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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 PO 519: Inequality and American Politics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course examines the role of income inequality in shaping American politics and policy. Combining research from history, political science, economics, and public policy scholars, we will consider a range of important topics, including inequality in public voice, money and politics, and attitudes towards redistribution. We will apply this knowledge as part of a final paper project in metropolitan Boston. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 520: Readings in Public Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different.
  • CAS PO 524: Local Policy Analysis Lab
    Experiential learning by doing research for local governments. In this class students will learn about local government and policy research and apply what they learn to help local government partners solve real problems through serious policy research. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • The Individual in Community
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PO 526: US Identity Politics
    Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) and at least one prior political science course. - Students explore how race, class, gender, sexuality, partisanship and other identities jointly inform their views and have led to historical patterns of conflict and oppression. We read perspectives from authors with varying identities, and discuss contemporary identity politics conflicts. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, The Individual in Community.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • The Individual in Community
  • CAS PO 528: Political Economy of Europe and US
    Prerequisites: Any two 300-level social science courses in CAS. - Explores challenges to democracy in Europe and the United States linked to the changing character of global capitalism. Covers topics such as rising wealth and wage inequality, automation in production and global supply chains, housing crises, cross-cultural differences in political support for welfare states the rise of populism, and assetization of basic human needs. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU HUB areas: Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry 2.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
  • CAS PO 529: Globalization and Contemporary Capitalism in Advanced Industrialized Nations
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Considers the impact of globalization on advanced industrialized nations. Explores global and regional governance of finance, trade, and multinationals. Examines changes in national economic practices in Europe, Asia, and the US, and their effects on jobs, inequality, welfare, and democracy.
  • CAS PO 530: Readings in Comparative Politics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit providing the topic is different.
  • CAS PO 533: Globalization of Nationalism
    Focuses on the problem of nationalism, distinguishing types, examining origins, and analyzing political, social, and economic implications. Emphasis is on nationalism's spread into territories in Asia, specifically China, and under the cover of religion (e.g., ISIL) and secular social movements (e.g., "June Days" in Brazil).
  • CAS PO 534: US Populism in Comparative Perspective
    Undergrad prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or 120). - This course examines the causes and consequences of rising populism in the US, Latin America, and Europe. Students learn how to identify and analyze populist leaders and movements and conduct original research on comparative populism. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 535: European Integration
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Explores present, past, and potential future of the European Union. Investigates who is in charge and who matters in policymaking and politics. Examines a wide range of EU policies, including economics, security, and trade, and their impact on EU member-states.
  • CAS PO 536: Social Europe: Identity, Citizenship, and the Welfare State
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Meets with CAS IR 551. The past, present and future of "social Europe." Impact of European economic and political integration on national identities, cultures, politics, and citizenship; EU policies such as gender, human rights, migration and discrimination, plus the welfare state
  • CAS PO 539: Topics in European Politics and Culture
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing and consent of instructor. - Meets with CAS IR 452. Explores European politics through the lens of culture, focusing on critical moments and memory across time in Spain, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Eastern Europe, Balkans, UK, and more, using materials from literature, film, the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
  • CAS PO 540: Prohibition
    The American experience of Prohibition is used to understand a variety of political and policy issues, including the War on Drugs, crime and law enforcement, bureaucracies, regulation, taxation, and social movements. Effective Fall 2022, 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 PO 542: Immigration: Politics and Policy
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Immigration has become a subject of much debate and controversy in democratic polities. This course explores the politics, economics, and social consequences of immigration policies across a number of countries, including European states and the United States. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS PO 544: Nordic Europe
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Examines the role of Nordic countries in global politics. Addresses history from Viking Age to modern era, then turns to contemporary issues including relationship with the European Union, security cooperation, influence in international organizations and assistance to the developing world.
  • CAS PO 546: People Power in Global Politics
    Undergraduate Prerequisite: Junior standing or consent of instructor - Explores how everyday people shape global politics, drawing on classic studies of political anthropology as well as more recent examples of transnational and digital activism.
  • CAS PO 547: US Social Movements
    This course explores the strategies and impacts of historic and contemporary social movements in the US, with attention to their interactions with the party system. Students write a major research paper applying social movement theory to a chosen social movement. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 548: Political Economy of China
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent). - Provides a historical and comparative study of China's rise domestically and internationally and introduces China's national power, local governments, globalization, finance, and strategic concerns. Students learn to evaluate scholarly and policy pieces, compile evidence, and write research reports. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 549: Problems and Issues in Post-Mao China
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - An in-depth examination of politics in post-Mao China, this course focuses on several critical issues, uses various conceptual frameworks to try to understand why the reform process broke down and examines prospects for the future.
  • CAS PO 550: The State and Public Purpose in Asia
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: juniors & seniors in Internat'l Relations, Pol. Science, and Asian Stu dies who have completed the 1st-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR100 or 1 20) & Writing, Research & Inquiry (WR150, 151, 152). - Comparative exploration of the economic and political institutions of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, drawing on political and economic theory. Addresses how relationships among state, business, and labor have affected industrial development and contemporary economic activity. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course

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