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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 HI 584: Labor, Sexuality, and Resistance in the Afro-Atlantic World
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - The role of slavery in shaping the society and culture of the Afro-Atlantic world, highlighting the role of labor, the sexual economy of slave regimes, and the various strategies of resistance deployed by enslaved people. Also offered as CAS AA 514. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS HI 588: Women, Power, and Culture in Africa
    Understanding the role of women in African history. Topics include the Atlantic slave trade, power, religion, the economy, resistance movements, health, the state, and kinship. Emphasis on the period before independence. Also offered as CAS AA 588.
  • CAS HI 595: Morocco: History on the Cusp of Three Continents
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. - Explores the range and limits of social mixture -- cultural, political, economic -- as three civilizations met at the northwest corner of Africa and influenced one another from the 8th to the 21st centuries. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS ID 116: Africa Today: The Beat of Popular Culture
    Provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the dynamics of contemporary Africa. Examines Western preconceptions, then turns to contemporary literature, film, television, music, dance, and the visual arts from across the continent as a means of listening to diverse African voices. Core course in the African Studies minor. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • The Individual in Community
    • Research and Information Literacy
  • CAS IN 299: CAS Undergraduate Internship
    Combines practical training in a professional setting with seminar-based coursework that encourages reflective learning and builds career readiness. Students spend a minimum of 90 total hours interning at a Boston-area placement site during the 14-week semester. The practical training imparted through each student's internship is complemented and refined by the academic component of the course, which includes 8 required 90-minute class meetings as well as individual and team-based assignments. Cannot be repeated for credit. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following Teamwork/Collaboration. 2 cr. Either sem.
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS IN 399S: CAS Internship 2
    Pre-equisite: CASIN 299. - Combines practical training in a professional setting with asynchronous online coursework that encourages reflection and builds career readiness. Students intern at an off-campus site of their choosing. The practical training imparted through the internship is complemented by the academic coursework.
  • CAS IR 230: Fundamentals of International Politics
    Introduction to basic concepts of international politics: the state system and types of states, modern ideologies, legal frameworks of international transactions, and political regions. Also raises key issues such as population, the environment, war, and international law. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS IR 234: Fundamentals of Strategic Intelligence
    What do intelligence agencies do and why? Intelligence is a crucial but widely misunderstood element of foreign policy decision making. Addresses intelligence gathering, analysis, and covert action, as well as key legal and ethical issues. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS IR 240: America Abroad: Debating the U.S. and the World since 1789
    Introduces students to debates and associated concepts over the United States' role in international affairs since independence. Using history and theory, explores core elements in these debates, examines changes in US policy over time, and evaluates historical and contemporary policies. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS IR 242: Globalization and World Poverty
    Addresses enduring global poverty and race, ethnic, gender, and class inequalities, especially in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Focuses on colonialism and post-colonialism, strategies of development, urbanization, immigration, religion, politics, women, drugs, social justice, and health issues. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS IR 250: Europe and International Relations
    Meets with CAS PO 343. Provides an overview 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 IR 251: Introduction to Comparative Politics
    Undergraduate core course. Meets with CAS PO 151. Examines different patterns of political development and contemporary politics in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Introduces the comparative method in political science and competing theories of political development and political change. 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, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS IR 271: Introduction to International Relations
    Explores major issues in international relations, including conflict, cooperation, and governance. Addresses dominant international relations theories and their application. Investigates state system, international law and organization, transnational actors, state behavior, and globalization. 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 IR 275: 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. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS IR 290: Drugs and Security in the Americas
    (Meets with CAS HI 331). Drug trafficking has become a dominant issue in U.S.- Latin American relations. This class examines the War on Drugs from both U.S. and Latin American perspectives in order to draw out racial, socio-economic, political, and gender-based dimensions and explore alternatives. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS IR 292: Fundamentals of International Economics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101 & CASEC102) - Covers basic principles of international economics, including trade, international finance, exchange rates, currency markets, economic policy, the role of institutions, and financial crises. Examines both theoretical frameworks and applications, with an emphasis on analysis case studies and real world examples in different world regions. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I.
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS IR 295: Quantitative Methods for Global Policy
    Undergraduate prerequisites: Completion of CAS EC 101 and CAS EC 102, which are also prerequisites for a CAS IR degree. An applied math background, particularly in probability and statistics, is strongly encouraged, and completion of an introductory statistics or econometrics course (MA113, MA115, MA116, MA214, QM221, EC203/303) is recommended. - Introduces the principal quantitative methods that are employed in core global studies disciplines, including political science, economics, and public policy. Students are exposed to a range of descriptive and inferential statistical methods and their applications in research and policy. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS IR 296: Economics for Global Studies
    An applied math background, particularly in probability and statistics, is strongly encouraged, and completion of an introductory statistics or econometrics course (CASMA 113, CASMA 115, CASMA 116, CASMA 214, QSTQM 221, CASEC 203/303) is recommended. Microeconomics covers concepts and tools pertaining to demand and supply, consumer behavior, production theory, market structures and income distribution theories. Macroeconomics covers markets and market properties, equilibrium conditions under certainty, unemployment, policy adjustments and responses to fluctuations in the economy. Effective Spring 2026, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU HUB areas: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning 1, Social Inquiry I.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS IR 300: Topics in International Relations
    Examines various aspects of international relations. May be repeated for credit if topics are different. Topic for Fall 2025. Section A1: Global Justice. Approaches global justice as a framework for restorative social, economic, and political relationships that extend beyond legislation. The course asks: What are we fighting for' Where do we go from here' What gets in the way'
  • CAS IR 304: Environmentally Sustainable Development
    Traces the emergence of sustainable development as a defining challenge of our times. Surveys and evaluates approaches for balancing ecological sustainability and human development in various parts of the world and at the global level. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II

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