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 Student Link for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

The listing below reflects the Hub units fulfilled by courses in the 2019/2020 academic year.

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  • CFA TH 239: Aesthetic and Philosophy of Dance
    This course looks at three major theories of art and applies them to dance. How do we view and perceive dance? The theories that provide us the most insight are the mimetic/representation, formal, and expression theories. We will use them to consider visual art, theater, and music, and then focus on dance. How is movement and gesture organized to tell a story, convey an idea and/or create an aesthetic experience? How do we make sense of this nonverbal form of communication and increase our appreciation for dance's power to engage? Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
  • CFA TH 255: History of Costumes 1
    This course is an intensive survey covering the history of significant cultural expression in dress from 3000 B.C.E. through the 18th century. Students will examine the evolution of fashion by studying various types of art and literature as well as socio-economic, political, and religious influences. Students will familiarize themselves with the vocabulary, theory, production, silhouettes, and trends in Western dress through effective researching, experiential learning, discussion-based learning, and interactive lectures. Class work involves research projects with emphasis on color, materials, manufacture, theory, and application. 2.0 credits. Fall Semester of even academic years. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CFA TH 256: History of Costumes 2
    Intensive survey course covering the history of significant cultural expression in dress from the end of the 18th century to the present. Students examine the evolution of fashion by studying various types of art & literature as well as socio-economic, political, and religious influences. Students will familiarize themselves with the vocabulary, theory, production, silhouettes, and trends in Western dress through effective researching, experiential learning, discussion-based learning, and interactive lectures. Research projects emphasize color, materials, manufacture, theory, and application. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Research and Information Literacy.
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CFA TH 355: History of Period Styles
    This the first course in a series of 4 seminar style classes where we explore periods throughout history primarily through studying Architecture and D?cor along with exploring the political and social atmosphere of the times. Each student will have a weekly assignment to research and share with their classmates in a PowerPoint style presentation. History of Period Styles 1 covers the Dawn of Man through the Fall of Rome. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CFA TH 369: Technical Production 3
    Prereq: CFA TH 269 or Permission of Instructor. This course is designed to give Technical Directors the engineering knowledge to design safe and efficient scenery. Through real conditions and a text, students will develop a vocabulary and a database of formulas to effectively engineer scenery. Students will discuss concepts typical to engineering, study the variables and formulas used to determine material strengths, typical and atypical loading conditions, and how to engineer scenery used in normal theatrical applications. 3.0 credits. Fall Semester. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning I.
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
  • CFA TH 370: Technical Production 4
    Prereq: CFA TH 369. This course is designed to give Technical Directors an in-depth look into engineering safe and efficient scenery. Through real conditions and a text, students will learn how to engineer wood and steel elements used in theatre. The primary focus of study will be beam and column design. 3.0 credits. Spring Semester. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II.
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • CFA TH 440: Experiencing London Theatre in the Postwar World
    This course offers an aesthetic and historical understanding of contemporary London theatre, as well as the interpretation of controversies in postwar British theatre history, plus knowledge of evaluative tools -- including journalistic skills -- for the analysis of current shows. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CFA TH 555: History of Theatre 1
    A survey of Western theatre production and design spanning Classical Greek to the beginning of the 20th Century. Using extant plays as pieces of archeology, the class explores the genesis of the western theatrical tradition with special attention to the transition from the socio-religious to entertainment to art form via the lens of technological, socio-economic and political forces and how they shaped and informed theatre production. As artists, we use this exploratory approach to theatre history to inform our choices in producing thought, not just consuming of it. Effective Fall 2019, this course is part of a Hub sequence: when taken with CFA TH 556, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Part of a Hub sequence
  • CFA TH 556: History of Theatre 2
    A continuation of a survey of Western theatre production and design from the modern era to post WWII. The class explores the evolution of theatre as a modern art form as well as solidifying itself as an entertainment. Movements in theatrical practices will be explored via the lens of technological, socio-economic and political forces and how they shaped and informed theatre production in the United States, Europe and Eastern Europe. As artists, we use this exploratory approach to theatre history to inform our choices in producing thought, not just consuming of it. Effective Fall 2019, this course is part of a Hub sequence: when taken with CFA TH 555, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CFA TH 755: History of Period Styles 1
    Prereq: Graduate standing or consent of instructor; Meets with CFA TH 355. Survey covering the history of and significant cultural expression through interior decoration and furniture in major civilizations. Work involves research projects with emphasis on historic fabrics and construction. 2.0 credits. Fall semester. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
    • Historical Consciousness
  • 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. Effective Fall 2018. this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • 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. Effective Fall 2018, 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
  • 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Creativity/Innovation.
    • 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • The 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry II.
    • 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. 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

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