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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 PO 356: Nuclear Security
    Provides students with the foundation for understanding nuclear security in the twenty-first century. Emphasis on the American Cold War experience, the growing threat of nuclear proliferation, the renaissance of civilian nuclear power, safeguards, and nuclear weapons under budget constraints. 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 PO 357: Causes of War and Peace
    War is the most destructive social act in which humanity engages. Why does war happen' This question is addressed by focusing on a variety of scholarly explanations. Theoretical discussions are paired with an examination of historical cases. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 360: Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
    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 PO 367: 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.
  • CAS PO 368: Introduction to Middle East Politics
    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 PO 369: Comparative Development in the Middle East
    This course surveys pertinent topics relating to the socio-economic and political development of the Middle East and North African throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Students will explore and critical analyze themes relating to colonialism and state formation and statebuilding, regime types, oil and rentierism, civil society, authoritarianism and democratization, military spending, gender relations, Islamist movements, elections, revolutions and social movements, territorial disputes, foreign intervention, and sectarianism and identity politics. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 373: African Politics Today
    An introduction to the issues dominating African political life today. Core course debates revolve around recent trends in African economic growth, democratic governance, and armed conflict, in addition to several other issues of contemporary concern.
  • CAS PO 375: Democracy and Protest in the Global South
    Explores roots, dynamics, and implications of recent popular protests both for democracy (e.g. 2011 Arab Spring) as well as challenges to established democracies (e.g. South Africa, Brazil). Focus on North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia. Effective Fall 2023 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship, Social Inquiry I.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry I
  • CAS PO 377: Africa in International Politics
    Introduction to the international relations of post-colonial Africa. Core themes include the politics of post-independence international alignments, the external causes and effects of authoritarian rule, and Africa's role in the global political economy.
  • CAS PO 378: International Human Rights: Applying Human Rights in Africa
    Meets with CAS IR 352. Studies the growing international influence on politics of human rights principles, documents, and organizations, drawing especially on African cases such as Congo, Zimbabwe, and Sudan. The class explores the relationship between civil and political rights and economic, social, and culture rights. We consider debates over claims of universality vs. cultural relativism, individual vs. group rights, and ways to improve human rights enforcement well respecting local cultures. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PO 380: Special Topics: International Relations in Political Science
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different.
  • CAS PO 381: 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 the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 384: Global Governance and International Organization
    Provides an overview of major theoretical perspectives on the creation and function of international organizations, comparative case studies of selected organizations, and an examination of present and future roles of international organizations in selected issue areas. 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 388: Justice in an Unjust World
    A search for justice is the origin story of political science. We seek to understand what it means to be just in contemporary politics, laws, workplaces, families, and across borders, among many other sites. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • CAS PO 389: Citizenship: Who Belongs' Who Decides'
    Undergraduate prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - This course explores the history of citizenship, migration, and border enforcement primarily in the US. We ask: who is entitled to citizenship, what justifies excluding people, what are rights and duties of citizenship, and what do societies owe refugees, and asylum seekers' Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS PO 390: Special Topics in Political Theory
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different.
  • CAS PO 391: Classical to Early Modern Political Theory
    Fundamental questions of ethics and politics are addressed by analyzing early works of political philosophy. Considers their various conceptions of: human nature and reason; qualifications of leadership; aims and means of civic education; and natural, human, and divine law. 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 392: Modern Political Theory
    Fundamental questions of ethics and politics are addressed by analyzing works of political philosophy from the Enlightenment in the 17th century through the 20th century. Considers their various conceptions of human nature, the social contract, rights, government, justice, and revolution. Effective Spring 2020, 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 393: The European Enlightenment
    Survey of the intellectual and social transformation of Europe from the 1680s to the French Revolution. Readings draw on both eighteenth-century sources (including Voltaire, Diderot, Condorcet, Lessing, Smith, and Hume) and recent work by historians. Effective Spring 2021, 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 PO 394: Catastrophe and Memory
    Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Aesthetic Exploration
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy

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