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Political Science

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  • 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
  • CAS PO 553: Taiwan: Politics and Transformation
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Examines Taiwan's history, economic development, ethnic identity, democratization, and its controversial position in international politics as a key to understanding questions of political economy, democratic transition, and East Asian security.
  • CAS PO 556: Women and Rebellion
    Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This seminar examines various dimensions of women’s participation in rebellion: why women mobilize in support of violent groups, roles they assume, ways their presence shapes the dynamics of conflict, their everyday experiences as participants in rebellion, and post-conflict consequences. Effective Spring 2026 this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Social Inquiry 2, Writing-Intensive Course.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Inquiry II
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 558: War and Society in the Modern Age
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - This course takes a state-oriented approach to understanding war in the modern age (as distinct from focusing on segments of the armed forces). How states fight wars and how changes in warfare affect the relationship between state and society. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
    • Historical Consciousness
  • CAS PO 559: Wars, Peace, and Diplomacy
    Why do wars occur? What constitutes peace? How is peace maintained or lost? What are the virtues and deficiencies of diplomacy as practitioners have implemented it? How do memory, justice, and the requirements of security interact in the international arena? Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • CAS PO 560: Rwanda: Genocide and Its Aftermath
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Freshman Writing Seminar. - Explores the factors that led to the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda, how Rwanda compares to other cases of genocide and extreme violence, and the efforts in post-genocide Rwanda to rebuild, pursue justice, and promote reconciliation. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 565: U.S.-Latin American Relations
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores both sides of the U.S.-Latin American relationship, tracing its development over time and analyzing its current challenges. Each week focuses on a different theme--including imperialism, intervention, hemispheric security, trade, immigration, and drug trafficking--within a roughly chronological framework. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 566: Conflict and Conflict Resolution in Latin America
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing. - Examines a range of historical and contemporary conflicts and wars in Latin America, both internal and regional, examining their causes and consequences, and the most important factors that explain how they were resolved or why they persist.
  • CAS PO 569: Money, Guns, and Power
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - What is the relationship between money and war? This course explores the relationship between money, guns, and power through the lens of American and European military spending and through larger theoretical conversations on the concept of power.
  • CAS PO 571: Contemporary African Politics
    Undergraduate prerequisites: First-year writing seminar or graduate student standing. - Exploration of challenges facing African states, their sources, and possible solutions. Focus on colonial legacies, political change, democracy and authoritarianism, political violence, the politics of ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexuality, and political economy, drawing on specific country cases. Effective Spring 2025, 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 573: Race and Racism in International Relations
    Undergraduate prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Race is a central organizing feature in world politics yet ignored in the discipline of International Relations. Course addresses the global racial contract, how race shaped the contours of American expansion, and how American experiences abroad shape race at home. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning, Writing Intensive Course.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Ethical Reasoning
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 574: Decolonization and Democracy in Africa
    Course looks at comparative legacies of colonialism, race, and decolonization in North and Sub-Saharan Africa and their implications for democracy and inequality today. Focus on incorporating African scholars and voices in addressing comparative social science questions. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Oral and/or Signed Communication
    • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
  • CAS PO 576: The Foreign Policy of the People's Republic of China
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Explores China's perception of its role in the world, its evolution from a regional to a world power, and its security and economic relationships within the international system. Relationships with the superpowers, Third World, and world economy, focusing on technology and capital transfers.
  • CAS PO 577: Politics of the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf
    Undergraduate Prerequisites: Limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - An in-depth examination of the political, economic, and societal evolution and interactions of states and non-state actors in the Persian Gulf and Arabian. Critically assesses dominant political narratives. Considers factors ranging from politics and history to demography and resources. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
    • Critical Thinking
    • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course
  • CAS PO 578: The United States as a Great Power
    The course material is organized along a debate format. Although the course is primarily concerned with twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy, attention is also given to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century issues. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Writing-Intensive Course

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