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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  • CAS AR 520: Theory and Method in Environmental Archaeology
    Problem-based course where students apply quantitative methods across archaeological datasets to address complex problems of human-environmental relationships rooted in deep time. Through teamwork-based research projects students develop marketable skills in research design, theory integration, and data analysis and visualization.
  • CAS AR 551: Studies in Mesoamerican Archaeology
    Analysis of major events and processes of the Mesoamerican area. Topics include rise of towns, temples, and urbanism; the origin of state; and the development of empires. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II.
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS AR 556: Archaeological Field Research
    Supervised original research in excavation, survey, or field laboratory situation, as part of field school program.
  • CAS AR 565: Memory in 3-D: Memorials, then and now
    Memorials and the spaces around them are charged zones, time portals where past and present co-exist.The decision to erect a memorial is a statement on many levels -- of cultural stamina, political will, social need, and above all of historical consciousness. In this course we focus on the development of memorial culture in America, along with a comparative examination of the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome. The distance afforded by stepping outside our own time and place provides perspectives on aspects of form and message, as well as on how the meanings of memorial can change. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • CAS AR 575: The Cosmopolitan Past: Material Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean
    Using archaeology to understand the cosmopolitan world of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, from Alexander through the Romans. We travel to cities and sanctuaries, estates and farmsteads, to learn how people at all levels of society displayed their affiliations, ideals, and personas. Through the prism of personal identity we track cultural capital: what that meant, how it changed, and how people used it in order to assert who they were and how they mattered. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS AR 577: Pots and Pans: The Material Culture of Cookery & Dining
    Exploration of food cultures and technologies through utensils for food preparation and consumption; kitchens from prehistory to present; tradition and fashion in cooking and dining vessels; cooking technology; utensils as metaphors and symbols. Ranges broadly across cultures, time, and space.
  • CAS AR 590: Life Is a Bowl: Ceramic Studies in Archaeology
    Before plastic, there was pottery -- pots and pans, cups and dishes, crocks and jars -- in every culture and in abundance. Research seminar studies pottery across time and space to elucidate personal habits as well as social, economic, and political developments.
  • CAS BI 500: Shark Biology & Conservation
    Explores the natural history and behavior of sharks and their relationship to other animals in the ecosystem. Conservation of sharks and other elasmobranchs is crucial to ecosystem function and requires accurate scientific knowledge to implement the best conservation practices. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS BI 504: Advanced Evolutionary Analysis
    Modern concepts, controversies, and analytical approaches in evolutionary biology. Topics include adaptation, natural and sexual selection, species and species formation, phylogenetics, origin of evolutionary novelty, adaptive radiation, basic population and quantitative genetics, development and evolution. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion.
  • CAS BI 506: Phenotypic Plasticity
    Explores the flexible phenotype as a product of development and target of natural selection, addresses phenotypic plasticity in ecological interactions and evolutionary diversity, evolution and mechanisms of plasticity, plasticity in ecology, diversification of life, and conservation in a changing environment.
  • CAS BI 509: Metapopulation Ecology
    Introduces students to metapopulation ecology through the lens of propagule dispersal and population connectivity. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS BI 510: Institutional Racism in Health and Science
    Traces the historical mischaracterization of race as a biological construct and the physiological manifestations of racism. Through the study of primary sources, students learn to discriminate between fact-based conclusions and unsupported pseudoscience and to construct empirical knowledge.
  • CAS BI 513: Genetics Laboratory
    Genetic techniques such as mutant selection and screening, complementation, mapping, recombinant DNA, and chemical genetic screening are taught using the genetic model systems Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Arabidopsis thaliana. Short-term and long-term projects in which students formulate and test hypotheses.
  • CAS BI 515: Population Genetics
    Examines evolutionary processes that give rise to genetic variation in populations, such as mutation, drift, and selection. Covers theoretical basis of population genetics including Hardy- Weinberg equilibrium, coalescence, neutral theory, and quantitative genetics, and application of techniques to real datasets.
  • CAS BI 519: Theoretical Evolutionary Ecology
    Familiarizes students with the theory of evolutionary ecology. Students gain enough background to read theoretical evolutionary ecology literature, do simple modeling, and move on to more complex theory. Students gain experience through homework assignments and computer labs. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS BI 520: Sensory Neurobiology
    A broad survey of sensory system function in model organisms and humans, focusing on fundamental principles of neural processing. Topics include basic cellular transduction, neural coding, and links between neural activity and sensory perception. Also offered as CAS NE 520.
  • CAS BI 523: Marine Urban Ecology
    Marine Urban Ecology is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how human and ecological processes can coexist in human-dominated systems. Topics, ecosystems, and organisms associated with urbanization in the Greater Boston area. Also offered as CAS GE 523. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS BI 525: Biology of Neurodegenerative Diseases
    An in-depth look at molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and their impact and relevance in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Topics include the molecular pathways of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, and Creuztfeldt-Jacob Disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Also offered as CAS NE 525. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS BI 527: Biochemistry Laboratory 1
    Emphasizes the purification and characterization of proteins and DNA. Development and use of modern instrumentation and techniques. Same as CH527 and laboratory portion of CAS BI/CH421. Required for BMB students enrolled concurrently in GMS BI 555. Four hours lab, one hour discussion. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS BI 528: Biochemistry Laboratory 2
    Emphasizes protein, carbohydrate, nucleic acid, and lipid chemistry. Development and use of modern instrumentation and techniques. Four hours lab, one hour discussion. Same as CAS CH528 and laboratory portion of CAS BI/CH422. Required for BMB students enrolled concurrently in GMS BI 556. Four hours lab, one hour discussion.

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