CAS PO 300 Topics in American Politics (4 credits)
Topics vary. Possible offerings include, but are not limited to, American Congress, Campaigns and Elections, Separation of Powers, Use of Force, Race and Politics, Gender and Politics, Primaries and Caucuses.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 301 Presidential Leadership (4 credits)
Presidential power and functions; relations with Congress, political party, and the public; personality and leadership; and comparative study of selected presidents.

  Social Inquiry II
  Oral and/or Signed Communication

CAS PO 302 Congress and its Critics (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 111 or CAS PO 141 or consent of the instructor. 

The United States Congress is the most studied branch of U.S. Government, and central to our understanding of policy, elections, and representative democracy. The purpose of this course is to examine two fundamental questions: (1) what do Members of Congress do and why and (2) how do the individual and collective actions of Members of Congress explain national policy? Throughout, we will debate the common criticism that “Congress is broken” and consider its effectiveness as an institution. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:

  Social Inquiry II
  Critical Thinking

CAS PO 303 It’s a Free Country: Civil Liberties in America (4 credits)
An accessible introduction to American civil liberties. Students will read a sampling of key Supreme Court cases about issues including speech, religion, privacy and equality. They will understand the key the debates, considerations, and decisions about old and new civil liberties challenges in the U.S. 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

CAS PO 304 The Judicial Process (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 111 or CAS PO 141 or consent of the instructor. 

Introduction to the judicial process. Topics include the role of lawyers and judges, the structure of the court system, juries, and legal reasoning. Primarily intended for student who have little or no exposure to law courses. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s):

  Social Inquiry II
  Ethical Reasoning
  Critical Thinking

CAS PO 306 Media and Politics in the United States (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 111 or CAS PO 141 or consent of the instructor. 

Examines changes over time in the American polity’s assumptions about what the press ought to do. In particular, relates our understanding of the press’s role to contemporary media developments including technological changes, corporate media ownership, and the re-amateurization of journalism. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s):

  Social Inquiry II
  Critical Thinking

CAS PO 307 Public Opinion in American Politics (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 111 or CAS PO 141 or consent of instructor. 

Public opinion is a central component of democratic politics; in this course we study public opinion in the United States. In addition to this substantive focus, the course is intended to foster the development of two skills: critical reading and rigorous, careful and clear writing. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s):

  Social Inquiry II

CAS PO 308 The Politics of Race and Ethnicity (4 credits)
(BU Hub Pathway: Social & Racial Justice)

Combining research from history, political science, sociology, and economics, this course examines the role of race and ethnicity in shaping American politics and policy. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:

  Ethical Reasoning
  Social Inquiry II
  Critical Thinking

CAS PO 313 The Politics and Policy of HBO’s The Wire (4 credits)
(BU Hub Pathway: Social & Racial Justice)

HBO’s television series The Wire is used to explore politics and policy.  A number of interdisciplinary topics  are covered, including the war on drugs, urban elections, bureaucracy, rational choice theory, and the decline of American cities. This course meets with CAS AA313. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s):

  Ethical Reasoning
  Social Inquiry II
  Teamwork/Collaboration

CAS PO 409/GRS PO 609 The Political Psychology of Group-Based Politics (4 credits)
Prerequisite: Junior Standing and one previous course in political science or social psychology; or consent of instructor.

The study of political psychology, integrating political science and social and cognitive psychology as it informs the dynamics of group-based politics, including especially race, gender, class, and political party affiliation. This course meets with CAS PS 512.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 505 Readings in American Politics (4 credits)
Topics vary. Possible offerings include but are not limited to Women in Government, Controversies in American Government.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 507 Development of American Constitutional Law
Prereq: CAS PO 111 and CAS PO 304.

A survey of the development of constitutional law and the exercise of power by the U.S. Supreme Court. The course is drawn entirely from decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and the principal theme is the development of national constitutions and power. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub area(s):

  Writing-Intensive Course
  Oral and/or Signed Communication
  Historical Consciousness

CAS PO 508 The Judiciary and Civil Liberties (4 credits)
(BU Hub Pathway: Social & Racial Justice)
Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent)

First Amendment rights of speech, press, assembly, religion; rights of defendants in criminal cases; and the constitutional protection of racial minorities. Supreme Court decision-making processes and modes of compliance with its decisions are also considered. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s):

  Historical Consciousness
  Oral and/or Signed Communication
  Writing-Intensive Course

CAS PO 511 Voting Behavior (4 credits)
Prerequisite: CAS PO 111 and junior standing or consent of the instructor. 

The scientific study of elections and political participation with emphasis on voting in U.S. presidential elections. Topics include partisanship, ideology, voter turnout, political participation, campaign organization and strategy, and the effects of campaigns on voters.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.

CAS PO 516 Gender and Politics (4 credits)
Prereq: Junior standing or above

Analyzes the relationship between gender and politics, law and policy primarily in the United States. Considers inequalities based on gender and sexuality, women’s changing political, gender- and sexuality-based political action, and social movements. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub area(s):

  Writing-Intensive Course
  Social Inquiry II
  Research and Information Literacy

CAS PO 517 Urban Politics (4 credits)
Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent)

Explores the impact of American urban politics on the implementation of local policy. Topics include  deindustrialization, white flight, neighborhood effects, housing policy, schools, regionalism, and factors  that constrain policy-making capacities. Meets with CAS AA 517. This course fulfills a single unit of the following BU Hub area(s):

  The Individual in Community
  Teamwork/Collaboration
  Writing-Intensive Course

CAS PO 519 Inequality and American Politics (4 credits)
(BU Hub Pathway: Social & Racial Justice)
Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent)

Combining research from history, political science, economics, and public policy, this course examines the role of income inequality in shaping American politics and policy. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas:

  The Individual in Community
  Research and Information Literacy
  Writing-Intensive Course

CAS PO 578 The United States as a Great Power (4 credits)
Prereq: juniors, seniors, and graduate students only and First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or 120)

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 area(s):

  Historical Consciousness
  Writing-Intensive Course
  Research and Information Literacy

CAS PO 579 Political Biography and Statecraft (4 credits)
Political biographies and memoir literature are 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:

  Historical Consciousness
  Writing-Intensive Course
  Research and Information Literacy

GRS PO 711 Approaches to the Study of American Politics (4 credits)
Graduate Core Course. Introduces students to major theoretical, substantive, and methodological problems in the study of American politics by examining two sets of literature: scholarly debates and discussion of theory and research, and the concrete research of leading Americanists.

*This course does not currently satisfy any BU Hub requirements.