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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KHC PH 103: Seeing Poverty
How do we understand poverty in modern America' Images of poverty might lead us to believe poverty is exclusively a problem of urban people of color, but what do historic and modern depictions of poverty in popular culture -- reality TV shows, or films tell us' How is data on poverty calculated and understood' This course will explore the ever-changing and ever-political sociological and public health issues of measuring poverty in America today. Using literature, film, photography, and public data sets, the course will explore the true meaning of "poverty." Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
KHC PH 104: Planning to Fix Health Problems
U.S. health care suffers anarchy because market competition and competent government action fail. Costs rise. Coverage and quality fall. You'll learn to prepare a plan to ameliorate a health problem by analyzing both its real causes and the efficacy/cost/political feasibility of possible remedies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I. -
KHC PH 105: Speech and Freedom
Why have we come to understand freedom through the ability to speak without restraints' What does speech have in common with freedom' Taking the phrase 'free speech' as a starting point, this course investigates the significance of these two concepts for our modern and contemporary ideas of democracy, globalization, cultural difference, and public ethics. In doing this, the course will cultivate students' knowledge of notable works in philosophy, literary theory and political science, bringing this proficiency to bear on their analysis of real-world debates and philosophical questions. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking. -
KHC PO 100: Democracy & the Climate Crisis: Politics on a Changing Planet
Course explores how democratic societies can respond to and survive the unprecedented disruptions of the climate crisis. Students will trace the global history of government by consent, the evolution of the climate crisis, and weigh possible reforms to protect democratic norms and institutions on a changing planet. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry I. -
KHC PO 102: How to Change the World
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. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy. -
KHC PO 103: Democracy and Capitalism in the United States
In this class, we will look at the relationship between capitalism and democracy in the United States. In what ways are capitalism and democracy complementary' In what ways are they in contraction' To address these questions, we will explore some of the philosophical and historical roots of both concepts through a series of case studies. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Teamwork/Collaboration. -
KHC PO 104: War and Memory in the American Experience
This seminar examines three questions: How do we remember (and forget) war' Who does the remembering' What is the relationship between war memory and war making' The relationship between war and memory is explored via the American experience. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Individual in Community, Creativity & Innovation -
KHC PY 102: Chance, Fluctuations and Their Relevance to Our Daily Lives
Randomness is ubiquitous in our lives, from attending an outdoor concert when there is a 40 chance of rain to understanding the role of chance in income inequality. The purpose of this course is to introduce concepts and methods that will foster an understanding of chance and to provide the tools to draw informed conclusions from incomplete information. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking. -
KHC PY 104: Energy and Society
"Energy powers the world." This seminar explores that pithy statement, beginning with basic concepts and definitions. Students examine the history of human uses of energy, how energy arises in different realms (physical, chemical, biological), the primary sources of energy, how to transmit and store energy, and the politics of energy, seeking to answer the ultimate question: "What should be the path forward to a sustainable, environmentally sound, equitable energy future'" Students will demonstrate their understanding through problem sets/short essays, a mid-term exam, and a final project. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking. -
KHC RH 101: Serious Comics: Graphic Narrative and the Representation of History
This course explores the use of nonfiction comics (also known as graphic narrative) to represent catastrophic history. Assigned texts include book- length works that use the comics form to depict the Holocaust, the Islamic Revolution, Hiroshima, the Bosnian War, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Hurricane Katrina, the AIDS epidemic, and 9/11. Throughout, we will consider the impact of the comics form on our understanding of devastating history. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation. -
KHC RH 102: A Nation Riven: Turbulence and Transformation in 1960s America and Today
What can the social and political ferment of the Sixties teach us about the issues of the present day' Do the ideals of 1960s radicals still ring true' Why did the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1965 lead to racial unrest rather than reconciliation, and how does this history resonate in the rhetoric of Black Lives Matter' Why did foundational American beliefs like Free Speech place idealists at odds with mainstream American society, and what lessons does the campus free speech movement of the 1960s have for student activists today' Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
KHC RH 103: A Reexamination of Childhood through Children's Literature and Community-Based Learning
How have authors of classic works of children's literature addressed the liminal space between childhood and adulthood' How might this study give us insight into our own experiences' By studying childhood at the intersection of children's literature and community-based learning, students will deepen their understanding of how individuals are shaped by the stories that define their childhood. The course traces the development of children's literature in Western culture from classic fairy tales to the development of the novel and short story to today's picture books. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking. -
KHC RH 104: The Pursuit of Happiness
What is happiness' Can we hope to achieve it and how should we pursue it' We will study how happiness has been understood by different cultures over time, and students will engage with diverse authors and genres from scripture, philosophy, and social science. Students will write three essays, and keep a reading journal. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking. -
KHC RH 105: The Lived City
What makes cities thrive' How do cities foster community or how do they fail to do so' How does the way a city is built and designed inform these questions' Readings by some of the great urban thinkers and planners of the 20th century (Baudelaire, Benjamin, Wirth, Gehl, Whyte, Chakrabarti), case studies of urban activists and innovators (Riis, Olmsted, Jacobs), guided group walks of the city, and lessons in close observation, culminating in a creative map making project. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation. -
KHC RN 102: Sacred Spaces
Comparative approach to sacred space in world religions, examining pilgrimage, shrine architecture, literary and artistic representations, living saints, and violent incidents. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking. -
KHC RN 103: Islam in the Eyes of the West
An introduction to how and why Islam came to be viewed as a static, essentialized tradition opposed to the West. Covers Orientalist and neo- Orientalist debates about Islam and provides a historical survey of the texts, practices, and beliefs of the Islamic tradition, from the 7th century to the present, in the Middle East, South Asia, North Africa, and the U.S. through a study of the Quran, poetry, philosophy, and political treatises. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. -
KHC SO 101: Social Networks and Culture
This seminar will focus on the theories and applications of social network analysis to study culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning I. -
KHC SO 102: Health Justice
This course puts five pressing social problems related to human, animal, and planetary health under a microscope, examining the dynamics that led to these problems and innovative policies and practices that are being developed to address them. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy. -
KHC ST 111: Studio 1
In Studio I, Kilachand students hone their writing, critical reading and thinking, and analytical skills. Students explore fundamental ethical, aesthetic, and social concerns posed by challenging texts and events. They compose their own writing, with attention to the modes and genres of expression, media, and evidence appropriate to the goals of the piece and its designated audience. Students revise their writing with significant individual attention in conferences with their instructors. Students register for one section of Studio I in fall semester of their first year. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: First-Year Writing Seminar. -
KHC ST 112: Studio 2
In Studio 2, Kilachand students hone their writing, critical reading and thinking, and research skills. Students learn the fundamental techniques of academic research, develop their own research projects, and write and revise a research paper. This project is developed in stages throughout the semester with significant individual attention in conferences with Studio instructors. Students register for one section of Studio II in spring semester of their first year. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Writing: Research & Inquiry.