{"id":36761,"date":"2019-05-14T13:53:45","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T17:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/cgs-academics-divisions-social-sciences\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T15:22:45","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T20:22:45","slug":"social-sciences","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/academics\/divisions\/social-sciences\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Sciences"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By understanding the past, we can see the present clearly\u2014but social sciences courses are more than history classes. They draw from anthropology, sociology, social psychology, political science, and economics.<\/p>\n<h2>What do you get from studying the social sciences?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Critical thinking to evaluate sources<\/li>\n<li>The ability to make an argument and express it clearly, in multiple formats<\/li>\n<li>The ability to place facts, ideas and human social behavior in context to interpret today\u2019s world<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ll learn how social change is made, how technological innovation impacts society, and what globalization means to our world<\/li>\n<li>The knowledge to become an engaged global citizen of the twenty-first century<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Read more on social science <a href=\"\/cgs\/academics\/divisions\/social-sciences\/outcomes\">course outcomes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>What will social sciences courses cover?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Learn about politics, economics, and social change\u2014from the ancient world through the Enlightenment, from the industrial revolution to the digital revolution<\/li>\n<li><span>Examine the radical movements, ideologies, and revolutions that have shaped the contemporary world<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Dive into American foreign policy, from before World War II right up to the decisions that reverberate today<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Social Science Requirements<\/h2>\n<p>One social science course is required. You\u2019ll select at least two additional SS courses to complete your CGS requirements. CGS social science courses fulfill <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/\">BU Hub<\/a> general education requirements in nine areas.<\/p>\n<h3>Required Course<\/h3>\n<p>SS 104 is required and is taken during the summer semester.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">SS 104: Politics, Economies, and Social Change in the West: The Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"course-feed\"><\/div><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<h3>Social Sciences Course Choices<\/h3>\n<p>To fulfill the requirements of the CGS program, you\u2019ll work with your academic advisor to select at least two of the social science courses below.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">SS 103: Politics, Economies, and Social Change in the West: The Ancient World Through the Enlightenment<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"course-feed\"><aside class=\"cf-course\">\n\t<div class=\"cf-course-card\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"cf-course-title\"><span class=\"cf-course-id\"><span class=\"cf-course-college\">CGS<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-dept\">SS<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-number\">103<\/span><\/span> Politics, Economies, and Social Change in the West: The Ancient World Through the Enlightenment<\/h3>\n\t\t<p class=\"meta cf-course-info\"><span class=\"cf-course-credits\">5 credits.<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-offered\">Spring<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-prereqs\"><\/span><\/p>\n        <div class=\"cf-hub-ind\">  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/what-is-the-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"cf-hub-head\" alt=\"BU Hub\">    <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"bu-hub-iconstyles icon-buhub\">BU Hub<\/span>  <\/a>  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/what-is-the-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"hub-head\">    <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"bu-hub-iconstyles icon-questionmark\">Learn More<\/span>  <\/a>  <ul class=\"cf-hub-offerings\"><li class=\"cf-hub-area-1\">Critical Thinking<\/li><li class=\"cf-hub-area-I\">The Individual in Community<\/li><li class=\"cf-hub-area-E\">Social Inquiry I<\/li>  <\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t<p class=\"cf-course-description\">This interdisciplinary course examines social change in the politics, economies, social structures, and culture of the West from the ancient world through the Enlightenment. Students look at developments in governance, trade, social inequalities, and ideas that gave the West its distinctive character, including the rise of its key institution, democracy. To interpret historical change critically, students are introduced to the social science \"toolkit\" of analytical concepts. Assignments outside the classroom will encourage students to consider how history has shaped today's world. 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.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/aside><\/div><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">SS 201: Radicals, Rebels, and Revolutionaries: Agents of Global Change<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"course-feed\"><aside class=\"cf-course\">\n\t<div class=\"cf-course-card\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"cf-course-title\"><span class=\"cf-course-id\"><span class=\"cf-course-college\">CGS<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-dept\">SS<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-number\">201<\/span><\/span> Radicals, Rebels, and Revolutionaries: Agents of Global Change<\/h3>\n\t\t<p class=\"meta cf-course-info\"><span class=\"cf-course-credits\">4 credits.<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-offered\">Fall<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-prereqs\"><\/span><\/p>\n        <div class=\"cf-hub-ind\">  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/what-is-the-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"cf-hub-head\" alt=\"BU Hub\">    <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"bu-hub-iconstyles icon-buhub\">BU Hub<\/span>  <\/a>  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/what-is-the-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"hub-head\">    <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"bu-hub-iconstyles icon-questionmark\">Learn More<\/span>  <\/a>  <ul class=\"cf-hub-offerings\"><li class=\"cf-hub-area-J\">Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy<\/li><li class=\"cf-hub-area-2\">Research and Information Literacy<\/li><li class=\"cf-hub-area-6\">Writing-Intensive Course<\/li>  <\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t<p class=\"cf-course-description\">Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - SS201 explores the historical roots of our global political and economic scene from a comparative perspective. Students will examine the radical movements, ideologies, and revolutions that have shaped the contemporary world, focusing on a comparison of two or more nations or regions. Topics may include the history and power of nationalism, the legacy of imperialism, competing political ideologies, the rise of authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, terrorism and state violence, and the role popular collective action plays in effecting change. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/aside><\/div><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">SS 202: American Foreign Policy Since World War II<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/p>\n<p><div class=\"course-feed\"><aside class=\"cf-course\">\n\t<div class=\"cf-course-card\">\n\t\t<h3 class=\"cf-course-title\"><span class=\"cf-course-id\"><span class=\"cf-course-college\">CGS<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-dept\">SS<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-number\">202<\/span><\/span> American Foreign Policy Since World War II<\/h3>\n\t\t<p class=\"meta cf-course-info\"><span class=\"cf-course-credits\">4 credits.<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-offered\">Spring<\/span> <span class=\"cf-course-prereqs\"><\/span><\/p>\n        <div class=\"cf-hub-ind\">  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/what-is-the-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"cf-hub-head\" alt=\"BU Hub\">    <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"bu-hub-iconstyles icon-buhub\">BU Hub<\/span>  <\/a>  <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hub\/what-is-the-hub\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"hub-head\">    <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"bu-hub-iconstyles icon-questionmark\">Learn More<\/span>  <\/a>  <ul class=\"cf-hub-offerings\"><li class=\"cf-hub-area-C\">Historical Consciousness<\/li><li class=\"cf-hub-area-2\">Research and Information Literacy<\/li><li class=\"cf-hub-area-6\">Writing-Intensive Course<\/li>  <\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t<p class=\"cf-course-description\">Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - SS 202 focuses on U.S. foreign policy since the late 1930's. After considering U.S. policy immediately before and during World War II, it explores how the United States responded to the global challenge posed by the Soviet Union and international communism during the long struggle known as the Cold War. The factors that led to the Cold War, the nuclear arms race, America's involvement in Vietnam, and, ultimately, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War are examined. The course concludes by analyzing challenges to American interests and security in the twenty- first century. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/aside><\/div><\/p>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Read more on social science <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/academics\/cgs\/courses\/social-sciences\/\">courses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By understanding the past, we can see the present clearly\u2014but social sciences courses are more than history classes. They draw from anthropology, sociology, social psychology, political science, and economics. What do you get from studying the social sciences? Critical thinking to evaluate sources The ability to make an argument and express it clearly, in multiple [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":36735,"menu_order":4,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36761"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36761"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42398,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36761\/revisions\/42398"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}