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 MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• MET HI 349: The History of International Relations
  This course will explore the evolution of international relations and the international system from the Congress of Vienna through today. Special focus will be paid to the role of ideology in international relations, the rise of America and China as a world powers, the Nonaligned Movement and decolonization, the uses of hard and soft power, as well as attempts at supranational government, like the League of Nations, UN, and EU. The course will end with an examination of the post-2000 world and discuss whether our current system is new or, perhaps, a return to a former way of nations conducting business.
• MET HI 373: History of Boston
  The foundations, development, and "fate" of Boston since the colonial period. Explores the architecture, geography, social structure, and economic development of the city, as well as political changes.
• MET HI 395: Film and History
  This course deals with international films about revolution and war, their origins, social consequences, and legacies. It considers films from and about Japan, Africa, India, the Americas and Europe. It explores "the angle of vision" problem in history: who should we trust more, eye-witness accounts, great film recreations, novelists, or traditional historians? Who gets us closest to the "truth" of the human experience and condition?
• MET HI 476: Special Topics: The American Presidency
  This course will focus on the changing institution of the American Presidency from 1901 to the present. As it examines the policies and personalities of modern U.S. presidents from Theodore Roosevelt to Barack Obama, this course will pay special attention to the evolving concept of the "imperial presidency" over the past century. We will also consider how changes in our political culture, driven by the rapid evolution of new communication technologies, have transformed the office of the presidency.
• MET HI 501: Special Topics
  HI501 A1: US History 1783-1865. It will cover the US from the end of the Revolution up through the Civil War. Included in this are the debates on the form and role of the Government, the evolution of slavery and the abolitionist movement, the impact and outlines of the industrial revolution, the emergence of the suffragette movement, immigration and America's role in the world, and the development of a unified popular culture in the US.
  * HI501 A2: US History 1865-1945. This course will cover American history from Reconstruction through the end of World War II. Included in this will be the debate over race and national identity in the aftermath of the Civil War, the Gilded Age and the rise of Modern American industry, the evolution of the Presidency/Federal Government, the Great Depression and New Deal, the birth/evolution of the modern civil rights and women's rights movements, the creation and expansion of a unified American culture, and America's rise as a global power in the Spanish American War, as well as World Wars 1 and 2.
• MET HS 201: Introduction to Nutrition
  This course focuses on the components of a healthy, well-balanced diet to meet nutritional needs and avoid deficiencies and excesses. The basic concepts discussed will include: MyPlate, food labeling, recommended nutrient intakes for all age and gender groups, weight management, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and lifecycle nutrition. Special emphasis will be on nutrition and disease prevention and applying the nutrition knowledge learned to everyday living. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
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  • Oral and/or Signed Communication
  • Scientific Inquiry II
• MET HU 400: Great Works of the Modern Era
  The 20th century presented the most accelerated period of social evolution in human history: two World Wars were fought; technology developed at a dazzling pace; psychological exploration and scientific discovery assailed traditional conceptions of religion and the nature of reality; the relation of the individual to society fluctuated as new social and political models originated. Our main focus will be the literature and film within this time frame, but parallel developments in art and music will also be discussed. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Social Inquiry I
• MET IS 303: Moral Issues in Sports
  Sports have come to play a central role within our culture and society. Athletes have come to be revered like god-like figures and have the salaries to prove it. For many people sports represent something very similar to a sort of religious devotion. But should sports play such a significant role in our lives? In this class we will consider the important role that sports play in shaping our culture and our values. In doing so we will also consider other questions: What counts as a sport? What is the point of sport? What happens when sports become more about money than competition and winning? Sports have come to play a central role within our culture and society. Athletes have come to be revered like god-like figures and have the salaries to prove it. For many people sports represent something very similar to a sort of religious devotion. But should sports play such a significant role in our lives? In this class we will consider the important role that sports play in shaping our culture and our values. In doing so we will also consider other questions: What counts as a sport? What is the point of sport? What happens when sports become more about money than competition and winning? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• MET IS 308: Exploring Philosophy through Film: Knowledge, Ethics, and Personal Identity
  This introduction to philosophy revolves around selected films and related texts that provoke serious reflection on issues of knowledge, ethics, and personal identity. The main objective of the course is to provide an introduction to the nature of philosophical inquiry and analysis by exposing the student to specific philosophical problems and issues. By focusing on film as the visual and narrative medium in which these problems and issues emerge, the student will also consider the ways in which art can represent and embody philosophical questions, ideas, and positions. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
• MET IS 311: Disease Outbreaks, Epidemics, and Pandemics in Popular Culture
  This course is designed to help students use critical thinking about scientific information, including quantitative methods, to evaluate the truth and exaggerations in journalistic and popular media depictions of disease and disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Critical Thinking
  • Scientific Inquiry I
• MET IS 312: Food Stuff: A Taste of Biology
  This course, we will explore biological principles in the context of food. It will focus on biodiversity, evolution, biochemistry, symbioses, and humans in the biosphere. Students will be encouraged to make their own connections about the world of food by learning about biological interactions and relationships. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Scientific Inquiry I.
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  • Scientific Inquiry I
• MET IS 325: Explorations in the Essay: History, Theory, Practice
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120 or WR 150) - The purpose of the course is threefold: first, to introduce students to a wide variety of essay forms, arranged historically and considered in historical context; second, to provide the opportunity to practice these forms and by imitating models to become more adept and polished writers of the essay, and finally, to explore the theory of the essay, by examining discussions among literary critics concerning the defining characteristics of the genre. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
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  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• MET IS 327: The Meaning of America: People, Identity, and Conflict that Built a Nation
  The course examines the philosophical underpinnings of what it means to be an American and the experiences of ordinary men and women in the making of modern America. It will look closely at the ideas of those who founded the nation and how this affected the idealism which became the American identity. The role of immigration, the change from agrarian to urban industrialized society, the growth and influence of labor unions, the shift of the U.S. from maker to buyer of goods and services, and how the ideological notion of what it means to be American evolved will be examined. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Social Inquiry I
• MET IS 333: Manipulating Life: The Ethics and Science of Biotechnology
  This course will explore the science behind new technologies in biology, but it will also address the ethical questions that define and direct the application of these approaches, especially in humans. Students initially will be expected to master the basic biology of DNA, gene expression, and genomics. The course will require students to learn the basic components of ethical theory and apply them to living organisms in general and to human life in particular. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.
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  • Ethical Reasoning
  • Scientific Inquiry I
• MET IS 345: Rethinking the Classics: Contemporary Takes on the Canon
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This interdisciplinary course pairs well-known "classic" texts with more contemporary, perhaps lesser-known works that, in one way or another, respond to the earlier examples. The course focuses on traditions (literary, cinematic, and so forth) to emphasize genre and cultural history, and, as one of its goals, moves toward discussions of aesthetics. The course will examine the timeless quality of any work we consider a "classic" and also challenge the idea of timelessness by thinking about dialogues that exist between centuries and cultures and art. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• MET IS 350: Nature and the Divine in Myth, Literature, and Art
  Over time and throughout cultures, human understanding of a divine presence, of a god or gods, has been intimately connected to our relationship with nature. This course introduces students to some of the world's mythic traditions, applying them to the enduring cultural issues surrounding humanity's relationship to nature and our role as stewards of the environment. The course will cover the Bible and classical mythology through the writings of Emerson and modern works such as Ceremony by Pueblo author Leslie Marmon Silko, and will explore nature and religion in art from Europe and America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
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  • Aesthetic Exploration
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing-Intensive Course
• MET IS 360: Literature, Film, and the American Dream
  This course will examine the nature of the American Dream through fiction, essays, poetry, autobiography, historical documents, and art. It will follow the Dream evolving from the Puritan fathers' desire for religious freedom to the Revolution's emphasis on political liberty, the 19th century's focus on self reliance, and the quest for the good life characteristic of the 20th century. At the same time, such characteristic thematic elements as the desire for equality and the maturation of the soul will be examined in terms of their impact on different permutations of the American Dream. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community.
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  • Historical Consciousness
  • The Individual in Community
• MET IS 362: Math of Strategic Thinking
  In this course students will expand their knowledge of the mathematics of probability, algebraic thinking, geometry, and statistics, with a focus on contemporary developments and applications. The course will examine the applications of mathematics in contemporary contexts via readings and explorations. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Quantitative Reasoning II.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Quantitative Reasoning II
• MET IS 367: Jobs, Wages, and the Global Economy
  This course introduces fundamental concepts of micro and macroeconomics within the context of the labor market. In macroeconomics, we focus on the ability of the economy to create enough jobs to maintain full employment. In microeconomics, we focus on the supply and demand for labor, looking at trends in labor force participation, college attendance, and wage differentials. We will also cover recent topics related to the functioning of the labor market, including a discussion of the effects of the most recent recession, and the employment impact of international trade and outsourcing. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Quantitative Reasoning II
  • Social Inquiry I
  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• MET IS 370: China, the Emerging Superpower: A Model for Development'
  The course will assess whether China will remain a friend or become a foe for the U.S., argue whether China's road to modernization is an apt model for other developing nations, analyze China's past to discover patterns and traditions that still exist, and study the interaction between China and the world community to determine its future role as a world leader. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
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  • Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
  • Historical Consciousness