity, or ideology, and comparing their data on themselves to anthropological studies from around the world. Individuals, Institutions, and Cultures I Writing HISTORY & ART HISTORY HIST 3395-001H Problems in Asian History: Modern China 1600-Present Ling Shiao, Dallas Hall 102 MWF 10-10:50 AM Class #3087 Historical issues, trends or special topics in Asian history will be explored using a thematic or comparative format. This semester will focus on the historical development of modern China. Historical Context II 4

ARHS 3383-701H The Ancient Maya: Art and History Tu 6-8:50 PM Adam Herring, Owen Fine Arts Center 1635 Class # 5939 This course offers an introduction to ancient Maya art and culture. The course will examine the rise of the ancient Maya dynastic centers in lowland Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras). We will pay special attention to the emergence of Maya hieroglyphic writing, calligraphy, and stylized visual expression. The course will also explore the materials of ancient Maya art: jade, ceramic, bone, shell, pigments and color, stucco. Other topics covered include: Maya cosmology, politics, ritual, and gender-construction. Students will came away with a beginner's knowledge of ancient Maya hieroglyphic writing. Visits to the galleries of the Dallas Museum of Art. No previous coursework in Art History or Archaeology is required. RELIGIOUS/PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT PHIL 1318-003H Contemporary Moral Problems MWF 11-11:50 AM Steven Sverdlik, Hyer Hall 110 Class # 2609 An introduction to philosophical ethics focusing on questions in applied ethics. Students will explore ethical theories, philosophical methods, and their application to some of the most controversial and pressing issues confronting contemporary society. Topics vary, but the following are representative: abortion, animal rights, affirmative action, capital punishment, economic justice, euthanasia, sexuality, war and terrorism, and world hunger. Philosophical and Religious Inquiry and Ethics I RELI 1311-001H Judaism, Christianity, and the Bible MWF 12-12:50 PM Richard Cogley, Dallas Hall 101 Class # 2999 An exploration of the common and distinctive elements in Judaism and Christianity; a study of the historical relationships between Jews and Christians. Philosophical and Religious Inquiry and Ethics I CULTURAL FORMATIONS CFA 3302-701H Gender: Images and Perspectives Tu 6:30-9:20 PM Josephine Ryan, Dallas Hall 115 Class # 2692 Fulfills Human Diversity Co-Requirement This course provides an introduction to Women's and Gender Studies. We will employ an interdisciplinary approach to the study of gender. Through readings, lectures, films, and discussions, students will explore various perspectives on a wide range of gender issues. Concepts and theories from a number of fields including history, biology, religion, the social sciences, communications, and popular culture will be examined in an attempt to understand the reality of women's and men's experiences as well as the production of knowledge about them. CF 3404-001H Social Class, Democracy, and the Public TuTh 2-3:20 PM J. Michael Cruz, Fondren Science Building 157 Class # 3332 This course explores the concept of class in American life and investigates the effects of class differences and tensions on American democratic institutions. This class has a 20-hour community service requirement. 5

CF 3312-001H Making History: Representations of Ethical Choices Tom Stone, Virginia-Snider 203 MWF 12-12:50 PM Class # 2731 Interdisciplinary course examining ethical issues associated with the writing of historical fictions and the production of historical exhibits. Students will complicate conventional distinctions between disciplines and genres by looking at how playwrights, novelists, filmmakers, and museum curators/directors shape their productions from the raw materials of historical data. They will explore the ways in which historical memory is created and represented, further developing and refining their own engagements with texts, films, and museums. CFB 3318-001H Schools and Society: The Evolution of America's Public School System TuTh 11-12:20 PM Andrea Hamilton, Virginia-Snider 303 Class # 5891 An interdisciplinary exploration of America's public school system from the Colonial period to the present with emphasis on changing relationships between schools, families, and changing social and political ideals. Readings include: Kathryn Sklar, Catherine Beecher John Dewey, The School and Society and The Child and the Curriculum James D. Anderson, The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935 Brenda J. Childs, Boarding Seasons: American Indian Families,1900-1940 CF 3313-001H The Renaissance Tu 2-4:50 PM Kathleen Wellman, Virginia-Snider 303 Class # 3728 A unique opportunity to fulfill your honors CF requirement This course will focus on two key cities of the Italian Renaissance: Venice and Florence. Students will study each city's political and social history and its art and science. The format of the class will be a three-hour seminar on Tuesday afternoons from 2-5 p.m., with extensive reading and writing. Each student will develop a particular focus for a research project, which will lead to a 15-20 page paper using primary and secondary materials. The course will also require reviews of texts for class discussion as well as a trip journal. The course also requires travel to Italy for Spring Break, funded by the Richter Foundation. We will visit sites in Florence and Venice directly relevant to students' research topics. Enrollment is very limited and selective and requires instructor s permission. Email Professor Kathleen Wellman kwellman@smu.edu to arrange for an interview. CF 3367 The Greater Dallas Experience MWF 12-12:50 PM Fulfills Human Diversity Co-Requirement -001H Caroline Brettell, Anthropology Dept (Class # 5825) Dallas Hall 357-002H Martin Authier, Anthropology Dept (Class # 5826) Fondren Science Building 158 This section open to Hilltop Scholars. -003H David D. Doyle, Jr., History Dept (Class # 5827) Dedman Life Science Building 132 This class is open to First Year UHP students with the permission of the Honors Advisor. The class will meet as a large group on some days and in small discussion groups (organized by the sections above) on others. 6

Using the city of Dallas as its laboratory, this class will study history, race, gender, and class relations, immigration, the natural environment, governance, high and popular culture, architecture, and literature all through the lens of Dallas. The class s central purpose is not only to introduce students to the Dallas environment, but also to teach them how to understand and think about a city from multiple perspectives. Using the idea of the myriad landscapes found in Dallas from the Trinity River (and its bridge and park project), to the cultural scene, to the everevolving ethnic composition this class will emphasize the relationships among people, institutions, and place. Readings will include: Michael Hazel, Dallas, Michael Phillip s The White Metropolis: Race, Ethnicity, and Religion in Dallas, 1841-2001, Rachel Adler s Yucatecans in Dallas, Texas: Breaching the Border, Bridging the Distance, and Harvey Graff s recent study, The Dallas Myth along with selected articles, book chapters, and primary documents. There will be a field trip component with students fanning out into the city to visit museums, parks, city council meetings, cultural events, concerts, live theatre, etc. CF 3365-002H Paradise Lost? The Archeology & Ethics of Human Environmental Impacts TuTh 2-3:20 PM Christopher Roos, Perkins Hall 103 Class # 5698 An interdisciplinary archeological, anthropological and historical examination of human impacts on the environment around the world over the last 50,000 years. CFB 3336-001H Concepts of Evolution: A History TuTh 12:30-1:50 PM Ron Wetherington, Heroy Building 426 Class # 3366 The goal of this seminar is to convey the historical and conceptual development of evolutionary concepts through exposure to original sources. We will discuss these and the impact they had on later developments, as well as the preceding influences they drew upon. Objectives: 1. Understand the fundamental prerequisites, both ideological and philosophical, to the development of any evolutionary concept; 2. Be able to trace common disciplinary threads to evolution--geological, biological, and sociological--as these developed through time; 3. Identify the cross-fertilization and mutual influences of the several disciplines as these relate to evolution; 4. Adequately critique the opposing views on evolution from the 18th Century to the 21st Century. Textbook: Ronald K. Wetherington, Readings in the History of Evolutionary Theory: Selections from Original Sources, Oxford University Press (2011). CF 3306-001H The Holocaust MWF 10-10:50 AM Erin Hochman, Dallas Hall 101 Class # 3821 Up to 15 seats for Honors students Fulfills Human Diversity Co-Requirement How can we explain the systematic persecution and murder of Europe s Jewish population and other groups deemed to be racially inferior by the Nazi regime? Through both primary and secondary sources, we will seek to answer this vexing question by examining the ideas, people, institutions, and events that led to the Holocaust. Among the topics that we will explore over the course of the semester are the roots of European anti-semitism; the Nazis rise to power; the Nazi regime s racial policies; the origins and implementation of the Final Solution; the motivations and actions of perpetrators, collaborators, and bystanders; the responses of Jews, homosexuals, Roma and Sinti, and others to persecution; the possibilities of resistance; and the memory and memorialization of the Holocaust in the postwar period. 7

Readings include: 1) Doris Bergen, War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust; 2) Donald Niewyk (ed.), The Holocaust: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation; 3) Robert Moeller, The Nazi State and German Society; 4) Ruth Kluger, Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered; 5) Gita Sereny, Into That Darkness: An Examination of Conscience; 5) additional primary and secondary sources. THINGS TO REMEMBER! * Most courses offered at the Taos campus in the June term can be petitioned for Honors credit. (up to 2 per semester) * Anyone who plans to Study Abroad and wants to take courses for Honors credit should contact Dr. Doyle to orchestrate the needed Honors Petitions (again up to 2 classes per semester can be petitioned for Honors credit). * Students are permitted to petition one course for Honors credit here on the SMU home campus. Email Dr. Doyle for details. * There will be 5 scholarships available to UHP students for SMU-in-Paris this summer! Watch your SMU email account for more information. 8