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.
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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. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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 Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. -
CGS HU 251: The Irish Outlaw: The Makings of a Nationalist Icon
This course will examine the outlaw as he appears in the literature, culture and history of Ireland. As a symbolic figure in Irish folklore and literature, the outlaw is seen as a hero through whom the Irish people have historically imagined their dignity in the midst of perceived political subjugation and social injustice. Students will be exposed to a variety of texts and genres and will be expected to ask rigorous questions about the style and categorization of these texts, the different portrayals of "the outlaw" that appear, and the importance of such texts in literary and cultural history. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
CGS IN 250: Cosmic Visions: The Science of Astronomy and the Arts
How has stargazing shaped understanding of our place within the world? Art draws inspiration from astronomy--and astronomy from art. This team-taught course traces the symbiotic history of these two ways of knowing and exploring the cosmos, culminating in a creative project. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course. -
CGS IN 300: Madonnas, Martyrs, and MILFs: Gender and 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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II. -
CGS MA 121: Calculus
Differentiation and integration of functions of one variable. Same topics as CAS MA 123, but with less emphasis on mathematical generality and more on applications. Especially suitable for students concentrating in the biological and social sciences. Carries MCS Divisional credit in CASv Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Quantitative Reasoning II. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking. -
CGS NS 201: Biology I
Focuses on the major paradigms (and shifts) including the origin of life, molecular and cellular theories of life, human origins, genetics, evolutionary theory and biodiversity. Encourages use of quantitative and scientific tools required to explore scientific models and connects the scientific process with ethical and social concerns arising from our understanding of the origin, evolution and diversity of life including our own species. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking. -
CGS NS 202: Human Ecology/Global Ecology
What is the fate of the biosphere and our species? Can humans reconcile economic and technological growth with ecological sustainability? This course examines the impact of one species, Homo sapiens, on the ecosystems of the biosphere, seeking answers to these broad questions. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
CGS NS 203: Astronomy
The planets and their motions are presented from an historical perspective. The birth, life and death of starts, the Milky Way and other galaxies are discussed. Big Bang cosmology is introduced. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking. -
CGS RH 103: Rhetorical Practices from the Ancient World to Enlightenment
In Rhetoric 103, you will be taken chronologically through key periods in history to learn about the origin and development of the art of Rhetoric and its relevance today, ultimately in order to enable you to apply key rhetorical skills to your own textual and verbal practice. Students will receive semester-long instruction and practice in writing, oral communication, and research and information literacy. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Writing, Research, and Inquiry, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy. -
CGS RH 104: Rhetorical Practices from The Industrial Revolution through the Digital Revolution
Through class discussion and learning experiences, students explore connections between readings assigned in Rhetoric and those in other courses, focusing on themes drawn from the two units that comprise the semester's curriculum. The course further develops skills in expository writing and introduces exploratory essay writing. Students continue to explore the contemporary relevance and meaning of the interdisciplinary curriculum. Students refine their skills in grammar, style, organization, and document design. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: First-Year Writing Seminar, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Critical Thinking. -
CGS SS 103: Politics, Economies, and Social Change in the West: The Ancient World Through the Enlightenment
This interdisciplinary course examines social change in the politics, economies, social structures, and culture of the West from the ancient world through the Enlightenment. Students look at developments in governance, trade, social inequalities, and ideas that gave the West its distinctive character, including the rise of its key institution, democracy. To interpret historical change critically, students are introduced to the social science "toolkit" of analytical concepts. Assignments outside the classroom will encourage students to consider how history has shaped today's world. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
CGS SS 104: Politics, Economies, and Social Change in the West: The Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution
This interdisciplinary course examines social change in the politics, economies, social structures, and culture of the West from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Students consider the impact of technological innovation, industrial capitalism, global war, genocide, and the ideologies that shaped these developments. The course concludes with the globalization of economies and social structures in an era of rising inequality. Visits to relevant sites in Britain will supplement classroom instruction. One lecture, two discussions, and two additional contact hours as assigned. [5 cr.] Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
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