Fall 2023 Courses

African American Studies

CAS AA 103 Introduction to African American Literature: Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) What is the African American literary tradition? In this course, we will read poetry, slave narratives, essays, speeches, tales, short stories, and novels and consider how culture, politics, and history shape African American literature. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.

CAS AA 112 Black Power in the Classroom: The History of Black Studies: Centers Black experiences, cultures, knowledge production and identity formation in the United States and in the African Diaspora across time and space. Examines and traces the genealogies of Black Studies as a discipline: its political, ideological, and practical foundations on college campuses and in communities. Also explores earlier traditions and contemporary work in Black radical thought and activism that lay the groundwork for and build on the founding principles of Black Studies by mobilizing an intersectional and diasporic lens. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.

CAS AA 114 Kongo to Cuba: Art, Exchange, and Self-Determination in Africa and Latin America: This course introduces the arts of Africa and Latin America. It explores the rich diversity of each continent’s artistic production and highlights the impact of their intertwining histories on visual expression in the wake of transcontinental exchange and globalization. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.

CAS AA 234 African Americans in Global Perspective: Slavery and the Creation of Race: A study of how chattel slavery in the Americas led to racialization as a primary tool in the creation of American society and New World capitalism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.

CAS AA 371 African American History: Surveys the history of African Americans from their African origins to the present, investigating their critical role in shaping the meaning of race, rights, freedom, and democracy during slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.

CAS AA 304 Introduction to African American Women Writers: This course studies the cultural contexts and the ongoing relevance of significant works by African American WomenWriters. Works by Jacobs, Butler, Harper, Hurston, Brooks, Kincaid, Morrison and Marshall complemented by critical articles lay out this rich tradition. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.

CAS AA 408 Seminar: Ethnic, Race, and Minority Relations: Prereq: CAS AA 207 or CAS SO 207; or consent of instructor. Formation and position of ethnic minorities in the United States, including cross-group comparisons from England, Africa, and other parts of the world. Readings and field experience.

CAS AA 591 Black Thought: Literary and Cultural Criticism in the African Diaspora: Prereq: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. An introduction to literary and cultural thinking in African-America and the Black Diaspora. The course hones in on specific trends, themes, and characteristics of this work and assesses its relationship to broader political and social contexts. Also offered as CAS EN 537.

 

African Studies Center

Area Studies

CAS ID 116 Africa Today: The Beat of Popular Culture: Provides an interdisciplinary introduction to the dynamics of contemporary Africa. Examines Western preconceptions, then turns to contemporary literature, film, television, music, dance, and the visual arts from across the continent as a means of listening to diverse African voices. Core course in the African Studies minor. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.

Akan Twi

LW115 Akan Twi 1: First-semester four-skill Akan Twi course leading to proficiency in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading, writing, and cultural understanding. Course combines face-to-face classes with internet instruction. Students require a computer with microphone, webcam and a reliable Internet connection. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LW215 Akan Twi 3: Third-semester four-skill Akan Twi course emphasizes oral expression, listening, reading and writing skills, focusing on the culture and the day-to-day life of Akan people. In-class discussions are learner- centered, drawing on experiences of both urban and rural speakers. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

CAS LW 493: Directed Study Akan Twi: Directed study in Akan Twi.

Amharic

LD111 Amharic 1: First semester four-skill Amharic course leading to proficiency in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading, cultural understanding, and writing using the Amharic alphabet. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LD211 Amharic 3: This third-semester four-skill Amharic course develops competence and confidence in the use of Amharic in reading, writing, speaking and listening in culturally acceptable ways. Students learn to communicate at an intermediate mid level of proficiency. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LD311 Amharic 5: Designed to help students develop proficiency in the language from the intermediate to advanced level. Study and discussion of various issues in Amharic society, culture and history, and traditional and contemporary literature.

LY111-491 Modern Arabic: Details on Modern Standard Arabic courses are available on the Arabic program website.

CAS LD 491 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics Section B1 Amharic: Prereq: consent of instructor and department and approval of CAS Advising. Study of the linguistic structure of an African language, or the typology of African language families, or linguistic problems related to African languages.

Igbo

LD119 Igbo 1: First semester four-skill Igbo course leading to proficiency in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading, writing, and cultural understanding. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LD219 Igbo 3: This third-semester four-skill Igbo course develops competence and confidence in the use of Igbo in reading, writing, speaking, and listening in culturally acceptable ways. Students learn to communicate at an intermediate mid-level proficiency. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LD319 Igbo 5: Fifth semester four-skill Igbo course leading to proficiency in speaking, listening comprehension, reading and writing. Study of contemporary Igbo social and cultural issues explored through the reading of advanced traditional and contemporary Igbo literary texts.

LD419 Igbo 7: A continuation of CAS LD 320, Igbo 6, leading to an advanced-low level of proficiency based on ACTFL standards in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Also strengthens students’ knowledge of Igbo grammar and culture.

CAS LD 491 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics Section C1 Igbo: Prereq: consent of instructor and department and approval of CAS Advising. Study of the linguistic structure of an African language, or the typology of African language families, or linguistic problems related to African languages.

Swahili

LE111 Swahili 1: Introduction to spoken Kiswahili. Emphasis on communicative skills. Exposure to full system of noun classes and introduction to tense-aspect system. Cultural and historical readings, films, and other visual aids included. Lab required. Four hours weekly. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LE211 Swahili 3: Intermediate study of Kiswahili. Continued emphasis on oral communication skills and the development of reading and writing skills. Exposure to all compound tenses. Readings from traditional Kiswahili literature, oral and written. Lab required. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LE311 Swahili 5: Discussions and compositions relating to East African themes and based in readings from traditional literature, political treatises from Kenya and Tanzania, and a modern novel. Advanced grammatical analysis.

LE411 Swahili 7: This course is designed to take students to advanced-high level proficiency in Kiswahili. It emphasizes high-level reading comprehension and leads to the development of communication skills for extended formal and informal discourse.

LE451 Swahili 9: A continuation of CAS LE 412, Swahili 8, leading to a superior level of proficiency (based on ACTFL standards), where the student’s linguistic and cultural competence approximates that of native speakers.

LE491 Directed Study: Swahili : Directed study in a topic in Swahili (Kiswahili). Special Topic for Spring 2016, Section H1: Swahili with a Health Focus 1. Relevant for students interested in health-related research in East Africa. Introduction to spoken Kiswahili with particular emphasis on communicative skills for the health professional. Exposure to cultural and historical readings and films included. Lab required. Four hours weekly.

LE529 Swahili with a Health Focus 1: Graduate students in professional health fields are introduced to conversational Swahili with a particular focus on applications in global health settings. Designed for public health students who intend to work internationally or have an interest in a cross-cultural understanding of health.

Wolof

LW111 Wolof 1: For beginners. Develops proficiency in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading, writing, and cultural understanding. Uses the communicative approach to cover the three main varieties of Wolof as spoken in the Senegambian region. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LW211 Wolof 3: This third semester four-skills Wolof course develops communicative competence and confidence in the use of Wolof in speaking, reading, writing, and listening in culturally appropriate ways. Students learn to communicate with native speakers at an intermediate mid level of proficiency. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LW311 Wolof 5: Study and discussion of various contemporary issues in Wolof society and culture, including traditional and contemporary Wolof literature (folk tales, stories, proverbs, etc.) written in both Latin and Ajami scripts.

LW411 Wolof 7: Develops students’ proficiency at the advanced-high level in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading, and writing in both Ajami and Latin scripts. Students apply their language skills to professional fields, the humanities, and social sciences.

IsiXhosa

LM111 isiXhosa 1: Fundamentals of isiXhosa, a widely spoken African language. Focuses on developing basic communicative skills (reading, listening, speaking, and writing). Also explores aspects of the culture of the amaXhosa. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LM211 isiXhosa 3: This third semester four-skill African language course develops communicative competence and confidence in the use of IsiXhosa in reading, writing, and speaking and listening. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

CAS LD 491 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics Section A1 IsiXhosa: Prereq: consent of instructor and department and approval of CAS Advising. Study of the linguistic structure of an African language, or the typology of African language families, or linguistic problems related to African languages.

Zulu

LD115 Zulu 1:First-semester four-skill Zulu course leading to proficiency in oral expression, listening comprehension, reading, writing, and cultural understanding. Course combines face-to-face classes with internet instruction. Students are required to have a computer with microphone, webcam, and a reliable Internet connection. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LD215 Zulu 3: Continued conversational practice with particular focus on grammatical structures. Readings, writings, and discussions concerning traditional, contemporary, and oral literature. First language speaker available. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: The Individual in Community.

LD315 Zulu 5: This fifth-semester course is designed to take students’ proficiency in isiZulu from the intermediate to the advanced level; it includes study and discussion of various issues in Zulu society, culture and history, and traditional and contemporary literature.

LD415 Zulu 7: Fourth-year course develops fluency in all language skill areas, builds vocabulary and idiomatic knowledge. Weekly presentations focus on themes linked to students’ research interests. Recorded dialogues, television news, dramas and comedies strengthen listening skills and cultural appreciation.

CAS LD 491 Directed Study in African Languages and Linguistics Section D1 Zulu: Prereq: consent of instructor and department and approval of CAS Advising. Study of the linguistic structure of an African language, or the typology of African language families, or linguistic problems related to African languages.

History of Art and Architecture

CAS AH 114 Kongo to Cuba: Art, Exchange, and Self-Determination in Africa and Latin America: This course introduces the arts of Africa and Latin America. It explores the rich diversity of each continent’s artistic production and highlights the impact of their intertwining histories on visual expression in the wake of transcontinental exchange and globalization. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.

CAS AH574 A1 Topics in African Art: Fall 2023: Benin Bronzes in Context. With a focus on collections-based learning, this seminar explores the historical and cultural context of art of the Benin Kingdom beginning with the material culture of Ile-Ife and concluding with contemporary conversations concerning repatriation, ethical stewardship, and institutional critique.

 

Anthropology

CAS AN 252 Ethnicity and Identity: Explores anthropological approaches to community, belonging, and difference using case studies from the South Pacific, Europe, North America, and Africa. Special attention paid to how contemporary economic and political changes impact the ways people think about and belong to communities. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

CAS AN 327 Islam in Africa: Examines the Islamization of Africa and the processes of adaptation of Islam in the continent. It examines the religious beliefs, cultures, and histories of Muslim communities in Morocco, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, and the Sudan, among others. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.

 

Archeology

CAS AR 100 Great Discoveries in Archaeology: Illustrated lectures focus on the important discoveries of the discipline of archaeology. Course covers the whole of human prehistory around the world. Archaeological methods are described, along with the great ancient sites: Olduvai, Lascaux, Stonehenge, Egyptian pyramids, Machu Picchu. This course carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Digital/Multimedia Expression.

CAS AR 305 Paleolithic Archaeology: Introduction to emergence of culture and reconstruction of early human lifeways from archaeological evidence. Topics include early humans in Africa, Asia, and Europe; Neanderthals; the first Americans; and the prelude to agriculture. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.

 

Earth and Environment

CAS EE 347 Water Resources and the Environment: Examines global water resource systems, with emphasis on questions of culture, development, gender, social inequality, politics. Analyzes social relations and historical legacies that shape water infrastructure, distribution, and meaning. Cases from Africa, Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, South America. 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, Critical Thinking.

 

English

CAS EN 129 Introduction to African American Literature: Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent). What is the African American literary tradition? In this course, we will read poetry, slave narratives, essays, speeches, tales, short stories, and novels and consider how culture, politics, and history shape African American literature. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.

CAS EN 537 Black Thought: Literary and Cultural Criticism in the African Diaspora: Prereq: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. An introduction to literary and cultural thinking in African-America and the Black Diaspora. The course hones in on specific trends, themes, and characteristics of this work and assesses its relationship to broader political and social contexts. Also offered as CAS AA 591.

 

History

CAS HI 112 Black Power in the Classroom: The History of Black Studies: Centers Black experiences, cultures, knowledge production and identity formation in the United States and in the African Diaspora across time and space. Examines and traces the genealogies of Black Studies as a discipline: its political, ideological, and practical foundations on college campuses and in communities. Also explores earlier traditions and contemporary work in Black radical thought and activism that lay the groundwork for and build on the founding principles of Black Studies by mobilizing an intersectional and diasporic lens. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.

CAS HI 298 African American History: Surveys the history of African Americans from their African origins to the present, investigating their critical role in shaping the meaning of race, rights, freedom, and democracy during slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. Also offered as CAS AA 371. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.

CAS HI 341 Political and Cultural Revolution: Comparative historical analysis of modern and contemporary revolutionary upheavals and cultural change in Europe, the Americas, East Asia, Africa, Middle East, and the former Soviet republics. Examines the challenges posed by modernization, crisis of legitimacy, nationalism, imperial decline, and globalization. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS HI 215. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.

CAS HI 348 Colonialism in Africa: Impact and Aftermath: Uses case studies of particular African societies or nations to examine patterns of European conquest and African resistance; forms of colonial administration and socioeconomic consequences of colonial rule; decolonization and contemporary African liberation movements; economic and political developments since independence; and contemporary social and cultural change.

CAS HI 384 History of Genocide: History and comparative analysis of genocidal mass murder with focus on the twentieth century. Hereros, Armenians, holomodor, Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur. Attention to political leaders, state ideology, dehumanization of victim groups, geopolitical competition, war, empire building and decline.

CAS HI 408 War in Film and Literature: This course explores, through works of film and literature, human experiences of combat, suffering, and death. Topics range from medieval Japan to Africa, the Americas and Europe, WWI, WWII, and various “small wars” from the 19th through 21st centuries.

 

Pardee School of Global Studies

CAS IR 242 Globalization and World Poverty: Addresses enduring global poverty and race, ethnic, gender, and class inequalities, especially in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Focuses on colonialism and post-colonialism, strategies of development, urbanization, immigration, religion, politics, women, drugs, social justice, and health issues. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.

CAS IR 251 Introduction to Comparative Politics: Undergraduate core course. Meets with CAS PO 151. Examines different patterns of political development and contemporary politics in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Introduces the comparative method in political science and competing theories of political development and political change. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.

CAS IR 343 African Politics Today: (Meets with CAS PO 373.) An introduction to the issues dominating African political life today. Core course debates revolve around recent trends in African economic growth, democratic governance, and armed conflict, in addition to several other issues of contemporary concern.

CAS IR 382 Understanding the Modern Middle East: Provides an introduction to the Middle East and North Africa region. Surveys the region’s historical political development throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, exploring themes of colonial and imperial encroachment, state formation, statebuilding, institutional development, and state-society relations. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.

CAS IR 425 Seminar: Women and Social Change in the Developing World: Prereq: junior standing or consent of instructor. (Meets with CAS SO 420.) Studies women in nonindustrial countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, stressing empirical research, theory, and methodology. Comparisons between regions and with industrial countries. Focus on sex segregation, female labor force participation, migration, fertility, family roles, and women and political power.

 

Political Science

CAS PO 373 African Politics Today: An introduction to the issues dominating African political life today. Core course debates revolve around recent trends in African economic growth, democratic governance, and armed conflict, in addition to several other issues of contemporary concern.

CAS PO 375 Democracy and Protest in the Global South: Explores roots, dynamics, and implications of recent popular protests both for democracy (e.g. 2011 Arab Spring) as well as challenges to established democracies (e.g. South Africa, Brazil). Focus on North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia.

CAS PO 560 Rwanda: Genocide and Its Aftermath: 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.

 

Religion

CAS RN 214 Islam: The rise and spread of Islam from the seventh century to the present; introduction to its central beliefs, institutions, and practices, and its impact on the religious and cultural history of Asia and Africa. Continuity and change in the modern period. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings, Teamwork/Collaboration.

Romance Studies

CAS LF 441 Topics in Urban Imgainaries in Literature and Film: Students examine the filmic and literary representations of urban environments in France and the francophone world; the phenomenon of urbanization, the historical development, cultural and artistic context of its attractive power; fluxes of migration of the city; streets and monuments as characters. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation. Prereq: CAS LF 350 or CAS LF 351; or consent of instructor.

 

Sociology

CAS SO 242 Globalization and World Poverty: Addresses enduring global poverty and race, ethnic, gender, and class inequalities, especially in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Focuses on colonialism and post-colonialism, strategies of development, urbanization, immigration, religion, politics, women, drugs, social justice, and health issues. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning.

CAS SO 408 Seminar: Ethnic, Race, and Minority Relations: Prereq: junior or senior standing and at least two previous Sociology courses, at least one of which must be CAS SO 207; or consent of instructor. Formation and position of ethnic minorities in the United States, including cross-group comparisons from England, Africa, and other parts of the world. Readings and field experience.

CAS SO 420 Seminar: Women and Social Change in the Developing World: Prereq: junior or senior standing and at least two previous sociology courses; or consent of instructor. The class goes around the world to examine similarities and differences in women’s experiences, with a focus on the Global South, the poorer countries of the world, in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. It focuses on social, political, cultural, and economic issues. Comparisons will be made with women’s experiences in the US and other wealthy countries of the world. A seminar, students are expected to discuss the readings each week.

CAS SO 490 Seminar: Global Health: Politics, Institutions, and Ideology: Prereq: junior or senior standing and at least two previous sociology courses; or consent of the instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). What is global health? Who are the main actors in global health debates? This seminar explores the politics of global health, providing students with sociological tools, concepts, and knowledge to help make sense of conflict in contemporary global health debates. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Litera
cy.

School of Visual Arts

CFA AR 558 Contemporary Issues in Art Education: This is an arts-based research course that allows students to explore and respond to course content through reflective artmaking, as well as traditional research. The course surveys the 20th century roots of contemporary art and pedagogical practices and the shift to the condition of postmodernism, with a focus on the impact of influential theories, trends, and events on art education. A deep-dive investigation of the mask as a universal, complex, and powerful cultural phenomenon serves as a model for examining thematic curriculum design practices that incorporate pressing issues and opportunities that are part of the twenty- first century art classroom and other learning environments. With an interdisciplinary, global art focus, emphasis is placed on developing strategies for the inclusion of African contemporary artists and African masking within a broad, transnational context. Students create a final project that takes on the complexities of appropriation, othering, and ahistoricism in a multi-cultural and global curriculum. Students enrolled in the Art Education BFA or Masters will also complete a gateway assessment that prepares them to enroll in pre-practicum courses during CFA AR 559. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

School of Music

CFA MH 409 Music of Black Americans: The course will study genres of Music of Black Americans in the United States and their appearance in and fusion with literature by African Americans. Emphasis on listening, live performances, student presentations, readings, and discussions. Topics include spirituals, ragtime, blues, jazz, popular music, rhythm and blues, rap, and classical music. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.

CFA MH 561 World Music Ensemble: Learn to perform traditional world music in the context of an ensemble taught by specialists of African, Balinese, Latin American, and many other types of world music. The specific musical style and type of group will change with each semester. Improve your rhythmic skills; lower performance anxiety. Enrollment is open to all students. No previous musical experience is necessary. 1 cr. May be repeated for credit.

African American and Diaspora Studies

GRS AA 808 Seminar: Ethnic, Race, and Minority Relations: Formation and position of ethnic minorities in the United States, including cross-group comparisons from England, Africa, and other parts of the world. Readings and field experience. Also offered as GRS SO 808.

GRS AA 871 African American History: Surveys the historiography of African American history, investigating the meanings of race, rights, freedom, and democracy during slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights era, and the Black Power Movement. Also offered as GRS HI 698. 4 cr. Either sem.

 

History

GRS HI 698 African American History: Surveys the historiography of African American history, investigating the meanings of race, rights, freedom, and democracy during slavery, reconstruction, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights era, and the Black Power Movement. Also offered as GRS HI 698. 4 cr. Either sem.

GRS 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.

 

Pardee School of Global Studies

GRS IR 660 Rwanda: Genocide and Its Aftermath: 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.

GRS IR 825 Seminar: Women and Social Change in the Developing World: (Meets with GRS SO 820.) Studies women in nonindustrial countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, stressing empirical research, theory, and methodology. Comparisons between regions and with industrial countries. Focus on sex segregation, female labor force participation, migration, fertility, family roles, and women and political power.

Romance Studies

GRS LF 641 Topics in Urban Imgainaries in Literature and Film: Students examine the filmic and literary representations of urban environments in France and the francophone world; the phenomenon of urbanization, the historical development, cultural and artistic context of its attractive power; fluxes of migration of the city; streets and monuments as characters. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation. Prereq: CAS LF 350 or CAS LF 351; or consent of instructor.

 

Sociology

GRS SO 808 Seminar: Ethnic, Race, and Minority Relations: Formation and position of ethnic minorities in the United States, including cross-group comparisons from England, Africa, and other parts of the world. Readings and field experience.

GRS SO 820 Graduate Study in Women and Social Change in the Developing World: Studies women in nonindustrial countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Stresses empirical research, theory, and methodology. Comparisons among regions and with industrial countries important. Focus on sex segregation, female labor force participation, migration, fertility, family roles, and women and political power.

GRS SO 890 Seminar: Global Health: Politics, Institutions, and Ideology: Prereq: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) What is global health? Who are the main actors in global health debates? This seminar explores the politics of global health, providing students with sociological tools, concepts, and knowledge to help make sense of conflict in contemporary global health debates. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.

English

MET EN 201 Intermediate Composition: Prereq: or MET-approved equivalent or exemption. In this course, our reading will take us to Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, regions more culturally different than we may imagine. Our close reading, however, will reinforce the universality of the human condition, as we examine issues of race, class, gender, and ethnicity. We will encounter postcolonialism, war, love, and political intrigue in three twenty-first century novels: Hala Alyan’s Salt Houses, Taiye Selasi’s Ghana Must Go, and Luis Alberto Urrea’s The House of Broken Angels. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing, Research, and Inquiry and Research and Information Literacy.

Health Science

SAR HS 300 Epidemiology I: Prereq: none Examines the distribution of health and diseases across the population, and the factors that impact health. Which group of people is more likely to experience a heart attack or develop diabetes? Do our level of education, race or income impact our health and our life expectancy? This course studies how we approach understanding disease distribution within the population. Through in class presentations, real world examples, exercises and discussions students become proficient in research methods, disease screening, and infectious disease outbreak investigation. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Scientific Inquiry II.

SAR HS 325 Introduction to Global Health: This course will provide students with an overview of the complex social, economic, political, environmental, and biological factors that structure the origins, consequences, and possible treatments of illness worldwide, as well as the promotion of health. Students will learn about the major themes and concepts shaping the interdisciplinary field of global health, and will gain an understanding of solutions to health challenges that have been successfully implemented in different parts of the world. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.

SAR HS 345 Global Environmental Public Health: Environmental health is associated with recognizing, assessing, understanding and controlling the impacts of people in their environment and the impacts of the environment on the public health. The complexity of the problems requires multidisciplinary approaches. This course will provide an introduction to the principles, methods, and issues related to global environmental health. This course examines health issues, scientific understanding of causes, and possible future approaches to control of the major environmental health problems internationally. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.

SAR HS 346 Global Health Nutrition: What we eat and our underlying nutritional status is inextricably linked to almost every major health outcome. Under-nutrition increases the risk of maternal and child mortality, death due to infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria, and also has important consequences for child development, education and ultimately economic development. Over-nutrition is on the rise globally; the burden of obesity, diabetes and diet-related chronic diseases are beginning to overwhelm health systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries. This course will provide a framework for understanding the relationship between nutrition and global health. Topics include: the epidemiology of nutrition-related risk factors for poor health worldwide; methods for measuring nutritional status in low-resource settings; interventions to improve nutrition globally; and evaluating the impact of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive programs and policies.

SAR HS 348 Global Mental Health: This course provides an overview of critical issues in mental health and mental illness worldwide from a public health perspective. Globally, mental and neurological conditions are the leading cause of disability, and the World Health Organization estimates depression to be the largest contributor to the global disease burden by 2030. The burden of mental disorders on low- and middle-income countries is especially great while a large treatment gap persists. The course covers the concept of mental health, conceptualization and classification of disorders, cultural context, social determinants, causes and consequences of mental health disorders, strategies for intervention, policy development and implementation, human rights, women’s mental health and research priorities. Special attention will be paid to the unmet need for mental health care globally (using case studies), disparities in access and use of services, stigma and attitudes towards treatment seeking. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Social Inquiry II.

SAR HS 433 Global Health in Humanitarian Emergencies: Each year, hundreds of millions of people around the world require humanitarian assistance following catastrophes, including conflicts, natural disasters, famines, and pandemics. As climate-related disasters, protracted conflicts, and emerging infectious diseases continue to increase in scale and frequency, this number is expected to rise. A strong public health response, firmly grounded in both evidence and ethics, can help mitigate impact, reduce suffering, restore livelihoods, and save lives. This course covers key topics related to public health in humanitarian emergencies, including water and sanitation, livelihoods, food security, nutrition, management of diseases, shelter, and protection. Course content includes theoretical knowledge, drawing on practical examples from recent disasters, in addition to exploring ethical debates, emerging challenges, and opportunities for improved effectiveness. Throughout the course, students will have the opportunity to reflect on professional goals related to global health in humanitarian emergencies and consider potential paths for further study and engagement in the field.

SAR HS 439 Global Health Communication and Advocacy: How we communicate something can make or break whether people actually pay attention. When it comes to public health, failures in communication can result in the spread of disease, misinformation, panic, and even death. This course focuses on developing the skills needed to communicate effectively in the global health sector, whether on a personal level, to the community, or through a national campaign. We will critically evaluate different types of communication and past and current health campaigns to see what worked well and what missed the mark. Students will get hands-one experience with using and creating a variety of communication tools such as policy memos, health pamphlets, infographics, text campaigns, mHealth, and public service announcements, among others. Topics such as strategic program design, message development, pretesting, materials production, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation will be covered. This course will also help students develop both written and oral presentation skills essential to any public health work.

SAR HS 442 Healthcare Interventions in Low and Lower-Middle Income Countries: This course will introduce students to healthcare delivery in low (LICs) and lower middle income countries (LMICs). Students will become familiar with aspects of surgical interventions, pharmaceutical provision, cell phone technology, and global health programming. We will examine healthcare delivery and practices through case studies focused on the prevention and treatment of malnutrition, infectious diseases, and non-communicable diseases. Through this course, students will learn from past and existing healthcare delivery techniques, difficulties, and successes for some of the largest global health challenges such as: cholera, malaria, HIV/AIDS, Type 1 and 2 Diabetes, tobacco use, aging populations, and malnutrition. Students will use these skills to develop healthcare delivery strategies of their own. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration.

SAR HS 444 Child Health Programs in Low Resource Settings: This health science senior seminar will explore programs and policies that impact child health in Low and Middle Income Countries. We will cover infectious diseases – including HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhea – as well as major non-infectious causes of child morbidity and mortality, including nutrition, early child development and mental health. We will discuss the full life cycle of global health programs from building the evidence base through epidemiological studies through implementation science and monitoring and evaluation. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.

SAR HS 463 Beyond Germs and Genes: Seniors Only. This course will focus on the social determinants of health–the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, age and die. We will examine case studies from around the globe that reveal the ways in which health inequities are shaped by the distribution of resources, money, and power at the local, national and global level, and the critical role played by social policies in reducing or exacerbating these inequities. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Social Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.

Environmental Health

SPH EH 720 Climate Change and Public Health: Climate change is a defining challenge of our time. Since the 1970s the Earth has experienced steadily rising average temperatures, with associated increases in extreme heat events, sea level, storm intensity, and drought events. Downstream impacts affecting public health include catastrophic winds and floods, deadly heat waves, population displacement, crop failures and food insecurity, altered ecology of infectious organisms, and more intense air pollution and pollen. Mounting evidence has documented the adverse human health consequences of these changes, including how health effects are mediated by social and economic vulnerability factors. The course begins with lectures on climate science as it relates to patterns of weather extremes. It then examines the range of human health impacts that are associated with climate change, with emphasis on identifying vulnerable populations and communities. Specific topics include changes in air quality, natural ecosystems, water quantity and quality, food security, ecosystem services, and built infrastructure. Throughout, students will present case studies evaluating adaptation and mitigation strategies to prevent health problems resulting from climate-related environmental issues, with focus on the sustainability of interventions. Outside subject matter experts join the classroom to discuss their real-world involvement in climate change and public health.

 

Global Health

SPH GH 743 Implementing Health Programs in Developing Countries: Making Programs Work: Grad Prereq: For advanced MPH students (>16 credits completed). Recommend completion of GH744 prior to taking GH743. As professionals working in low and middle income countries, we often end up running programs we did not design, which are under-financed, and which face enormous implementation challenges. In this course, students will work with a specifically identified health program that is currently being implemented and conduct systems analyses, undertake problem solving exercises, and propose solutions to real implementation challenges in the field. Ultimately they will be able to prioritize the interventions necessary to effectively run a complex health program in such diverse situations as urban slums and dispersed rural areas in developing countries and be prepared to plan the actions to effectively run those programs. This course is directed towards students in the health management emphasis area and is not suitable for students in their first semester of studies. Students who will particularly benefit from this course are foreign nationals returning to their own countries and U.S.citizens or residents who will provide technical assistance through NGOs or other agencies to implement existing health programs.

SPH GH 760 Foundations in Global Health: One commonly accepted definition of global health is “collaborative trans- national research and action for promoting health for all.” The course places a strong emphasis on data analysis, synthesis and interpretation for decision about health programs and policies. However, data is only one component to developing interventions and policies, implementing them and advocating for change in global health. Achieving global health requires an understanding how politics, economics, ethnicity, gender and culture affect individual and population-wide health care actions, systems, and strategies. Through this course, students will develop skills to analyze the magnitude of global morbidity and mortality, the causes and consequences of global health problems, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Students will learn to develop and implement sustainable and evidence-based multi-sectoral interventions and the fundamentals of monitoring and evaluation techniques to global health programs, policies, and outcomes. Course work will provide students opportunities to apply these foundational skills in analyzing global health challenges and develop cross-cultural awareness and resourcefulness in solving problems that they may encounter in their professional careers.

SPH GH 762 Essentials of Economics and Finance for Global Health: This course provides an introduction to health economics, with an emphasis on evaluating costs and cost-effectiveness of public health interventions and programs in resource-constrained settings, such as developing countries. Issues of financing to pay for effective and cost-effective naturally follow. The course does not assume prior training in economics, and provides the conceptual underpinnings of health economics but emphasizes skills needed to complete applied evaluations in real world settings. Case studies, based on actual studies completed by faculty, focus on practical applications.

SPH GH 765 Cross-Cultural Approaches to Mental Health in Low & Middle Income Countries Certificate: Mental Health and Substance Use: Mental health is relatively new to the global health agenda. At the 54th World Health Assembly in 2001, the WHO and health ministers from around the world made an impassioned argument that mental health disorders be systematically measured and addressed in all countries. Since then critical progress has been made in understanding the global burden of mental illness and the challenges faced by those in need of care in low and middle-income countries or in contexts marked by armed conflict or natural disasters. Likewise, the role of culture in defining ways in which mental illness manifests itself has been incorporated into international diagnostic manuals. Nevertheless, change has been slow and many who need mental health services continue to go without diagnosis or treatment and confront ongoing stigma and discrimination. Class sessions and assignments provide students with a chance to explore the critical role played by the social, cultural, and economic context in shaping mental health and illness.

SPH GH 766 Sexual and Reproductive Health in Disaster Settings: Of the millions of people displaced by armed conflict around the world, 65-80% are women and children. In recent armed conflicts, women have been the targets of exploitation, rape, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, and other types of gender-based violence. These violent acts have implications on women’s reproductive health. This course will expose students to the issues affecting the reproductive and sexual health of women in conflict and post-conflict situations. The context of recent conflicts and their effects on women’s health will be analyzed. Other topics will include: common reproductive health morbidities in conflict situations, reproductive health assessments, programming, monitoring and evaluations, gender-based violence, and rape as a weapon of war. Specific examples will be drawn from the wars that occurred in former Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Southern Sudan, and the ongoing war in Darfur, Western Sudan.

SPH GH 885 Global Trade, Intellectual Property, and Public Health: Grad Prereq: For upper level MPH students and DrPH students. The COVID-19 pandemic has shone an unflattering light on the global public health system. In particular, the medical supply chain and trade in medicines is being controlled by a few high income countries, in part because they actually “own” the medicines, including vaccines they are exporting. Any person interested in the global public health “ecosystem,” needs to know about how medical products get, or do not get, from one country to the other and how low and middle-income countries are at a disadvantage. The pandemic has illuminated the role and importance of intellectual property rules. Public health activists often show outright opposition to these rules and ‘big pharma’ often has an unthinking acceptance that change will destroy biomedical innovation and lead to poorer health outcomes. This course will explore both side of this complex and ambiguous relationship between global trade, intellectual property and its impact on public health.

SPH GH 887 Planning and Managing MCH Programs in Developing Countries: Grad Prereq: SPH PH 720; Students may not take both GH744 and GH887 for MPH degree credit. This course provides a practical framework to enable students to design, manage, and evaluate services for children and women, with an emphasis on child health. The course covers the major health challenges with a focus on children and explores specific interventions to address these challenges. Topics covered include diarrheal disease, acute respiratory infection, immunization, malaria, micronutrient deficiencies, HIV/AIDS, safe motherhood and neonatal health. The final six weeks of the course will give students the opportunity to identify the technical, political, organizational, and environmental factors necessary for a successful program. Students will work in teams to respond to an RFP for improving the health of women, children, or newborns in a developing country. Teams will attend a bidder’s conference and then prepare and present a written and oral proposal to an outside grants committee. Students cannot take both IH744 and IH887 for MPH degree credit.

 

Maternal and Child Health

SPH MC 725 Women, Children and Adolescents: A Public Health Approach: This course introduces students to the principles and practices of public health and maternal and child health. Using the life course perspective, the course examines how infants, children, women and families develop in the context of biologic and social determinants of health, as they play out over a lifetime and across generations. Selected current topics–such as asthma, adolescent pregnancy, infant mortality, and childhood obesity–are studied in depth and used to illustrate how problems are understood, their distribution in diverse populations, and the content and quality of programs required to address them. Throughout the course, special attention is given to the impact of poverty, poor access to health care, and racial inequalities on the health of families, as well as to the strengths that individuals and communities bring to the creation of solutions. By the end of the course students will be able to formulate an MCH-related public health question, conduct and write a literature review, and write a policy memo. MC725 is the first required course in the MCH sequence.

 

Program Management and Evaluation

SPH PM 740 Comparative Health Systems and Policy in Industrialized and BRIC Countries: Grad Prereq: SPH PH719 or consent of instructor. This course examines the population and individual health systems of industrialized and emerging countries, exploring each system’s historic, cultural, political, economic and demographic antecedents. There are significant variations in organization, finance, structure, operations and population level outcomes. Since the US health system performs at the top of cost and the low end of outcome measures there are lessons to be learned from other systems, but it is essential first to understand why differences among systems developed and persist.

STH TO 844 Ancient Egyptian Magic and Religion: A survey of the religion and magical practices of ancient Egyptians from the time of the pyramids through the Greco-Roman period (ca. 2600 BCE — 400 CE). The course offers an insight into the ancient Egyptian gods, religious thought, and ideas through the analysis of texts, iconography, and objects used in religious / magical practices. A special focus is on the role of popular magic and religion in everyday life and in the temple. No prerequisites. Undergraduate students are welcome to register. The course also requires approximately six additional hours of class at the Museum of Fine Arts where students read/study pieces of the MFA Egyptian Collection. (cluster 1)

STH TN 819 Methods and Exegesis in the Catholic Letters: Combining a focus on texts and contexts, this course explores the Catholic Epistles Studies–namely the letters of James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, and Jude. The course strikes a balance between book-based approaches and hermeneutical appropriations of the Catholic Epistles collection in and beyond the New Testament, among the apostolic fathers and contemporary contexts (i.e. women, Africana, Asian, and Latino/Latina biblical interpretations, etc). (Cluster 1)

STH TT 869 African Theology: Sources, Methods, and Debates: No description available