At the Crossroads of Theory and Practice

The BU Cross-College Challenge (XCC) is the Hub’s signature interdisciplinary project-based, 4-credit elective course open to juniors and seniors from all of BU’s undergraduate schools and colleges. The XCC engages students in team projects that address a real-world problem or an enduring human question. Students who are especially passionate about a particular subject matter and prepared to be active participants in a rigorous team-based experience are highly recommended to register early as seats are limited.

Each section is co-led by two faculty members from different disciplines. Student teams work with their faculty as well as with a variety of campus and community partners on a substantial, research-based challenge while building their knowledge and skills in 4 key Hub areas.

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All of the XCC courses satisfy the Intellectual Toolkit Hub units in Creativity/Innovation, Research and Information Literacy, and Teamwork/Collaboration. The fourth Hub unit addresses Communication in written, oral, and digital forms, and varies by course number.

Note: For the first 2 weeks, some seats will be reserved after which all restrictions will be removed. These courses are not repeatable for credit. For further details, please review the Hub policies in the Bulletin.

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Fall 2023 Sections and Projects


SOW_WT_Fa23

HUB XC 433 B1

Spirit of Wonder: Cross-Cultural Storytelling

Kim Schuckra (CAS) and Christiane Kaden (CAS)


Walk_Boston_WT_Fa23

HUB XC 420 A1

A Story on Every Street: Exploring Walkability in Boston

Tom Anastasi (Questrom) and Carrie Bennet (CAS)


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HUB XC 433 C1

Marketing and Social Equity in the Cannabis Industry

Seth Blumenthal (CAS) and Jonathan Hibbard (Questrom)


Back to the Past_WT_Fa23

HUB XC 410 C1

Back to the Past: Gaming for Immersive Role Play

Maria Gapotchenko (CAS) and Kathryn Lamontagne (CGS)


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HUB XC 433 A1

Environmental Equality and Urban Tree Canopies

Salvatore Genovese (CGS) and Joelle Renstrom (CGS)


FALL 2023 SPARK! XCC SECTIONS


HUB XC475 A1: SPARK! TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION

HUB XC410 A1: SPARK! JUSTICE MEDIA CO-LAB

HUB XC410 B1: SPARK! DATA SCIENCE FOR GOOD

BU Spark! collaborates with the BU Hub to offer a series of XCC courses focused on computing and data sciences. These courses are offered to students from diverse backgrounds relevant to the topics addressed and include a track with seats reserved for students with a background in computing and data science. There is also a track for majors relevant to the course e.g. journalism, graphic design, social sciences. Because of the specialized nature of these courses, an application is required before registration is confirmed.

More Info

Spark_WT_Fa23. Justice Media_WT_Fa23. DS4G_WT_Fa23