Courses
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CFA MT 301: Music Theory 5
Analytical and theoretical concepts of post-tonal music will be explored in music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Major stylistic trends and approaches, such as free atonality, centricity/scale-based music, neo-classicism, twelve- tone/serial music, experimentalism, and new approaches to tonality will be covered. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II. -
CFA MT 435: Composing with Electronic Sounds and Computers 1
Offers aesthetic and technical knowledge for creative work in electronic media via computers, recording equipment, and digital audio software. Develops skills in synthesis, recording, and live sound. Assignments include literature, listening, aspects of acoustic and electronic theory, and creative work. Required for Music Composition and Theory Majors. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Digital/Multimedia Expression. -
CFA TH 101: Introduction to Aesthetics and Dramatic Literature
An intensive examination of scripts from diverse periods and genres. Emphasis is placed on the development of the analytical and interpretive skills necessary for the creation of insightful theatre. Course is required for BFA Freshmen Core (Performance/Design & Production) as well as Theatre Minors. 3.0 credits. Fall semester. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking. -
CFA TH 102: Dramatic Lit 1
This course description is currently under construction. -
CFA TH 128: Theatre Ensemble 1: Introduction to Theatre Making
This course is an ensemble exploration of the making of theatre inspired by the complexities of the world around us. Through in-class exercises, reading assignments, discussion, and assigned creative writing projects, students will strive to interact with the world in new and creative ways these works and musings will be the catalyst for creating a final performance collage of work. The final performance will be conceived, written, directed, designed, and performed by the class. Course is required for BFA Freshmen Core (Performance/Design & Production). 2.0 credits. Spring semester. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CFA TH 152: Introduction to Design
Prereq: CFA TH 153; Meets 1 day/week for 2 hours/day. An introduction to the principles of 2D design through graphic studio exercises involving use of varied media. Work is based on fall semester work in black and white, adding color. Required for Freshman BFA Design & Production Core. 2.0 credits. Spring semester. -
CGS HU 101: Traditions in the Humanities (The Ancient World Through the Enlightenment)
Organized historically and devoted to the study of fiction, drama, poetry, art, and film. The semester begins with a unit on ways of interpreting the humanities, proceeds with the study of literature and art from Ancient Greece through the seventeenth century, and includes a film studies component. One lecture, two discussions, and additional film hours as assigned. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 102: Breaks with Tradition (The Enlightenment to the Present)
Examines the departure from tradition characteristic of the modern in all the arts. Units of study include poetry, modern art, modern drama, and the novel. Particular themes may be stressed, such as, for example, the recurrence in modern culture of the antihero, formal experiment in the arts, or literature as the embodiment of values. Students also analyze five films by distinguished contemporary directors. One lecture, two discussions, and additional film hours as assigned. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s): Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 103: Literature and Art from the Ancient World to the Enlightenment
The course examines key figures and works in literary and artistic traditions from the ancient and classical periods through the Renaissance, concluding with a focus on the Enlightenment and Romanticism. The semester's units concentrate on how the works reflect cultural ideals and developments and on how they represent evolving aesthetic standards that have shaped conventions in literature and the arts. Coursework and assignments include learning trips to various sites of historical and cultural significance in the Boston area to emphasize the Humanities' relevance beyond the classroom. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 104: Literature and Art from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution
This course is an interdisciplinary approach to literature and art history, and moves classroom, students, and the faculty overseas to London for the term. The course focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries and concludes with the technologically complex 21st century. Assignments encourage research skills, critical thinking, and contextual awareness. Trips to historically and culturally important sites enhance the course's experiential component and augment the humanities' interdisciplinary significance. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s): Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 201: History of Ethical Philosophy -- From the Ancient World to the 19th Century
A rigorous course in the history of ethical thought from the ancient world through the nineteenth century. The course also includes selected films and literary works that embody philosophical ideas and ethical dilemmas. Primary texts are used throughout. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s): Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 202: History of 20th-Century Ethical Philosophy and Applied Ethics
The course focuses on the application of philosophical ideas to various areas of modern life, such as politics, science, business, personal development, education, and religious faith. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Creativity/Innovation. -
CGS HU 250: Supernatural Horror in American Literature and Film
Supernatural Horror in American Literature and Film will explore the impact of horror on American culture from the genre's roots in early American history and the Gothic through the works of its most important practitioners in American literature and film. Works covered will include those of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, and Stephen King; films such as The Exorcist and The Blair Witch Project; episodes of the The X Files; and critical writings on horror, film and popular culture. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 300: The Irish in Boston
Focuses on the literature, politics, and culture of Irish Bostonians in the 19th and 20th century. Through the study of poetry, drama, fiction, politics, and music, the course explores the varieties of "Irishness" in Boston. Students will hone their literary and analytical skills through a close reading and interpretation of texts and will ask rigorous questions about the style and categorization of these texts, the different portrayals of "Irishness" that appear, and the importance of such texts in literary and cultural history. An interdisciplinary, team taught course. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s): Aesthetic Exploration, Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 425: Trauma in History, Art & Religion
Today trauma haunts soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It afflicts the survivors of 9/11 and witnesses to the Boston Marathon bombings. It colors the lives of victims in the rape epidemic still unfolding on college campuses. It shapes the way we talk about race after the deaths of Michael Brown, etc. It is a lens through which we look at genocides past and present. And it provides new ways to read literature, view art, and watch television and film. This course is a co-taught, interdisciplinary seminar that explores the many ways ways that psychological trauma manifests itself. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry II. -
CGS HU 500: The History, Literature, Film, and Science of Baseball: An Interdisciplinary Course
This interdisciplinary research seminar examines the history, culture, and science of the game from its shadowy origins in the early days of the nineteenth century, explosive growth in popularity during the Jazz Age, to the controversy-ridden Steroid Era. What impact did race and gender and class have on the evolution of the game? What are the physics of throwing a curve ball? How do bio-metrics explain the actual physical action of hitting a baseball? What are the links to myth and memory to popular perceptions of the game. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy. -
CGS IN 300: Cultural Constructions of Motherhood
This course examines the ways that motherhood--the roles, expectations, and assumptions that shape what counts as both "good" and "bad" mothering--is currently understood. Three key questions will drive our exploration: How does culture shape mothering practices? How do mothering practices shape culture? How do race, economic class, educational attainment, and sexual orientation impact how motherhood is constructed? Discussions of related topics such as fathering, maternal body image, celebrity profiles, mother blame, parenting roles, and the economic costs of motherhood will be explored. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area(s): Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
CGS IN 306: Shakespeare's Ethics
What can great literature teach us about the ethical life? Can the arts teach sympathy or empathy for the unfamiliar? Can stepping into the shoes of a character from dramatic literature help us both deepen our sense of what it means to be human and how to lead a good life (be a morally upstanding citizen)? In what ways can art model ethical performance? This course will explore five of Shakespeare's plays with an emphasis on discovering and analyzing Shakespeare's ethical ideas. We will assess the thinking of philosophers who influenced Shakespeare. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation. -
CGS MA 113: Elementary Statistics
MA 113 may not be taken for credit by any student who has completed any MA course numbered 300 or higher. Students may receive credit for not more than one of the following courses: CAS MA 113, MA 115, or MA 213. Basic concepts of estimation and tests of hypotheses, ideas from probability; one-, two-, and multiple-sample problems. Applications in social sciences. Primarily for students in the social sciences who require a one-semester introduction to statistics; others should consider CAS MA 115 or MA 213. Carries MCS divisional credit in CAS. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning I. -
CGS MA 121: Calculus
For students who need an introductory calculus course for their major. Fulfills the CAS and Questroom mathematics requirement. This course covers differentiation and integration of functions of one variable and emphasizes application over mathematical generality. Applications in the natural sciences, social sciences, and management. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II.
