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The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. 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 552: Japan in International Politics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - International and domestic influences on Japan's international behavior in the past as a predictor of Japan's future role in international politics. Covers Japan's role in the Cold War, post-war Asia, and the management of the global economy. Examines viability of the post- Cold War U.S.-Japan relationship.
  • CAS PO 553: Taiwan: Politics and Transformation
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Examines Taiwan's history, economic development, ethnic identity, democratization, and its controversial position in international politics as a key to understanding questions of political economy, democratic transition, and East Asian security.
  • CAS PO 556: Women and Rebellion
    Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This seminar examines various dimensions of women’s participation in rebellion: why women mobilize in support of violent groups, roles they assume, ways their presence shapes the dynamics of conflict, their everyday experiences as participants in rebellion, and post-conflict consequences. Effective Spring 2026 this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Social Inquiry 2, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 558: War and Society in the Modern Age
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - This course takes a state-oriented approach to understanding war in the modern age (as distinct from focusing on segments of the armed forces). How states fight wars and how changes in warfare affect the relationship between state and society. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS PO 559: Wars, Peace, and Diplomacy
    Why do wars occur' What constitutes peace' How is peace maintained or lost' What are the virtues and deficiencies of diplomacy as practitioners have implemented it' How do memory, justice, and the requirements of security interact in the international arena' Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS PO 560: Rwanda: Genocide and Its Aftermath
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Freshman Writing Seminar. - Explores the factors that led to the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda, how Rwanda compares to other cases of genocide and extreme violence, and the efforts in post-genocide Rwanda to rebuild, pursue justice, and promote reconciliation. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 561: Latin American Political Parties
    Parties and party systems of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Historical origins and labor incorporation. Populist, working-class, and hegemonic parties. Market reform and party system transformation or collapse. Ethnic parties, clientelism, rise of a new Left. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 565: U.S.-Latin American Relations
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores both sides of the U.S.-Latin American relationship, tracing its development over time and analyzing its current challenges. Each week focuses on a different theme--including imperialism, intervention, hemispheric security, trade, immigration, and drug trafficking--within a roughly chronological framework. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 566: Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Latin America
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing. - Examines a range of historical and contemporary conflicts and wars in Latin America, both internal and regional, examining their causes and consequences, and the most important factors that explain how they were resolved or why they persist.
  • CAS PO 569: Money, Guns, and Power
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - What is the relationship between money and war' This course explores the relationship between money, guns, and power through the lens of American and European military spending and through larger theoretical conversations on the concept of power.
  • CAS PO 571: Contemporary African Politics
    Undergraduate prerequisites: First-year writing seminar or graduate student standing. - Exploration of challenges facing African states, their sources, and possible solutions. Focus on colonial legacies, political change, democracy and authoritarianism, political violence, the politics of ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexuality, and political economy, drawing on specific country cases. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Research and Information Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 572: Political Systems of Southern Africa
    Examines politics in Southern Africa focusing on issues of race and ethnicity, economic development and inequality, and struggles over authoritarianism, democratization, and human rights. Explores the legacies of apartheid, racial discrimination, and war and the politics of memory and transitional justice.
  • CAS PO 573: Race and Racism in International Relations
    Undergraduate prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Race is a central organizing feature in world politics yet ignored in the discipline of International Relations. Course addresses the global racial contract, how race shaped the contours of American expansion, and how American experiences abroad shape race at home. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning, Writing Intensive Course.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 574: Decolonization and Democracy in Africa
    Course looks at comparative legacies of colonialism, race, and decolonization in North and Sub-Saharan Africa and their implications for democracy and inequality today. Focus on incorporating African scholars and voices in addressing comparative social science questions. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • CAS PO 576: The Foreign Policy of the People's Republic of China
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Explores China's perception of its role in the world, its evolution from a regional to a world power, and its security and economic relationships within the international system. Relationships with the superpowers, Third World, and world economy, focusing on technology and capital transfers.
  • CAS PO 577: Politics of the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - An in-depth examination of the political, economic, and societal evolution and interactions of states and non-state actors in the Persian Gulf and Arabian. Critically assesses dominant political narratives. Considers factors ranging from politics and history to demography and resources. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 578: The United States as a Great Power
    The course material is organized along a debate format. Although the course is primarily concerned with twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy, attention is also given to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century issues. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 579: Political Biography and Statecraft
    Political biographies and memoir literature used to evaluate twentieth-century international relations and statecraft. Topics vary but may include biographical literature related to World War II, the Cold War, and Third World political leaders. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 580: Readings in International Relations in Political Science
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different.
  • CAS PO 582: North Atlantic/European Security Issues
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Examination of the post Cold War security environment in the North Atlantic and greater European context. Exploration of threats to security, mechanisms in place and emerging (NATO, CSCE, CFE, WEU), and challenges posed by changes since fall 1989.

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