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The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. 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 313: The Politics and Policy of HBO's The Wire
    HBO's television series The Wire is used to explore politics and policy. A number of interdisciplinary topics are covered, including the war on drugs, urban elections, bureaucracy, rational choice theory, and the decline of American cities. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PO 316: Race and the Politics of Criminal Justice Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO111 OR CASPO141) - How many people are affected by the criminal justice system? What is the relationship between crime and race? What criminal justice policies, if any, should change? In this course, students grapple with these questions. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 320: Special Topics in Public Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different.
  • CAS PO 321: Foundations of American Public Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO 111 or 151). - This course investigates the social and political roots of US public policies. We use historical perspectives and social scientific analysis to shed light on the seemingly unique American solutions to pressing social and economic problems. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS PO 322: The Politics of Science, Care, and the Environment
    Undergraduate Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This interdisciplinary course explores political conflicts over environmental problems as conflicts over science and care. Content ranges from concrete cases of U.S. environmental challenges (toxic exposure, wildlife in suburbs), to environmental political theory and the politics of climate change. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 328: North-South Relations
    Employs a multidisciplinary approach to analyze the relations between the industrialized nations of the "North" and the developing nations of the "South." Addresses historical and current issues in North-South relations, including trade, investment, migration, regional economic integration, and the environment.
  • CAS PO 329: International Political Economy
    Emphasizes the dynamic interaction between politics and economics to understand and explain historical and contemporary issues in international political economy, including international monetary, trade, investment, financial, and environmental relations. Considers emerging challenges and structures in the international political economy. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 330: Special Topics in Comparative Politics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different.
  • CAS PO 331: Comparative Political Economy
    Undergraduate prerequisite: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120) - Introduces students to comparative political economy from a historical perspective, covering the early development of capitalism, industrialization, the welfare state, and the evolution of industry regulation, continuing to topics like deindustrialization, economic stagnation, and the rise of economic inequality.
  • CAS PO 333: Democratic Erosion
    Trends in American and European politics have engendered fears about a turn toward authoritarianism where it was once unthinkable. This course explores the causes and consequences of democratic erosion, helping students to put recent developments into comparative and historical perspective. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 334: Political Violence
    Explores the concept of political violence and the dynamics of violent political behavior. Critically examines the causes and consequences of political violence around the world. Topics include civil war, government repression and disciplining, electoral violence, riots and demonstrations, vigilante and intercommunal violence. Comparative perspectives with a particular emphasis on the Global South. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 335: Gender & Global Politics
    Introduction to gender and global politics, across both developing and advanced industrial democracies. Focuses on political and economic underpinnings of gender inequality. Students propose and analyze policy solutions to address political gender inequality around the globe using data and cases. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS PO 336: Voting Rights
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS PO 111 or CAS PO 151 - Examines voting rights in the United States, including the social, legal, and political movements that have affected who has the right to vote; how that right is exercised; and current legal and political developments. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS PO 338: Urban Politics of the Global South
    The majority of the world's population now lives in cities. Course explores the origins and history of cities in global south (Latin America, Africa, Asia), with particular attention to colonialism and its effects on contemporary inequality and democracy. Looks at questions of citizenship, governance, informality, democracy, and the role of civil society, in dealing with challenges of urban inequality and climate change.
  • CAS PO 341: European Politics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO241 OR CASPO251) - Comparative study of politics in member states of the European Union, with emphasis on political development, institutions, major issues in contemporary politics, and the impact of European integration. Selective references to original and new member states of the EU.
  • CAS PO 343: Europe and International Relations
    Provides an overview of European affairs. Topics include the foreign policies of European nations, the dynamics of European integration, NATO, international migration and ethnic conflict, and European relations with the United States, Russia, and neighboring countries.
  • CAS PO 344: Democracy: Its Origins, Breakdown and Outcomes
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO151 OR CASSO100) - How do political scientists explain the emergence of democratic regimes? And what factors explain their breakdown? We look at these questions across a range of countries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and other regions of the world. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PO 346: Bombs and Bombshells: Gender, Armed Conflict, and Political Violence
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore, junior, or senior standing. - Interdisciplinary course surveying women's relationship to political violence with a focus on the evolution of women's international participation in non-state, religiously-motivated groups. Women's roles in political violence throughout Western Europe, North America, and the Middle East are explored.
  • CAS PO 350: The Making of Asia
    Explores the diverse experiences of modernization and development in China, Japan, Korea, as well as the countries of Southeast Asia. Also examines the domestic and international impacts of growing social-economic ties, as well as the complex security challenges among Asian states. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 351: China: from Revolution to Reform
    Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. Focus is on the party's official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry I

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