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Class Instruction for Performance
| Harpsichord |
PERB 5118, PERB 5213 |
| Piano |
PERB 1001, PERB 1011, PERB 1012, PERB 1131, PERB 1132, PERB 1205, PERB 1233, PERB 1234, PERB 2131, PERB 2132, PERB 2205, PERB 3205, PERB 5107, PERB 5108 |
| Voice |
PERB 1206, PERB 2017, PERB 2106–PERB 2109, PERB 2206, PERB 2117, PERB 3306, PERB 5006, PERB 5101, PERB 5208 |
| Other Instrumental |
PERB 1103/PERB 1104, PERB 1203/PERB 2203, PERB 2113/PERB 2114/PERB 2213, PERB 2115, PERB 5011, PERB 5111, PERB 5211, PERB 5215 |
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PERB 5215 - Introduction to Jazz Theory and Improvisation
Credits: 2
Introduces jazz improvisation through applied theory. Students gain theoretical and practical experience in jazz improvisation using common jazz chord progressions and chord and scale relationships. Includes the study of jazz recordings to explore and understand the links among chords, scales, and melodies. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Music major or minor, or instructor consent.
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PERB 5319 - Music Theatre Workshop
Credits: 3
Preparation and performance of musical theatre as an American art form. Prerequisite: By audition.
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Percussion |
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PERC 3100 - Private Study: Percussion
Credits: 1
One half-hour lesson each week (14 per term) with a jury examination at the conclusion of each term. These repeatable course numbers are offered each fall, spring, and summer. Students are required to accept internships in performance or private teaching, subject to availability and/or scheduling conflicts with other SMU courses. Internships may begin prior to the beginning of the term.
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PERC 3200 - Private Study: Percussion
Credits: 2
One 1-hour lesson each week (14 per term) with a jury examination at the conclusion of each term. These repeatable course numbers are offered each fall and spring. Majors are required to enroll in private studies each term until degree requirements are completed. Students are required to accept internships in performance or private teaching, subject to availability and/or scheduling conflicts with other SMU courses. Internships may begin prior to the beginning of the term.
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Performance Ensembles
| Fulfill Large Ensemble Requirements |
PERE 1013/1113, 1014/1114, 1018/1118, 1019/1119, 5016/5116 |
| Chamber Ensembles |
PERE 5023/5123, 5030/5130, 5068/5168, 5069/5169, 5071/5171, 5072/5172, 5073/5173 |
| Other Ensembles |
PERE 1010/1110, 1011/1111, 1012/1112, 1015/1115, 1017/1117, 3020/3120, 5077/5177, 3150, 4050/4150 |
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PERE 5010 - Point: Interdisciplinary Project and Performance Ensemble
Credits: 0
An interdisciplinary ensemble for inventive artists of all interests, exploring the future of personal expression through collaborative projects and performances. Innovative technologies are utilized and created. Open to all SMU students with instructor consent. May be repeated for credit.
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PERE 5011 - Mustang Strings: An SMU Campus Orchestra
Credits: 0
Open to all students and community members. Does not meet the large ensemble requirement for music majors. Prerequisite: Audition or permission of instructor.
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PERE 5012 - Mustang Marching Band
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of music for field performances.
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PERE 5013 - Meadows Chorale
Credits: 0
This large mixed choir is open through audition to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of major. Fulfills large ensemble requirements for Music Division degree programs.
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PERE 5014 - Meadows Chamber Singers
Credits: 0
A select vocal ensemble comprised of the most advanced vocal talent in the university; open through audition to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of major. Fulfills large ensemble requirements for Music Division degree programs.
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PERE 5015 - Meadows Jazz Orchestra
Credits: 0
Rehearsal and performance of standard and original works for jazz ensembles. By audition.
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PERE 5016 - Diva Dolce
Credits: 0
A treble choir that performs an eclectic mix of repertoire from chamber works to opera excerpts to standard choral works. Open to all female students (regardless of major) through audition. Fulfills large ensemble requirements for Music Division degree programs.
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PERE 5017 - SMU Symphony Band
Credits: 0
Open to all students and community members. Provides a concert band experience exploring band music ranging from transcriptions to original works. Does not meet the large ensemble requirement for music majors. Prerequisite: Audition or permission of instructor.
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PERE 5018 - Meadows Symphony Orchestra
Credits: 0
Open to all students through audition, although most participants are music majors. Includes public performances of a wide variety of orchestral repertoire each season.
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PERE 5019 - Meadows Wind Ensemble
Credits: 0
Open to all students through audition, although most participants are music majors or minors. Includes performance of a wide variety of literature that encompasses the symphonic band and wind orchestra idioms.
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PERE 5021 - Meadows World Music Ensemble
Credits: 0
Exploration of rhythms, melodies, forms, and basic ethnic percussion techniques from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and a variety of cultures. Includes composition, improvisation, and performances within forms of ethnic traditions adapted to Western instruments. Prerequisite: Music major or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5022 - Meadows Opera Ensemble
Credits: 0
Musical preparation, dramatic coaching, role study, rehearsal, and performance of opera (one-act operas and opera excerpts) and scenes from musical theatre. Eligibility, by audition, for the annual main stage production. Prerequisites: By audition. Requires two consecutive terms of PERB 2017 or PERB 2117 , or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5023 - Directed Studies in Chamber Music
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of repertoire for various ensembles of three to nine mixed instruments, one to a part, without conductor. Reserved for projects that exceed the standard chamber music requirements.
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PERE 5025 - Jazz Combo Performance Workshop
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of jazz repertoire in small-group settings developing improvisation and fake book reading skills and gig protocol. Does not fulfill ensemble requirements for music majors. Prerequisite: Audition or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5030 - Meadows Guitar Ensemble
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of guitar ensemble literature. Prerequisite: Guitar major or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5068 - Chamber Ensemble: Piano Duos
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of piano duets for one piano, four hands and two pianos, four hands. Does not fulfill chamber music requirements for music majors.
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PERE 5069 - Chamber Ensemble: Sonatas
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of repertoire for one instrument and piano. With adviser approval, one term may be counted toward chamber music requirements for undergraduate piano majors. Does not fulfill chamber music requirements for graduate students.
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PERE 5071 - Chamber Ensemble
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of repertoire for various ensembles of three to nine mixed instruments, one to a part, without conductor.
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PERE 5072 - Additional Chamber Ensemble
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of repertoire for various ensembles of three to nine mixed instruments, one to a part, without conductor. Requires simultaneous participation in at least one additional chamber ensemble.
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PERE 5073 - Meadows Percussion Ensemble
Credits: 0
Rehearsal and performance of standard percussion ensemble literature. By audition.
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PERE 5077 - Syzygy Contemporary Chamber Ensemble
Credits: 0
Preparation and performance of the music of living and local composers as well as seminal works of the 20th century for various mixed ensembles, typically without conductor. Fulfills one term of chamber music requirement. Prerequisite: Audition or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5110 - Point: Interdisciplinary Project and Performance Ensemble
Credits: 1
An interdisciplinary ensemble for inventive artists of all interests, exploring the future of personal expression through collaborative projects and performances. Innovative technologies are utilized and created. Open to all SMU students with instructor consent. May be repeated for credit.
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PERE 5111 - Mustang Strings: An SMU Campus Orchestra
Credits: 1
Open to all students and community members. Does not meet the large ensemble requirement for music majors. Prerequisite: Audition or permission of instructor.
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PERE 5112 - Mustang Marching Band
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of music for field performances.
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PERE 5113 - Meadows Chorale
Credits: 1
This large mixed choir is open through audition to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of major. Fulfills large ensemble requirements for Music Division degree programs.
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PERE 5114 - Meadows Chamber Singers
Credits: 1
A select vocal ensemble comprised of the most advanced vocal talent in the university; open through audition to all undergraduate and graduate students, regardless of major. Fulfills large ensemble requirements for Music Division degree programs.
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PERE 5115 - Meadows Jazz Orchestra
Credits: 1
Rehearsal and performance of standard and original works for jazz ensembles. By audition.
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PERE 5116 - Diva Dolce
Credits: 1
A treble choir that performs an eclectic mix of repertoire from chamber works to opera excerpts to standard choral works. Open to all female students (regardless of major) through audition. Fulfills large ensemble requirements for Music Division degree programs.
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PERE 5117 - SMU Symphony Band
Credits: 1
Open to all students and community members. Provides a concert band experience exploring band music ranging from transcriptions to original works. Does not meet the large ensemble requirement for music majors. Prerequisite: Audition or permission of instructor.
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PERE 5118 - Meadows Symphony Orchestra
Credits: 1
Open to all students through audition, although most participants are music majors. Includes public performances of a wide variety of orchestral repertoire each season.
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PERE 5119 - Meadows Wind Ensemble
Credits: 1
Open to all students through audition, although most participants are music majors or minors. Includes performance of a wide variety of literature that encompasses the symphonic band and wind orchestra idioms.
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PERE 5121 - Meadows World Music Ensemble
Credits: 1
Exploration of rhythms, melodies, forms, and basic ethnic percussion techniques from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and a variety of cultures. Includes composition, improvisation, and performances within forms of ethnic traditions adapted to Western instruments. Prerequisite: Music major or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5122 - Meadows Opera Ensemble
Credits: 1
Musical preparation, dramatic coaching, role study, rehearsal, and performance of opera (one-act operas and opera excerpts) and scenes from musical theatre. Eligibility, by audition, for the annual main stage production. Prerequisites: By audition. Requires two consecutive terms of PERB 2017 or PERB 2117 , or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5123 - Directed Studies in Chamber Music
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of repertoire for various ensembles of three to nine mixed instruments, one to a part, without conductor. Reserved for projects that exceed the standard chamber music requirements.
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PERE 5125 - Jazz Combo Performance Workshop
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of jazz repertoire in small-group settings developing improvisation and fake book reading skills and gig protocol. Does not fulfill ensemble requirements for music majors. Prerequisite: Audition or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5130 - Meadows Guitar Ensemble
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of guitar ensemble literature. Prerequisite: Guitar major or consent of instructor.
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PERE 5168 - Chamber Ensemble: Piano Duos
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of piano duets for one piano, four hands and two pianos, four hands. Does not fulfill chamber music requirements for music majors.
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PERE 5169 - Chamber Ensemble: Sonatas
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of repertoire for one instrument and piano. With adviser approval, one term may be counted toward chamber music requirements for undergraduate piano majors. Does not fulfill chamber music requirements for graduate students.
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PERE 5171 - Chamber Ensemble
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of repertoire for various ensembles of three to nine mixed instruments, one to a part, without conductor.
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PERE 5172 - Additional Chamber Ensemble
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of repertoire for various ensembles of three to nine mixed instruments, one to a part, without conductor. Requires simultaneous participation in at least one additional chamber ensemble.
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PERE 5173 - Meadows Percussion Ensemble
Credits: 1
Rehearsal and performance of standard percussion ensemble literature. By audition.
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PERE 5177 - Syzygy Contemporary Music Ensemble
Credits: 1
Preparation and performance of the music of living and local composers as well as seminal works of the 20th century for various mixed ensembles, typically without conductor. Fulfills one term of chamber music requirement. Prerequisite: Audition or consent of instructor.
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Philosophy
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PHIL 1300 - Introduction to Critical Thinking
Credits: 3
Learning to analyze, evaluate, and present information in order to better assess one’s own beliefs and to persuade others more effectively.
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PHIL 1301 - Elementary Logic
Credits: 3
An introductory course in symbolic logic. Logic provides a means for determining whether the purported conclusion of an argument really does follow from the premises. In symbolic logic, mechanical procedures are developed for determining whether a given argument is valid. The techniques and skills acquired through logic have important applications not only within other academic areas such as the sciences and humanities, but may be of use within various professional areas, including law. Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 1305 - Introduction to Philosophy
Credits: 3
A general introduction to the central questions of philosophy. We will discuss topics from such areas as the theory of knowledge, philosophy of religion, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, ethics, and political philosophy. Typical questions might include: Can we know the world outside our minds? Is it rational to believe in a God who allows evil to exist? Do the laws of physics allow for human freedom? Is morality more than a matter of opinion? Can there be unequal wealth in a just society? Readings will include classical authors such as Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume, and Mill, as well as contemporary philosophers. The focus of the course will be on arguments for and against proposed solutions to key problems of philosophy.
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PHIL 1306 - Introduction to Philosophy: Minds, Machines, and Persons
Credits: 3
A focused introduction to the central questions of philosophy, with an emphasis on the mind and the self. Typical questions might include the following: Does the soul exist? Is the mind the same thing as the brain? Can animals feel pain? Can they think? Can a computer think? Might the mind be a computer? What is consciousness? Can people understand experiences radically different from their own? What is the self? Can one survive the death of the body? The focus of the course is on arguments for and against proposed solutions to philosophical problems concerning mind, machines, and persons. Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 1316 - Introduction to Ethics
Credits: 3
Introduces philosophical ethics focusing on questions in ethical theory. Topics vary, but the following are representative. What makes our lives good or bad? What makes our actions morally right or morally wrong? Is there a real, objective difference between good and bad, right and wrong? Why be moral? Focuses on arguments for and against major positions on issues such as these.
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PHIL 1317 - Business Ethics
Credits: 3
Examines the moral dimensions of actions and practices in the business world. Students explore ethical theories and standards of evaluation for actions and practices generally, and discuss how these theories and standards apply to a variety of issues in business. Topics vary, but the following are representative: advertising, capitalism vs. socialism, corporate culture, product quality and safety, the responsibilities of corporations to the societies that sustain them, the use of animals in product testing, and working conditions and compensation.
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PHIL 1318 - Contemporary Moral Problems
Credits: 3
An introduction to philosophical ethics focusing on questions in applied ethics. Students begin by exploring ethical theories and philosophical methods. The majority of the course is devoted to applying those theories and methods to some of the most controversial and pressing issues confronting contemporary society. Topics vary, but the following are representative: abortion, animal rights, affirmative action, capital punishment, economic justice, euthanasia, sexuality, war and terrorism, and world hunger. Class discussion is an important component of the course, as is reading and (in some sections) writing argumentative essays about these issues.
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PHIL 1319 - Technology, Society, and Value
Credits: 3
Advances in technology are raising many ethical issues that require serious considerations. We will discuss issues surrounding such technologies and how they affect the views of warfare, privacy, human enhancement, and artificial intelligence.
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PHIL 3161 - Philosophy of Science
Credits: 1
Covers fundamental issues in the philosophy of science, including the nature of scientific theories, the distinction between science and pseudoscience, the scientific method, the logic of theory confirmation, and the realist versus antirealist debate. Corequisite: CHEM 1304 .
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PHIL 3301 - Intermediate Logic
Credits: 3
Introduces the formal theory of the logical systems students have already learned to use: sentential logic and predicate logic. Students learn to prove the completeness and soundness of both of these systems. Also, simple nonstandard logical systems such as modal, epistemic, or deontic logic, if time permits. Prerequisite: PHIL 1301 or its equivalent. Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 3302 - Problems in the Philosophy of Religion
Credits: 3
The philosophy of religion, considering such problems as religious experience, human freedom, good and evil, belief in God, and immortality.
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PHIL 3305 - Philosophy and Gender
Credits: 3
Considers whether or not there are differences between the sexes and whether or not Western science, philosophy, and ethics have been dominated by male thinking. Also, current issues such as pornography, censorship, rape, and reproductive technologies. Students examine writings by feminist philosophers and their critics.
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PHIL 3310 - Advanced Topics in Philosophy
Credits: 3
May be repeated for credit.
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PHIL 3312 - Introduction to Philosophy of Language
Credits: 3
A systematic treatment of such topics as the nature of linguistic reference, meaning, synonymity, truth, vagueness, and metaphor. Also, issues relating to the goals and methodology of linguistics, such as the status of semantic descriptions, and the nature versus nurture controversy in language acquisition theories. Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 3313 - Knowledge and Skepticism
Credits: 3
A systematic treatment of such topics as skepticism, analyses of factual knowledge, theories of epistemic justification, foundational versus coherence theories of knowledge, and the relationship between psychology and a philosophical account of knowledge.
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PHIL 3314 - Metaphysics
Credits: 3
Some of the most central and traditional questions in philosophy are metaphysical: Do objects really exist? What are they? And what are persons: do we persist over time, can we survive change? Are we really free, or are all our actions determined by the laws of nature? Are our minds simply reducible to our brains? Are there such things as souls? How about the properties of things - objects have sizes and shapes, we have nationalities and genders, but what are these properties exactly? Can we know anything about the ultimate structure of reality? Does it include God? Is science the only way to discover what really exists and how things really are? This course offers a systematic approach to these questions and others.
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PHIL 3315 - Philosophy of Mind
Credits: 3
A systematic treatment of the nature of consciousness, self, and person. Counts towards the cognitive science or neuroscience minor.
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PHIL 3316 - Minds, Brains, and Robotics
Credits: 3
Topics may include neural networks, artificial intelligence, perception and action, consciousness, robotics, dynamical systems, embodied cognition, game theory, and the evolution of cognition. Prerequisites: Two courses in fields related to cognitive science (philosophy, computer science, computer engineering, psychology, linguistics, biology, or anthropology). Counts towards the cognitive science or neuroscience minor.
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PHIL 3317 - Philosophy of Perception
Credits: 3
We see penguins (and other things), we hear trumpets (and other things), we smell fresh bread (and other things), taste mustard, touch water, etc. Perceptual experiences like these raise many central philosophical questions. Do they represent reality in an accurate way? Can they provide knowledge about our environment? Is there a special kind of consciousness such experiences instantiate, and if so what is it? This course addresses a host of questions about the nature of our perceptual experiences and surveys some of the answers, including some of the more significant results obtain by the cognitive neurosciences. Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 3318 - Colors, Sounds, and Other Appearances
Credits: 3
Objects look colored, they produce sounds, smells, and some have a taste. But what are these sensory appearances - colors, sounds, tastes, smells, etc. - exactly? Do they even exist or are they mere appearances produced by our brains? Could they be identified or reduced to objective physical features of the objects we perceive, or are they somehow mere projections of our minds? What can science and philosophy tell us about colors, sounds, and the like? This course offers a systematic analysis of some of these appearances, of their nature, their objectivity, and what can best explain them. Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 3319 - Identity, Persons, and Other Objects
Credits: 3
Persons and individuals like you and me raise a host of central philosophical questions. You are, we assume, the very same person you were three minutes ago, distinct from all the other individuals on the surface of the planet. But how is that so, and how it is even possible? Persons, just like tables, chairs, and other particular objects, seem to retain their identity through time despite the changes they go through: they persist and survive change. Does this mean each particular person (and each particular table) has a very specific essence it keeps throughout its life? What exactly constitutes a person? And what do we mean by identity anyway, in this context? And what of the powerful arguments suggesting that persons (and other objects) cease to exist whenever they go through the most trivial change, or that the existence of persons and other objects is a mere illusion? This course will consist in a systematic survey of some of the central answers to some of these and other related questions.
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PHIL 3320 - Causation
Credits: 3
Intensive investigation of the metaphysics of causation. Examines regularity theory, counterfactual theory, probabilistic theory, and process theories. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
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PHIL 3321 - Time, Space, and Metaphysics
Credits: 3
Does time pass? Do the past and the future exist? Is space a thing? What are the laws of nature? This course introduces some central issues in the metaphysics of science.
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PHIL 3322 - Pleasure and Pain
Credits: 3
Explores the nature of pleasure and pain, their relationships to other mental states, and their significance and value. Do pleasures and pains have intentional content? If so, what do they represent? How are pleasure and pain related to motivation? What can we learn from neuroscience concerning pleasure and pain? Are pleasure and pain essential to what makes life worth living? A previous philosophy course is recommended, but not required. Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 3323 - Philosophy of Psychology and Neuroscience
Credits: 3
What sorts of explanations do cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists seek about cognitive functions and the nature of our minds? What assumptions, and what evidence, do such explanations rest upon? Counts towards the cognitive science or neuroscience minor.
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PHIL 3324 - Consciousness: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches
Credits: 3
How do recent empirical findings in cognitive psychology and neuroscience advance our understanding of the nature of consciousness? What philosophical issues do such findings and their explanations raise? Counts towards the cognitive science minor.
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PHIL 3333 - Topics in Philosophy
Credits: 3
May be repeated for credit.
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PHIL 3351 - History of Western Philosophy (Ancient)
Credits: 3
A study of the major philosophers from Thales to Plotinus, including Plato and Aristotle. Please note: this course is only offered in the Fall term.
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PHIL 3352 - History of Western Philosophy (Modern)
Credits: 3
Survey course in the history of modern philosophy covering the modern period, from Descartes to Hume, including Leibniz, Spinoza, Locke, and Berkeley. Examines many seminal writings in philosophy on such key issues as rationalism and empiricism, the nature of external reality and one’s knowledge of it, the existence and nature of God, the relation between mind and body, causation, induction, and the nature of morality and moral action. Satisfies one part of the history requirement for philosophy majors; may be used to satisfy the history requirement for philosophy minors. Please note: this course is not offered in the Fall term.
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PHIL 3353 - 19th-Century Philosophy
Credits: 3
A detailed study of selected major thinkers from the 19th century, such as Kant, Hegel, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Schoepenhauer, Fichte, Feuerbach, and Marx.
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PHIL 3354 - 20th-Century European Philosophy
Credits: 3
An examination of some methods and principles of European philosophies in the 20th century. Students study the following philosophical schools: phenomenology, existentialism, neo-Kantianism, life-philosophy, hermeneutics, and neo-Marxist critical theory.
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PHIL 3355 - 20th-Century Philosophical Analysis
Credits: 3
An examination of the method of philosophical analysis as practiced by such 20th-century philosophers as Moore, Russell, Wittgenstein, Quine, and Austin.
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PHIL 3356 - American Philosophy
Credits: 3
Historical development and contemporary themes in American philosophy. Varying emphasis may be placed on trends (e.g., Native American thought, pragmatism), historical figures (e.g., Dewey, Quine), or influential contemporary figures (e.g., Brandom).
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PHIL 3362 - Creativity, Discovery, and Science
Credits: 3
Considers central issues in the history and philosophy of science, with a special emphasis on the nature of creativity and discovery in scientific thought. General questions include the following: What is science, and what is the nature of scientific method? What is the nature of evidence and explanation in science? Addresses in detail the question of how new ideas such as theories and problem solutions are produced and assessed in scientific thinking. Is creativity essentially a random or blind process or is it rule-governed in some way? What is the nature of scientific discovery? Combines literature in the history and philosophy of science together with psychological literature on the nature of creativity to answer these and other questions. No previous coursework in science is required, but some science background equips students to appreciate the relevant issues.
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PHIL 3363 - Aesthetic Experience and Judgment
Credits: 3
Attention is devoted to the following questions: What is beauty? Are there any standards or rules concerning what is beautiful? What is art? Why is art an important part of human culture? Students also consider the role of emotion in art, the problem of correct interpretation, and the nature of tragedy.
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PHIL 3364 - Philosophy of Biology
Credits: 3
A survey of topics in the philosophy of biology, including evolution versus creationism, fitness, units of selection, adaptationism, biological taxonomy, evolution in humans, cultural evolution, and niche construction.
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PHIL 3371 - Social and Political Philosophy
Credits: 3
Explores central questions in social and political philosophy. Topics vary, but the following are representative. What forms of government are most reasonable and morally defensible? What is justice, and how might it be embodied in a system of government? Are there such things as natural rights? What is the basis for saying that we have rights to freedom of speech and religion? What would constitute a just or fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of social cooperation? Do citizens in a modern, democratic state have a moral obligation to obey its laws? When, if ever, is it legitimate for a state to go to war?
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PHIL 3372 - Liberty
Credits: 3
Investigates the topics of freedom and autonomy primarily from the standpoint of social and political philosophy. Students explore the nature of freedom and its role in a good society along with the nature of autonomy (self-governance) and its role in a good life. Also, the distinction between negative and positive liberty, the nature of coercion, the republican theory of freedom, the nature of personal autonomy, the value of freedom, and other topics.
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PHIL 3373 - Philosophy of Criminal Law
Credits: 3
By what right does society punish some people? What is the correct amount of punishment for a given crime? Why should the law excuse some people who are convicted of criminal acts? We examine the classical philosophical theories of retributivism and utilitarianism, as well as some contemporary writers who try to combine them. Each year the course also focuses on one important issue in the contemporary criminal justice system of the U.S. Recent topics have included the legalization of marijuana, convictions of innocent persons, stop-and-frisk policing, and prosecutorial discretion.
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PHIL 3374 - Philosophy of Law
Credits: 3
This course explores some central and interrelated issues in philosophy of law, or jurisprudence, with a particular emphasis on the role that morality plays in our understanding of law and in the interpretation and application of the law. Here are some of the questions we will consider: When and why does the content of law - what the law is - depend on the content of morality - on what is right and wrong, just and unjust, fair and unfair, etc.? When and how does interpreting and applying laws (statutes, precedents, etc.) involve making value judgments, including moral judgments? Does the United States Constitution enact the “original understanding” of freedom of speech, due process of law, equal protection of the laws, and so on? Or does it, instead, direct us to apply our own, perhaps quite different, understandings of these concepts? (The latter view is called “the moral reading” of the Constitution.) Is there a moral obligation to obey the law? When and why is punishing those who break the law morally justified? Satisfies elective requirements in the following majors and minors: philosophy, ethics, human rights, and law and legal reasoning.
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PHIL 3375 - Topics in Moral Philosophy
Credits: 3
A topics offering that seeks to take advantage of the wide variety of issues that can be fruitfully explored in a course in moral philosophy. May be repeated for credit. Recently offered topics include the meaning of life, neuroethics, Plato’s ethical thought, practical rationality, and procreation & parenthood.
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PHIL 3376 - Bioethics
Credits: 3
An examination of ethical questions arising within medical practice, medical research, and the life sciences.
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PHIL 3377 - Animal Rights
Credits: 3
Explores the nature of nonhuman animals, their moral status, and the way we treat them. First we will consider questions about the minds of animals. Are animals conscious? Can they think about the future? Are they self-aware? Exploring those questions will prepare us for our second set of topics about the moral status of animals. Do animals have rights like humans do? Do we have moral obligations to animals? Is there a difference between the moral status of animals that fall into different categories (pets, domesticated animals, and wild animals)? Third, we will examine the way animals are used for food, for entertainment, and in biomedical research. What laws already protect animals and what changes are needed?
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PHIL 3379 - Environmental Ethics
Credits: 3
Explores society’s ethical obligations concerning the natural world. Topical issues like climate change, endangered species, recycling, the population explosion, and wilderness preservation are covered from a variety of philosophical perspectives.
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PHIL 3380 - Ethics: Morality, Self-Interest, and Justice
Credits: 3
Explores issues in normative ethical and political theory, with a particular emphasis on morality, self-interest, and justice. Topics vary, but the following are representative. Might enlightened self-interest be the basis of morality? Is a morally right action one that maximizes overall happiness or well-being, or are there moral rights or duties that prohibit the sacrifice of individuals or their interests for the sake of the greater good? Does individual well-being (or self-interest) consist of pleasure and freedom from pain? Do our subjective interests (our desires or preferences) determine what is ultimately best for us, or are there desire-independent goods, such as knowledge or moral virtue? To what extent, if any, does justice permit inequality of income or wealth? Do individuals have “natural” rights that prohibit the state from using certain means (e.g., taxes and transfers) to promote greater social welfare or less economic inequality?
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PHIL 3381 - Neuroethics
Credits: 3
Neuroethics concerns the ethical questions raised by the brain sciences. Is neuroenhancement morally problematic? Should the use of brain scans be limited? What does neuroscience tell us about ethical judgment?
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PHIL 4194 - Directed Studies
Credits: 1
Faculty supervised readings in a specialized area decided by the instructor and the student.
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PHIL 4393 - Independent Study
Credits: 3
Writing, research, and instructed paper on a specialized topic decided by the instructor and the student.
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Physics
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PHYS 1100 - Special Topics Abroad
Credits: 1
Course offered in approved SMU Abroad program. May be repeated for credit under different subtitle.
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PHYS 1105 - Mechanics Laboratory
Credits: 1
One 3-hour laboratory period per week. Taken with PHYS 1303 , PHYS 1307 if 8 hours of credit, including laboratory, are needed.
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PHYS 1106 - Electricity and Magnetism Laboratory
Credits: 1
One 3-hour laboratory period per week. Taken with PHYS 1304 , PHYS 1308 if 8 hours of credit, including laboratory, are needed. Prerequisite: PHYS 1105 or self-test.
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PHYS 1200 - Special Topics Abroad
Credits: 2
Course offered in approved SMU Abroad program. May be repeated for credit under different subtitle.
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PHYS 1300 - Special Topics Abroad
Credits: 3
Course offered in approved SMU Abroad program. May be repeated for credit under different subtitle.
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