Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

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  • CAS PO 371: The Politics of Post-Communist Russia
    Analysis of the emergent political forces, institutions, and alliances in the post- Soviet Russian Federation, against the background of the unresolved economic, ethnic, and social problems that are the USSR's legacy to the "new Russia"; prospects for stabilization are assessed in the context of the multiple crises facing Russia today.
  • CAS PO 372: Russian and Post-Soviet Foreign Relations
    Decisive factors in the foreign relations of Russia and the other former Soviet republics, including historical continuity and change, survival and change of ideology, domestic politics, economic and geographical factors, military and external political considerations. The future of arms control, nuclear weapons, the economy, and relations among the former republics are also examined.
  • CAS PO 373: African Politics Today
    An introduction to the issues dominating African political life today. Core course debates revolve around recent trends in African economic growth, democratic governance, and armed conflict, in addition to several other issues of contemporary concern.
  • CAS PO 375: Democracy and Protest in the Global South
    Explores roots, dynamics, and implications of recent popular protests both for democracy (e.g. 2011 Arab Spring) as well as challenges to established democracies (e.g. South Africa, Brazil). Focus on North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia.
  • CAS PO 376: Understanding Modern North Africa
    Considers political, cultural, economic, and social developments in the modern states of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya as they struggle to gain independence from colonial domination and to consolidate viable, secure, and legitimate states and prosperous national communities.
  • CAS PO 377: Africa in International Politics
    Introduction to the international relations of post-colonial Africa. Core themes include the politics of post-independence international alignments, the external causes and effects of authoritarian rule, and Africa's role in the global political economy.
  • CAS PO 378: International Human Rights: Applying Human Rights in Africa
    Meets with CAS IR 352. Studies the growing international influence on politics of human rights principles, documents, and organizations, drawing especially on African cases such as Congo, Zimbabwe, and Sudan. The class explores the relationship between civil and political rights and economic, social, and culture rights. We consider debates over claims of universality vs. cultural relativism, individual vs. group rights, and ways to improve human rights enforcement well respecting local cultures. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PO 379: Religion and Politics
    Introduction to the comparative study of the political role of religious institutions and beliefs. Covers issues such as religion's relationship to violence and terrorism, democracy and human rights, group identity, gender and sexuality, and modernity and secularism. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PO 380: Special Topics: International Relations in Political Science
    May be repeated for credit if the topics are different. Topic for Spring 2021: Korean Politics and International Relations. Explores some key issues in Korean politics and international relations. Examines South-North Korea relations and their relations with neighboring countries. Special attention is given to the North Korean nuclear crisis and the power dynamics of Northeast Asia.
  • CAS PO 381: History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
    Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 382: International Conflicts and Cooperation
    Is world politics "winner take all" or mutual gain? Do individuals count? Why do nations expand? Does it pay to fight? How do friends become foes and foes friends? Can swords become plowshares? Can we make a better world? Organizing for peace and human rights.
  • CAS PO 383: Making Sense of the World: Conceptual Foundations of International Relations
    Introduction to various analytical approaches for understanding the dynamics of global interaction. Explores the variety of "worlds" made visible through the lens of theory. Fosters critical thinking about how conceptual tools shape our understanding of the world and attempted solutions to global problems.
  • CAS PO 384: Global Governance and International Organization
    Provides an overview of major theoretical perspectives on the creation and function of international organizations, comparative case studies of selected organizations, and an examination of present and future roles of international organizations in selected issue areas. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Social Inquiry I
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS PO 386: Governance and Polity
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: admission to the Indigenous Perspectives Program of he International Honors Program
    Examines the evolving historical nature of different governance and political systems, including local social structures, nation-state, and international responses, to determine how political power is conceptualized and used to provide for cultural, ecological, and individual well-being.
  • CAS PO 387: The American Way of War
    When and why has the US made war? What are major characteristics and trends in US warmaking? Is war the enemy of liberty, as James Madison worried, or the sine qua non of freedom?
  • CAS PO 390: Special Topics in Political Theory
    Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different. Topic for Fall 2023, Section A1: Justice in an Unjust World. A search for justice is the origin story of politics. We seek to understand what it means to be just in contemporary politics, laws, workplaces, families, and across borders, among many other sites.
  • CAS PO 391: Classical to Early Modern Political Theory
    Fundamental questions of ethics and politics are addressed by analyzing early works of political philosophy. Considers their various conceptions of: human nature and reason; qualifications of leadership; aims and means of civic education; and natural, human, and divine law. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PO 392: Modern Political Theory
    Fundamental questions of ethics and politics are addressed by analyzing works of political philosophy from the Enlightenment in the 17th century through the 20th century. Considers their various conceptions of human nature, the social contract, rights, government, justice, and revolution. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PO 393: The European Enlightenment
    Survey of the intellectual and social transformation of Europe from the 1680s to the French Revolution. Readings draw on both eighteenth-century sources (including Voltaire, Diderot, Condorcet, Lessing, Smith, and Hume) and recent work by historians. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS PO 394: Catastrophe & Memory
    Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy