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Courses

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 IR 367: Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
    (Meets with CAS HI 399 and CAS PO 360.) Examines patterns and complexities of Latin American politics and foreign policies. Focuses on a range of Latin American political and historical experiences, from colonization to global inequality to the impact of Indigenous, Black, feminist and other social movements in the region. 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 IR 368: Contemporary East Asian Economics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101 & CASEC102) - Meets with CAS EC 368. An introduction to the economic history and institutions of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and China. Topics include structural change, trade, labor markets, corporate organization, financial systems, and macroeconomic and industrial policy. 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 370: China: From Revolution to Reform
    (Meets with CAS PO 351.) 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
  • CAS IR 373: Global Governance and International Organization
    Introduces the concept of global governance and examines roles of international organizations in select issue areas, taking into account perspectives of both industrialized and developing countries. 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 374: Introduction to Security Studies
    Analysis of the factors determining national and international security. Examines the historical relationship between military power and politics. Topics include causes of war, conduct of war, prevention of war. Students cannot receive credit for both CAS IR 374 and CAS IR 385. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS IR 375: International Law and Organizations
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS IR 271/PO 171 or IR 230 or IR 349, or IR 350. - International law and international organizations are central to the conduct of international relations, generating both cooperation and conflict. This course provides a historical and theoretical introduction to the rules, principles, and institutions of public international law.
  • CAS IR 376: History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
    Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS IR 378: Intelligence in a Democratic Society
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASIR271) - The intelligence process and its role in democratic societies; the organization and functions of the U.S. intelligence community; techniques of intelligence collection, analysis, counterintelligence and covert action; assessment of problems and attempted solutions in the United States and other democracies. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS IR 379: Civil-Military Relations: Theory and Practice
    Examines the tension between political leadership and the military force in the U.S. and the world. Students analyze civil-military relations theory and history, and the responsibilities of the military, civilian leadership, and the public. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS IR 382: Understanding the Modern Middle East
    Provides an introduction to the Middle East and North Africa region. Surveys the region's historical political development throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring themes of colonial and imperial encroachment, state formation, statebuilding, institutional development, and state-society relations. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS IR 386: Nation Building and Erosion in Africa
    This course is an overview of nation-building in Africa since the era of decolonization. It focuses on key events in modern African political history: post -independence transformation, the role of Pan-Africanism, and the politics of social movements. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS IR 389: Technology and Global Governance
    Undergraduate prerequisite: One Social Inquiry I unit. - The international world order, largely forged after World War II, has come under increasing strain. The course critiques the traditional state-centric approach to global governance in which international organizations such as the United Nations and World Trade Organizations develop rules which nation-states follow. Provides an alternative approach of global governance - "experimental governance" - which can complement the state-centric approach. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Social Inquiry II.
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS IR 390: 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.
  • CAS IR 393: Technology and Economic Development
    We use breakthroughs in New Institutional Economics, social network analysis and contract theory, to study new technological innovations in Africa and other developing regions. These include 'mobile money' in Kenya and Hello Tractor (an 'Uber for Tractors') in Nigeria. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Social Inquiry I
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS IR 394: Power, Leadership, and Governance in Africa and the Caribbean
    (Meets with CAS AA 395 and HI 352.) Haitian Revolution; British Caribbean, leadership, governance, and power in Africa during the period of legitimate trade; visionaries, dictators, and nationalist politics in the Caribbean; chiefs, western elites, and nationalism in colonial Africa; road to governance in post-colonial Caribbean and Africa.
  • CAS IR 395: North-South Relations
    (Meets with CAS PO 328.) 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 IR 399: Fundamentals of Global Money
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101 & CASEC102) - Examines financial globalization through the lens of the "money view," focusing on the cash inflows and outflows of all private and public actors in the global economy. Applies this analysis to issues including development finance, shadow banking, and financial crises. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Social Inquiry I.
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS IR 400: Topics in International Relations
    Examines various aspects of international relations. May be repeated for credit if topics are different. Topic for Spring 2024. Section A1: Technology & Global Governance. Critiques traditional state-centric approach to global governance in which international organizations such as the United Nations and World Trade Organizations develop rules which nation-states follow. Examines alternative approach, ¿experimental governance,¿ which involves using new technologies to link up local initiatives working to solve global problems.
  • CAS IR 401: Pardee School Honors Thesis 1
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing; permission required. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g ., WR 100 or WR 120) - IR 401 is the first semester of the two-semester Honors Program for students in any of the Pardee School's majors (Asian Studies, European Studies, International Relations, Latin American Studies, and Middle East & North Africa Studies). Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS IR 402: Pardee School Honors Thesis 2
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing; permission required. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g ., WR 100 or WR 120) - IR 402 is the second semester of the two-semester Honors Program for students in any of the Pardee School's majors (Asian Studies, European Studies, International Relations, Latin American Studies, and Middle East & North Africa Studies). Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Writing-Intensive Course

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