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

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  • CAS PO 583: Gender and War
    Examines gender constructions in world politics. Topics include gender biases in international relations theories, female and male roles in war, and rape as an instrument of warfare. Also assesses roles of women as leaders, actors, and objects of foreign policy.
  • CAS PO 589: Religion and International Relations
    Explores the role of religion in contemporary international relations in the context of questions about the common core of modernity. Reviews scholarly and policy literature, and case studies, in order to elucidate religion's intellectual and operational diversity in international relations. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing- Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Critical Thinking
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 590: Readings in Political Theory
    Topics vary. May be repeated for credit as topics change.
  • CAS PO 591: Seminar in Political Philosophy
    An in-depth study of a major political philosopher, historical period, or topic in political philosophy. Topic for Fall 2016: Political Ideas and the Arts. Students develop their own reading list of works by a political philosopher; research art in all media--paintings, songs, poems, novels, and movies--illustrative of the concepts encountered; and write and present papers integrating the political ideas and art discovered. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course by the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 691.
  • CAS PO 592: Enlightenment and Its Critics
    Explores how eighteenth-century criticisms of the Enlightenment have been taken up by twentieth-century thinkers such as Heidegger, Horkheimer, Adorno, Gadamer, and Foucault; discusses recent defenses of Enlightenment ideals of reason, critique, and autonomy by Habermas and others.
  • CAS PO 593: Freedom
    Focuses on conceptions of freedom put forth by selected political philosophers. Discussion of the relation of freedom to morality, law, government, commerce, religion, tradition, and education.
  • CAS PO 594: Advanced Feminist Theory
    This seminar explores advanced readings in feminist and queer theory on a focused topic or topics: for example, the politics of love and sex, reproductive politics, feminist theory and climate change, or the politics of gender and violence. This course does not carry Hub credit.
  • CAS PO 599: Data Science for Politics
    Data science is changing how we understand and study politics, policy, and decision-making. This course introduces students to the fundamental tools of data science, including collecting, modeling, and visualizing data, and how to apply these tools to study political and policy questions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • CAS TL 500: History and Theory of Translation
    The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies. Effective Fall 2020, 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
  • CAS TL 505: Literary Style Workshop
    Workshop cultivating awareness of and sensitivity to style, cohesiveness, and patterning in literary English. Topics range from text-type to subtle effects of rhythm and sound. Imitation practice. Emphasis on translators' process, from strategic decisions to editing. Workshop format. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Critical Thinking, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS TL 540: Translation Seminar
    Translation seminar where students produce substantial literary translations into English from their language of choice with the guidance of the instructors and language-specific mentors. Students hone their translation skills, read, and discuss articles about practical issues of translation. Students are required to register for co-requisite CAS TL 542.
  • CAS TL 541: Translation Today
    Weekly lectures and discussions with prominent literary translators from Boston and elsewhere. Students engage with a variety of languages and several genres: poetry, drama, essay, fiction, and more. Focus on concrete, practical translation issues arising from the speakers' work. Students are required to register for co-requisite CAS TL 542. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • CAS TL 542: Literary Translation
    Guest lecture series in literary translation. Mandatory co-requisite with CAS TL 540 and CAS TL 541. This course cannot be taken on its own.
  • CAS TL 551: Topics in Translation
    May be taken multiple times for credit if topics are different. Topic for Spring 2023, Section A1: Self-Translation and Bilingualism. Examine self-translated texts and texts about literary self-translation, that is, translations of works made by their own authors. Question the categories of author and translator, original and translation, writing and re-writing. Reflect on bilingualism and migration as creators of literature. Topic for Spring 2023, Section B1: Translation and Storytelling in the Medieval Mediterranean.Explores how medieval translators cultivated a Mediterranean storytelling tradition and how modern translators keep this tradition alive. Works include 1001 Nights, Kalila and Dimna, the Maqamat of al-Hariri, and Don Juan Manuel's Book of Count Lucanor. Effective Spring 2022, 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
  • GRS AA 620: African American and Asian American Women Writers: Cross-Cultural Perspective
    Examines literary representations of race, ethnicity, gender and class through the lens of cross-cultural connections between African Americans and Asian Americans. Which strategies do these women writers use to speak to their often- mainstream readers? How do they challenge traditional gender roles? Effective Fall 2021, this course this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Critical Thinking
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • GRS AA 656: Religion in the Digital Age
    How has technology impacted religion? This hands-on course explores how digital technologies like the Internet, social media, gaming, and artificial intelligence have changed the way that people think about religion. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • GRS AA 677: Critical Studies: Black Diaspora Theory and Practice
    Explore "diaspora" as a keyword for black studies, intervene in the term's emergence, usage, and many theorizations. Beginning with Paul Gilroy's take on diasporic culture and consciousness, course goes on to complicate/extend/challenge through lens of black gender and sexuality studies. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • The Individual in Community
    • Critical Thinking
  • GRS AA 683: African Diaspora Religions
    This course introduces students to religions of the African Diaspora, with a specific focus on the Caribbean and the Americas. Religious traditions such as Africanized Christianity, Cuban Santer?a, Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candombl? and African American Spiritualism will be explored. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • The Individual in Community
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • GRS AA 716: African Diaspora Arts in the Americas
    Study of the transmission of African artistry in the Caribbean, South America, and the United States from the period of slavery to the present. Topics include Kongo and Yoruba arts and their influence on the arts of Santeria, Vodun, and carnival. Also offered as GRS AH 716.
  • GRS AA 740: Science, Technology, Media: Race and Contemporary Criticism
    This course focuses on racial engagements with science, technology and media. Topics range from genomics to artificial intelligence, medicine and popular culture. Though rooted in literary and cultural criticism, these interdisciplinary texts will also provide an introduction to various methodologies.

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