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.

• CAS HI 800: European Historiography
  Examines historical writing about Europe through changing trends in method and approach.
• CAS HI 801: The Historian's Craft
  Intensive training in the best practices of historical research, writing, publication, and oral presentation. Culminates in the production of a publishable journal article.
• CAS HI 802: Advanced Techniques for Historians
  Offers PhD students a workshop environment, tailored to participants’ specific needs, for honing academic and professional skills, including writing style, public speaking, technology use, pedagogy, networking, and more.
• CAS HI 808: The Evolution of Historiography
  This course offers an introduction to the development of historical studies, moving from their origins in nineteenth-century Europe to their global practice today, with a focus on the continually expanding understanding of what actors and subjects constitute history.
• CAS HI 809: Historical Methods
  Prerequisites: For first-year students in the History MA or PhD program. Asks how historians do history; what problems and possibilities they encounter finding and interpreting evidence; and how they communicate their stories to various publics. Readings showcase innovative methodologies, including works from other fields such as anthropology, geography, and literary studies.
• CAS HI 850: American Historiography
  Examines the methodological and professional development of American historians since the 1880s, changes in the field since the founding period, and new directions in U.S. history.
• CAS HI 870: African Historiography
  Examines historical writing about the African continent through key trends in the study of themes and regional historiographies. Also highlights recent works in the field.
• CAS HI 900: Dissertation Writing
  Graduate Prerequisites: dissertation level in History. - A workshop designed for students writing a dissertation that provides them with critical responses to their work and addresses important issues associated with becoming a professional historian.
• CAS IR 500: Topics in International Relations
  Examines aspects of international relations. May be repeated for credit if topics are different. Topics for Fall 2026. Section A1: China and Global Development Policy. This course examines China's economic engagement in the Global South and its role in global economic governance, exploring historical evolution, political economy, and institutions like the IMF, G20, and development banks through multidisciplinary case studies in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
• CAS IR 501: Conflict and Cooperation in Asia
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - Meets with CAS PO 554. Investigates patterns of conflict and cooperation in South and East Asia surrounding issues ranging from water resources and health to borders and war. Analyzes how such issues contribute to instability in the region, as well as methods of cooperation.
• CAS IR 502: Latin American Political Parties
  Meets with CAS PO 561. Parties and party systems of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Historical origins and labor incorporation. Populist, working-class, and hegemonic parties. Market reform and party system transformation or collapse. Ethnic parties, clientelism, rise of a new Left. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Social Inquiry II
• CAS IR 503: The U.S. in the Middle East
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing. - Meets with CASPO 503. Examines the historical development and present status of the United States' association with the Middle East: American commercial, economic, political, military, and humanitarian interests in the area and their interaction.
• CAS IR 504: 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) - Graduate Prerequisites: Limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Meets with CASPO 577. 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.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS IR 505: Arms Control and Proliferation of Weapons
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Examines why and how arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation have become important issues in modern diplomacy. Analyzes the progress made in concluding global and regional agreements, verification and compliance techniques, and their role in post-Cold War security issues. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Social Inquiry II.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Social Inquiry II
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS IR 507: Islam and Politics
  Investigates the origins and practices of prominent Islamists and grassroots Muslim political movements. Emphasis is on the coevolution of states and religious movements, the emergence of religious democrats, the dynamics of transnational mobilization, and recognizing politics in unusual places.
• CAS IR 509: Islam in Middle East Politics
  Meets with CAS PO 556. Analysis of Islam in the classical and popular forms; examination of the role of the Muslim religion in the international politics of the modern Middle East, especially Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Libya; their interrelationships and their attitudes toward the West.
• CAS IR 510: Comparative Immigration and Racial Politics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Senior Standing or consent of instructor. - Examines immigration policies and domestic racial hierarchies across world regions and regime-types. Role of immigration and racial hierarchy in economic development, state formation, nationalism, and electoral politics in three largest migrant-receiving regions: North America, Western Europe, and the Persian Gulf.
• CAS IR 516: Intelligence and Homeland Security
  Introduces students to the interplay of intelligence and homeland security by answering questions such as: Who threatens? How and why do they threaten? Who protects the homeland? How do they protect us? What ethical framework should we apply? Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Historical Consciousness
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
• CAS IR 517: Balkan Politics and International Relations
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First-Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., WR120) - Examines history and current state of international relations and security issues in the Balkans. Addresses both intra-Balkan relations and Balkan states' security options, with particular focus on EU, European security architecture, NATO, and the role of Russia and China. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• CAS IR 519: People Power in Global Politics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: 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.