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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 PH 485: Topics in Philosophy of Value
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPH 450 OR CASPH 451 OR CASPH 452 OR CASPH 453 OR CASPH 454 OR CASPH 455 OR CASPH 457) any one philosophy course from CASPH 450-457, or consent of instructor. - Topics vary from year to year. Topic for Spring 2021: What is happiness? How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life? Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Confucian, Buddhist, Taoist paths; comparison with contemporary studies of happiness and mindfulness.
  • CAS PH 487: Topics in the Philosophy of Science
    A discussion-based introduction to core issues in the philosophy of science, focusing on the topics of scientific realism, theory change, reductionism, explanation, models, and natural kinds.
  • CAS PH 488: Topics in Aesthetics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore standing. - Consideration of selected topics in aesthetics, with particular attention to the relationship between aesthetic experience and analytical accounts of the experience; topics include expression, perception, qualities, the good, the ideal, and the sublime.
  • CAS PH 489: Henry James and New Media
    James’s writing exposed the moral and aesthetic dimensions of social status, wealth, and romance. Exploring James’s works and film adaptations of them, as well as contemporaneous philosophy, we address how they anticipate the social media of our time. Students complete a video, graphic novel, or other form of “new media” for a final project. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Creativity/Innovation
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • CAS PH 491: Directed Study
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing, consent of instructor and department, and a pproval of CAS Academic Advising. - Individual or small group tutorial instruction and directed research on selected topics.
  • CAS PH 492: Directed Study
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing, consent of instructor and department, and a pproval of CAS Academic Advising. - Individual or small group tutorial instruction and directed research on selected topics.
  • CAS PH 493: Meaning, Memory, and History
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - Explores central issues in the philosophy of history, from Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche to Collingwood, Popper, and Danto. Topics include: is history a science' If so, what kind' How does it differ from tradition and memory' Does it have a meaning' Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • CAS PH 495: Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar; and one course from among the following: P hilosophy, Religion, Core Curriculum (CC101 and/or CC102) - A thematic introduction to mysticism and philosophy, with a focus on the dynamics of religious experience. Readings will be drawn from medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy; Sufi mysticism and philosophy; Kabbalah, Sufi poetry, Hebrew poetry from the Golden Age of Muslim Spain. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PH 496: Topics in Religious Thought
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASWR 120 or equivalent and one course from among the following: Religion, Philosophy, Core Curriculum (CASCC 101 and/or CC 102). - Topic for Spring 2025: Happiness, East and West. What is happiness? How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life? Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary studies on happiness and mindfulness. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PH 525: Judith Butler
    Undergraduate prerequisites: two previous XL, WS, or PH courses; or consent of instructor. Graduate prerequisites: graduate standing. - An intensive study of Judith Butler's philosophical thought and social theory from the 1990s to the present, with an emphasis on the continuities and discontinuities between Butler's early work on gender performativity and more recent writings on racial justice, war, and violence.
  • CAS PO 111: Introduction to American Politics
    Undergraduate core course. Study of the national political structure; emphasis on Congress, the executive, administrative agencies, and the judiciary. Relations between formal institutions, parties, and interest groups. 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, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 141: Introduction to Public Policy
    Undergraduate core course. What are public policies? Where do they come from? What are their effects? In this course, we grapple with these questions. We also examine the question: how do the politics of public policy affect racial and economic inequality? 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, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 151: Introduction to Comparative Politics
    Undergraduate core course. Meets with CAS IR 251. 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. 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, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 171: Introduction to International Relations
    Undergraduate core course. 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.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 191: Introduction to Political Theory
    Undergraduate core course. Fundamental questions of political life are addressed by analyzing works of political philosophy. Historical and contemporary events and issues illustrate and complicate analysis of conceptions of authority, justice, liberty, and equality. Many definitions of government, law, and rights are considered. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • CAS PO 301: Presidential Leadership
    Presidential power and functions; relations with Congress, political party, and the public; personality and leadership; and comparative study of selected presidents. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Social Inquiry II.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 302: Congress
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO111 OR CASPO141) or consent of instructor. - The United States Congress is the most studied branch of U.S. Government, and central to our understanding of policy, elections, and representative democracy. The purpose of this course is to examine two fundamental questions: (1) what do Members of Congress do and why and (2) how do the individual and collective actions of Members of Congress explain national policy' Throughout, we will debate the common criticism that "Congress is broken'' and consider its effectiveness as an institution. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 303: It's a Free Country: Civil Liberties in America
    An accessible introduction to American civil liberties. Students will read a sampling of key Supreme Court cases about issues including speech, religion, privacy and equality. They will understand the key the debates, considerations, and decisions about old and new civil liberties challenges in the U.S. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • CAS PO 304: The Judicial Process
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO111 OR CASPO141) or consent of instructor. - Introduction to the judicial process. Topics include the role of lawyers and judges, the structure of the court system, juries, and legal reasoning. Primarily intended for students who have little or no exposure to law courses. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 306: Media and Politics in the United States
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO111) or consent of instructor. - Examines changes over time in the American polity's assumptions about what the press ought to do. In particular, relates our understanding of the press's role to contemporary media developments including technological changes, corporate media ownership, and the re- amateurization of journalism. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Inquiry II

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