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.

• CAS HI 900: Dissertation Writing
  Graduate Prerequisites: dissertation level in History. - A workshop designed for students writing a dissertation that provides them with critical responses to their work and addresses important issues associated with becoming a professional historian.
• 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.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • The Individual in Community
  • Research and Information Literacy
• CAS IN 250: Internships for Liberal Arts: Work and Identity -- Theory and Practice
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore/junior/senior standing; completion of Career Directions & Se lf-Discovery workshops offered by the Center for Career Development; a nd successful application for an approved internship. - This course frames, facilitates, and guides students through an internship opportunity in a workplace setting within Boston University. It focuses on the essential skills and competencies for getting started and being successful in the workplace, as well as readings and written reflections on the link between academic and career goals. To learn more and apply, visit http://www.bu.edu/casprograms/programs/internships/.
• 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.
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  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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.
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  • 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. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. 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.
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  • 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.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Social Inquiry I
• 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.
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  • 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.
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  • Quantitative Reasoning I
  • Social Inquiry I
• CAS IR 295: Quantitative Methods for Global Policy
  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.
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  • 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 2024. 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? Topics for Spring 2025. Section A1: Zionism and Its Critics. Focuses on the Jewish nationalist movement using historical, thematic, critical, and comparative perspectives. At the intersection of history, political science, and religious studies, the class tackles pressing questions in international affairs. Section B1: Economic Cooperation in East Asia. Explores the growth of economic cooperation in East Asia and Asia-Pacific to promote trade, finance, development, and sustainability. Analyzes both economic incentives for cooperation and effects of political and economic competition among China, Japan, the U.S., and other regional actors. Section C1: History of the Modern Middle East in Global Politics. An introduction to the history of the modern Middle East and its relationship to global politics, from the nineteenth century to the present.
• 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.
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  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Social Inquiry II
• CAS IR 307: Introduction to Middle East Politics
  Meets with CAS PO 368. Employs social science theories to explain the political development of the Middle East since World War I. Part 1 examines state formation and competing explanations for authoritarianism. Part 2 analyzes social movements ranging from Islamist groups to mass mobilization.
• CAS IR 308: Introduction to Global Resource Geopolitics: Natural Resources, Development, and Conflict
  Meets with CAS GE 308. Introduces students to the relationship between natural resources, geopolitics, and conflict. Examines the effect of this relationship on development, peace, and security around the globe. Emphasis on conflict minerals, energy commodities, and technology metals.
• CAS IR 311: Climate Change and Development Policy
  Explores global and regional policy responses to the twin challenges of sustainable development and adaptation to climate change from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective. Critically examines existing policies and radical alternatives to these challenges at global, regional and national scales. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Social Inquiry I