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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 521: Advanced American Political Institutions
    Undergraduate prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) and one of the following: CASPO 301, PO 302, PO 303, PO 304, PO 507, PO 517. - An advanced course on the scientific study of political institutions. Students read canonical texts and ascertain the frontier of research on legislatures, executives, courts, parties, interest groups and their interaction. Effective Spring 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Research and Information Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • 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 527: Black Politics: Power, Resistance, and Resilience from 1965 to Present
    Prerequisites: CASPO 308/CASAA 308. - Analyzes the historical construction of race as a concept in American society, how and why this concept was institutionalized publicly and privately in various arenas of U.S. public life at different historical junctures, and the progress that has been made in dismantling racialized institutions since the civil rights era.
  • CAS PO 528: Political Economy of the European Union 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 531: The Politics of Knowledge Economy Capitalism
    Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or 120), and either International Political Economy or Comparative Political Economy. - Critically explores the political and economic developments that advanced capitalist economies have undergone since the 1970s. We interrogate the "Knowledge Economy" concept itself as we explore competing interpretations of developments in capitalism in the 21st century and their consequences. Effective Fall 2026, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry 2, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 532: Capitalism and Freedom
    Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This seminar examines the relationship between capitalism and freedom. Defenders of capitalism emphasize the rights it protects, but many groups suffer inequality and powerlessness. How do citizens and governments react to this tension? Does capitalism promote democracy or undermine it?
  • 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 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 541: Monopoly!
    Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This seminar is an examination of the political, legal, economic, and social dimensions of monopoly, covering the historical development of monopoly and comparative approaches for how different countries have addressed or regulated them. Effective Spring 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • 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 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 Studies 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
  • CAS PO 552: Japan in International Politics
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - International and domestic influences on Japan's international behavior in the past as a predictor of Japan's future role in international politics. Covers Japan's role in the Cold War, post-war Asia, and the management of the global economy. Examines viability of the post- Cold War U.S.-Japan relationship. Effective Fall 2026, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry 2, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course

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