Course Catalog

BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

BHSC 6100 Independent - Directed Study

BHSC 6110 The Articulate Voice (CMT)

This short course is designed to help the student understand and practice the vocal skills that contribute to an effective and pleasant speaking voice, focusing on the processes underlying speech production: projection, articulation, and resonance. The emphasis in this class is not what you say, but how you say it. This is a skills course. Students are graded on individual performances, development, class participation, and improvement. Students present two oral presentations along with some written work. 

BHSC 6115 Classic Texts Seminar

This one-hour course focuses the student's attention on a single, seminal text in the Behavioral Sciences through close, directed reading, seminar discussion, and a final paper. Texts and topics change each semester.

BHSC 6300 Independent Directed Study

BHSC 6301 Sexual Minorities: Issues in GLBT Communities (HRJ) (GEN) (ORG)

Focus on understanding the health and psychosocial factors associated with sexual minorities, primarily in the U.S. Explore the construct of the sexual minority and its development primarily in the west, however we will survey ethnic diversity issues within GLBT communities as well. We will identify and discuss health-related behaviors and psychosocial issues that GLBT community members must learn to navigate to achieve wellness in the 21st century.

BHSC 6302 The Art of Public Speaking (CMT)

This course focuses on training in speech performance and speech evaluation skills. The major aims of the course are to make the student a more effective public speaker and a more discerning consumer of public communication. Students will begin by studying historical speeches, then learn both theory and practical applications related to the formulation, presentation, and evaluation of public speeches.

BHSC 6303 Marriage and Family (HUM) (ORG)

Marital and family relationships today are changing, rapidly and dramatically. But there is anything but universal agreement about the ways in which this process may or may not be good for society as a whole. As a consequence, debates about "family values" are continuing to occupy a central place in economic, political, and religious discussions about Western Society's aspirations and prospects for its future. This course seeks to equip students to enter the discussions and the debates knowledgeably and with an eye toward influencing their quality and outcome.

BHSC 6304 The Transformative Power of Narratives (HUM) (ORG) (CMT)

This course explores the concept of "conversations/narratives" within the organization/collective change process, and the importance that narratives play as mediums for change. Our narratives, the stories that we tell about ourselves and others, are a way for us to create order and meaning out of our life experiences. A major theme of this course is that while organizations can shape change, individuals have the ability to exercise voice and redefine their collective and individual views through transformative dialogue and personal reflection (e.g., "changing the conversation"). Graduate students address the complex nature of these concepts from multiple perspectives. Using various narratives and a powerful memoir, students are introduced to interdisciplinary views across the communities of Western literature, culture, human development, organizational change, and psychology. This personal memoir illustrates how the author and others' are transformed because they are able to discover, create or hold on to their personal narratives while faced with the demands for change from society, culture, religion, and family. Students seek to answer: How do conversations/narratives within the cases and memoir bring about transformational changes on different levels of analysis (individual to collective)?

BHSC 6308 Living Systems: An Introduction to Organizational Dynamics (HUM) (ORG)

This course is an introductory exploration into organizational dynamics (OD)-living systems of human interrelationships. The concept of "organizational dynamics" is based on the premises that "organization" is a human collective (2 or more people) and "dynamics" are the human connections, actions, and changes that are occurring within and between collectives. The context of "organization" is defined broadly and includes such collectives as family, community, and business. This course's purpose is to provide an introductory focus for the graduate student by exploring three foundational areas and to highlight how positive interrelationships may influence and enhance organizations' and members' experiences. Through this course, each graduate student has the opportunity to explore his or her own organizational contexts from educational, professional (work, volunteering), personal (family), cultural, and societal experiences. Students will learn interdisciplinary perspectives across the communities of human and organizational learning and development, anthropology, social psychology, and the new cutting edge fields of positive organizational scholarship (POS) and positive organizational psychology (POP).

BHSC 6310 Understanding the Mind and Behavior (HUM)

Each student will gain a more insightful understanding of their unique perception of their environment and the world around them. Students will also gain an understanding of their authentic self based on their biological and environmental influences. This will be explained from a theories viewpoint, the Psychological and Physiological Perspectives: Psychoanalytical, Biological, Cognitive, Behavioral, Socialistic and Humanistic approaches. The course focuses on major depression, which touches and reaches all of us at some point in our life. Painful events and negative programming during the developmental years constitute the most serious threat to the evolution of the authentic self and brain development. Our brains are shaped and developed through our environmental influences and stimuli. Psychological defenses attempt to dull or block out our emotions to stimuli leading to the human condition, and worse can predispose psychopathology, specifically major depression over a period of time.

BHSC 6311 Exploring Human Potential (HUM) (ORG)

This course will help graduate students broaden their understanding of how our basic assumptions regarding how we learn and develop, and our perceived limitations to our learning and development, are influenced by our perceptions, experiences, collectives/organizations, and culture. The course introduces students to cutting-edge perspectives and research across the communities of brain sciences, cognitive and social psychology, and cultural anthropology.  Graduate students will apply the knowledge and experience from this course to shape their personal learning and development journey within MLS, their organizations, and beyond.

BHSC 6314 Native American Heritage of North America (AMS) (HRJ) (ACT) (GLO)

An anthropological consideration of the historical and cultural background of the native peoples of North America.  Emphasis is given to the nine major native culture areas of the continent and the role that their heritage plays in their participation in modern American life.

BHSC 6315 The Lively Mind: Creative and Critical Thinking (HUM)

Explores ways to develop intellectual powers through a twofold approach: an examination of the biological and historical evolution of the human mind; and the development of perception, memory, imagination, and judgment.

BHSC 6319 Professional Ethics and Organizational Responsibility (ORG)

Studies ethical issues connected with organizational management; designed to develop the student's capacity to recognize and reason through such issues. The cases and readings integrate ethical reflection and decision making. The materials are selected because of their topical relevance to contemporary managers, curricular relevance to Liberal Studies, and conceptual relevance to applied ethics.

BHSC 6320 Organizational Leadership (ORG)

Describing and analyzing a wide variety of different theoretical approaches to leadership, this course gives special attention to how each theory can be, or has been, employed in real-world situations. Special application is made through the readings of contemporary leadership books, classic cases, and great films.

BHSC 6322 Abnormal Psychology of Mind, Body and Health

Abnormal Psychology of the Mind, Body, and Health explores the relationship between emotions and illness and the role of psychological factors in Health and Illness. As an introduction to major concepts and issues of abnormal Health Psychology, methods of coping with and treating illness will be discussed.

BHSC 6324 Language, Culture, and Beliefs (GLO) (GEN)

Since all humans have an innate, biological ability to acquire language, we usually take it for granted and overlook its true power. The course examines our assumptions about the relationship between language, culture, and belief. It seeks to illustrate how language is manipulated to maintain and manufacture status; disparities regarding gender, class, and race; and power and ideology in the information age.

BHSC 6325 Anthropology of Speech and Body Language (HUM) (ORG)

Examines in depth the two major systems of communication upon which human interaction is based -- language and non-verbal communication -- and explores their use in daily life.

BHSC 6326 Communication and Persuasion (CMT)

This course analyzes nonverbal communication's role in structuring our experiences and in shaping our interactions with and understanding of others.  Topics include the effects of space, time, body movements, environment, objects, and voice quality on human communication.  Persuasive communication ideas and issues are discussed--including modern mass media, classical foundations of persuasive communication theories, and the ethics of persuasion.

BHSC 6329 The Psychology of Religious Belief

An exploration of the origins and development of individuals' religious beliefs about the ultimate source(s) of power, meaning, and value in and beyond the cosmos.  Particular attention will be given to the appraisal of several classical and contemporary psychological interpretations of the functions that such beliefs serve in human beings' quest for mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.  The course will focus especially on psychoanalytic thought, both Freudian and Post-Freudian.

BHSC 6331 Psychology of Hate (HRJ)

The course reviews and specifically details the leading and most recent theories of hate, and examines the depth of hate-related utility and its futility. Covers topics such as in-group/out-group bias, aggression and its origins, physiology of aggression, history of hate groups and hate crimes, hate on the Internet and in the media, pop culture's representations of hate, hate speech, implications for victims of hate crimes, and motivations of perpetrators of hate-motivated crimes. Also, the relationship between aggression, hate, and violence; the pros and cons of group distinctions; the distinctions in hate crime and hate speech; the pros and cons of enhanced penalty legislation for hate crimes; the justifications for "isms;" and the brain chemistry and physiology behind aggression and anger. Students debate controversial topics in the areas of race, sexual orientation, gender, identity or expression, and religion. In addition, students develop personal ways to combat hate and violence.

BHSC 6355 Psychology: The Discovery of Self

This course will examine the nature of personality development and explore the contributing factors of heredity vs. environment in the lives birth order, intelligence, family, and cultural forces. Students will have the opportunity learn and reflect on their own personalities using the Keirsey-Bates Temperament Sorter and Survey. This course will also explore the many aspects of the personality through learning, behavioral changes, human interactions, and personal growth. The course also offers multiple perspectives with which to view and understand the characteristic changes in personality that make life so interesting.

BHSC 6363 The Immigrant Experience (GLO) (HRJ) (AMS)

An interdisciplinary approach to immigration in the United States.  Explores the historical, ethical, social, cultural, legal, and political dimensions of the immigrant experience as well as America's ambivalent and changing attitudes toward the immigrant. It begins with an examination of the peopling of America before the Civil War and concludes with discussion and analysis of current waves of immigration. Questions addressed include the causes of migration, the growth of ethnic communities, the role of women, bilingual education, illegal immigration, and America as a multicultural society.

BHSC 6371 Cognition: How We Think and Learn from Infancy to Aging

This exploration of the mind is divided into three parts: cognitive development, memory, and aging. The course examines the evolution of thought, knowledge, and memory from infancy until death. Lecture and discussion address what processes transform the brain and mind of a newborn into that of an adult, what infants and children know, where children's ideas come from, and how intellectual functioning changes with age.

BHSC 6372 Psychology of Aging

Provides a balanced overview of health and aging, distinguishes aging facts from myths, and explores the physiological and psychological processes of aging from middle age through old age.

BHSC 6374 The Psychology of Creativity
Explores creativity as one of those human abilities that most see as a highly valuable yet mysterious, uncontrollable force. Examines the wealth of knowledge generated by psychologists and educators with respect to creativity and offers clear definitions of creativity while illustrating its complexities. Also, the roles that personality, cognition, biology, and development play in creative abilities as well as the social, historical, and cultural contexts in which one creates. This course reviews contemporary research (including multiple perspectives, methods, and answers), and how the research helps to debunk some myths about creativity.

BHSC 7351 Religion and Dispute Resolution: Florence, Italy (HUM) (ORG) (GLO)

Study-tour focusing on religion and conflict against the backdrop of the artistic and ecclesiastical history of the Italian Renaissance.  This course educates students in a powerful transformative mediation model, interspersed with on-site tours that highlight the spirit of artistic rivalry and revival, conflict and creativity, that blossomed into the Italian Renaissance.  This interactive course is designed to prepare leaders to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict.  Although primarily focused on the religious environment, the skills learned are directly transferable to other settings, and will be invaluable to managers in business, attorneys, mediators, and other professionals who manage conflict.  This class satisfies the State of Texas mediation requirements and the mediation course requirement for the Dispute Resolution program.

BHSC 7352 International Organizational Consulting at Trinity College: Dublin, Ireland (HUM) (ORG) (GLO)

The course, International Organizational Consulting will be presented in the 16th century halls of Trinity College, Dublin.  This class will focus on the processes and approaches that have been successfully utilized by numerous organizations to build and sustain functional international relationships.  This course incorporates a unique design format and includes one weekend at the SMU-Plano campus followed by the week of activities in Dublin.  This format will allow students ample time to explore Dublin and integrate a fuller cross-cultural experience with classroom learning.  The course also makes use of a variety of guest speakers to provide students with multiple perspectives on the field of international collaboration and consulting.

BHSC 7353 Conflict and Trauma in Israel and the Palestinian Authority (GEN) (GLO) (HUM) (ORG)

This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to study the nexus between trauma and ongoing conflict through interaction with local experts and site visits. Students will interact with conflict resolution/management and counseling professionals from Israel and the Palestinian Authority, investigating the dynamic created by ongoing trauma in conflict and post conflict societies. The course will focus on second track conflict resolution and management projects affecting Israeli and Palestinian communities and families. Perhaps the most significant learning opportunity will be created by the exposure of conflict resolution students to trauma issues, and the exposure of counselors to the principles of conflict resolution. Consequently, all students in the course will attend all of the lectures and demonstrations, and the site visits will be designed to address both trauma and conflict resolution/management. This seven-day program combines a traditional lecture and discussion approach with an intense experiential component, resulting in a 3 credit course that questions the traditional boundaries between conflict resolution/management and counseling.

FINE ARTS

FNAR 6100 Independent Study

FNAR 6115 Classic Works (HUM) (ACT)

Focuses on a single, seminal text or work of art in music, drama, or the visual arts through close, directed reading, and seminar discussion.  Topics can vary each semester.  One study begins with the premise that there are more ways than one to "read" a painting by considering a variety of different scholarly interpretations of Manet's major painting, Bar at the Folies-Bergere.  Critical readings will be supplemented by background lectures on Manet's significant place in the movements of Realism and Impressionism.

FNAR 6200 Independent Study

FNAR 6201/6101 Art and Architecture in Hispanic New Mexico (HUM) (GLO) (AMS)

Take this unique opportunity to study the artistic and cultural legacies of colonial New Mexico: Pueblo life and architecture, Spanish town planning and church design; retablos, santos, and their role in traditional religious experience; art in the secular life of towns and haciendas of colonial and republican New Mexico. You won't want to miss remarkable field trips to galleries, collections, and historical sites of northern New Mexico. Not only will you become familiar with the important architectural monuments and museum collections of the area, e.g. Taos and Sante Fe area museums, the plaza and the church of Taos pueblo, churches of Chimayo and Santa Cruz de la Canada, you will sharpen your ability to "see" and "read" visual objects and built spaces as artworks and works of architecture. Note: FNAR 6101 is the writing component of FNAR 6201 which is submitted after the trip.  Students enrolling in this course for credit must enroll in both FNAR 6201 and FNAR 6101 for a total of 3 credit hours. 

FNAR 6300 Independent Study

FNAR 6301 Action! The Practice of Dramatic Writing (ACT) (CWR)

Participate in a hands-on writing course that focuses on basic requirements for dramatic writing (film, theatre, solo performance): action, dialogue, narrative.  Geared for both beginners and people already writing screenplays or plays, you will learn through a series of in-class exercises and homework writing assignments, how to both "start from scratch" or rewrite work-in-progress.  Scenes from classic plays will be studied and emulated. 

FNAR 6302 Black Aesthetic in the Visual Arts (ACT) (HRJ) (HUM) (AMS)

This course will explore the tenets of The Black Aesthetic as defined by the Black Arts Movement of the 1960's and how this movement influenced African American contemporary and post-modern visual art. It will contextualize the development of the Black visual arts aesthetic within the Black Cultural Revolution experienced throughout the United States from 1966 through 1979. The visual art of the Harlem Renaissance/New Negro period will be referenced to establish the roots of the Black Arts Movement and delineate the ideological differences held by artists working during these two eras. The course will also investigate the role that artists from other creative disciplines e.g. literature, music and theater played in shaping the development of a Black aesthetic in the visual arts.

FNAR 6305 From Sunrise to Psycho: Form and Meaning in the Cinema (CMT) (HUM) (ACT) (GLO)

This course will examine the evolution of cinematic methods of expression from the end of the silent era through the transition to sound and the subsequent development of the movie industry to 1960. Students will screen and closely examine sequences from fourteen masterpieces of world cinema beginning with F.W. Murnau's great silent film Sunrise (1927) and concluding in 1960 with Jean-Luc Godard's A Bout de Souffle (Breathless) and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Selected readings and screenings of short sequences from other relevant films will explore the economic, social, and cultural context of these major artistic achievements.

FNAR 6306 Reading to Write (CWR)

Good writing is never imitative, but good writers always learn from other writers. Whether analyzing the successful techniques of a classic work by Hemingway, Warren, Munro, or the latest best seller, writers of fiction and nonfiction benefit from the study of others' storytelling. Through literary analysis and application of techniques studied, writers enhance their creative projects. The course will be a combination of close reading and creative writing.

FNAR 6307 Chemistry and Technology in Art: From Antiquity to the Industrial Revolution (CMT) (ACT)(ENV)

Students will be acquainted with the major developments in science and technology through the ages and will learn how these developments influenced materials and techniques used in art. Various artists' materials will be discussed, such as dyes and pigments, clays, metals and alloys, glasses, coatings and adhesives, etc. The major art forms that employ these materials include painting, dyeing of textiles, manuscript illumination, glass and metalworks, work with ceramics, and many others. Original sources will be used to learn about how various materials were prepared and applied in art in the Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, or more modern periods. Two laboratory demonstrations will be given to better illustrate some of the methods and materials used in the past.

FNAR 6308 Creating Truths (CWR)

Narratives may be a way of giving flesh to our desire to know more about what it means to be human.  Clearly, they are means to expressing, celebrating, and instructing others. But, stories can explore the margins of humanity as well.  This course sets out to explore the ways stories work (both factual and fictional), how we read and appropriate what we read, and the importance of narratives to our lives.  Conducted in a workshop setting, this course focuses on both the analysis and the creation of stories, with in-seminar writing exercises.  Cross-fertilization between the two genres (short fiction and creative non-fiction) will assist in the crafting of stories in either/both genres.

FNAR 6309 Art of the Renaissance in Italy (HUM) (ACT)

Explores painting, architecture, and sculpture during the Italian Renaissance from its beginning in the early fourteenth century through the High Renaissance in the sixteenth century. Major artists and their works are discussed within their cultural contexts, and focus is given to technique, stylistic influence, and iconographical developments.

FNAR 6311 Etruscan Art and Archaeology (ACT) (GLO) (HUM)

Surveys the art and society of the Etruscans and other peoples of ancient Italy from the beginning of the Iron Age to the Roman Conquest. Topics, which are studied in their geographical and cultural context, include Etruscan cities and cemeteries, architecture, tomb painting, sculpture, and metalworking.

FNAR 6312 Art and Architecture of Ancient Pompeii (ACT) (HUM)

Surveys the history, monuments, and society of ancient Rome from c. 300 B.C.E. to A.D. 79, as reconstructed from the excavations of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other cities and sites of ancient Camoania.

FNAR 6313 Contemporary Art (ACT) (HUM) (GEN) (GLO) (HRJ)

This class is the second of a two-part course that focuses on contemporary art post World War II. This course encompasses the 30 years straddling the turn of the century, 1980 to 2010. You will witness evergrowing new ideas developed by adventurous, mostly young artists worldwide. Contemporary art is the art of today produced by artists living in the 21st century. It is a window on contemporary society that helps us understand the world and ourselves. The art combines materials, methods, concepts and subjects that challenge traditional boundaries and defy easy definition.

FNAR 6314 Arthur Miller: Art, Activism, and Life (HUM) (ACT)

Arthur Miller was, arguably, one of the greatest playwrights of the twentieth century.  This course addresses political and social issues through the lenses of Arthur Miller's eyes. The course examines this major playwright's art through a variety of his plays, his political views through his experiences associated with the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1957, and his life through his autobiography, Timebends.

FNAR 6315 Creating the Memoir (CRW)

The memoir, a sub-genre of Creative Nonfiction, explores the methodologies from writing about the self (an artful autobiography). Through the analysis of existing memoirs, suggested strategies for such writing, and a "hands-on," workshop setting, this seminar will enable students to write in the direction of a rigorous "telling of their stories." What better gift for the self and loved ones?

FNAR 6316 On Being Funny: Physical Comedy and Beyond (HUM) (ACT)

This class explores the roots of comedy and asks what it is -- historically as well as currently -- that makes people laugh.  Using Commedia dell'Arte and the European clown as a basis, the class researches and recreates physical comedy from its classical expressions to modern versions in film and television.  Individual performance assignments complement the research and scholarship of the course.

FNAR 6317 Art of the Baroque (HUM) (ACT)

This course examines European painting, sculpture, and architecture of the 17th century, beginning with the foundation of the Baroque in Italy and traveling to France, Spain, and the Netherlands. We will study masterpieces by Bernini, Caravaggio, Poussin, Velazquez, Rubens, Rembrandt, and their contemporaries, explaining their significant contributions in terms of style and subject matter. For full interpretation, we will discuss the works within their historical context, paying particular attention to patronage, the religious milieu, and the social position of the artist. Topics include the Counter-Reformation and Protestantism, the status of women artists, the emergence of the art market, and the increase in genre painting, the still life and landscape.

FNAR 6318 Women in American Theatre: Actresses, Playwrights, and Directors (GEN) (ACT) (HUM) (AMS)

Throughout the history of American theatre, women have made significant contributions as actresses, playwrights, directors, and managers.  Despite this, most of this history has been invisible or defined as "exceptional."  This course examines the influence and impact of women artists in the development of American theatre as aesthetic, cultural, and economic phenomena.  Students attend live productions and view filmed plays from female theatre artists as available; in-class visits from local or national female artists are arranged when possible.

FNAR 6321 Great Books of Art History (HUM) (ACT)

An introduction to the profound, humane, and entertaining scholarship of art history through the principal movements, methods, and writings of the twentieth century. Emphasis falls on theory and practice of the discipline, but the course is tailored for students who love to read and showcases a selection of influential, topical, and elegantly written books and articles. Through such topics as the biography of the artist, philosophies of art, connoisseurship and historicism, and modernist, feminist, and other current critical modes, the student is encouraged to formulate his or her individual place and voice in this evolving humanistic discipline.

FNAR 6322 Modern Movements in European and American Painting (ACT) (HUM) (AMS)

Beginning with realism and impressionism, this course traces the development of the avant-garde through such "modern" styles as expressionism, cubism, futurism, Dadaism, surrealism, abstract expressionism, pop and op art, and photo realism. Readings about the works of representative artists and critics are stressed.

FNAR 6323 Modern Painting in France (GLO) (ACT) (HUM)

Art history tour to France.  The tour explores modern French painting and the significant contributions of Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, and the Nonobjective.  All lectures are delivered on site, explaining the works of Courbet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Cezanne, Ganguin, van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Kandinsky, Mondrian, and more.  Highlights include special visits to artist' studios and residences.  A research paper is required to receive credit for the course.

FNAR 6326 Shakespeare's Clowns (ACT)

Present in most of Shakespeare's plays, the fool or clown character is one of the most intriguing and integral figures in Shakespeare's storytelling period.  This course looks at the plays of Shakespeare - primarily the comedies - through the lens of the clown/fool role period.  Beginning with his roots in ancient Greece, England's Saxon and Medieval periods, the class will first define and then investigate the importance of the clown in history. Moving to specific clown/fool characters in Shakespeare's tales, the class will look at how the clown's pointed and low humor mirrors the high characters, advances, and explicates Shakespeare's plots and gives insight into the politics of the polite world, Elizabethan England.  In addition, it asks the student to mine Shakespeare's texts for the embedded physical comedy in specific scenes to hypothesize on how that comedy might have been  played to support Shakespeare's intent and the world of the play as well as bring his textual story-telling to life.

FNAR 6333 Approaching Contemporary Art: Post WWII (1950-1980) (ACT) (AMS)

This course presents art from the end of World War II to the close of the 20th century and sets the stage for students to explore new art. Students become familiar with fascinating artists, their signature styles, and their effect on the course of art history. Students also develop confidence looking at new art, enhancing their own aesthetic judgment, and enriching their lives culturally. This course may be applied to the following curricular field concentrations: humanities; arts and cultural traditions.

FNAR 6336 Renaissance and Baroque Art in Italy (ACT) (GLO) (HUM)

FNAR 6337 Imagining Reality: History and Aesthetics of Nonfiction Film (ACT) (HUM)

This course explores the issues and concepts of nonfiction film, using work from a variety of cultures and styles, and including issues of sponsorship and distribution.  The course presents an historical overview of the genre from the silent film era to the new social documentaries.  Students gain an increased understanding of the filmmaker's decisions concerning style, camera angle, and other techniques, as well as increased awareness of social, ethical, and legal issues surrounding documentary films.

FNAR 6342 Conservation and Preservation: Etruscan Archaeology in Italy (GLO) (HUM) (ACT)

Students get first-hand experience in excavating an important Etruscan site, Poggio Colla, just northeast of Florence.  MLS participants join other faculty and students at this ongoing dig, and are housed on site in a converted farmhouse.  Archaeologists, art historians, conservators, and other professionals instruct participants in the cultural heritage of Tuscany, the archaeological process, and conservation and preservation technique.  Side trips to Rome and Florence introduce students to local museums of Etruscan art.

FNAR 6387 Inspiring Creativity through Original Art (ACT)

Most encounters with works of art are limited to learning about them - when, where, why and by whom they were created.  Seldom are visitors invited to spend time with the works and explore their complexities, nor are they encouraged to discover personal connections and construct their own meanings.  This course will invite students to consider works of art in a variety of contexts, to learn through them and be inspired to think and respond creatively.

FNAR 6394 Creating Poetry (ACT) (HUM) (CWR)

A course designed to explore and create a variety of poetic forms.  Conducted as a workshop, this course will involve students in the reading and interpretation of a wide variety of poems, the crafting of the student's generated poetry, and the critiquing/evaluation of those poems by both the faculty member and student colleagues.

FNAR 6395 Spectacle of Theater (ACT)

The intent of this class is to make the casual theatre supporter aware of the origins, developments, and purpose of theatre in our lives. When one attends a play whether on Broadway or in Dallas, the playwright, director, actors, and designers all collaborate to shape how we interpret the performed word. Often supporting the spoken word is an elaborate environment created by the design team in the areas of costume, scenery, sound, and lighting design. Whether the ancient Greek gore wagon or the flying rig in Spiderman, design though the areas shares many of the same traits and approaches.

FNAR 6396 Time Past, Time Present Storytelling with a Backdrop of History (CRW)

All writing reflects a backdrop of history, whether the immediate past, the personal past, or the distant past. Storytelling in fiction and nonfiction becomes richer, more dramatic, and closer to the truth when a writer researches, explores, and incorporates historical context. By mining the past for stories waiting to be told, writers spark their creativity and enhance the richness of their creations. This course combines creative writing with literary analysis and historical research to reflect the benefits of close reading, learning from the masters, exploring the presentness of the past, and enhancing the creative process.

FNAR 6397 Developing the Writer's Voice: Intermediate Skills (CRW)

This course explores 1) developing and writing longer works (short stories and scripts, for example), 2) giving and receiving feedback on work in progress and 3) using revision and editing techniques. These three areas of writing are interwoven throughout the term, culminating in a final assignment of at least 60 pages. Follows FNAR 6301 (not a prerequisite) and requires some skills in writing and developing projects.

FNAR 7350 Writing in Nature in Taos, NM (CRW) (ENV)

Associated with the Creative Writing concentration in the MLS program, Writing in Nature is to be presented with the opportunity to explore either the writing of short fiction or poetry. No more evocative natural setting than Taos exists in the southwest. And, nature, as setting, is at the very foundation of literature, frequently becoming a significant character itself. This course offering will be a reading/observing/writing workshop. Owing to the compelling on-location backdrop, each student will be presented with opportunities for creating settings and characters of interest for their writing. Site visits will take the group into a magical world.

FNAR 7351 Exploring the Culture of Spain (ACT)

In pursuit of its educational mission, the Meadows museum announces again a cultural tour of Spain from June 13 to June 27 of 2011. This tour will take the participants to cities and regions described by some historians as the "Espana Profunda," the Deep, Profound Spain, where the seeds of Modern Spain were planted in the middle ages and where the unique cultural profile of the Spanish Character took final shape.

FNAR 7360 Creating the Short Story (ACT) (HUM) (CWR)
Students explore and create the short, short story (or flash fiction) and the longer short story. Conducted as a workshop, participants read and interpret a wide variety of short stories, craft short stories, and critique the stories written by their colleagues. The goal of the course is to move student work toward potential publication. This course may be applied to the following curricular field concentrations: creative writing; arts and cultural traditions; humanities. (This course may be repeated for credit.)

HUMANITIES

HUMN 6100 Independent Study

HUMN 6104 Sacred Places Research

HUMN 6105 Women in Southwest Research

HUMN 6106 Reading Darwin--His Major Works (HUM)

What was the uproar about? When Darwin published On the Origin of Species in 1859, his book was greeted with a mixture of shock, consternation, and delight by various sectors of the reading public. This Classic Texts course assumes that before we react to Darwin's arguments, it's a good idea to have read the essential portions of On the Origin of Species and its sequel, The Descent of Man (1871). Examine the care with which Darwin builds his case for speciation through natural selection and also responding to his profound and moving vision of the world of living beings.

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts in the Humanities (HUM)

This one-hour course focuses the student's attention on a single, seminal text in the Humanities through close, directed reading, seminar discussion, and a final paper.  Texts and topics change each semester.  Topics include, but are not limited to: Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway; Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamozov; Whitman, Leaves of Grass; Melville, Billy Budd; Proust,Swann's Way; Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Short Fiction of Edgar Allen Poe and The Short Fiction of Eudora Welty.

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts: Love Medicine (HUM)

Multiculturalism has produced much of the richness in American literature in the last thirty years. Louise Erdrich's Love Medicine reflects that richness and her own Native American and German ancestry. A series of interrelated short stories about two families in a reservation setting, this first novel won the National Book Award. Its realistic portrayal of mixed blood characters, a search for cultural identity, and ethnic diversity made it a best seller when published and now a classic in American literature.

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts: Aristotle (HUM)

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (HUM) (AMS)

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts: Middlemarch (HUM)

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts: The Short Fiction of Edgar Allan Poe (HUM)

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts: The Invisible Man (HUM)

Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man reflects the search for identity that permeates American literature and experience. From its core narrative of a young black man seeking education, commitment to a cause and, a successful life, his search radiates through multiple levels of meaning: racism as a metaphor for invisibility, the tension between personal freedom and commitment to society's benefit, and accountability for the time and space occupied on the earth. A seminal work contributing to the civil rights literature of the 1950's and 1960's, Invisible Man generated praise for its realistic portrayal of racial prejudice and charges of "selling out" for its author, thus illustrating the paradox it depicts.

HUMN 6115 Classic Texts:  Shakespeare's Sonnets (HUM)

This one-hour course focuses on the most famous and influential love poetry in English. Although cultural icons of timeless poetic truths about love, Shakespeare's 154 sonnets were an extremely strange response to the tradition of sonnet writing that began with Petrarch in 14th-century Italy, and their explorations of the moral and psychological complexities of desire have shaped poetry and views of sexuality and love ever since.

HUMN 6200/Independent Study

HUMN 6204/6104 Sacred Places and Spiritual Practices (HUM)

Get a first-hand glimpse into several aesthetically beautiful, and spiritually potent, sacred places in the area around Taos, New Mexico - places where the spiritual disciplines of numerous religious traditions flourish. You will travel to, and participate in, the religious/spiritual life of the following: the Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu; the Neem Karoli Baba Ashram in Taos; the Hacienda de Guru Ram Das in Espanola; the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram in Crestone; and the Crestone Mountain Zen Center. You will also have the opportunity to participate in an authentic sweat lodge ceremony, led by Herman Quinones, a traditional Native American healer, in a stunningly beautiful and remote location. Take advantage of the experiential and interactive learning style with many opportunities for small group discussions with representatives of each of the spiritual centers. At each site (and while traveling to these sites) there will be prolonged periods of personal engagement with the practices that are central to each tradition (e.g., chanting, group recitation of sacred texts, selfless service, prayer, yoga, meditation, and silent contemplation). You will also read and discuss The Power of Now by Eckart Tolle and a handout of short readings on the role of various pertinent spiritual practices. In addition, you will time to reflect and journal on a daily basis about your experiences. Note: HUMN 6104 is the writing component of HUMN 6204.  A 15-20 page research paper is submitted after the trip. Students enrolling in this course for credit must enroll in both HUMN 6204 and HUMN 6104 for a total of 3 credit hours. 

HUMN 6205/6105 Women and the Southwest (HUM) (ACT) (GLO) (GEN) (AMS)

When female artists such as Georgia O'Keeffe and writers such as Mabel Dodge Luhan, Willa Cather and Mary Austen arrived in the Taos area, they declared that this was the place that they as women, the intellectual artistic community, and even civilization could begin again. The environment will be your classroom as you explore what, for example, inspired Mabel Dodge Luhan to lure the New York intellectual community including such notables as D.H. Lawrence and Ansel Adams to New Mexico. Tour the Taos pueblo, and teh house Mable constructed with Tony, a Pueblo Indian, with whom she made a scandalous marriage, which she dreamed would be the uniting of two civilizations. Explore Indian ruins that resemble those in which Willa Cather claims to have been reborn. Go to the O'Keeffe museum and explore the country that so enthralled her. Read, look, imbibe, and soar!  Students enrolling in this course for credit must enroll in both HUMN 6205 and HUMN 6105 for a total of 3 credit hours. 

HUMN 6300 Independent Study

HUMN 6303 Thesis

HUMN 6304 Technology, Humanity, and Concepts of Identity (CMT) (HUM) (ORG)

The purpose of this course is to explore how the use of Internet technology has affected the individual's concept of identity both at the personal and societal levels. Students will study various topics such as exploring the digital person, digital surveillance and personal freedom, and issues of privacy in a wired world. The course will explore these issues with the use of presentations, current events, cases, and online articles. Emphasis is placed on improving the critical thinking and writing skills of students through comprehensive writing assignments.

HUMN 6305 Great Trials in History, Theater and Film (AMS) (ACT) (GEN) (GLO)

Trials have inspired dramatists and intrigued audiences from ancient to present times. In this course we will study 8 trials in history and read plays and/or see films inspired by them, examining the social/political/religious and other forces behind the actual events and the artists' responses.

HUMN 6306 Major Philosophers of the Nineteenth Century (HUM)

Studies the life, thought, and significance of major philosophers of the 19th century, including: Hegel, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Marx in Europe; Bentham and Mill in Britain; and Peirce and James in America.  The course aims to develop the student's critical assessment of their arguments and influence.

HUMN 6307 Etruscan Art and Archaeology (HUM) (ACT)

Survey the art and society of the Etruscans and other peoples of ancient Italy from the beginning of the Iron Age to the Roman Conquest. Study topics in their geographical and cultural context, including Etruscan cities and cemeteries, architecture, tomb painting, sculpture, and metalworking.

HUMN 6308 Women's Lives and Women's Literature (ACT) (GEN) (WI: Writing Intensive)

This course deals with women writers grappling with the phases of women's lives:  childhood, friendship, marriage, motherhood, and old age.  We will employ literary analysis as we examine the particularity of women's life span.

HUMN 6309 Reading Poetry (WI)

This course develops the skills of analytical thinking and reading to make students informed readers of poetry, able to take emotional and intellectual pleasure in the most primal art form in the world: the patterned words, sounds, sensations, and feelings of poetry. It also develops students' skills at writing clear, concise, evidence-based, focused, and analytical arguments of the kind necessary for graduate study.

HUMN 6310 "Tell About the South": Voices in Faulkner's Novels (ACT) (HUM)

William Faulkner's novels belong to the tradition of "Southern Gothic", but their material is typically presented through the multiple voices of conflicting narrators. This course confronts Faulkner's modernist "difficulty" through the exploration of several novels, focusing on their value for us as readers and citizens.  Works include: The Unvanquished, As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury, and Light in August.

HUMN 6311 Objectivity and Bias in the News (CMT) (HUM) (AMS)

This course identifies the various forces that critics say bias the news media and looks for evidence of these biases in media products. We will explicate the terms "bias" and "objectivity", as well as examine the different forms of alleged media bias, from the frequently cited partisan or ideological bias to the "structural" bias that often occurs as a result of the way newsrooms operate.

HUMN 6312 Odysseys, Ancient and Modern (ACT) (AMS) (GLO) (HUM)

Odyssey, a journey of exploration and discovery, is coined from the Greek hero, Odysseus, and his adventurous travel homeward to Ithaca after the Trojan War. But it describes more generally the search for meaning through trials and enlightenment even earlier in the great Mesopotamian tale, the Gilgamesh Epic. We will read selections from a number of works from this earliest epic through the modern era, and attempt to understand each within the context of its own cultural and compositional setting as well as its larger significance in humanity's eternal quest for meaning.

HUMN 6313 Extending the Convivencia: Meaning and Value Across Wisdom Traditions (HUM)

This course is a response to two interrelated global cultural phenomena: the emerging demand for sapiential literacy -- for tools necessary to make rationally autonomous decisions regarding fundamental questions of meaning and value -- and the fact that people are increasingly engaging in such questions across rather than just within wisdom traditions. This course will begin by exploring the contexts of inter-religious engagement in the present period: globalization and the "return of religion". We will then turn to different ways of engaging religious diversity. We will conclude by entering two substantive debates: the question of God and the question of the relationship between religion and politics/spirituality and civilization across religious traditions.

HUMN 6314 History of Philosophy - Idealism Past and Present (HUM)

In the history of philosophy, Idealism is a concept used to describe the nature of reality as well as to suggest how life should be lived by human beings. Thus idealism in philosophy means both metaphysics and ethics. This MLS course will focus on the work of four notable advocates of both types of idealism, namely, Plato (427 -347 B.C.), George Berkley (1685 - 1753), Georg Wilhelm Frederich Hegel (1770 - 1831), and Edgar Sheffield Brightman (1884 - 1953).

HUMN 6315 Gender and Sex in Archeology (HUM) (GEN) (GLO) (HRJ)

Sex and gender in past societies have only been seriously studied by archaeologist in the last few decades. How do we recognize and interpret gender in the archaeological record? How do we know what the lives of men, women, and children as slaves, household members, and kings and queens, were like? To what extent have our understandings of women in the past been influenced by the roles and perceptions of women in modern society? This course will explore how and why archaeologists study gender and sexual identities in the past and discover the diversity in these institutions across cultures through time.

HUMN 6316 The Human Experience: An Introduction to Graduate Liberal Studies (INTRO-REQ)

Examine issues of human existence using interdisciplinary perspectives, primary readings, large group presentations and discussion groups. Learn the various disciplines of human thought and problems. Contribute to the overall knowledge of the many ways in which humans try to understand themselves and the world around them. Study what it means to be human including a consideration of the nature of products of human activity, and the world in which humans find themselves. Take a close look at the human condition, human creations such as social institutions, art and literature, and science.

HUMN 6317 Heroes and Heroism (ACT) (HUM)

The hero (either male or female) is a mythical construct through which a society embodies its values, transmits them to the young, and celebrates what it wishes to believe about itself. The course begins with the classical or Greek conception of the hero and the Hebraic-Christian ideal. It then examines how these traditional views of the hero were modified in the Middle Ages by the writers of the tales of chivalry and romance. Shakespeare's Hamlet is read as the embodiment of the Renaissance idea of the hero. Works by Shaw, Woolf, and Camus grapple with the modern and contemporary question of heroism.

HUMN 6318 Americans in Paris: The Lives and Literature of the "Lost" Generation (HUM) (AMS)

After World War I American artists and writers poured into Paris, and the friction between the two cultures sparked some of the great arts and letters of the 20th century. This course examines works by these expatriate, their influential precursors, and their European contemporaries.  In the process, the course examines modernism and its major works in painting, science, philosophy, and music.

HUMN 6319 Ethics and Literature (HUM)

Studies a range of literary works that evoke questions about individual responsibility, free will, the nature of evil, and the resolution of conflicting moral claims. Examines work in the context of such traditional philosophies as utilitarianism and kantianism.

HUMN 6320 Jewish American Literature (AMS) (GEN) (HUM) (HRJ)

From the Yiddish literature of the European shtetl through Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, and the greatness of such writers as Bellow, Malamud, and Roth, this course is an exploration of the themes, issues, and development of Jewish American literature.  Course units include immigrant literature from the turn of the century, American Jewish responses to the Holocaust, and modern interpretations of ancient themes.  The course also addresses the particular issues that arise in studying any distinctive cultural/ethnic literature.

HUMN 6321 International Humanitarian Aid in a Post Cold War World (GLO) (AMS) (HRJ) (HUM)

This course will examine modern day international responses to the emergency needs of people damaged by both major natural disasters and by the multitude of inter and intra state conflicts that have arisen in much of the world since the end of the Cold War.

HUMN 6322 Making Sense of the American Spiritual Landscape (HUM)

The American spiritual landscape is quickly changing, shaped by trends both old and new that have left their marks on the way in which people understand and practice their faith.  This course is designed to provide an understanding of the most significant trends affecting American spirituality today, as well as a theological, conceptual, and historical framework in which to consider them.  Among the topics: separation of spirituality from theology and religion; diversity and fragmentation in the spiritual communities; and changing attitudes toward authority and individualism in religion.

HUMN 6323 Psychological and Religious Significance of Dreams (HUM) (AMS)

Do dreams contain important insights, and even messages, about human life and destiny?  Or are they merely accidental byproducts of brain activity, of no real importance to the psyche and to human development?  This course explores the meaning of dreams in human experience, with particular attention to the integration of psychological and religious understanding of dream material.  This study includes a close look at what several orientations in psychology, and one ancient religious tradition, have to say about the significance of dreams in human experience.   Opportunities are provided for students to learn basic principles of dream interpretation, which they can apply to their own dreams.

HUMN 6324 Evil and the Concept of God (HUM)

An in-depth scrutiny of both classic and contemporary discussions of evil, a problem judged to be a central issue in philosophy of religion and in theology. Attention also is paid to thinkers who sought to deny or evade the problems of evil.

HUMN 6325 Women in Modern Literature and Film (ACT) (GEN)

The course examines the representation of  women in modern literature and film from the turn of the century to the present. The course begins with late nineteenth century works by Chekhov and Ibsen that present a crisis in the cultural context of woman's traditional role, and thereafter examines how women writers from Europe and the United States have struggled in their works against narrow gender definitions in their writings and have tried to define women as active, autonomous, and intelligent beings.  The course also looks at how women are represented in more recent European films that deal with the legacy of National Socialism and that pose the question of women's historical agency.

HUMN 6326 Indigenous Peoples' Rights in a Global Economy (HRJ) (GEN) (GLO) (HUM)

This course provides a critical overview of present day issues facing indigenous peoples in the context of a global economy. Who are indigenous peoples and how have they been categorized in relation to "ethnic groups," colonization, and the international system of states? This course examines the current debates within the United Nations about indigenous peoples and human rights. It looks at the law and economics of colonization and emerging issues of international trade and globalization. In addition, it explores the relationship between jurisprudence and tribal custom in literature, history and anthropology.

HUMN 6327 Women in Modern Literature (ACT) (HUM)

HUMN 6328 Love and Transformation, Ancient to Modern (ACT) (AMS) (GEN) (GLO) (HUM)

The transforming and transformative power of love has generated great literature throughout history. In this course we will study a number of works, from plays to poetry to novels to philosophical texts, from the ancient Greek world to modern American literature, in order to analyze and understand how authors in different times, cultures, and places use the concept of love to inspire, motivate, and reconfigure their characters' lives and the worlds they live in.

HUMN 6330 Wit and Humor in African American Literature (ACT) (HUM)(AMS)

The goals of this course are to reach a better understanding of the aesthetics, cultural/historical experiences, and literary conventions of African American writers. The focus is on traditional wit and humor in the selected works.  Authors include traditional writers such as Hurston and Hughes, and contemporary writers such as Toni Morrison, J. California Cooper, and Ishmael Reed.  Since African American literature is based on oral tradition, students are expected to present individual readings/performances.

HUMN 6335 The Bible and Literary Creation (HUM)

This study approaches the Bible from the standpoint that it is, among other things, a literary anthology, providing its readers with a cosmic vision and models of literary forms. In that sense, it is both a product of, and a means of stimulating, the imagination. The course aims to raise Biblical literacy and awareness of the presence of the Bible in English and other Western literatures.

HUMN 6338 The Fire of Transformation: Exploring the Mystical Life (GLO) (HUM)

In this course students explore how certain individuals throughout the world and during different periods of history came to have powerful and transformative spiritual experiences. Students carefully examine the ways in which different religious traditions understand mysticism. They investigate a variety of spiritual techniques designed to catalyze, deepen, and stabilize these alternate levels of consciousness. Students delve into philosophical and social-scientific analyses of the dynamics of mystical states of awareness; and they probe the metaphysical, ethical, and psychological implications of mysticism in the modern world.

HUMN 6341 Ethical Implications of Children's Literature (HUM) (GEN)

The course examines a wide range of children's literature, both historical and current, with an emphasis on building an adult understanding of the moral and cultural themes in these works. Issues of colonialism, race, ethnicity, gender, and class are confronted, and students become acquainted with different approaches to children's literature by using a variety of literary criticism.

HUMN 6342 The Spiritual Vision of Jesus (HUM)

This course attempts to define the spiritual vision of Jesus as it can be reconstructed from New Testament texts. Attention is given to methodological challenges, the shape of Second Temple Judaism, and other issues of relevance, including the attitude of Jesus toward the temple, law, and prayer. The course considers recent scholarship from the Jesus Seminar and the search for the historical Jesus, as well as how these considerations impact our contemporary view of Jesus and spirituality.

HUMN 6344 The Kabbalah and Jewish Mystical Tradition (GLO) (HUM)

This is a historical overview of the Jewish mystical tradition, commonly known as the Kabbalah, from its inception in the biblical times (or, more precisely, in the period when the Bible was written) until the end of the eighteenth century.  By reading and discussing the primary texts that have been most influential in shaping this tradition, we shall examine how the esoteric experiences and otherworldly journeys of the mystics reflected the condition and needs of the Jewish community, helping it to sustain its identity and to affirm, develop, and hone its beliefs and practices.  Unraveling the highly symbolic, metaphoric, and allusive language of the mystical literature, we shall plumb its sometimes outlandish, but invariably fascinating ideas about the structure of the godhead and the human soul, about creation and end-time, good and evil, sin and repentance, suffering and redemption, angels and demons, and much, much more...

HUMN 6350 The Art of African American Storytelling (ACT) (HUM) (AMS)

The course is designed to establish the traditional roots of African American storytelling.  In tracing the roots of African American storytelling from Africa through the diaspora, students examine the survival, uses, and importance of verbal arts in the African American culture.  The course also allows examination of cultural clashes between descendents whose experiences are disparate: one group dominated by respect for oralities; the other dominated by reliance on authorized written texts.

HUMN 6351 Interpretation and Performance of African-American Poetry (ACT) (HUM) (AMS)

The course is designed to extend the student's knowledge and awareness of the African American literary, aesthetics, and folk traditions. Historical, political, and sociological factors are strong influences in African American poetry. Therefore, selected poets are chosen from early to contemporary periods.

HUMN 6352 Interpretation of Folklore in African American Fiction (ACT) (HUM) (AMS)

Examines selected African American novelists whose works are strongly influenced by the legacy of the African oral tradition. Students are required to engage in lively discourse and acquire basic performance skills from selected readings. 

HUMN 6354 Remembering the Sixties: Culture and Change (ACT) (GLO) (HUM) (AMS)

Was it the decade that America came unraveled, or was it the dawning of the Age of Aquarius? This course examines eyewitness accounts, participants' recollections, and fictional and film representations of our most controversial decade in order to discover how mass media influence our cultural perceptions, and how later commentators on this era have constructed nostalgic or demonized versions as ammunition in continuing contests over values.

HUMN 6356 Oral Interpretation of Literature (ACT) (CMT)

This course introduces the student to the study of literature through performance.  Based on the assumption that performance is a method of understanding and enjoying literature, the student participates in performance readings of prose, poetry, and dramatic literature.  Written work is assigned, but the focus of this course is on the discovery and exploration of literature through the medium of vocal and physical performance.

HUMN 6358 Trances and Dances: Investigations into Aboriginal Religious Life (HUM) (GLO)

This course is designed to introduce students to the religious beliefs and practices of several non-Western (or pre-Western) cultures: eg., Australian aboriginals, African tribal peoples, and native North and South Americans.  Through readings, videos, lectures, classroom discussion and in-class activities, we examine such phenomena as spirit possession, sacrifice, masks, shamanism, out-of-body experiences, spiritual healing, visions, and pilgrimage; we delve into the psychological and social functions of trance, exorcism, and magic; we explore the problems and possibilities of cross-cultural religious contact; and we search-out the hidden meanings of myths and dreams.

HUMN 6359 Etruscan Art and Archaeology in Italy (GLO) (HUM)

Learn about art, conservation, archaeology, and cultural history in one of the most beautiful regions of Tuscany. Spend two weeks with archaeologists, art historians, conservators, and other professionals at an ongoing archaeological research project in Italy, the largest of its kind in the Mediterranean.

HUMN 6360 Philosophers Examine Religion I (HUM) (GLO)

From antiquity to the present, philosophers have studied religion seriously. Doing so has produced a significant literature worthy of careful reading and reflection. This two-part course studies the thought of notable philosophers about religion and its claims.  Part I begins with the in-depth study of the four classical arguments for the existence of God. The remainder of Part I is devoted to careful consideration of such key topics in philosophy of religion as religious experience, revelation, miracle, and faith.

HUMN 6361 The Literature of Religious Reflection (WI: writing intensive) (GLO) (HUM)

This course explores how writers from the Middle Ages to the present have used poetry and prose to express their spiritual emotions and concerns. Concentrating on poetry and fiction, we look at how English and American writers have expressed their concerns with good and evil, with their relation as humans with God, with the shape of a Christian life in the world, and with the problems of human suffering and the mysteriousness of God's justice. WI - Fulfills the writing intensive requirement.

HUMN 6363 Philosophers Examine Religion II (HUM) (GLO)

Continues study of  notable philosophers about religion and its claims (see HUMN 6360).  The second part focuses on problems of evil and human destiny.  It is not necessary to take the courses in sequence; Part I is not a prerequisite for Part II.

HUMN 6366 Reading St. John's Revelations (HUM)

The course reviews what is undoubtedly the most controversial and troubling book in the New Testament.  Students review the history of St. John's book, with attention to morality and other elements of the book's socio-historical setting, including the larger context of Jewish apocalyptic literature.  We also examine various approaches to interpretation of the text, and ways of both reading and appropriating the book's message.  Topics include literary and theological study of the book's imagery and the theological implications of various interpretations.

HUMN 6370 The Literate Mind at Work (WI: writing intensive) (HUM)

This course is designed to insure that beginning MLS students have mastered the critical academic skills—reading, discussion, and writing the researched argumentative essay—required to succeed in graduate liberal studies. The course is writing intensive and includes drafting, rewriting, and editing as part of the writing process. Students are also responsible for learning basic research technique and styles of annotation, as well as a review of academic integrity and issues of plagiarism. Short stories, Southwest literature, and a novel form the basis for exploring human experience in various literary voices and cultures and offer opportunities for writing, research, and collaborative learning.

HUMN 6373 American Regional Literature (ACT) (ENV) (HUM) (AMS)

This course explores the regional literary voices that form the roots of American literature. Out of the unique development of each region comes the diversity and richness of ethnic influence, literary genres, and thematic focus that constitute the foundations of American literature.  Texts and topics vary from semester to semester.  Topics include, but are not limited to: Literature of the Southwest, Southern Literature, New England Literature.

HUMN 6374 Writing and the Search for Self  (ACT) (HUM) (CWR)

What are the defining moments of our lives, and how do we incorporate the insights gained from these critical experiences into the stories we tell about ourselves? Examining memoirs and autobiographies, and offering practical advice on journal-keeping and overcoming writer's block, this course is for students interested in developing a strong individual voice, once that can address issues of personal concern with the authority that comes from experience.

HUMN 6375 History of the Freedom of Expression (HUM) (AMS)

Since the invention of the printing press, there have been conflicts over the limits, if any, there should be to freedom of expression. Heavily influenced by the turn this debate took in England, guarantees of freedom of expression in America came with the Bill of Rights. But these rights have been the subject of constant controversy; many of the most important national issues reflect them. This course traces the history of those conflicts.

HUMN 6376 Our Stories, Ourselves (ACT) (HUM) (CWR)

How we see ourselves, how others see us: these are not just a matter of looking in the mirror. For better or for worse, self-image is embedded in the stories we tell about ourselves, both in our own heads and in the course of our dealings with others. Use journal-writing as a means of bringing your life-stories into focus, making them more tools for change, growth, and understanding and, it is hoped, enabling us to live more effective and happier lives.

HUMN 6378 Literature of the Great Plains (ENV) (HUM)

Authors from Capote to Cather have been fascinated by the Great Plains as a place. Indeed, one could argue that the Plains almost rise to the level of a character for some authors, a character complicated by the realities of a harsh and forbidding environment, on the one hand, and the multi-layered ambiguities of the region's myths, on the other. To help us explore the environment-myth nexus, we will examine major authors from (or who have written about) the Great Plains through two lenses: environmental history and mythology.

HUMN 6380 The News Media in Contemporary Society (HUM) (GLO) (CMT)

The course examines the influence of the news media on policy-making and electoral politics and includes a consideration of news ethics. This course is designed to help the student become a more sophisticated news consumer, better able to apply rigorous standards to the products delivered by print and electronic news organizations.

HUMN 6385 American Society Through Film: The Twentieth Century (CMT) (HUM) (ACT) (AMS)

A look at American history and the nation's shifting social values through most of the twentieth century, using commercial film as a mirror. Issues under consideration include: changes in social mores, race relations, attitudes towards war, political idealism, the emergence of the youth culture, social adjustments and alienation, and personal responsibility in a changing world.

HUMN 6390 Law and Literature: Parallel Interpretive Strategies (HUM) (HRJ)

This course begins with the assumption that both law and literature require interpretation.  From that point, we move to an examination of methods of interpretation -- both legal and literary.  Ultimately participants should develop a sense of the law as a text requiring constant mediation and evaluation.  Readings juxtapose case law with literary texts by such authors as Browning, Camus, Melville, and Glaspell.

HUMN 6391 Classic Texts Seminar (ACT) (HUM)

Explore 3 classic texts in one course.  This course focuses on close readings of Madame Bovary, All the King's Men, and The Brothers Karamazov.  Reap the benefits of this fabulous team of instructors all in one course.

HUMN 6395 Consuming News in the Digital Age: From Traditional Media to Citizen Media (CMT) (HUM)

Examine the impact of digital technology on news, and the free flow of information in a democratic society today. Learn about varied historical evolution of American journalism from its founding up to its current-day forms. The standards and practices of journalism for traditional media (print, radio and television), and new media (online reporting, blogging, video/audio podcasts, live streaming and RSS feeds) will be closely reviewed. Discover how the different technological methods of news distribution affect who does the coverage, what gets covered, who is reached and why this is important. 

HUMN 6396 Literature and the Culture of Disability (HUM) (HRJ)

Examine issues of disability from literary, cultural, and philosophical perspectives.  Grapple with current debates in disability studies within a variety of contexts.

HUMN 6397 Troubled Youth: Educating the Young in America (WI: writing intensive) (HUM) (AMS)

Through fiction, non-fiction, and film this course examines the paired "problems" of adolescence and education from historical and contemporary American perspectives. Expand your understanding of contemporary issues in adolescent development and education by grounding current concerns in historical perspective.

HUMN 7208 How Lawyers See the World  (HRJ) (HUM)

This course is concerned with general theoretical questions about the nature of law and legal systems, about the relationship of law to justice and morality, and about the connections between law and the humanities.  The question of whether law is an autonomous discipline is an animating theme, and part of our objective will be to consider this question from a variety of angles.  As tools, we will use philosophical and literary texts, as well as a number of representative cases.

HUMN 7212 Monastic Spirituality at St. Gregory's Abbey (HUM)

For five days students experience the life of the Benedictine Order, and consider ways in which that experience might inform their own spiritual practice.  The schedule consists of meditation and prayer five times daily, following the practice of the monastery, and includes lectures and guidance provided by monastery brothers and a member of the faculty of SMU's Perkins School of Theology.  The purpose of the course is to experience disciplined thought and personal contemplation by placing oneself outside the daily routine of the secular world.

HUMN 7301 Greek Mythology and Literature (HUM)

This course will examine the myths and legends of ancient Greece through ancient poetry and plays. It is through myth that ancient societies examined their most complex questions about the relationships between gods and men, the nature of mortality, war and peace, glory and ignominy, suffering and happiness. Ancient myths changed over time, manipulated by each generation and by innovative artists, to address new questions, and to answer old questions in new ways. In this class, we will read the most important literary sources for Greek myth and discuss the role these works plays in ancient Greek culture and their legacy across time.

HUMN 7302 Transnational Literary Traditions (HUM) (AMS) (GLO)

This comparative course, which focuses on the 20th and 21st - century novel in the United States and Latin America, will offer students the opportunity to think about the literary traditions of the Americas from a transnational, rather than national, perspective. Each of the novels chosen for this course not only addresses issues or themes central to the experiences of many different nations in the Americas, but also highlights the movements of its protagonists between one American nation and another.

HUMN 7303 The Culture of Rock and Roll (HUM) (AMS)

This course uses the pre-history and history of Rock and Roll as a means to explore American and trans-national histories. Topics include the Black Diaspora, minstrelsy, the Great Migration, the Black Atlantic, youth culture, the sexual revolution, student uprisings, The Civil Rights Movement, consumerism, and Rock as oppositional in culture.

HUMN 7304 Middle Eastern American Literature (AMS) (GLO) (HUM)

Middle Eastern Americans are creating a tributary into the mainstream of American culture. Poets, playwrights, fiction and non-fiction writers are sharing their perceptions and experiences of heritage and new beginnings, and their creative imaginations, with U.S. audiences. Middle Eastern American Literature offers students the opportunity to cross the new bridge into multi-cultured America.

HUMN 7311 Capstone: Liberal Studies (REQ)

HUMN 7312 Islam State and Society (HRJ) (GEN) (GLO) (HUM)

The emergence of so-called "political Islam" as a movement to both reform dominantly Muslim societies and transform their relationship to non-Muslim nations has had a growing impact on American impressions of Islam and U.S. foreign policy toward Muslim countries.  This course will examine the emergence of contemporary Islamic movements as they relate to the evolution of Muslim states and societies and the attitudes and roles of Muslim minorities in non-Muslim states and societies.  This course will first explore the historical rise of Islamic states and societies and the classical Islamic legal reasoning that both justified and shaped them.  It will then explore the emergence of contemporary Muslim discussions about the relationship of Islam to state and society in the modern context.  It will particularly explore the issues that surround Muslim minorities in the non-Muslim states and societies and the rights of non-Muslims in dominantly Muslim states and societies.  Important to this exploration will be understanding human rights, gender, democracy, and economic structures in contemporary Islamic thought.

HUMN 7313 Creating the Short Story (ACT) (HUM) (CWR)

Creating the Short Story is a course designed to explore and create both the short, short story (or flash fiction) and the longer short story.  Conducted as a workshop, this course will involve students in the reading interpretation of a wide variety of short stories, the crafting of the student's generated short stories, and the critiquing evaluation of those stories by both the faculty member and the student colleagues.  The aim of the course is to move student work toward potential publication.

HUMN 7315 Religions in Asia (GLO) (HUM) (GEN) (HRJ)

Since the first encounters of Europeans with India, China, and Southeast Asia, westerners have been challenged by the philosophies, religions and world views of Asia.  Over the centuries they have become for many, new ways of thinking about the possibilities of being human and understanding the world.  This course will be a survey of Hunduism, Buddhism, and Chinese Religions.  Students in the course will be offered the opportunity to understand more fully the world-views on traditional Asian societies, the ways in which their religions have met the spiritual and social needs of their adherents, and their present growth and relevance outside Asia.  through both lectures and readings students will journey through theses world views, engage the stories and rituals in which they are expressed, and learn the ways in which they function in individual lives and the societies as a whole.  An important part of the course will be visits to Hindu and Buddhist religious communities in the Dallas area, as well as meetings and discussions with their members and leaders.

HUMN 7320 Lesbian and Gay Literature (GEN) (HUM) (HRJ)

This course focuses on the manifold ways same-sex love and desire have been represented in literature from ancient times through the present. Tracing the persistence of classical and biblical views and the rise of modern models of sexuality, the course follows ideas from Plato, the Bible, medieval poetry, Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and Freud that frame the work of gay and lesbian writers today. 

HUMN 7333 Reading Plato in Gatsby (HUM) (AMS)

Plato's Symposium and Petronius' Satyrica, two seminal texts of Classical literature, have greatly influenced later texts, both philosophical and literary, in many ways.  This class will consider their influence, both separately and jointly, on three important works of fiction of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Henry James' Daisy Miller, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, and Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, in order to analyze how these modern writers use classical themes and models to present and articulate contemporary issues and concerns.

HUMN 7335 The Myths of Our Time: Introduction to Media Literacy (CMT) (HRJ) (GEN) (HUM) (AMS)

This course will explore strategies for interpreting a variety of verbal and nonverbal "languages" and "texts" --- from print ads and commercials to cable news; political spots and game shows to church bulletins and alumni magazines; from dress codes to supermarket displays.  Identify and analyze some of the most fundamental "myths" the culture deploys to frame and interpret reality: myths of competition, celebrity, and happiness; the myth of fun (life as entertainment); myths of money, shopping, and the (transcendent) market; myths of patriotism and the American dream.  Pay particular attention to representations, in word and image, of gender (both men and women), race, old age, economic class, childhood, etc.

HUMN 7336 Creativity: Historical and Personal (WI:Writing Intensive) (HUM)

This seminar will focus, in particular, on two periods in history: the Renaissance and our current moments in time. The two time periods are bound together in unique ways by creativity. Through a historical analysis of aspects of the Renaissance (among the most creative of Western cultural times), we will explore methods for advancing our own personal creativity. Materials for the seminar will be highly interdisciplinary, and we will aim to apply the ideas of creativity to each student's current interests.

HUMN 7345 How the People of the Book Read It (ACT) (HUM) (GLO)

This course will provide an in depth practical look into how Jews read the biblical text across the generations, with an emphasis on classical medieval commentaries still used today. Learners will gain an understanding of the approach of each of the major commentators, be able to successfully predict how they might approach a given text, and argue for the advantages and disadvantages of each method on various texts. Learners will also study where and how the classical commentators fell short due to the fact that they did not have the advantage of the knowledge of multi-authorship and modern Syro-Palestinian archeology.

HUMN 7350 Special Topics: American Activism 1960-1980 (HRJ) (GEN) (HUM) (AMS)

Study of a sequence of unfolding and overlapping student activist and human rights movements usually collectively called "The Sixties" as we note the 40th anniversary of the Kent State University Massacre and its transforming effect on American student 'protest culture.' The course moves form the assassination of President Kennedy through civil rights movements to anti-war movements to feminist movements to lesbian/gay rights liberation. These four primary social activist movements--the Black Liberation Movements (civil rights), the Women's Liberation Movements, the Anti-Vietnam War Movement, and the Gay & Lesbian Liberation Movements - singly and together - changed American society in major ways.

HUMN 7356 Darwin in his Time and Now  (WI) or (HUM)

Charles Darwin was not merely a great naturalist; he was also a compelling writer. After closely reading parts of Darwin's key works, students explore the scientific and philosophical currents that surrounded Darwin when he formulated his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. Also, reaction to his theory within the scientific community and the Victorian general public, the (sometimes questionable) application of his ideas to fields like economics and sociology, his impact on popular art and literature, and the revival of his ideas in the modern synthesis that has energized and unified biology in the last several decades. This course may fulfill the writing intensive requirement or be applied to the following curricular field concentration: humanities.

HUMN 7357 Intercultural Communication (CMT) (ORG)

An overview of how differing worldviews, values, attitudes, and behaviors can affect the professional communication process as well as individual and organizational success. Students gain the skills (practical knowledge) and understanding (theoretical knowledge) needed to succeed in an increasingly international environment. Through a series of readings, reading responses, activities, class discussion, and formal papers, students experiment with and apply different concepts related to the intercultural communication process. This course may be applied to the following curricular field concentration: communication, media, and technology.

HUMN 7358 Jews and Judaism in Modern Israel (GLO) (HRJ) (HUM)

Examines the forces that shape contemporary Jewish and Israeli identity in relationship to the state of Israel, and how these forces are manifest in the political life, legal system and laws, military, social relationships, and daily life of Israelis, Jews, and non-Jews alike.

HUMN 7359 Just Between Sisters: Relationships of Mixed-Race Women and Girls (AMS) (HRJ) (GEN)(HUM)

A focus on intersectional and relational questions of first-generation African/African diasporic (black) and European (white) mixed-race women and girls through the use of novels, memoirs, and film. The intersectional questions refer to Kimberle Crenshaw's concept of intersectionality: the ways in which race and gender interact to shape the multiple dimensions of black women's lives. Crenshaw argues that the intersection of racism and sexism operate in black women's lives in ways that a single-dimensional analysis fails to reveal.  The course builds on Crenshaw's concept to explore the various ways race, gender, class, and sexuality intersect in shaping the identity of mixed-race women and girls and their relationships with other women and girls. 

SCIENCE AND CULTURE

SCCL 6100 Independent Study

SCCL 6101 Matters of Life and Death (HUM) (ENV)

Developments in science present the community with issues which require re-examination of certain ethical concepts. These lectures will focus on beginning of life and end of life concerns. Included are assisted reproduction, abortion, prenatal diagnosis of inherited disorders, new definition of life and death, right to die, preserving life vs. prolonging dying, case histories to evaluate the ethics of the decisions that were made.

SCCL 6200 Independent Study

SCCL 6202/6201 Challenges for Sustainable and Secure Water (GLO) (ENV)

With water a vital resource for humans and ecosystems, humankind is poised to engage in numerous struggles, given future uncertainties with changing climate, increasing incidence of widespread drought, population growth and large-scale landscape alteration as a consequence of that growth. Countless popular media articles and scientific analyses have raised the alarm regarding this emerging situation of conflict over scarce water resources. On a global level, the situation is considered so serious, with an estimate that one half of the world's human population will reside in countries considered water scarce by 2025, that the United Nations Millennium Declaration and World Summit on Sustainable Development, in 2000, established 2005-2015 as the Water for Life Decade. This international decade of action has aimed to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation for the world while achieving sustainable water use for biodiversity. Explore how various human activities within watersheds impact the aquatic ecology of rivers and streams and compromise the safety of our water supply. Examine surface waters within the watershed boundaries of the American southwest, and specifically the Rio Grande watershed along with case studies from other regions around the world. Note: SCCL 6102 is the writing component of SCCL 6202 which is submitted after the trip. Students enrolling in this course for credit must enroll in both SCCL 6202 and SCCL 6102 for a total of 3 credit hours. 

SCCL 6203 Science, Ethics and Societal Concerns (ENV) (GLO) (HUM)

The issues in ethics receiving the most discussion today are those growing from developments in science.  Many will be completely new, but others will come in the guide of new technologies, which may have been addressed by ancient thinkers.  These are issues which affect the entire community alone.  In the course discussions, science will be presented at a level consistent with the understanding of an educated layman, requiring little formal scientific background.  The course will include discussion of the following:  the nature of science, organic evolution, genetic disease, genetic engineering, stem cell research, vaccination, and self-inflicted disease.

SCCL 6300 Independent Study

SCCL 6303 Bioethics and Public Policy (ENV) (GLO) (HUM) (ORG)

A study of the ethical dilemmas caused by rapidly changing medical technology. Issues to be examined include in-vitro fertilization, reproductive medicine, stem cell research, genetic screening and manipulation, abortion, fetal tissue experimentation, human subjects research, organ transplants, euthanasia, and end-of-life care. Public policy issues related to the allocation of medical resources are also discussed.

SCCL 6305 Genetics and Ethics (WI: writing intensive) (HUM) (GLO) (GEN) (ENV)

The curriculum will provide sufficient knowledge of genetics, biology, and medical ethics so that students can intelligently engage in issues that permeate the headlines and present profound moral quandaries for all of us.  Issues such as stem cell research, genetic engineering, cloning, and prenatal genetic diagnosis are some of the topics that will be explored.

SCCL 6308 Ecology in Balance: People and Planet (ENV) (HRJ) (HUM) (GLO)

Studies the impact of population growth on the demand and availability of resources, energy, and food.  Interrelated effects of people and environment are considered, along with constructive solutions to problems arising from growth.

SCCL 6312 Energy and Economy (GLO) (ENV) (AMS)

"Sustainability" is by nature an interdisciplinary subject.  But what exactly is it?  How do we define it and what are its historical, scientific and philosophical underpinnings?  In this course we will examine the role of energy and economics in the development of a sustainable world view.  We will survey the fundamental sources of energy, how we harness them and what our prospects are in an industrial economy dominated by fossil fuels.  We will examine how our energy systems are woven into our economic systems and how the history of industrial capitalism has brought us to where we are today.  Finally, we will discuss the fundamental concepts behind "sustainability," physical, philosophical and political, as we synthesize what we learn about the field of "energetics" and our economic behavior in an environmentally challenged world.

SCCL 6319 The Science of Every Day Life (ENV)

This course is intended for students having little or no background in science or advanced mathematics. Our Everyday lives are immersed in substances that are composed of materials and processes which owe their function to the science of the chemicals. The properties of our foods, fuels, consumer goods, environmental materials, even the physical materials of our bodies are understandable in terms of a few relatively simple scientific principles. One effective way to begin an examination of the science and in particular the physical chemical principles that impact our lives is through an understanding of the common and not so common important substances and processes of our everyday world. This course will examine the important phenomena that most directly impact our lives explaining their application and properties in terms of simple scientific principles.

SCCL 6335 Little but Lethal: Biological Man in a Technological World (ENV) (HUM) (GLO) (HRJ)

Studies the hazards of the new technology upon men and women. This course examines critical problems confronting humanity in an age of rapidly advancing technology, including overpopulation, malnutrition, pollution, and major diseases.

SCCL 6349 Biology of Nutrition (GLO) (ENV) (HUM)

Nutrition can be defined as the study of foods and how foodstuffs affect health and biological function.  This course focuses on the composition and function of nutrients; that is, carbohydrates, fats (lipids), proteins, vitamins and minerals, and water (the "forgotten" nutrient). The course includes consideration of the chemistry of nutrients and their biological function; however, a prior background in chemistry is not required.   Definition of terms is a key to understanding the facts and concepts that are presented, including terms often seen in the press or on food labels: low carb, unsaturated fats, saturated fats, high protein, and vitamin enriched.  A diet analysis for the individual student is a term project for this course. 

SCCL 6359 Frontiers in Astronomy and Cosmology

Studies current information and theories concerning Earth, moon, sun, planets, stars, pulsars, quasars, black holes, galaxies, and the structure of the universe. It is designed for the beginner and does not require a math or science background, even though the results of NASA space research and current astronomical and physics research are presented and discussed.

SCCL 6366 Understanding Civilization through Games (CMT) (HUM) (GLO)

The history, including the development of civilization, has been part of many games.  This course analyzes the assumptions used in board games that attempt to model civilization and the human condition, as well as uses board games to attain a greater understanding of the unfolding of history.  Furthermore, students will create board games that model some aspect of civilization.

SCCL 6389 The Origins and Evolution of Life (GLO) (ENV)

Studies the biological aspects of the origin of life on Earth, the history of the subsequent evolution of animal and plant life, and the environmental and geological setting throughout the ages. The mechanisms of evolution and man as an evolving biological species are discussed.

SCCL 6395 Environmental Sustainability: Current Issues (ENV) (GLO)

This is a combination lecture/seminar style course. After a short introduction to underlying concepts, we will examine current issues in the "political economy" of environmental sustainability. We will pose and try to answer some fundamental questions: Are our economic and energy systems sustainable? How does politics influence our views of energy and environmental issues? How do we formulate an integrated systems approach to the transformation of the energy infrastructure? What examples do we have of successful "sustainable development" and what does that mean? Numerous guest speakers from the world of Sustainability will present during the course, and readings, lectures & short films will support the discussions of current events. Students will develop a thesis on the subject and defend it in a research paper to be written over the course of the semester. Speakers and issues change from one semester to another.

SCCL 6397 Earth Matters: An Introduction to Global Environmental Quality (ENV) (GLO)

A focus on the environment and how people interact with it. This course explores 1) environmental quality indicators for air, water, land, and climate (while introducing the pros and cons of environmental issues); 2) anthropogenic activities, impacts, and societal drivers; and 3) various measures for environmental performance and sustainability. Includes a student research project on a country or region. Students learn through readings, research, case studies, presentations, class and group discussions, guest lecturers, and/or videos.

SCCL 7205/7105 Flowering Plants of the Southern Rockies (ENV)

An intense introduction to plant identification and collections using field collected or observed specimens from the SMU in Taos campus and from surrounding areas.  Students will learn the botanical language, plant names and classification.  Students are required to learn 24 families, and collect plants from 20 plant families and press them.   Students enrolling in this course for credit must enroll in both SCCL 7205 and SCCL 7105 for a total of 3 credit hours.

SCCL 7206/7106 Biotic Communities & Environments of the Southwest (AMS) (GLO) (ENV)

Bring your hiking shoes, hat, water container, backpack, rain gear and sunscreen and get ready to explore the major life zones of the Southern Rocky Mountains of north central New Mexico. In an area 7,000 feet in elevation, this course provides outstanding field experience. Field trips will include the Fr. Burgwin campus on the first day and a trip to the Taos Pueblo followed by trips to Bandelier National Monument, Ghost Ranch, the La Junta clear cut forest, trail 69, Italionalis canyon and finally a longer trip to Williams Lake in the Ski Valley. Beginning with easier drives and hikes, finishing with a more moderate hike to 11,000 feet at Williams Lake. The Ft. Burgwin campus in Taos New Mexico is a fabulous place to examine the major life zones through lectures and field trips during this week-long course. You won't want to miss the annual firework celebration in Taos as well as our concluding dinner at the Stakeout Restaurant in Taos. Note: SCCL 7106 is the writing component of SCCL 7206 which is submitted after the trip.  Students enrolling in this course for credit must enroll in both SCCL 7206 and SCCL 7106 for a total of 3 credit hours.

SCCL 7350 Special Topics in Science

SOCIAL SCIENCE

SOSC 6100 Independent Study

SOSC 6102 Traveling through the Middle Ages (HUM)

Who can tell that it's easy traveling only by cars and planes?  Discover how even during the Middle Ages, humanity did not cease to move for several reasons.  On foot or by mule, by wagon or by boat, humans crossed the continent far and wide, from north to south and from east to west, reaching the Far East, the sub-Saharan Africa and the Americas.  The idea of travel is deeply linked with this era.  The Middle Ages indeed started with the massive migration of the German tribes into the Roman Empire boundaries and ended with the first geographical travels paid by Spanish ad Portuguese Kings.  During the long millennium they never stopped and kept on moving, driven by different reasons: to pray, to sell, to discover, to migrate, to work, to fight, and conquest, to convert, to escape from persecution.

SOSC 6115 Classic Texts:  Benjamin Franklin (HUM) (AMS) 

SOSC 6115 Classic Texts in the Social Sciences (HUM)

This one-hour course focuses the student's attention on a single, seminal text in the Social Sciences through close, directed reading, seminar discussion, and a final paper. Texts and topics change each semester.  Topics include, but are not limited to:The Federalist Papers; Walter Prescott Webb, The Great Plains; Josiah Gregg, The Commerce of the Prairies; Andy Adams,The Log of a Cowboy; Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto; The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

SOSC 6200 Independent Study

SOSC 6300 Independent Study

In the Camps as Independent Study --- Contact Dept if interested and complete an independent study contract --- www.smu.edu/mls under forms library.  Travel and lecture course that combines a visit to major Nazi death camps in Poland and a study of why and how genocide can happen in any time period.

SOSC 6301 Terrorism, Torture and International Law (HRJ) (GLO) (GEN) (HUM) (AMS)  

The purpose of this course is to analyze the crimes of terror and torture from the perspective of international law, government, literature, culture, and philosophy. This course examines the origins and development of terror and torture in literature and the legal status of rights under United States domestic law and international law. It analyzes tensions between universal and culturally-specific definitions of rights, state sovereignty, and humanitarian intervention. And, finally, looks forward at future directions in regulating terrorism and torture in international law.

SOSC 6302 Democracy and Development in SE Asia  (HUM) (GLO)

Are democratic values universal? What role does economic development play in promoting democracy? Is there an alternative to the western model of political and economic progress? These are the overarching questions this course will consider as it explores how countries in Southeast Asia (SE Asia) negotiate the paths of democratization and development. SE Asia's record of remarkable economic growth under diverse political regimes offers a range of fascinating case studies that challenge conventional wisdom about democracy and economic development.

SOSC 6303 The Development of Democracy in Southeast Asia (GLO)

Are democratic values universal? What role does economic development play in promoting democracy? Is there an alternative to the Western model of political and economic progress? These are the overarching questions we will consider as we explore how countries in Southeast Asia (SE Asia) negotiate the paths of democratization and development. SE Asia's record of remarkable economic growth under diverse political regimes offers a range of fascinating case studies that challenge conventional wisdom about democracy and economic development.

SOSC 6305 The History of Time (HUM) (GLO) (AMS)

The passing of time is a universal human experience, but the control, measure, and politics of time differ among cultures.  This reading seminar addresses changing perceptions of time from the rise of astronomy and astrology in the ancient Near East to Medieval and Renaissance ideas of time, and the development of clocks and other modern ideas and scientific theories.  The course concludes with an examination of the social and political consciousness of and control over time in American society. Readings incorporate the works of historians, archaeologists, scientists, novelists, and poets, from the Classical Greeks to H.G. Wells.

SOSC 6307 History of Consumer Culture in the United States (CMT) (HUM) (AMS)

Considers the business, cultural, and political history of the rise of consumer culture in the U.S. between the colonial period and the present. Focuses on the development of institutions ranging from advertising, desire and luxury, and "charging it."

SOSC 6309 The Struggle for Human Rights: America's Dilemma (HUM) (HRJ) (GEN) (AMS)

The course examines certain violations of human rights within their historical context.  Attention also is given to the evolution of both civil and human rights as entities within global political thought and practice.  Students learn to recognize the use of propaganda to justify or deny violations of human rights, from torture to terrorism and from slavery to genocide.

SOSC 6310 Dignitas and Decadence: The Society and Culture of Imperial Rome (GLO) (ACT) (HUM)

This course examines the main currents and ideas of Roman imperial society from the establishment of monarchical rule by the first emperor, Augustus, to the fall of the empire in the fifth century A.D.  We examine the profound social changes experienced by Roman society as a result of its military expansion, the incorporation of new peoples, developments in polytheistic and monotheistic religion, the spread of Stoic philosophy, and changes in the definition of Romanitas and Roman citizenship, including developments in gender- and class-based rights.

SOSC 6311 Seminar in Dallas History (HRJ) (HUM) (AMS)

Some people have asserted that Dallas is a place devoid of an interesting or even significant past.  This course is based on the opposite view, a conviction that important and fascinating events have occurred in Dallas and that an understanding of how one of the nation's largest cities came about it worthy of anyone's careful attention.

SOSC 6312 Julius Caesar and the Fall of the Roman Republic (HUM)

The course considers important historiographical questions concerning the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the monarchical Roman Empire as a direct consequence of the life and death of Julius Caesar. 

SOSC 6313 Native Americans and the Young American Republic (HUM) (HRJ) (AMS)

Studies the history and culture of the Iroquois nations from Pre-European contact Colonial and Revolutionary America to the present.

SOSC 6314 Living Through the American Revolution (HUM) (HRJ) (AMS)

This course explores the social history of the American Revolution and what the Revolution meant for the many different people who experienced it.  Focusing on one stage in the historical process of "becoming American," the course shows how these people took part in a set of large-scale transforming events that changed both the course of history and the people themselves.

SOSC 6315 From Hannibal to the Fall of Rome: Empire at War (HUM)

An introduction to Roman warfare and diplomacy, with special attention to Roman theories of imperialism and the just war. These scholarly problems are particularly familiar to modern Americans.  Focus is on primary texts, monuments, and artifacts that illustrate Roman expansionism and military life.

SOSC 6316 Farms, Plantations, and Towns: Diversity in the "New World" (HUM) (AMS)

This course explores the interaction of Native, British, and African cultures in the early period of settlement.  Special attention is focused on the daily life of small communities, including Native villages, Southern plantations, and New England towns and the interaction between them.  The course shows how America was a "new world" for all three groups, though in different ways for each.

SOSC 6319 The Medieval City (HUM)

This course takes into consideration the historical importance and cultural creativity of the European urban tradition from the Roman Empire to the end of the Middle Age.  The study of cities provides a singular perspective upon European history for within the urban environment have taken place the greatest achievements of human energy and talent.  Following a chronological and thematic path the classes will lead the students through the evolution of the urban settlement system bearing in mind not only "the city of stones" but also "the living city."

SOSC 6327 American Citizenship (GLO) (AMS) (HUM)

Seminar which weaves together the disciplines of history, law, and political science to confront the problems of American citizenship in the past, present, and future.  Components: Lecture

SOSC 6329 The American Presidency (GLO) (AMS)

The course examines issues concerning the "modern" or post-war Presidency, an institution at the center of the political system that is fascinating, perplexing, and in many senses paradoxical. This study exposes students to a variety of perspectives and methods that can be employed to analyze the institution, the decisions of its occupants, and the effectiveness of specific presidential administrations.

SOSC 6330 Politics and Film (GLO) (AMS)

Designed to use film as a vehicle for enhancing our understanding of real-world politics and culture in the United States, the course considers political ambition, electoral politics, the nature of political leadership, theories of decision-making, and the role of the media in politics. Additionally, the course examines the "two faces of film:" as a portrayal (accurate or not) of politics; but also filmmaking as a political act in itself. From the 1940s to the present, films have had the potential to deepen our understanding of political change, but have also raised questions as to the political agenda of their makers, the use or misuse of history, and the extent to which filmmaking is motivated by the profit incentive and the cultural norms that govern the industry.

SOSC 6331 Presidential Elections and American Politics (GLO) (AMS)

This course will study presidential elections in the United States in two tracks.  In the first, the modern history of presidential elections, the methods used to study these contests, and the conclusions produced by the research community that analyzes these elections will be examined.  Both the nomination phase and the general election campaign will be covered.  This will provide the intellectual background necessary to follow and to understand modern presidential election campaigns and American politics generally.  The second track will look specifically at the current Presidential campaign.

SOSC 6332 Ideas Shaping the American Character I: 1607 to 1876 (FEI) (AMS) (HRJ) (HUM)

Through the biographies and writings of key early Americans, this course explores the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic ideas that have shaped the American character.  Specific attention is given to the free enterprise system and democracy as twin pillars upholding the edifice of our republic. Key figures begin with John Winthrop, Anne Hutchinson, and John Edwards; move through the founding members of the republic; continue through the eighteenth century figures such as Tecumseh, Emerson and Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, feminists Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, and Susan B. Anthony; and conclude with Civil War figures Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln.

SOSC 6333 Ideas Shaping the American Character II: 1877 to the Present (FEI) (AMS) (HRJ) (HUM)

Through the biographies and writings of key Americans since the Civil War, the course explores the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic ideas that have shaped the American character. Specific attention is given to the free enterprise system and democracy as twin pillars upholding the edifice of our republic. Key figures include Frederick Jackson Turner, Willa Cather, Eugene Debs, W.E.B. DuBois, Carrie Chapman Carr, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bob Dylan, Ronald Reagan, and Madeleine Albright.  NOTE: This course constitutes the second half of Ideas Shaping the American Character, but is self-contained; the first half is not a prerequisite.

SOSC 6336 History of the Ancient Near East and Egypt (GLO) (HUM)

This course examines the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt from the origins of writing in the fourth millennium B.C.E. to the time of Alexander the Great. We examine the histories, literature, and archaeological remains, reading original sources in translation and viewing original artifacts. Topics include: The Epic of Gilgamesh, the law code of Hammurabi, Assyrian imperialism and warfare, the rise of the Egyptian empire, Egyptian myths and poetry, Egyptian religion and beliefs in the afterlife, and Egyptian medicine.

SOSC 6342 America's Defining Moment:  The American Civil War and Reconstruction (HUM) (HRJ) (AMS)

The modern South has yet to shake the tragedy of the War Between the States.  This course examines the origins of this struggle, the battles, the reasons for Northern victory, the effect upon today's South and the reason for its continued fascination to the American mind.

SOSC 6343 America: Conflicting Values in a Capitalist Democracy (HUM) (AMS)

This course examines the special relationship between American democratic politics and the free market economy, as well as the rationale of free enterprise.  Individuals interested in the political and philosophical questions raised by our system of democratic capitalism finds the course particularly relevant.  Current issues, problems, values, and criticisms of the free enterprise system are discussed.

SOSC 6344 Contemporary Economic Issues (FEI) (GLO) (HUM) (AMS)

Economic topics are subject to intense political, philosophical and moral debate.  How should we care for our poor?  Is the current distribution of wealth and income fair?  Should we allow our jobs to be outsourced?  What is the role of government in restricting or promoting business objectives?  This course examines "the market" in the context of efficiency, fairness, and moral justifications.  Through a combination of lectures, readings and class discussions, students will examine the theoretical basis of capitalism and its variations as a means of organizing and allocating resources.

SOSC 6345 Contemporary Economic Issues II (FEI) (AMS) (GLO) (HUM)

SOSC 6347 Placers, Placitas, and Pachyderms (HUM) (AMS)

The fifty years that marked the heyday of America's great overland trails of commerce and migration were punctuated by some of the most defining moments in 19^th century of America's age of western expansion.  In the vernacular of those who experienced overland trail travel, someone who survived the trip was said to have "seen the elephant."  This course examines the three most legendary elephantine haunts:  the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe trails.

SOSC 6348 The Changing Landscape of Political Thought (AMS) (GLO) (HUM)

Political theory gives us ways of seeing, describing, and altering the political world. This course is an introduction to the way political thinkers do these things in the process of creating political theory. There is no single, agreed-upon definition of politics, no privileged methodology for examining politics, and no universal agreement as to the values that should shape politics. It is important to understand why this is so. The course addresses this situation and examines the questions raised by theorists such as Emma Goldman, Ayn Rand, John Locke, and John Stuart Mill among others.

SOSC 6350 First Person American Lives (AMS) (HUM)

Since the seventeenth century, Americans have been telling their stories.  The most famous instances are Benjamin Franklin and Malcolm X.  We will read a wide range of first-person American stories, telling about specific lives but also about the times in which our authors lived their live, about the problems each faced, and about how they dealt with their difficulties.  See not only what made each of these people unique, but also what they held in common.

SOSC 6353 Women in U.S. History  (AMS) (HUM) (HRJ) (GEN)

Survey the history of women in the United States from the Colonial era to the present.  Explore the diverse experiences of women in the past, including those of Native American women, African American women, female immigrants, women workers, girls, wives, mothers, reformers, and feminists.  Examine the changes and continuities over time in women's roles, status, private and public experiences, and sense of self and identity.  Pay careful attention to the ways in which gender -- as a conceptual category and a system of power relations -- shaped and was shaped by larger currents of social, economic, cultural, intellectual, and political change over the course of U.S. history.

SOSC 6355 America Enraged: From Integration to Watergate (AMS) (GEN) (HRJ) (HUM)

The 20-year era spanning 1954 to 1974 was tumultuous, exalting, and foreboding -- and bewildering as well.  A nation that had prided itself on political stability found its political system no longer equal to meeting the demands for change.  A nation that had taken for granted a collective commitment to public order suddenly was stunned by the fragility of its institutions and the assault upon the values professed by the society.  In this era Americans for the first time took to the streets by the thousands, sometimes by the tens of thousands, to resolve disputes once left to the established governmental processes.

SOSC 6356 Civil Rights: The Unfinished Revolution (AMS) (HUM) (HRJ) (GEN)

This course will focus upon the history and politics of the movement that destroyed the system of racial segregation, dissolved barriers to political participation by African Americans, and influenced the culture and politics of the United States.  The course combines readings and classroom discussion with an extended trip over spring break to historical civil rights venues. 

SOSC 6367 Comparative Revolutions: A Historical Perspective (AMS) (GLO) (HRJ)

What is the nature of modern political revolutions?  What are the conditions which tend to produce a revolutionary explosion?  What are the characteristics of revolutionary leaders?  Why do people follow them?  By considering answers to these and other related questions, this course attempts to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on a topic of special interest in our age of monumental upheaval and rapid societal change.  Drawing especially on the American, French, Russian, and Chinese revolutions as case studies, a comparative analysis underscores the common denominators of the revolutionary experience.

SOSC 6368 Silk Roads and Silicon Highways (ENV) (GLO) (HUM)

This course explores the complex interaction between religion, politics, economics, and ecosystem from a global comparative historical perspective. The course will among other things, help students understand the present wave of globalization in the context of earlier waves of globalization, and specifically the emergence of the Silk Road trade network in the period around 200 BCE.

SOSC 6376 Cultural and Intellectual History of Modern Europe: Renaissance to Enlightenment (HUM) (ACT)(GLO)

Analyzes predominant themes in the literature, philosophy, art, and music of European civilization, from the Italian Renaissance through the French Enlightenment.  Emphasis is placed on those aspects of the European heritage that have been of primary importance in shaping Western culture in the twentieth century.  Part I of a two-part series, which need not be taken sequentially.

SOSC 6377 Cultural and Intellectual History of Modern Europe: Romanticism to the Present (ACT) (GLO)(HUM)

Explores major trends in the development of European literature, philosophy, art, and music in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  Primary attention is devoted to the role of arts and ideas in the shaping of our contemporary world.  Part II of a two-part series; Part I is not a prerequisite.

SOSC 7100 Special Topics in Human Rights (HUM) (GLO) (GEN) (HRJ)

SOSC 7302 Studies at Oxford University: War and Diplomacy in Europe, 1815-Present (GLO) (HRJ) (HUM)

The course provides a study of the dynamics of nationalism that arose in Europe after 1815, and how those dynamics led to the twentieth century's two cataclysmic global wars.  On the campus of University College, one of Oxford's oldest institutions, students are housed in college rooms and attend lectures by faculty of the SMU-in-Oxford program and guest lecturers from Oxford.  The study of war and diplomacy continues with a visit to London and a tour of famous World War I and II sites in Belgium and France, including the American cemetery and memorial at Normandy Beach.

SOSC 7303 In the Camps: Historical Field Trip to Poland (GLO) (HRJ) (GEN) (HUM)

In the West, the Holocaust plays a significant role in the memory and conscience of civilizations.  This journey to sites in Poland, including the Warsaw Ghetto and several death campus including Treblinka, Auschwitz/Berkinau, Belzec, and Chelmno, among others, is designed to give students a deeper understanding of the Holocaust and both its victims and its perpetrators. 

SOSC 7305 Special Topics in Human Rights: Genocide (GEN) (HRJ) (HUM) (GLO)

After the horrors of the Holocaust, the international community drafted the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and pledged "never again" should such evil strike humanity. The pledge proved empty; numerous genocides followed. The cases of Cambodia (1975-1979), Bosnia (1992-1995) and Rwanda (1994) are particularly relevant: they happened in our lifetimes, the last 2 within the last 15 years. The genocidal violence in Cambodia took place in Southeast Asia; the genocide in Rwanda occurred after many international warnings had been issued and with UN peacekeepers present. This time we could not justify our inactivity by lack of knowledge or experience. This time we knew. How could all this happen? Why was there no serious international intervention? The class will examine the events of the Holocaust, Cambodia and Rwanda in order to learn how such genocidal processes start, how they escalate, and how they might be stopped or even prevented. Students will critically examine historical accounts and will try to answer the following questions: what is the nature and ideology of the law? What is human rights law and how does it treat survivors, punishment and accountability of perpetrators? What lessons have we learned since the Holocaust? Is genocide inevitable or eradicable?

SOSC 7308 The Great Encounter: How Indians and Europeans Met  (AMS) (HUM) (GLO)

Something absolutely without precedent in all human history began when Christopher Columbus arrived in the western hemisphere in 1492: complete strangers met, with no knowledge of one another and no mental equipment for dealing with one another. In what we call the "old world," the peoples of Europe, Africa, and Asia had at least some reason for being aware that the others existed, and in some instances they were deeply familiar with one another. In the equally old world of the Western Hemisphere long-distance and awareness also abounded. But until 1492 the Atlantic Ocean (the "Ocean Sea" as Spaniards called it) was an absolute barrier, in both directions. Nothing like the 1492 encounter ever could happen again. From then on, Europeans, at least, knew they were likely both to find previously "unknown" places, and to find people in those places. Even confirmed evidence of some sort of life on an extra-solar planet (which would imply the development of life more or less throughout the cosmos) will be less surprising, if or when such evidence comes. Columbus was not actually the first non-American to reach the western hemisphere. There definitely was contact on the part of the Norse, or Vikings about the year 1000, and possibly by Chinese and Polynesian voyagers. Native Americans and Africans also may have crossed the Atlantic, if not the Pacific. But nothing came of those encounters to any significant degree, even though the Viking presence on the Canadian coast lasted for several centuries. The year 1492, in contrast, changed everything. In this course we will explore the contacts and the changes that followed, primarily but not exclusively from a Native American viewpoint.

SOSC 7313 Athens and Democracy: The Great Experiment (GLO) (HUM)

Athens invented democracy and it is one of the great stories of Western civilization.  From its beginnings with the reforms of Draco to its height under Pericles to its fall and restoration at the end of the Peloponnesian War, the story is a riveting one that we will explore with primary readings and other texts, slide presentations, and ongoing discussions about the form and nature of ancient democracy, and its modern counterparts.

SOSC 7316 Field Studies - Human Rights: Lavia, Lithuania, Estonia (HUM) (GLO) (GEN) (HRJ)

SOSC 7317 Field Studies - Human Rights: Japan (HUM) (GLO) (GEN) (HRJ)

SOSC 7318 Man and Food: History of Nourishment through the Middle Ages (ENV) (HUM) (GLO)

The course focuses on the role and the prominence of food during history, mainly concerning the Middle Ages. We will cover the whole historical period casting a glance at the Ancient Times and the Modern Age, focusing on the Mediterranean, West and East Europe. Even if it might seem a nontraditional approach to the history it will be a savory food for thought good for understanding the past civilizations. The classes pay attention on the general lines of food history on different levels: economic, social, cultural. Even if the main focus will be on Europe during the Middle Age, the classes will be open to other geographical areas to confront different experiences and customs, origin of foods and cultural mixtures.

SOSC 7320 Alexander the Great: Myth and Reality (HUM)

Alexander the Great, one of the most charismatic figures in history, conquered the known world through a combination of brilliant leadership, masterful tactical and strategic war victories, and sheer grit and determination. He spread Greek culture all the way to India and ushered in the so-called Hellenistic era of broad Greek influence throughout the eastern Mediterranean world. Students study his life and career and consider where and how myth became reality and vice versa with this transformative figure.

SOSC 7322 Women and the American Experience, Part 1  (1607-1900) (AMS) (GEN) (HRJ)

"It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens...but we, the whole people, who formed the Union."-- Susan B. Anthony

This course examines the changing roles, status, and contributions of women in the American experience from 1607 to 1900: from the colonial era through the revolutionary, frontier, and industrial eras. Biographies and writings of key Americans will focus on the political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic ways that women shaped the American experience, with critical analysis given to reform efforts of the Woman's Rights Movement.  This course constitutes Part 1, 1607-1900, of Women in the American Experience. Part 2 covers the years 1900 to 2000. Each part is self-contained; neither is a prerequisite for the other.

SOSC 7323 Women and the American Experience, Part II, (1900-2000) (AMS) (GEN) (HRJ)

An examination of American women's changing roles, status, and contributions during some of the major historical events of 1900-2000, such as the Progressive era and World War I, the depression and the New Deal, World War II through the Cold War, the civil rights movement, Vietnam and Watergate, the Reagan era, the Gulf War, and the Clinton era. Also, biographies and writing of key American experience, with critical analysis given to reform efforts of the 20th-century women's rights movement.

SOSC 7324 The Impact of the Arab Spring on Israel and Middle East (GLO) (HRJ) (HUM)

Analyzes the impact of the Arab Spring on the Islamic legal system, the Muslim religion and social order, Israel, the West, and international law. Students explore numerous areas of Islamic and Israeli law, international law, culture, crimes and punishments, economic developments, fundamentalism, and moderation.  The course also focuses on human rights in the Islamic legal tradition and in all countries of the Middle East and North Africa in light of international human rights standards, and examines the Arab Spring in light of historical and present Islamic thought.

SOSC 7350 Special Topics in Social Science

SOSC 7355 The History of Racial Thinking to 1850 (HUM) (HRJ)

Examines the history and development of racial thinking from the ancient world to the beginnings of Western anthropology in the first half of the 19th century. Students analyze early racial thinking from a rigorous historical perspective and according to a particular set of traditions and cultural circumstances.

PLEASE NOTE:  Letters in parentheses following course name indicate which curricular concentration to which it may be applied:

American Studies (AMS) Creative Writing (CWR) Humanities (HUM) The Arts & Cultural Traditions (ACT) Global Studies (GLO) Human Rights & Social Justice (HRJ) Gender Studies (GEN) Organizational Dynamics (ORG) Communication, Media, & Technology (CMT) Environmental Sustainability (ENV)

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