Student Awards
The Hoskins Philosophy Essay Award
Awarded for a high-quality essay in philosophy by an undergraduate student.
Submission deadline: Candidates should submit their essay via email to the SMU Philosophy Department’s administrative assistant, Lacey DeMara (ldemara@smu.edu), by February 25, 2024.
Submission requirements: Any major, minor, or interested student is eligible to submit. Papers need not have been written for a class, though excellent papers written for philosophy classes are welcome. Please indicate in the subject line the award your paper is being submitted for and include a separate cover sheet with only your name and essay title. The cover sheet will be removed before it is given to readers. Students may submit different papers for each prize, but do not submit more than one paper per award.
The Hoskins Philosophy Award was created in 1974 thanks to a gift from Mr. Billy Jack Glascock and his wife, Rose Ann Sparkman, to honor Dr. Glenister C. Hoskins. Dr. Hoskins earned his Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Education at the University of Missouri in 1948, and joined the SMU Philosophy Faculty that same year until his retirement in 1977. He served as Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs in Dedman College from 1972.
Billy Jack Glascock (born in Dallas in 1932) was a student of Dr. Hoskins, an SMU University Scholar throughout his years at SMU, member of Phi Alpha Theta, national history honorary, and a winner of the Rel Saner Oratory Award in 1950. In 1968, Glascock established I.I.I. Ltd. in London with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., for the purpose of expansion of the organization of National Investors Life Insurance Company (UK) and International Investments, Inc. (US).
Past Recipients:
1987 - Norman Mark Hood
1989 - Christi D. Favor
1995 - Bahar Khoshnoudi and
Scott Osmon
2003 - Amanda Claire Dickens
2004 - John Daniel Cummins
2005 - Adam Joseph Hawkins
2006 - Derek Ryan Ward
2007 - Nicolette Jean Ocheltree
2008 - Aleem A. Dhalla
2009 - Christopher A. Simpson
2010 - Jesse Cohen
2011 - Chad Farish Hall
2013 - Michael James Lundie
2014 - Mary Webber
2015 - Olushola Ogunrayi
2016 - Parker Miller
2017 - Mary Kathryn Sapp
2018 - Lauren Alexander
2019 - Jonathan Arnold
2020 - Margaret O'Brien
2021 - Aeron J. Peterson
2022 - Jessie M. Henderson
2023 - Juliana Neniel
The Sverdlik Philosophy Essay Award
Awarded for best essay in ethics (broadly construed: to include political philosophy, philosophy of law, and applied philosophy in general).
Submission deadline: Candidates should submit their essay via email to the SMU Philosophy Department’s administrative assistant, Lacey DeMara (ldemara@smu.edu), by February 25, 2024.
Submission requirements: Any major, minor, or interested student is eligible to submit. Papers need not have been written for a class, though excellent papers written for philosophy classes are welcome. Please indicate in the subject line the award your paper is being submitted for and include a separate cover sheet with only your name and essay title. The cover sheet will be removed before it is given to readers. Students may submit different papers for each prize, but do not submit more than one paper per award.
The Sverdlik Philosophy Award was created in 2018 to honor the contributions of Professor Steven W.B. Sverdlik to the SMU Philosophy Department, Southern Methodist University, and to the field of ethics and moral philosophy. Professor Sverdlik obtained his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1981, joined the SMU Philosophy Faculty in 1982, and was named Emeritus Professor of Philosophy in 2017. He is the author of Motive and Rightness (Oxford University Press, 2011) and A Guide to Bentham’s “Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation” (Oxford University Press, forthcoming), as well as of a wide range of scholarly articles in ethics, moral philosophy, and the philosophy of law, on the nature of desert, responsibility, punishment, and consequentialism. “Dr. Steve” was the SMU Rotunda Teacher of the Year in 1991, and a recipient of several NEH fellowships. He was inducted into SMU Phi Beta Kappa in 2012.
2021 - Aeron J. Peterson
2022 - Carissa Wind
2023 - Kaamya Madras Kumaraswamy
The Hausman Award for Excellence in the History of Western Philosophy
To be presented to the student in The History of Western Philosophy: Ancient or Modern whose work best exemplifies original, creative philosophical thought. The student selected by the professors currently teaching those courses will receive a monetary award, and at the annual Honor’s Day celebration, a certificate of achievement.
The Hausman Award honors the contributions of Professor David B. Hausman to his profession, the Department of Philosophy, Dedman College, and Southern Methodist University as a whole. Professor Hausman received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, and joined the SMU philosophy department’s faculty in 1969. He is a dedicated teacher whose career has spanned five decades, and a widely published scholar on such philosophers as Descartes, Berkeley, Hume, Russell, and Wittgenstein. Professor Hausman has served as Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Chair of Faculty for General Education, Associate Dean for General Education, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Past Recipients:
2006 - Olga Ozranov
2007 - Alysia Nicole Fancher
2008 - Christopher A. Simpson
2009 - Ali Hussein Haidar
2010 - Alexander Frolov
2011 - Max Glazer
2012 - Cori Marie Hill
2013 - Michael James Lundie
2014 - Abigail Taylor
2015 - Kelsey Smith
2016 - Brigid O'Leary
2017 - Aabid Shivji
2018 - Alex Dunaway
2019 - Elba O. Ward Junco
2021 - Aeron J. Peterson
2022 - Thatcher Dunlap
2023 - Thomas Greim