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.

• CAS HI 381: History of Modern Iran, 1900-Present
  Geographical/historical background; social structure, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversities; Anglo-Russian interventions; consequences of tobacco concession; constitutional revolution and reform; Qajar legacy; centralization, secularization, modernization under Pahlavis; oil and Mossadeg; autocracy and revolution; liberals, communists, fundamentalists, and Islamic revolution. Also offered as CAS IR 397.
• CAS HI 382: Turko-Persia in the Twentieth Century
  The twentieth-century history of the non-Arab Muslim Middle East, i.e., Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. Analysis of the constitutional revolutions in Turkey and Iran, Kemalism, the Islamic revolution in Iran, and communism in the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. Also offered as CAS IR 328.
• CAS HI 383: Modern History and Geopolitics of the Caucasus
  Surveys history of the Caucasus with a focus on Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, from the early nineteenth century to the post-Soviet period. Explores advantages and problems of modernization, nationalism, and major power geopolitics within the context of international political economy.
• CAS HI 384: History of Genocide
  History and comparative analysis of genocidal mass murder with focus on the twentieth century. Hereros, Armenians, holomodor, Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur. Attention to political leaders, state ideology, dehumanization of victim groups, geopolitical competition, war, empire building and decline.
• CAS HI 385: History of Premodern Iran
  History of Iran from the Muslim conquest to 1900. Examines political developments; Persian literature, visual arts, and culture; Iranian Islam, and religious minorities. Also offered as CAS IR 329.
• CAS HI 389: Americans and the Middle East
  Examines the intersecting histories of America and the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the present, focusing first on American missionary and educational efforts in the region and then on American political and military involvement after World War II. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Critical Thinking
• CAS HI 390: Mecca to Dubai: Cities in the Middle East
  Examines Middle Eastern history through the lens of its cities because cities have always been pivotal sites of governance, religious life, cultural development, architectural legacies, and political protest. Today, they are the epicenter of neoliberal globalization. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Historical Consciousness
  • Critical Thinking
• CAS HI 391: Media Revolutions in the Modern Middle East
  Examines how media revolutions in the modern Middle East have helped to garner state support and foment rebellions. Sources range widely from Lebanese civil war posters and state radio broadcasts to tourist campaigns, Turkish soap operas, and reality television competitions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Critical Thinking.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • Critical Thinking
• CAS HI 392: Israel: History, Politics, Culture, Identity
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
  Using a broad array of readings, popular music, documentaries, film and art, this course explores Israel's political system, culture, and society, including the status of minorities in the Jewish state; post-1967 Israeli settlement projects; and the struggle for Israel's identity. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
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  • The Individual in Community
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS HI 393: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
  History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, analysis of conflicting narratives through primary sources and film. Students present their own reflections on the conflict and debate possibilities of resolution. Counts toward majors and minors in History, International Relations, Middle East & North Africa Studies, and Jewish Studies. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
• CAS HI 397: Modern Latin America
  Struggles for equality and inclusion in Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, and Bolivia from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
• CAS HI 400: Topics in History
  May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Two topics are offered Fall 2023. Section A1: TBA. Section B1: Paper Children, Tiger Parents: Capitalism and Asian American Families. How has capitalism conditioned the bonds, structures, and feelings in Asian (im)migrant families? Drawing on oral histories, film, fiction, and other primary sources, this seminar investigates Asian American intimate relationships and economies since the 1880s Chinese exclusion laws.
• CAS HI 401: Senior Honors Seminar 1
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing and departmental approval. First Year Writing Seminar(e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
  The first of a two-semester seminar that guides students through the research and writing of an honors thesis grounded in primary historical research. Students participate in a workshop environment and are matched with an additional faculty advisor. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS HI 402: Senior Honors Seminar 2
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing and departmental approval.
  The second of a two-semester seminar that guides students through the research and writing of an honors thesis grounded in primary historical research. Students participate in a workshop environment and are matched with an additional faculty advisor.
• CAS HI 407: Topics in Medieval Religious Culture
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR120).
  Topic for Spring 2021: Magic, Witchcraft, and the Demonic in Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean. Magic, witchcraft, and the demonic as understood, employed, and feared in medieval Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities. Exploration of religious world views; visual culture; healing and medical practices; matters of gender, power, and social control, including counter- magic, legal prohibitions, and inquisition. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS HI 408: War in Film and Literature
  This course explores, through works of film and literature, human experiences of combat, suffering, and death. Topics range from medieval Japan to Africa, the Americas and Europe, WWI, WWII, and various "small wars" from the 19th through 21st centuries.
• CAS HI 410: Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120).
  Interactions between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Europe's most religiously diverse region -- from the establishment of an Islamic al-Andalus in 711 CE to the final Christian "reconquest" of the peninsula and expulsion of the Jews in 1492 CE. To enrich exploration of interrelated themes and learning outcomes, student registrants of RN/HI 410/RN 710 will meet with student registrants of LS 410 during scheduled class time on 2/21, 3/13, 3/27, 4/24, and 5/1 during the term. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS HI 412: Popular Culture in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
  An exploration of the various expressions of culture among the commoners of Europe, ca. 400-1600. Topics include religion, storytelling, material life, social and political organization, law and justice, gender roles, witchcraft and popular crusades, and the impact of the printing press.
• CAS HI 426: Music and Ideas from Mozart to the Jazz Age
  This senior-level seminar considers music in its historical and cultural contexts. Masterworks from the eighteenth century to jazz are its subject. Topics include political and intellectual climates, evolving views of the artist, audiences, social criticism, and race. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
• CAS HI 430: Comparative European Fascism
  Analyzes fascism as a political and social movement in Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany, and beyond. Emphasizes the creation of popular dictatorships through propaganda, repression, and racism, and ends with the fascist attempt to remake Europe through violence and genocide.