Right To Know and Other Legal Disclosures
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The
General Education Curriculum
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In keeping with the University's educational mission, the General Education Curriculum emphasizes the values of what historically has been known as a liberal education namely the abilities to read, write, and think critically, along with the acquisition of a basic understanding of human society in all its dimensions. The following pages survey the curriculum required of all undergraduate students who entered the University beginning in the 1997-98 academic year. Overall, students complete 41 term hours of academic course work that include a two-credit Wellness program. A list of individual courses is included in this section. FUNDAMENTALS (twelve term hours) Fundamentals courses assure that students are able to read and write critically, possess basic mathematical skills, and are familiar with information technology and its place in contemporary society. In today's rapidly changing world, a university education must provide students with the tools to embark on a lifetime of learning. In addition, such skills are essential for a successful college experience. Therefore, with the exception of students who begin their Written English Program with ENGL 1302 (see below), the 12 required term hours in Fundamentals should ideally be completed within the first year.
CHOICES FOR LIVING -- WELLNESS (two term hours) This requirement recognizes that education should also serve to enhance the physical and mental well-being of students at SMU. Students must fulfill the requirements of the CHOICES For Living Program outlined in the Student Services section of this catalog. Courses include the following offerings:
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (six term hours) In today's world, students should be aware of the meaning and methods of science and technology, and the ways that both have shaped the world around us. To assure that this is the case, students must take two courses in Science and Technology, at least one of which must be in Biology, Chemistry, Geological Sciences, or Physics. Each course must include a minimum of four contact hours per week, at least one of which must be a lab. PERSPECTIVES (fifteen term hours) Interpretation of contemporary society requires an understanding of how different disciplines in the Western intellectual tradition have organized and constructed knowledge. Perspectives courses have two objectives: to illustrate the evolution and contingent nature of knowledge and what is considered to be knowledge; and to provide students with a broad intellectual framework in which they may locate their major field(s) of study. Students must take one course each from five of the six Perspectives categories listed below:
CULTURAL FORMATIONS (six term hours) The academic disciplines outlined in the preceding Perspectives categories educate students in the ways individual fields of knowledge in the Western tradition attempt to understand human society. However, the investigation of many topics requires a combination of disciplinary approaches. Such inter- or multidisciplinary ways of knowing and comprehension reach beyond the boundaries of a single field. Cultural Formations courses give students the opportunity to study interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge within the humanities and the social sciences, and the natural sciences when related to either of these other two areas. CF courses must be taken at SMU, either on the Dallas campus, at SMU-in-Taos or through the Study Abroad International Programs. Courses transferred from other institutions may not receive CF credit under any circumstances. Students must complete two of the following CF courses between their sophomore and senior years:
Most Cultural Formations courses are cross-listed within various academic departments. Descriptions of these courses may be found under the individual department sections in this catalog. CF 3300 (ANTH 3300). Race, Gender, and Culture in the African Diaspora. A comparative analysis of the historical, economic, social, and cultural experiences of peoples of African descent in societies in the Western hemisphere.Fulfills cocurricular requirement for diversity. CF 3301 (ANTH 3310). Gender and Sex Roles: A Global Perspective. This course compares the life experiences of men and women in societies throughout the world. Discussion will include the evidence regarding the universal subordination of women and examine explanations that propose to situate women's and men's personal attributes, roles and responsibilities in the biological or cultural domain. In general, through readings, films and lectures, the class will provide a cross-cultural perspective on ideas regarding gender and the ways societies are organized in relation to gender. CF 3302 (ENGL 3329, MDVL 3329). The World of King Arthur. This course will investigate Britain's greatest native hero and one of the world's most compelling story stocks: the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table. This course will explore the early Arthurian materials in chronicle, history, archaeology and folklore, as well as the later romance, epic and artistic traditions. CF 3303 (PLSC 3387). Political Geography. This course examines topics in international political rivalries within the nation-state system. Major emphasis will be given to the adaptations within that system since 1850 for spatial distributions of physical terrain, populations, economic resources and activities, and political and social divisions. CF 3304 (ENGL 3347). World War I: The British Experience. An examination of the experience of a people engaged for the first time in modern total war. Issues discussed include the role of technology, class systems, early 20th-century feminism, education and national identity, and the war's shaping of later 20th-century values and events. CF 3305 (ENGL 3348). Literary Executions: Imagination and Capital Punishment. This course studies the literary treatment, in different forms and periods, of capital punishment. Its aim is to locate a social issue of continuing importance within literary traditions that permit a different kind of analysis from that given in moral, social and legal discourse. The literary forms include drama, lyric, novel and biography; the periods of history range from the English Reformation and the Renaissance to the English Civil War, the French Revolution and contemporary America. The course emphasis falls upon literary techniques of imaginative participation and distancing. CF 3306 (HIST 3363). The Holocaust. This course examines the destruction of the European Jews emerging from pre-World War I anti-Semitism and Nazi racism. It considers Jewish responses to genocide, behavior of bystanders and possibilities of rescue. CF 3307 (PHIL 3374). Philosophy of Law. This course is both a study of our contemporary legal system and an exploration of the three predominant theories of the nature of law -- natural law, positivism and legal realism/critical legal studies. It examines what claims, if any, our system has to legitimacy based on a consistent, underlying philosophy. CF 3308 (PHIL 3363). Aesthetic Experience and Judgment. This course examines basic questions in the understanding and appreciation of art: What is beauty? What is art? What characteristics make something a good work of art? What is the correct way to interpret the meaning of a work of art? Are there ways to establish or prove that something is beautiful or that a work of art is good? Some issues pertaining to particular art forms, such as music and literature, will also be examined. Classical writers such as Plato, Aristotle, Hume, Kant and Nietzsche will be discussed, as well as contemporary authors. CF 3309 (HIST 3306). Colony to Empire: U.S. Diplomacy, 1789-1941. This course begins with the diplomacy of the American Revolution and ends with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It will examine the expansionist tendencies of early American foreign policy, Indian removal, the Mexican War, and the relationship between continental expansion ("Manifest Destiny") and the crisis over slavery. It will also address the movement toward an overseas empire in the Caribbean and the Asian Pacific, climaxing with the war against Spain and the Open Door. Policy constitutes the next unit of study. The issues surrounding American involvement in the two world wars are the chief concerns of the final portion of the course. CF 3310 (HIST 3326). The Venture of Islam. A survey of Islamic civilization from Muhammad to the modern era through readings in Islamic history and society, arts and letters, science and philosophy, and the legal order to present a broad picture of the dynamics and achievements of Muslim civilization. CF 3311 (CLAS 3311). Mortals, Myths and Monuments: Images of Greek and Roman Culture. Focusing exclusively on Greek and Roman antiquity, the course will introduce students to major artistic literary and philosophical expressions in their historical framework. CF 3312 (HIST 3368). Warfare in the Modern World. This course explores the nature, origins and evolution of the phenomenon of total war from the late democratic and industrial revolutions of the late 18th and early 19th century through World War II, giving particular emphasis to questions of doctrine and theory; problems of organization and command; and the scientific, technological and psychological dimensions as well as the impact on modern culture. CF 3313. The Renaissance. A history of culture in the Renaissance from the perspective of advances in scholarship and science and, above all, in appreciation of social and political contexts. CF 3314. (HIST 3376). Social and Intellectual History of Modern Europe. This course will examine the intellectual in modern European society. It will explore major intellectual and social issues raised by and affecting a number of figures instrumental in shaping the European world of the 19th and 20th centuries. In a fundamental sense, however, the themes developed will be outside time and place. Consequently, they should interest those concerned with the relationship of their values and ideas to the society in which they live today. CF 3315 (HIST 3387). Asia and the West: Mutual Images in the 19th Century. This course is an exercise in cultural historiography. The exercise will focus on the history of mutual image making between East Asia and the West in the 19th and early twentieth centuries. For this purpose the course will emphasize British and American sources on the one hand and the Japanese sources in English on the other, although other European and Asian sources will not be ignored. CF 3316 (RELI 3318). The Hero in the Bible and the Ancient Near East. An examination of the concepts of the hero in the literatures of ancient Mesopotamia, Canaan and Israel, with special attention to the nature of traditional narrative and to the relationship between the hero, society and the self. CF 3317 (HIST 3301). Human Rights: America's Dilemma. The study of human rights requires intellectual history and moral courage, for no nation or society in human history has been totally innocent of human rights abuses. This course will examine certain violations of human rights within their historical contexts and will also focus on America's human rights record, with regard to its own policies and its relationship to human rights violations in other countries. Attention will also be given to the evolution of both civil and human rights as entities within global political thought and practice. CF 3318 (HIST 3305). The Hispanos of New Mexico, 1848-Present. History of the Mexican-American subculture of New Mexico, with a brief overview of the Indian, Spanish and Mexican periods, so that events, after formal U.S. possession in 1848, are seen in context. The course, however, focuses on the era after the Mexican Cession and stresses the indigenous background of the "Indo-Hispanos." CF 3319 (ANTH 3327). Economic and Political Change in Global Society. Introduction to anthropological perspectives on global transformations: world economic integration, Third World development and sociocultural change, ethnic resurgence and nationalism, population migration and changes in women's roles and statuses. CF 3320 (HIST 3308). History of Hispanics in the U.S. Through Film. In this course, selected events and developments in the histories of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and other Latinos are examined, as depicted in film, video, movies and television. The objective is to understand how these powerful media have shaped society's view of Hispanic participation in the history of the United States. While learning to recognize distortions and stereotypes, students will also learn to recognize positive depictions of Latino history. CF 3321 (MDVL 3321). The birth of the Individual. This course examines several basic notions pertaining to selfhood, including consciousness, cognition, motivation, personal identity and decision, as found in medieval texts. CF 3322 (HIST 3329). Women in Early Modern Europe. A study of the influence of women in European society and intellectual movements from the Renaissance through the French Revolution. CF 3323 (THEA 4380). Studies in Theatre History. An examination of the theatre and drama of a selected historical period or associated with a selected historical issue. Texts, topics and critical approaches vary. CF 3324. An Archaeology of Values: The Self and Ethics From Kant to Baudrillard. Following a line of writers from Kant to Freud to Baudrillard, the course explores the rocky development of the self in relation to history, economic and moral values, and rapidly transforming social relations in the modern period. CF 3325 (HIST 3355). Class and Gender in Ancient Society. An examination of class and gender in the ancient world with special emphases on changing definitions of masculinity and femininity in Greek and Roman culture and the position, rights and interaction of different groups (e.g., free and slave, citizen and foreigner, solder and civilian). CF 3326. Utopia: Voyage Into a Possible Future. Through the study of major literary works on the topic of social ideals and communal experiments, this course focuses on the value systems and the social realities these works reflect. CF 3327 (HIST 3373). Science, Religion and Magic in Early Modern Europe. This course studies the interaction between three ways of thinking about nature and the place of human beings within nature -- science, magic and religion. Early modern England is the focus of this course because all three ways of thinking are prevalent, contested and can be set in a rich cultural context. Some of the great figures of English science, like Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton, were practicing alchemists. Others, like Francis Bacon, looked to the new science as a way to prepare for the second coming of Christ. The religious divisions of the English Reformation and the Civil Wars brought about political dissension and produced many competing views of nature and society. CF 3328 (HIST 3374). Diplomacy in Europe: Napoleon to the European Union. This course examines the evolution of the European state system and the idea of "Europe" from the post-Napoleonic settlement of 1815 through the end of the Cold War and the creation of the European Union. Some themes considered are the changing art of diplomacy, the relationship of domestic structure to foreign policy, the impact of war, the role of ideology, technological change, economics and the expansion of European great power politics to a worldwide framework. CF 3329. The Mathematical Experience. The variety of mathematical experience presented through discussion of its substance, its history, its philosophy, and how mathematical knowledge is elicited. The course will focus on questions regarding the roles of proof, rigor, and institution in mathematics and the limits and applicability of mathematical knowledge. CF 3330 (HIST 3391). From Pew to Bleacher: American Culture and Its Institutions. This course introduces students to American culture and civilization. The course considers the formation of five sets of cultural institutions that have shaped American life: the Church; print culture; museums, galleries and libraries; theatre, Hollywood and television; and amateur and professional sports. Students will read autobiographies, novels and synthetic histories; they will view Hollywood movies, MTV excerpts and sporting events; and they will visit museums, fairs and parks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Students will emerge from the course with an understanding of the central features in the formation of culture in 19th- and 20th-century America. CF 3331 (RELI 3305). Religion as Story. An interpretation of stories as modes of religious discernment as well as means of religious communication. Special attention is given to selected narrative forms such as myth, fairy tale, novel and autobiography. CF 3332 (RELI 3321). Religion and the Holocaust. A study of responses to the Holocaust by Jews and Christians. The course will begin with an overview of the history of the Holocaust as it affected the Jewish communities of Central and Eastern Europe. Readings will include personal memoirs of survivors of ghettos, concentration camps and Nazi Germany. Postwar responses will include questions of faith after the Holocaust. Christian responsibility for modern anti-Semitism, the impact of the Holocaust on the creation of the State of Israel and Middle East politics today, and postwar relations between Jews and Germans will be considered. CF 3333. Clash of Cultures, 1450-1850. This course is an examination of how the global equilibrium of 1450 gave way to a clash of cultures and eventual European domination. The Western Church was reformed; business grew; new states were created; families were uprooted. Colonialism, modern warfare, nationalism and Marxism appeared on the world stage. CF 3334 (ANTH 3334). Fantastic Archaeology and Pseudoscience: Lost Tribes, Sunken Continents, Ancient Astronauts, and Other Strange Ideas About the Past. Did ancient astronauts visit the Earth? Are there secrets of the Maya calendar that archaeologists aren't revealing? Is creation a scientific alternative to evolution of humanity? This course investigates these and other claims about our past, and how archaeologists respond to them. CF 3335 (FL 3335, HIST 3335). One King, One Law: France 1500-1789. This course studies the culture of France through its history and literature. It emphasizes the historical developments, ideas and literary texts which define the period and illuminate both French Classicism and Absolutism. The course focuses on the early modern period because then France both set cultural tone and made significant contributions to the transformation of Western civilization. CF 3336 (HIST 3397). Modernity and the Crises of Identity: The Reorientation of the West. Drawing on the works of major intellectuals and artists, this course explores crises of identity in Western culture during the decades prior to World War I. CF 3337 (FL 3320, HIST 3337). Postwar Japan: Culture and Society. The purpose of this course is to provide a critical knowledge of postwar Japanese society and culture. The course examines the concrete issues that have shaped contemporary Japan from the perspectives of disciplines such as history, sociology, anthropology and cultural studies. Topics discussed will include the impact of the war, high economic growth, mainstream politics and patterns of social protests, the politics of gender, the culture of consumerism, the relation of Japan and its Asian neighbors, and the position of Japan in the contemporary world. CF 3338 (SWST 2322). Defining the Southwest: From the Alamo to Hollywood. An interdisciplinary seminar designed to introduce students to the idea of regionalism in American life, to identify the distinctive features that make the Southwest a region and to suggest the variety of ways in which different disciplines understand the regional distinctiveness of the Southwest. CF 3339 (RELI 3365). Understanding the Self: East and West. This course provides an examination of several basic notions pertaining to selfhood, including consciousness, cognition, motivation, personal identity and decision, as found in Eastern and Western sources. CF 3340 (MDVL 3327). The Unicorn: Understanding Varieties of the Truth in the Middle Ages. As moderns, we make distinctions between what we see as verifiable reality (history) and what we see as created, imaginative reality (fiction). This course investigates the question of how history and fiction were perceived in the Middle Ages. CF 3341 (PHIL 3362). History and Philosophy of Science. Science aims to determine how the world works; the philosophy of science attempts to determine how science works. This course initially aims to critically investigate the nature of scientific reasoning as applied to fundamental notions of evidence, explanation and scientific progress. The course then turns to a sequence of fundamental questions concerning the relationships between science and religion, politics and gender. The course combines philosophical approaches with considerable emphasis on the history and sociology of science. CF 3342 (PHIL 3371). Social and Political Philosophy. A historical study of philosophical formulations of the individual good (ethics) in its relation to the public good (social philosophy). CF 3343 (RELI 3375). Wives, Lovers, Mothers, Queens: Expressions of the Feminine Divine in World Religions and Culture. This course is a historical and cross-cultural overview of the relationship between feminine and religious cultural expressions through comparative examinations and analyses of various goddess figures in world religions. CF 3344 (RELI 3376). Construction of Gender: Sexuality and the Family in South Asian Religions. This course will provide a comprehensive historical overview of gender issues as represented in the great textual traditions of South Asia. These categories include Vedic materials, medical literature, treatises on law and sexual behavior, and texts that outline the great debates over questions of gender identity and salvation preserved in certain Jaina and Buddhist materials. To make these classical texts more relevant, readings in recent anthropological studies of religion will also be included to enable the student to trace recurring themes, images and symbols. This will allow the student to gain a sense of the continuity of traditions and attitudes as well as innovation and contemporary variants. CF 3345 (ENGL 3363). Literature Of Religious Reflection. This course will examine issues of faith and doubt in British and American literature, drawn from texts reflecting Christian humanism, secular rationalism, individualistic romantic faith, scientific modernism and other modern alternatives. CF 3346 (RELI 3352). Love And Death In Ancient Mythology. This course presents an exploration of love and death in the mythologies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Canaan, Greece and India. The interaction of these twin themes will be pursued as a key to the religious and philosophical perspectives of these ancient peoples. The significance of ancient mythology for modern reflection will be a central concern throughout the course. CF 3347 (FL 3363, WS 3347). Figuring the Feminine. The feminist inquiry of France from the Middle Ages to the present. The course introduces students to a large body of French texts (in translation) by and about women which bear witness to women's struggle for civil, social and political adulthood. Contemporary feminist theory and feminist action in France constitute an attempt to rethink the very terms and the goals of human enterprise. CF 3348 (FL 3348, SOCI 3348). Women in Japanese Culture and Society. This course will examine various women's issues in Japan through social science literature, literary works and contemporary films through interdisciplinary perspectives. This course will assess changing women's status and roles in family, education, employment, mass media and political organizations in the context of contemporary feminist movements. CF 3349 (FL 3349, HIST 3392). Literatures of Negritude and Histories of the Struggle for Black Liberation. Black literature played an important role in bringing on the collapse of the European colonial order, and it remains a major force in the struggle against neocolonialism today. This course explores links between literature and politics, literature and history, thought and action in 20th-century Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. CF 3350. Reading the Social Text. Society is a complex social text. We are bombarded daily with countless intertwining messages, in many different languages, some of them verbal, most not. Only some enter our awareness, yet all affect the way we think of ourselves and the world. The students will learn how to read a variety of verbal and nonverbal languages and texts, from advertising to network news, and from fashion and cuisine to sitcoms and gender roles. CF 3351 (MDVL 3351). The Pilgrimage: Images Of Medieval Culture. This course presents an exploration of the medieval world through one of its own literal and metaphorical images. Moving from Jerusalem, the earthly and heavenly city, students set out through time and space on a pilgrimage to Constantinople, the exotic empire of New Rome. From there they travel to Rome itself and flow across the map of Europe on the pilgrimage roads of the Middle Ages, investigating the pleasures of the way: the music, art, monuments and literature of that thousand years of human experience called the Middle Ages. CF 3352 (MDVL 3352). Ideas And Ideals Of Gender In The Middle Ages. This team-taught course will focus on the status of women in the Middle Ages, the emergence of sacred and secular law and ideology regarding women and the impact of ideas regarding the feminine on the development of (mostly) Western thought. CF 3353 (MDVL 3353). Medieval Thought. The goal of this course is to present some of the classic achievements of the medieval mind, focusing on developments of continuing interest; where advisable, comparisons and contrasts will be drawn with methods of thinking and solving problems in use in later times. While the main focus will be on Medieval Europe and the adjacent Muslim world, wherever possible, students' attention will be drawn to developments in other culture areas. CF 3354 (THEA 4351). Historical Cultures Within Theatrical Design. Using the elements of design, the course will focus on the exploration of political, social, economic and artistic influences of various cultures in history, and how the designer uses this information to create a theatrical production, film or opera. CF 3355. Architecture, Cities, and Changing Societies -- Mexico and the United States. This course focuses on cathedrals and office towers, railroad stations and highway bridges, national capitals, utopian and industrial communities, and the rise of New York and contemporary Dallas. CF 3356 (RELI 3337). Christianity And American Public Life. The objectives of this course include the following: 1) to acquaint students with some recent criticisms of the dangers of individualism permeating American understanding and life; 2) to propose the communitarian dimensions of human existence from the Christian perspective; and 3) to help students enter more critically into the dialogue about the role of religion in pluralistic contemporary American society. CF 3357 (RELI 3317). Human Meaning and Value in Personal Life. This course will explore the two positive marks of a productive life -- love and work -- and the two threats to an abundant life -- suffering and death. CF 3358. Masterpieces of Western European Literature. This course focuses on key works of Western European literature, art and architecture from the Middle Ages to the late 19th century. It emphasizes cultural developments and seeks to provide a cogent view of the historical context during which these masterpieces evolved. The course takes into account the evolution of Western literature, art and architecture from feudal times to the modern age. CF 3359. America, The Literature of the Discovery. This course focuses on the generic process of culture and will integrate tools and methods from anthropology, philosophy, geography, history and literature. It will engage value issues that are both aesthetic (analyzing the narrative strategies employed by authors formulating an intercultural dialogue) and ethical (Was the Conquest a criminal act? Should modern day Indian tribes be left to their own devices?). CF 3360. The North American Great Plains: Land, Water, Life. In the late 19th century the North American Great Plains, which extend from central Canada to west Texas, was mapped as the Great American Desert, a place to be crossed, not settled. This course looks across disciplinary boundaries, to see what geology, ecology, climate studies, archaeology, ethnology and history reveal of past, present and (perhaps) the future of life of European Americans and Native Americans on the Great Plains. CF 3361 (RELI 3309). Bioethics From A Christian Perspective. This course will study bioethics from a Christian ethical perspective with special attention to different methodological approaches, to the significant themes and realities involved (e.g., life, health, suffering, death), and to the most important issues faced today. CF 3362. The Europeans: A Case Study of Two Nations. This course will examine the national identity and cultural configuration of France and Germany within the European context, with frequent references to other European nations. Studied will be evolution of "European consciousness" -- how Europeans think about themselves as citizens of their respective countries and of Europe. CF 3363 (ENGL 3357, HIST 3357). Joan Of Arc: History, Literature, And Film. This course considers the life and later reception of the extraordinary peasant girl, Joan of Arc (ca. 1412-30 May 1431), who in two years changed the course of European history before she was burned at the stake. CF 3364 (ENGL 3349). Ethical Implications of Children's Literature. This course will examine children's literature from an ethical perspective, particularly the construction of notions of morality and evil in the works with emphasis upon issues of colonialism, race, ethnicity, gender and class. CF 3365 (FL 3325). Perspectives on Modern China. A survey course on the social and cultural history of modern China, from the perspectives of literature and cinema. CF 3366 (HIST 3336). Cultural History of the United States Since 1877. An interdisciplinary study of American literature, painting, architecture, music, theatre, popular amusements and social customs viewed against the major currents of American intellectual history from 1877 to the present. CF 3367. The Family: Coming to Terms With the Self and Other. This course studies family dynamics as portrayed in literature and cinema. It explores the difficulties implicit in growing up and sheds light on personal trauma by looking at the portrayal of desire, guilt and retribution. It also seeks to reveal ways for coming to terms with one's self as a responsible individual, for accepting the needs and demands of others and for becoming integrated into society. The course shows how literature functions as a healing device both for the author and for the reader by bringing problems to a conscious level and affording their expression. CF 3368 (RELI 3368). Wholeness and Holiness: Religion and Healing Across Cultures. This course explores various ways in which human beings in different times and cultures have understood the relationship between religion and healing. Drawing on a wide range of ethnographic examples and theoretical perspectives, we will investigate the interface between medical and religious models of health. Through reading, films, lectures, classroom discussion and in-class activities, we will examine the religious and medical implications of such phenomena as out-of-body experiences, prayer, diet, massage, visualizations, meditation, acupuncture, herbs and martial arts; we will delve into the healing functions (physical, psychological and social) of trance, possession, exorcism and shamanic journeys; we will explore the religious dimensions of contemporary holistic healing; and we will investigate the models of selfhood implied by different religious healing modalities. CF 3369 (FL 3369). Perspectives on Modern Germany. This interdisciplinary inquiry focuses on Germany's quest for identity as a European nation-state, on the circumstances leading to two world wars and the Holocaust and on the country's recent experience of reunification within the framework of the European Union. CF 3370 (ENGL 3370, WS 3370). Women and the Southwest. A study and exploration of women writers, artists and thinkers in the American Southwest, and their vision of this region as singularly hospitable to women's culture. CF 3371 (CCCN 3360). Gender and Representation in the World Cinema. An analysis of gender and representation in international cinema focusing on political systems, events and cultural/political turmoil which have affected the subjectivity, objectivity/ fragmentation and foregrounding of the roles of women in world societies. CF 3372 (RELI 3364). Native-American Religion and Mythology. An investigation of the mythologies of North America, centering on Southwestern cultures (especially Pueblo and Navajo) and Northern Plains cultures (especially Lakota). Native texts will be approached by way of modern theories of the interpretation of myth, ritual and religion. Topics will include the cultural history of the regions, theories of myth, creation myths, culture heroes, trickster tales, sacred music and dance, and rites of healing and passage. An important dimension of the course will be interaction with the local Pueblo culture through field trips and guest speakers. CF 3373. New Visions, New Worlds: Luhan, Lawrence, and O'Keefe. This course, taught in conjunction with an international D.H. Lawrence conference in Taos, will explore the cosmological, philosophical, and aesthetic visions these three artists believed could be realized in the region of New Mexico. The course will deal with their work as well as the synergistic effect these artists had on each other's thought and work. CF 3374 (ANTH 3374). Cultures and Environments of the Southwest. This course examines patterns of land-use and resource-use in prehistoric and early historic times in the Southwest. Focus is on the mutual influence of cultures and resources in the northern Rio Grande. The course draws on archeological, archival, ethnographic and ecological evidence. Comparisons involve Pueblo and Plains Indians, Colonial Spanish, Territorial U.S. and U.S. Forest Service. CF 3375. (ARHS 3377) Art and Architecture of Hispanic New Mexico. This course examines the artistic and cultural legacies of colonial New Mexico: Spanish city planning and church design; retablos, santos and their place in religious experience; art in the secular life of towns; and haciendas of colonial and postcolonial New Mexico. Field trips. CF 3376. Southwest Ethnic Diversity. This interdisciplinary course examines the way in which the three cultures of the American Southwest have co-existed. Students are introduced to the history of the Spanish colonial period and American frontier, and the range of Native American cultures and lifestyles as a context for contemporary ethnic relations. Native and Hispanic arts and crafts are studied as an expression of ethnicity. The course explores the factors that support or discourage the formation and persistence of ethnic identity and the fluidity of cultural boundaries. CF 3377 (THEA 4381 or THEA 4383). Studies: Theatre, Drama, Performance. An examination of selected dramatic, cultural and critical texts exploring issues of contemporary interest and significance. Texts, topics, and critical approaches vary. CF 3378 (ANTH 3348, HIST 3348). Asians and the American Public Imagination. This course explores cultural identity issues for Asian-Americans by examining 20th-century representations of Asian-Americans and their countries of origin. CF 3379. German Culture in Weimar. The course traces German culture using Weimar as the location to study literature, music and film in their historical context from Goethe's Weimar, the Weimar Republic, through National Socialism and the recent Unification. CF 3380 (ENGL 3380). The Literature of Vision. An examination of how shamans, prophets and imaginative writers seek to communicate "things invisible to mortal sight," whether as a confirmation of or a challenge to the leading ideas of their time. CF 3381 (ARHS 4371, WS 3381). Modern Myth Making: Studies in the Manipulation of Imagery. This course examines the quest for enduing cultural heroes and projection of changing social messages as reflected in images from past epochs to modern times. Examples traced range from politician to musician; from the fine arts to television. CF 3382 (THEA 4382). Studies in Contemporary Performance. An examination of selected issues in contemporary performance from a cultural and critical perspective. Texts and topics vary. CF 3383. Contemporary Urban Problems. This seminar is designed to introduce students to conceptualizing social problems and to the distinctive conditions defined and treated as social problems in the American Southwest. The course aims to improve students' skills in critical reasoning and evaluative writing on the alleviation of social problems. CF 3384. Consciousness and Dreams. An overview of conscious processing, altered consciousness and dream states from personal, cultural and current scientific viewpoints. Specific focus will be placed on the role of these phenomena in the American Southwest. CF 3385 (SOCI 3383). Race, Culture, and Social Policy in the Southwest. This interdisciplinary seminar introduces students to applying the concepts of race and culture to social problems and policy in the American Southwest. The course combines lectures, readings, field trips, survey research and documentary films to focus on special topics on the Southwest. CF 3386. India Today. This course focuses on contemporary constructions of India as a nation within the contexts of literature, film, history, religion, politics and culture. CF 3387. Order Out of Chaos. Deterministic chaos, fractal structures, self organization, and nonlinear dynamics comprise an approach to the study of complicated realistic systems common to a great diversity of natural and social sciences. Students will study the significance of the relatively new science as well as relationships and applications to medicine, the natural sciences, economics, history, philosophy and the social sciences. CF 3388 (PLSC 3342). Making Democracy Work. This course aims to answer the fundamental question that mankind has asked since ancient Greece of why does democracy thrive in some nations, while it struggles in others and in many more has yet to take root? CF 3389 (PLSC 3389). International Political Economy. The course introduces students to international political economy, focusing on the development of regimes for international trade and finance. The objective is to understand how nation-states manage international economic relations. CF 3390 (FL 3310). Transnational Chinese Cinema. This course will introduce students to the subject of Asian cinema through films produced in the People's Republic, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In considering cinema as a system for the construction of meaning, this course examines national identities in film aesthetics. CF 3391. Corporate Ethics and Social Responsibility. This course is designed to develop the student's capacity to recognize and evaluate ethical issues related to business management, including: a) quandaries faced by individual managers; b) issues concerning corporate structure, policies and business culture; c) more systemic issues related to the role of business in a democratic society and the conduct of business on the international scene. Students who have taken OBBP 3375 may not take this course. CF 3392 (ARHS 3318). Currents in Classical Civilization. The interdisciplinary study of the art, literature and history of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, including ideals of democracy, individualism, immortality, heroism, justice, sexuality nature, etc. CF 3393. Evolution and Creationism as Public School Issues. An in-depth examination of controversies concerning organic evolution from social, educational and legal perspectives. Discussion includes alternative philosophies of science and evidence from fossil and living organisms. CF 3394 (HIST 3344). The Oxford Landscape, from the Stone Age to the Tudors. This course studies the historical landscape of the upper Thames Basin and Oxford, the region's urban focus for over a millennium. Students can read this history on site, using resources from anthropology, history, architecture, city planning, political and social organization, and imaginative literature. Readings and trips concern local Neolithic, Bronze-Age and Iron-Age (Celtic) cultures as well as the historical phases of regional experience from the first Roman probe of 55 B.C. to the start of the Tudor Dynasty in 1485 A.D. CF 3395. A Cultural Journey to China. Suzhou, in China's cultural heartland, hosts this course on the development of Chinese culture: religion, literature, cinema, art, architecture and history. Trips complement readings centered on self, family and state. CF 3396. Rome and the Italians: History, Culture, and Politics. This course, taught in Italy, explores the cultural and political identity of Italy as it evolved from antiquity to present day. CF 3397. Science and Politics in a Nuclear Age: Change and Resolution of Conflict. Investigation of societal changes associated with the development of scientific discoveries such as nuclear energy. Consideration is given to resulting conflicts and their resolution at local, national and international levels. CF 3398 (ENGL 3369). Jewish American Literature and Culture. An interdisciplinary introduction to Jewish culture through literature, especially in the American environment, as well as to the issues in studying any distinctive ethnic and cultural literature. CF 3399 (RELI 3377). Cultural History of Tibet. A critical study of Tibetan history, culture, and religion and how they relate to the representation of Tibet in travel, scholarly and popular literature. CF 3401 (HIST 3401). The Good Society. This course will focus on the historical construction of the concept of the "good society" in Western culture. Although the term did not enter our literature until Graham Wallas published The Good Society in 1915, we can clearly distinguish its origins in the religious, political and intellectual traditions of Europe and the United States. Affiliated with the Center for Inter-Community Experience. CF 3402. Divided Loyalties: The Problem of Identity in a Global World. Focusing on questions of individualism, citizenship, and public identity, this course investigates tensions among localism, nationalism and globalism within contemporary literature and culture. Affiliated with the Center for Inter-Community Experience. CF 3403. Imagined Communities: Place, Nation, and Construction of Cultural Identity. The flagship course of the Center for Inter-Community Experience, "Imagined Communities" investigates from historical and contemporary perspectives the forms of local, national and transnational identities that characterize American life. In order to enhance understanding of course readings, students will participate in ICE Center programs in the multiethnic, multinational East Dallas community of Garrett Park East. CFA 3301 (ENGL 2321, ANTH 2321). The Dawn of Wisdom. Explores the visions of the cosmos expressed in the art, archaeology and literature of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greco-Roman civilization and the New World, emphasizing the role of human beings as central and responsible actors therein. CFA 3302 (WS 2322). Women: Images and Perspectives. An examination of the constant and changing understanding of women reflected in myths, research and theories of biology, history, religion, the social sciences, literature and language. CFA 3303 (WS 2380). Human Sexuality. This course explores the biosocial aspects of human sexuality and sex behaviors. A multidisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective will address a wide range of theoretical and pragmatic sexual issues. CFA 3304 (PLSC 4341). Comparative Rights and Representation. This course will explore the tension that exists between rights and democratic representation. Issues explored include judicial social policy making, individual versus collective rights, aboriginal rights and affirmative action. CFA 3305. Literature And Film: Adaptations By Italian Directors of Literary Texts. Through the study of major literary works and their cinematic adaptations, the course focuses on the value systems and the social realities the works reflect. The analogies and the differences that exist between literary and cinematic approaches will be explored by reading the texts and confronting them with their filmic renderings. CFA 3306 (RELI 3316). Religion and Science. An exploration of how religion and science understand such topics as the origins and destiny of the universe and the evolution of life. CFA 3307 (RELI 3371). Religion and Culture in the Greco-Roman World. This course investigates the intersections of political history, social history, philosophical thought, and religious belief and practice in the ancient Greco-Roman world, with particular attention to Judaism and Christianity in their Greco-Roman context. CFA 3308 (WS 2308). Revisions: Woman As Thinker, Artist, and Citizen. This course is designed to discover how an emphasis on the particular experiences of women can enhance and complicate traditionally conceived areas of scholarship and critical endeavor. It will also explore areas of women's experience traditionally undervalued, such as friendship, sexuality, motherhood and old age. CFA 3309 (WS 2309). Lesbian and Gay Literature and Film: Minority Discourse and Social Power. The exploration through literature and film of the struggles by gay men and lesbians to create social identities and achieve human rights. Study of key cultures and pivotal historical periods in the West from ancient Greece to contemporary America. Authors include Sappho, Plato, Michelangelo, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, E.M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, James Baldwin, Audre Lord, Adrienne Rich and Tony Kushner. Cinematography includes Pedro Almodovar, Derek Jarman, Maria Luisa Bemberg, Sally Potter and James Ivory. CFA 3310. (ETST 2301, SOCI 3305). Race and Ethnicity in the United States. An interdisciplinary seminar designed to introduce students to the analysis of race and ethnicity in the United States within a global context. CFA 3311 (CLAS 2311). Myth and Thought in the Ancient World. The goal of this course is to explore the conceptual and philosophical underpinnings of ancient understandings of reality in Western and non-Western cultures. The materials for investigation will be primarily textual, including myths, epics, tragedies and philosophical discourse in ancient Greece. Key points of concern will include concepts of the human condition; the nature of the good life; the problems of death, evil, and misfortune; the relationships between humans and gods and between the individual and society; and the difference between illusion and reality. The relationship between modern thought and ancient thought, both Western and non-Western, will also be a recurring theme. CFA 3312. Making History: Representations of Ethical Choices. 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. CFA 3313 (ARHS 3322). Islamic Art and Architecture: The Creation of a New Art. This course will treat issues significant to the creation and expansion of Islamic art from the seventh to the 15th century. Topics to be discussed include cultural and political exchange and conflict between Muslims and Christians; religious concerns and the artistic forms created to meet them; the importance of the book in Muslim culture; the distinctions between religious and secular art; and the appropriation of sacred space in Muslim architecture. CFA 3314 (DANC 2370). Movement As Social Text. The course will look at ways in which movement and dance have meaning in different cultural, social and historical contexts. Examinations of examples of dance in a cross-cultural context, encompassing both Western and non-Western dance forms, will be included. Emphasis will be placed on the nature of movement, its unique properties, the ways in which it conveys meaning and its relationship to culture. CFA 3315 (WS 2315). Gender, Culture, and Society. An interdisciplinary study of gender ideology stressing anthropological and literary perspectives, this course will analyze gender difference as a structuring principle in all societies and explore some of its representations in literature, film and contemporary discourse. CFA 3316. The Immigrant Experience. An interdisciplinary focus on the issue of immigration in the United States. The course explores historical, ethical, social, cultural, and political dimensions of the immigrant experience, as well as America's attitudes toward the immigrant. Controversial issues such as bilingual education and illegal immigration will be examined. CFA 3317. Global Perspectives on Environmental Issues. Many of the major environmental issues our planet faces -- greenhouse climate changes, air and water pollution, acid rain and related atmospheric problems, ozone shield destruction, toxic and radioactive waste disposal, land use management, energy resource development, geologic hazards, population growth and food supplies and others -- will be examined from scientific as well as cultural, political and ethical viewpoints. CFA 3318 (HIST 2384). Colonial Latin America. This is the first half of a two-semester introduction to the history of Latin America. It centers on the colonial period; the years from the Spanish Conquest in the early 16th century to the beginning of Latin American nationhood in the 19th century. What does it mean to say that "Latin America was becoming Latin American" during these centuries of Spanish and Portuguese colonial rule? To address this question, special attention will be given in the readings and lectures to the meeting of Europeans and native Americans, changing institutions and ideas of empire, Indians under colonial rule in the core areas of highland Spanish America, structures of society and thought as they formed and changed, some individual lives, regional variations and movements toward national independence. CFA 3319 (HIST 2385). Modern Latin America. An introductory survey beginning with the 19th-century wars of independence from Spain and Portugal and emphasizing the 20th century as the new nations struggle for political stability and economic independence. CFA 3320 (FL 3323, HIST 2323). Russian Culture. Significant aspects of Russian thought and culture at its various stages of development are presented and illustrated by examples from literature, folklore, prose, drama, journalism, architecture, the fine arts and music. CFA 3321. Ways of Thinking in the Ancient World. Distinctions between heaven and earth, divine and human, "spirit" and "matter," living and living well, mind (language) and "reality," are categories of thought explored in this course. This is a course in how thinking gets done, as well as in some of what human beings have thought. CFA 3322 (PSYC 3358/RELI 3358). Psychology of Religion. Covers the psychological, biological and social foundations of religion and its consequences. Topics include mystical experience, conversion, prayer, cults and the effects of religion on health, prosocial behavior and prejudice. CFA 3323. The Emergence of the Modern Mentality of the West. This course examines some of the major changes in philosophical thought and religious life which took place between the end of the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution. It focuses on contrasts between magic and science, the rise of the capitalist spirit, and conflicts between traditional beliefs and modern skepticism. CFA 3324 (THEA 4385). Studies in Theatre, Drama and Performance: English Theatre, Restoration to the Present. Surveys English theatre, Restoration to today. Focuses on selected scripts and social contexts: audiences, society, theatrical forms, modes of production, theatre architecture and broader historical, economic and political forces influences. CFA 3325 (HIST 3379). Culture in New Mexico. This course, taught only at SMU-in-Taos, explores the struggles between the state's dominant ethnic groups -- Native Americans, Hispanos and Anglos -- over rituals, spaces and objects. CFA 3326. Hybrid Identities: Literature, Culture, and Identity Politics. This course will examine literary and cultural texts drawn from history and anthropology that deal with identity issues in the contemporary world. CFA 3327. Environmental Problems and Policy: A European Perspective. As the threats of local, regional and global environmental problems grow, so does the public political and scholarly debate about the remedies to control them. A study of current issues, options and politics from the European perspective. CFA 3328 (FL 3309). Contemporary France. This course will provide an interdisciplinary immersion in the main concerns of France today. It will explore its institutions, social issues and intellectual and cultural interests as they relate to the past and strive to meet the challenge of the 21st century, particularly the making of Europe. CFA 3329 (FL 3307, HIST 3365). The Belle Epoque and the Birth of Modernity. Through its focus on the Belle Epoque, this course will give students the opportunity for in-depth study of one of the richest periods in the history of French culture. Through a variety of cultural objects, they will study the shift of civilization that occurred at the turn of the 20th century based on major changes in concepts of the individual, space and time, and learn how they gave birth to our modern civilization and culture. CFA 3330 (FL 3303, SPAN 3373). Spanish Civilization. Through lectures, readings, study trips and audiovisual presentations, this course presents an interrelated overview of Spanish culture and thought, especially as related to contemporary Spain. This course addresses from multiple disciplinary (anthropology, history, sociology, Spanish literature, etc.) perspectives a vast array of interrelated social and cultural practices and beliefs. CFA 3331 (ANTH 2331). The Formation of Institutions: Roots of Society. With illustrations from the prehistoric past, the earliest recorded civilization, and "contemporary ancestors" (bands and tribes of the present), this course will trace the development of familiar notions like the family, property and the state, resulting in an appreciation of the fundamental questions posed by our common life on earth and the variety of answers which human societies have given to those questions. CFA 3332 (CLAS 2332). Ancient and Medieval Civilization: A Parisian Perspective. This course presents a case-study approach to the development of cities, civilizations and empires from the appearance of urbanism in Mesopotamia to the end of the European Middle Ages, with special reference to political, economic and religious institutions. CFA 3333 (SWST 2323). Pueblos, Hispanos, and Anglos in New Mexico. New Mexico's distinctive tri-ethnic mix, Pueblos, Hispanos and Anglos, seen through the lenses of history and literature. CFA 3334 (PLSC 4323). The Politics of Change in America, 1930-2000. Focusing on American politics and society from 1930 to the present, this course will examine how America has changed, explain why change occurs, and assess the consequences of these changes. CFA 3335. Non-Western Construction of Race, Gender, and Nation. This course examines the nature and context of British colonialism, decolonization, and resistance discourse, and goes on to develop a critique of terms such as "Third World," "multicultural," "national," "ethnic" and "minority." CFA 3337 (DANC 3374). 20th-Century Musical Theater. This course will examine the significance of dance in the American Musical as a medium for reflecting the cultural evolution in America from a social and historical perspective. CFA 3338 (RELI 3338). Christ As Cultural Hero. An exploration of the impact of Jesus on the history of Western culture, not only in religion and philosophy, but also in the fine arts, literature and politics. CFA 3339 (RELI 3339). The Puritan Tradition in England and America. An examination of the religious, political, scientific, economic and literary dimensions of the Puritan movement in Tudor-Stuart England and in colonial New England. CFA 3341 (HIST 5341/ LAW 9370). Native Americans in Western Legal Thought. A survey of Spanish and Anglo-American legal treatment of Native North Americans from first contact to the present, comparing and contrasting versions of Western jurisprudence and examining whenever possible Native-American responses. CFA 3342. British Studies I. This course is an interdisciplinary, writing-intensive course within the humanities and social sciences taken at a British or Irish university. It can only be taken by students in the year-long SMU-in-Britain program. CFA 3343. British Studies II. This course is an interdisciplinary, writing-intensive course within the humanities and social sciences taken at a British or Irish university. It can only be taken by students in the year-long SMU-in-Britain program. CFA 3348 (HIST 3348). American Families: Changing Experiences and Expectations. Explores changes in American family life from the colonial period to the present. Seeks to understand how family ideals, structures and roles have shaped and been shaped by social and historical change. CFA 3359 (PLSC 3359). From Communism to Democracy. An interdisciplinary survey of the rise and fall of communist regimes, followed by an analysis of the successes, obstacles and consequences of the democratic transition in the former Eastern Europe and Soviet Union. Particular attention will be paid to cultural, social, economic and political influences that affect divergent paths to democracy. CFA 3360 (FL 3360). The Ethics of Colonization in Latin America. Through a study of literary, philosophical, historical and religious texts, this course considers how the humanist ethics of the Renaissance were debated and carried out in the colonization of Latin America. CFA 3368. Orient and Occident: Encounters Between the Middle East and the West in the Modern Era. This course exposes students to the broad dimensions of Islamic belief and practice, major themes in relations between the countries and cultures of the Middle East and Western Europe from the early modern era to the present, beginning with Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798. CFA 3370. Australian Aboriginal Studies. This course provides an understanding of the history and culture of the indigenous peoples of Australia in a way that makes students more interested in, and sensitive to, the history and culture of indigenous peoples. CFA 3375 (CCCN 3375). Postwar European Cinema, 1945-Present. Presents an overview of postwar European cinema focusing on major films, directors and national movements with particular emphasis on Italian film. Considers cultural and stylistic features that differ from Hollywood genre models. CFA 3377 (PHIL 3377). Animal Rights: The Ethics of Human Treatment of Animals. An examination of the moral status of nonhuman animals and its implications for the common use of animals as food and experimental subjects for humans. CFA 3380 (HIST 2380). Ethnic Regions in the "Western World." This interdisciplinary course examines the ways regional ethnic minorities such as the Basques, Quebecois, and Chicanos have functioned within larger societies in Western Europe and North America. CFB 3301 (ANTH 3301, SOCI 3301). Health, Healing and Ethics: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Sickness and Society. A cross-cultural exploration of cultures and organization of medical systems, economic development and the global exportation of biomedicine, and ethical dilemmas associated with medical technologies and global disparities in health. CFB 3322 (HIST 3322). Native American History. This course examines the roles Native Americans played in the history of North America (excluding Mexico) from 1500 to the present. CFB 3332 (ENGL 3332). Workers, Citizens, and Men in America. Interdisciplinary course examining the construction of contemporary American masculine identity through literary texts and their historical, political and economic context. It explores the challenges posed to an older, genteel model of white masculinity by 20th-century enfranchisement of immigrant and African American men and modern women. CFB 3386 (ARHS 4386). Patrons and Collectors. A social history of art from the point of view of its consumers. Art patronage and collecting are examined from antiquity to the present, with emphasis on the modern period. CO-REQUIREMENT IN HUMAN DIVERSITY (three term hours) This requirement may be satisfied by any course within the University's undergraduate curriculum, including courses in Perspectives and Cultural Formations, so long as that offering is designated as a Human Diversity course. Such courses focus on non-Western cultures or on issues of race, ethnicity, and/or gender.
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This page was last updated September 08, 2009