Philosophical, Aesthetic, and Historical Interpretation
Below is a full list of courses that fulfill requirements in a given Hub area.
Hub requirements will continue to be added to some courses throughout the academic year, so be sure to confirm the Hub requirements for your courses prior to registration. To explore courses further, please see the Class Search in MyBU Student or the Bulletin . In addition, you can find information about Hub courses offered during the summer on the Summer Term website .
Philosophical Inquiry and Life’s Meanings
CAS AN 211 Humans Among Animals
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Examines how humans understand (other) animals and their thought, feeling, and communication and the ways we humans in varied cultures and societies use animals for interaction and self-understanding. Interdisciplinary approach that considers language, aesthetics, ideology, practice, and regulation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills units in the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, and Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 252 Ethnicity and Identity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores anthropological approaches to community, belonging, and difference using case studies from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Special attention paid to how contemporary economic and political changes impact the ways people think about and belong to communities. 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. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life¿s Meanings
CAS AN 252S Ethnicity and Identity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores anthropological approaches to community, belonging, and difference using case studies from Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Special attention paid to how contemporary economic and political changes impact the ways people think about and belong to communities. 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. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life¿s Meanings.
CAS AN 311 Culture and Biotech: Beyond the Nature/Culture Divide
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - The class explores some biotechnological innovations and the cultural variability around the ethical dilemmas those innovations provoke. It asks what this variability might mean for thinking about the supposedly fixed dichotomy between “nature” and “culture”? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Ethical Reasoning, Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS AN 461 Ethnography and Anthropological Theory 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing in the major. Required of majors. - Examines foundational social scientific and anthropological theories and methods from the late 19th century through the mid-20th century. Discussion focuses on precursors to contemporary anthropological thought, including historical materialist, evolutionist, functionalist, structuralist, symbolic, and culture-and-personality theories and approaches. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS AN 553 Human Uniqueness
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN102) or consent of instructor. - Language, labor, culture, self-awareness, symbolizing, and other traits have been called uniquely human. But if these things have no animal antecedents, how could they have evolved' Course participants examine this "continuity paradox" and its proposed solutions from Darwin onward. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 558 The Evolutionary Biology of Human Sex Differences
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Are sex and gender instantiated in the body' This seminar explores evolutionary approaches to investigating sex differences in human behavior and physiology from phylogenetic, mechanistic, and developmental perspectives. Topics include gender expression, non-binary sex/gender, aggression, mate choice, cognition, and more. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AN 562 The Origins of War
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry II Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - Did humans evolve to have war' Is war in human nature' We explore the foundations of war through reviewing studies of non-human animals and hunter- gatherers. Focus is on understanding how and why war evolved. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II.
CAS BI 119 Sociobiology
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry I
Designed for non-science majors to fulfill natural science divisional requirements. The evolution of animal and human societies; the adaptive significance of social organization; altruism; cooperation; courtship and reproductive behavior; the genetics, development, and epigenetics of social behavior; human social evolution; evolutionary psychology; religion; impact of evolutionary theory on social thought. Three hours lecture plus discussion. Carries natural science divisional credit (without lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS BI 225 Behavioral Biology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: CASBI 107 & CASBI 108 and First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120), and sophomore standing. - (Other students must fill out the waitlist - link in Notes. CASBI 225 and CASBI 407 cannot be taken concurrently and CASBI 225 cannot be taken following completion of CASBI 407.) Introduction to the genetics, physiology, neurobiology, ecology, and evolution of behavior. Topics include gene/environment interaction, hormones and behavior, neuroethology, communication, reproductive behavior, evolution of cooperation and altruism, cognition and brain evolution. Emphasis on integrative analysis. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS BI 407 Animal Behavior
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASBI107) or equivalent. - Ethological approach to animal behavior; physiological, ontogenic, and phylogenic causes; and adaptive significance of behavior examined within an evolutionary framework, minimally including humans. Three hours lecture, three hours lab. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS BI 407S Animal Behavior
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASBI107) or equivalent. - Ethological approach to animal behavior; physiological, ontogenic, and phylogenic causes; and adaptive significance of behavior examined within an evolutionary framework, minimally including humans. Students must register for two sections: lecture and laboratory. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS BI 423 Marine Biogeochemistry
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy Scientific Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCH 101 and CASCH 102 or BUMP semester and CASEE 144, or consent of instructor. - Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, oceanic glacial carbon dioxide budget, biogenic particle fluxes, oceanic glacial-interglacial biogeochemistry. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS BI 607 Animal Behavior
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Ethological approach to animal behavior. Physiological, ontogenic, and phylogenic causes and adaptive significance of behavior are examined within an evolutionary framework, minimally including humans. Three hours lecture, three hours laboratory. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS BI 607S Animal Behavior
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Prereq: (CAS BI 107) or equivalent. Ethological approach to animal behavior; physiological, ontogenic, and phylogenic causes; and adaptive significance of behavior examined within an evolutionary framework, minimally including humans. Students must register for two sections: lecture and laboratory. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CC 202 Core Humanities 4: Enlightenment, Romanticism, and Modernity
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS CC 101 or WR 120). - IIn this fourth semester of Core humanities, we explore works of philosophy and literature that interrogate Enlightenment and Romantic ideals of social hierarchy, what it means to know, the relations of subjectivity to reason, and how freedom can be found. Works by Voltaire, Kant, Austen, Shelley, the English Romantic Poets, Beethoven, Goethe, Whitman, Dickinson, and Douglass are included. We cross the threshold of the twentieth century with drama by Chekhov, the perspectivism of Nietzsche, and a critique of inequality by W.E.B. Du Bois. 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, Writing- Intensive Course..
CAS CC 222 "Unmaking" the Modern World: the Psychology, Politics, and Economics of the Self
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g. CAS CC 101 or WR 120). - Confronting the legacy of Enlightenment philosophy in the modern era, students encounter the postmodern psychological, political, and economic theories that expose the paradoxes behind freedom and individual rights ideologies framing slavery, colonialism, ethno-nationalism, capitalist exploitation, sexism, and institutional racism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 263 Philosophy and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This class provides an introduction philosophical and aesthetic issues connected with film. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 369 Greek Tragedy and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores Greek tragic myth's afterlife, both directly and obliquely, in cinema and in the modern literature spawning cinema: how certain Greek tragic myths have come to life as film and how "non-mythic" stories have acquired a mythic power in literary and cinematic form. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 512 Film and Media Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-year writing seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or 120) and CASCI 101, CASCI 102, CASCI 200, or COMFT 250. - Introduction to film and media theory as a mode of inquiry. What happens when we render the world as an image? How do cinematic images differ from other forms of image-making? What does it mean to be a spectator? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 101 The World of Greece
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The literature, philosophy, art, and culture of ancient Greece and their impact on later cultures. Topics covered include the emergence of epic poetry; art and lyric in the Archaic Age; drama, architecture, philosophy, and political developments of classical Athens and Greece. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 101S The World of Greece
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The literature, philosophy, art, and culture of ancient Greece. Topics covered include the emergence of epic poetry; art and lyric in the Archaic Age; drama, architecture, philosophy, and political developments of classical Athens and Greece. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 121 What Is a Good Life' Ancient Wisdom and Modern Insights
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Close examination of literary and philosophical texts from the ancient world and modern psychology that address the question of what constitutes a good life. Themes include: selfhood and the pursuit of happiness, individualism and communities, love, and health. All texts in translation. 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.
CAS CL 121S What is a Good Life' Ancient Wisdom and Modern Insights
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Close examination of literary and philosophical texts from the ancient world and modern psychology that address the question of what constitutes a good life. Themes include selfhood and the pursuit of happiness, individualism and communities, love, and health. All texts in translation. 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.
CAS CL 213 Greek and Roman Mythology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A general introduction to the myths of the ancient classical world, with particular regard to the patterns of experience, both religious and psychological, from which they evolved. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2019, this course carries a single unit in each of the following areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CL 213S Greek and Roman Mythology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A general introduction to the myths of the ancient classical world, with particular regard to the patterns of experience, both religious and psychological, from which they evolved. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CL 227 Rome and the Chinese World
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explore the cultural and intellectual worlds of ancient Rome and ancient East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), comparing world views, ethical values, political dynamics, and social functions of literature in these great Eurasian civilizations. Includes creative and performative assignments. Effective Fall 2021, 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CL 303 The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL102 OR CASCL322) or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - The causes and consequences of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire. Topics include Romans and barbarians; the rise and spread of Christianity; Constantine the Great; the death of classic paganism; theories of decline; the grand strategy of the Roman Empire; monasticism; the emergence of Byzantium and Constantinople; the origins of Islam; and the transformation of classical art, literature, and thought and their influence on Christianity. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS CL 325 Greek Tragedy and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores Greek tragic myth's afterlife, both directly and obliquely, in cinema and in the modern literature spawning cinema: how certain Greek tragic myths have come to life as film and how "non-mythic" stories have acquired a mythic power in literary and cinematic form. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 325S Greek Tragedy and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores Greek tragic myth's afterlife, both directly and obliquely, in cinema and in the modern literature spawning cinema: how certain Greek tragic myths have come to life as film and how "non-mythic" stories have acquired a mythic power in literary and cinematic form. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS EE 423 Marine Biogeochemistry
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy Scientific Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCH 101 and 102, admission to BUMP or CASEE 144, or consent of instructor. - Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, oceanic glacial carbon dioxide budget, biogenic particle fluxes, oceanic glacial- interglacial biogeochemistry. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EE 509 Applied Environmental Statistics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Introductory statistics (CAS MA 115/116 or MA 213/124 or equivalent), Calculus I (CAS MA 121 or CAS MA 123 or equivalent), and First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120. - Survey of modern probability-based statistical methods in environmental science. Core concepts in likelihood and Bayesian approaches are used to address spatial, time-series, and latent variable models and non-Gaussian, non-linear, heterogeneous, and missing data. Project-based course focused on applications to data. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS EN 145 Introduction to Performance
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Investigates the many forms performance might take, from live art in a visual art context, experimental theatre, poetry readings, video, or audio work in 20th and 21st century creative practice. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings (PLM), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 145E Introduction to Performance
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Investigates the many forms performance might take, from live art in a visual art context, experimental theatre, poetry readings, video, or audio work in 20th and 21st century creative practice. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings (PLM), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 145S Introduction to Performance
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Investigates the many forms performance might take, from live art in a visual art context, experimental theatre, poetry readings, video, to audio work in 20th- and 21st- century creative practice. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings (PLM), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 160 Big Novels, Big Ideas
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How do big famous novels explore philosophical ideas about knowledge, selfhood, nature, community' Are fiction and philosophy partners or rivals' Novels may include Moby Dick, Middlemarch, Invisible Man, Infinite Jest, read alongside Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche, Du Bois, Sartre, and others. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 162 The Ethics of Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Does art make you good' How does it shape our values and sense of justice' Ancient thinkers (Plato, Horace) and modern theorists (Wollstonecraft, Wilde), followed by contemporary case studies. Topics may include propaganda, body aesthetics, animals, disability, pornography, graffiti, censorship. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS EN 195 Literature and Ideas
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How does literature relate to philosophy' How do poems and stories explore philosophical beliefs' Readings may include novels, epics, dialogues, sermons, theoretical treatises, and poetry, all engaging with broad questions about meaning, selfhood, divinity, politics, community, value. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 215 Global Modernist Fiction
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A comparative study of five modernist authors from different world cultures: Faulkner, Kafka, Chang, Rushdie, and Murakami. Examines experiments in narrative technique as differently situated responses to the major events and legacy of the twentieth century. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 404 History of Literary Criticism I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - A historical survey of western literary-critical standards from the earliest surviving formulations in classical Athens to the dawn of the twentieth century. Writers include Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Augustine, Dante, Sidney, Hume, Wordsworth, Marx, Nietzsche. 4 cr. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 406 History of Literary Criticism II
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Survey of recent literary critical theory. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 437 Thinking with Animals
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - In literary texts, animals appear as tricksters, clueless victims, predatory men, eloquent captives, and heroic matriarchs. This course analyzes narratives about animals in Anglo-American philosophy, science, and literature. Human myths about animals and the supremacy of the human are central to beliefs about race, gender, and private property. Focuses on animals as food, embodied mindedness, environmental justice, and ecological thinking. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 452 Asian American Studies: Theory and Methods
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A brief overview of the theories and methods of Asian American studies, reading theory, literature, history, culture, sociology, and legal study to define a mode of inquiry and action inspired by a legacy of activism and survival from the Asian diaspora. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 481 Performative Text and Design
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Intersections of text, design, performance, publishing, and activism. Examinations of techniques, forms, media, and theoretical ideas--asking about the political potential of such practices. Students develop an interdisciplinary approach to thinking about the form a text might take as a spatial appearance (page or environment), through materials (costume, flags) or how it might be used as a performative object. Themes include: labour, liveness and documentation, ephemeral vs. permanent, alternative publishing, activist archiving. Lectures, project based, field trips, and studio visits. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 482 Critical Studies in Modern Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Topic varies. Past topics include Global Literature, Approaches to the Postmodern novel, etc. Please see English Department's website or contact instructor for current topic. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 490 The Gothic, Identity, and the Human
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Readings in dark narratives from Mary Shelley through Toni Morrison in tandem with humanistic theory concerning identity (mind, self, agency), the character of the human (particularly in relation to the animal), hierarchies of value, and the character of evil. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 493 Critical Studies in Literature and The Arts
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - This course examines translational practices in art, writing, and performance, considering translation between languages, genres, discourses, and media--asking about the political potentials or pitfalls along the way. Includes creative exercises and concludes with the collaborative publication of a zine. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 497 Critical Studies in Literature and Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Truth, beauty, reason, emotion, interpretation, justice, meaning--this course reads literature from specific philosophical perspectives, and understands philosophical texts using literary methods. It also examines historical, theoretical, and aesthetic relationships between literature and philosophy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 539 Marxist Cultural Criticism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to Marxist cultural criticism that examines the transformation of concepts in classic Marxism (Marx, Lukacs, Althusser, Adorno, and Gramsci) into contemporary debates about race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, modernity, and language (Said, Zizek, Spivak, and others). Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 569 Film and Media Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-year writing seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or 120) and CASCI 101, CASCI 102, CASCI 200, or COMFT 250. - Introduction to film and media theory as a mode of inquiry. What happens when we render the world as an image' How do cinematic images differ from other forms of image-making' What does it mean to be a spectator' Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EN 604 History of Literary Criticism 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: graduate standing. - A historical survey of western literary-critical standards from the earliest surviving formulations in classical Athens to the dawn of the twentieth century. Writers include Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Augustine, Dante, Sidney, Hume, Wordsworth, Marx, Nietzsche. 4 cr. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 606 History of Literary Criticism II
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Graduate Prerequisites: graduate standing. - Survey of literary critical perspectives and trends in humanistic theory relevant to literary interpretation from the middle of the twentieth century onward, including formalism, structuralism, post-structuralism, gender studies, new historicism, and post-colonial studies. Frequent writing assignments of various lengths. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 637 Thinking with Animals
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
In literary texts, animals appear as tricksters, clueless victims, predatory men, eloquent captives, and heroic matriarchs. This course analyzes narratives about animals in Anglo-American philosophy, science, and literature. Human myths about animals and the supremacy of the human are central to beliefs about race, gender, and private property. Focuses on animals as food, embodied mindedness, environmental justice, and ecological thinking. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 652 Asian American Studies: Theory and Methods
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: graduate standing. - A brief overview of the theories and methods of Asian American studies, reading theory, literature, history, culture, sociology, and legal study to define a mode of inquiry and action inspired by a legacy of activism and survival from the Asian diaspora. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 681 Performative Text and Design
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - Intersections of text, design, performance, publishing, and activism. Examinations of techniques, forms, media, and theoretical ideas--asking about the political potential of such practices. Students develop an interdisciplinary approach to thinking about the form a text might take as a spatial appearance (page or environment), through materials (costume, flags) or how it might be used as a performative object. Themes include: labour, liveness and documentation, ephemeral vs. permanent, alternative publishing, activist archiving. Lectures, project based, field trips, and studio visits. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 682 Critical Studies in Modern Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - Introduction to philosophical and historical approaches to the study of global literature outside Europe and North America. Themes addressed include individual and social development, historical reflection, cosmopolitanism, nationalism, cultural identity, the impact of socio- economic forces Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings and Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 693 Critical Studies in Literature and the Arts
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - This course examines translational practices in art, writing, and performance, considering translation between languages, genres, discourses, and media--asking about the political potentials or pitfalls along the way. Includes creative exercises and concludes with the collaborative publication of a zine. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 697 Critical Studies in Literature and Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - Truth, beauty, reason, emotion, interpretation, justice, meaning--this course reads literature from specific philosophical perspectives, and understands philosophical texts using literary methods. It also examines historical, theoretical, and aesthetic relationships between literature and philosophy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 203 Magic, Science, and Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Boundaries and relationships between magic, science, and religion in Europe from antiquity through the Enlightenment. Explores global cultural exchange, distinctions across social, educational, gender, and religious lines, the rise of modern science, and changing assumptions about God, Nature, and humanity. 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, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 215 The European Enlightenment
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How Europe became modern. The rise of science, critique of religion, and struggle for rights. The public sphere emerges: newspapers, Freemasons, coffee, salons, smut. The invention of a cosmopolitan republic of letters; Voltaire, Diderot, Kant, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS HI 215S The European Enlightenment
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How Europe became modern. The rise of science, critique of religion, and struggle for rights. The public sphere emerges: newspapers, Freemasons, coffee, salons, smut. The invention of a cosmopolitan republic of letters: Voltaire, Diderot, Kant, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS HI 515 Meaning, Memory, and History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - Explores central issues in the philosophy of history, from Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche to Collingwood, Popper, and Danto. Topics include: is history a science' If so, what kind' How does it differ from tradition and memory' Does it have a meaning' Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS JS 348 Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar; and one course from among the following: P hilosophy, Religion, Core Curriculum (CC101 and/or CC102) - A thematic introduction to mysticism and philosophy, with a focus on the dynamics of religious experience. Readings will be drawn from medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy; Sufi mysticism and philosophy; Kabbalah, Sufi poetry, Hebrew poetry from the Golden Age of Muslim Spain. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS LC 261 S24: Chinese Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A historical survey of Chinese religions from the ancient period to modern times. Covers cosmology, divination, philosophy, divine kingship, ancestors, art, the Silk Road, death and afterlives, popular deities, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LF 483 Topics in Literature and Politics: Revolution, Power, Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Close interpretive, critical, and theoretical study of philosophical questions posed by selected works of literature [and related arts] with emphasis on the political. Themes such as vengeance, justice, and injustice; political theatre / theatre of politics; representations of war; exile and imprisonment as the scene of writing; cross-fertilization between law, diplomacy, and narrative; or transgression and invention. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LF 683 Topics in Literature and Politics: Revolution, Power, Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Close interpretive, critical, and theoretical study of philosophical questions posed by selected works of literature [and related arts] with emphasis on the political. Themes such as vengeance, justice, and injustice; political theatre / theatre of politics; representations of war; exile and imprisonment as the scene of writing; cross-fertilization between law, diplomacy, and narrative; or transgression and invention. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LJ 261 Rome and the Chinese World
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explore the cultural and intellectual worlds of ancient Rome and ancient East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), comparing world views, ethical values, political dynamics, and social functions of literature in these great Eurasian civilizations. Includes creative and performative assignments. Effective Fall 2021, 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LJ 480 Japanese Women Writers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLJ350) - Classic texts by Japanese women, including the "Tale of Genji" and "The Pillow Book," and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS LJ 680 Japanese Women Writers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Classic texts by Japanese women, including the "Tale of Genji" and "The Pillow Book," and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS LK 261 Rome and the Chinese World
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explore the cultural and intellectual worlds of ancient Rome and ancient East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), comparing world views, ethical values, political dynamics, and social functions of literature in these great Eurasian civilizations. Includes creative and performative assignments. Effective Fall 2021, 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LR 280 Dostoevsky (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Dostoevsky's evolution as novelist and philosopher. Explore major novels, including Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Demons, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, personality, freedom, health, justice, and evil. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LR 281 Tolstoy (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Tolstoy's evolution as novelist and moral philosopher. Explore major works, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, death, freedom, justice, meaning, and happiness. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LR 288 Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Close, careful study of Dostoevsky's masterpiece, with eye to historical, philosophical, theological, cultural, and literary significance; explores Dostoevsky's reinvention of the novel alongside questions of morality, justice, modernity, community, personality, and the meaning of life. Taught in English. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LR 355 Chekhov: The Stories and Plays (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Chekhov's major plays and a wide selection from his prose (in English translation); studies the arc of his career, his aesthetic innovations, moral psychology, philosophical perspective. Includes practicum in which students produce a play composed of scenes from Chekhov. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LY 284 War in Arab Literature and Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How do Arab writers and filmmakers depict the region’s defining wars? Comparison to nonfiction and to artworks by Israeli and American artists from the "other side." All readings in English; knowledge of Arabic or Middle Eastern history is welcome, but none is assumed. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS LY 284S War in Arab Literature and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Studies how Arab writers and filmmakers depict the wars that have shaped the region (1948, 1967, Lebanese Civil, Iran-Iraq, Iraq, Syria, "war on terror"). Also considers writers from the "other side" of those wars (Israeli, Iranian, American, etc.). Readings in English. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS MA 531 Mathematical Logic
4 credits. Fall
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA293) or consent of instructor. - Graduate Prerequisites: (CASMA293) or consent of instructor. - The investigation of logical reasoning with mathematical methods. The syntax and semantics of sentential logic and quantificational logic. The unifying Godel Completeness Theorem, and models of theories. A look at the Godel Incompleteness Theorem and its ramifications. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS NE 490 NeuroDiversity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASNE 102, NE 202, NE 203, NE 212 and NE major; and junior or senior standing. Explore psychological disorders through a neurodiversity lens, engaging with case studies, films, and neuroscience research. This course offers tailored learning pathways, ensuring inclusive, meaningful engagement, and fostering deep understanding of neurodiversity, diagnosis, and treatment across diverse academic interests and careers. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Creativity/Innovation, Digital Multimedia Expression, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 100 Introduction to Philosophy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Introduces the nature of philosophical activity through careful study of major philosophical topics. Topics may include the nature of reality, knowledge, God's existence, and the significance of human life.Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking and Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meaning. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 100S Introduction to Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Introduces the nature of philosophical activity through careful study of major philosophical topics. Topics may include the nature of reality, knowledge, God's existence, and the significance of human life. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 110 Great Philosophers
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to philosophy through a reading of great figures in western thought. The list may include Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Roussesau, Nietzsche, Russell. 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, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 110S Great Philosophers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to philosophy through a reading of great figures in western thought. The list may include Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Russell. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS PH 150 Introduction to Ethics
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This course focuses on a set of interrelated questions about morality: What is morality? How should I live? What does morality require of us in our daily lives, if it requires anything at all? Are there any universal moral truths? 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.
CAS PH 150S Introduction to Ethics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This course focuses on a set of interrelated questions about morality: What is morality? How should I live? What does morality require of us in our daily lives, if it requires anything at all? Are there any universal moral truths? 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.
CAS PH 155 Politics and Philosophy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
What is justice' What are the foundations of property rights, liberty, and equality' Are anarchism and utopianism defensible' This course is an introduction to major themes and questions in political philosophy. It includes a study of classical and modern texts, as well as contemporary political issues. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. 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.
CAS PH 155S Politics and Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Online offering. What is justice' What are the foundations of property rights, liberty, and equality' Are anarchism and utopianism defensible' This course is an introduction to major themes and questions in political philosophy. It includes a study of classical and modern texts, as well as contemporary political issues. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. 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.
CAS PH 159 Philosophy and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This class provides an introduction philosophical and aesthetic issues connected with film. 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, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 160 Reasoning and Argumentation
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Knowing how to think, reason, and argue well is essential for success in all disciplines and in everyday life. This course aims to strengthen your critical thinking skills, ability to recognize fallacies, and understanding of the basics of scientific reasoning. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 160S Reasoning and Argumentation
4 credits.
Knowing how to think, reason, and argue well is essential for success in all disciplines and in everyday life. This course aims to strengthen your critical thinking skills, ability to recognize fallacies, and understanding of the basics of scientific reasoning. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 242 Philosophy of Human Nature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Examines the way in which Darwin, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud undermine traditional conceptions of human nature. These thinkers teach us to question our ordinary assumptions about religion, human distinctiveness, the conscious mind, the role and status of morality, and the uplifting effects of civilization. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 245 The Quest for God and the Good
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) - An interactive seminar, investigating the meaning and purpose of human life, the significance of God or an Absolute, the role of contemplation and action in the spiritual quest, relationships between philosophy and religious thought, East and West. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 246 Indian Philosophy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - This course introduces traditions of philosophical thought from the Indian subcontinent, including Buddhist and other traditions, from Vedic (ancient) times to the present day. Key topics may include the causes of suffering, the nature of the self, and others. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 247 Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Is human nature fundamentally good or fundamentally bad' How can we best achieve an enduring social order' What is the shape of a life well lived' This class examines such questions in the context of the classical period in Chinese philosophy, focusing on (1) Kongzi (Confucius), (2) Mozi, (3) Mengzi (Mencius), (4) Zhuangzi, and (5) Xunzi. A primary goal of the course is to expose students to the richness, vitality, and plurality of the philosophical scene in ancient China. Topics discussed include moral virtue, music, education, and the ethics of war. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 247S Introduction to Chinese Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to the Chinese philosophical tradition, including a study of classical Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, and modern developments. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS PH 248 Existentialism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - This course examines how existentialist thinkers grappled with some of the most problematic aspects of the human condition. 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.
CAS PH 248S Existentialism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - Examines how existentialist thinkers grappled with some of the most problematic aspects of the human condition. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 251 Medical Ethics
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - This course will survey ethical issues that arise in connection with medicine and emerging biotechnologies. It will examine topics such as the right to healthcare, research on human subjects, euthanasia, abortion, cloning, genetic selection, disabilities, and the biomedical enhancement of human capacities. Students can expect to gain not only training in the concepts and methods of moral philosophy and the logic of argumentation, but also the resources needed for assessing ethically difficult questions that healthcare professionals routinely face. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. 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.
CAS PH 251E Medical Ethics
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - Examination of a number of value problems arising within the context of medicine and health care. Particular ethical problems of euthanasia, abortion, human experimentation, reproduction, and allocation of scarce resources; critiques of contemporary medicine as an institution.
CAS PH 251S Medical Ethics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - Surveys ethical issues that arise in connection with medicine and emerging biotechnologies. Examines topics such as the right to healthcare, research on human subjects, euthanasia, abortion, cloning, genetic selection, disabilities, and the biomedical enhancement of human capacities. Students can expect to gain not only training in the concepts and methods of moral philosophy and the logic of argumentation, but also the resources needed for assessing ethically difficult questions that healthcare professionals routinely face. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. 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.
CAS PH 253 Social Philosophy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least sophomore standing or any 100-level philosophy course. - Through a reading of some selected texts we will examine modern and contemporary theories of society, concerning its nature and the direction of its evolution. The philosophical and sociological discussions are framed in terms of the complicated relationship between individuals and society, and between civil society and the sovereign power. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 256 Philosophy of Gender and Sexuality
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This course analyzes gender and sexuality from an intersectional perspective. We focus on metaphysics, epistemology, and semantics to understand gender and sexuality as they exist within interlocking systems of oppression including racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and fatphobia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 256S Philosophy of Gender and Sexuality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores philosophical questions that arise about gender and sexuality. What is sexism' What is oppression' What is the relationship between sexism and other forms of oppression' What is the correct response to sexism and oppression' How many sexes are there' How many genders' What is sexual orientation' What is sexual perversion' What are sexual ethics, including questions about the value and status of monogamy, polyamory, promiscuity, and adultery' What is the moral status of practices such as sex work and pornography' Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 259 Philosophy of the Arts
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - What makes something beautiful' How do different arts (music, dance, painting, sculpture, architecture, film, drama) relate to our aesthetic experience of the world' Explores several philosophical theories of art through specific examples of artwork. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 261 Puzzles and Paradoxes
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Quantitative Reasoning I
Some of our most basic beliefs, when scrutinized, lead to absurd conclusions. For example, using only beliefs that seem uncontroversial, we can conclude that motion is impossible, that everyone is bald, and it is impossible to give a surprise exam. Carefully scrutinizing the reasoning that leads to these absurdities often yields substantial philosophical insight. In this course, we will examine a number of such puzzles and paradoxes in detail. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 266 Mind, Brain, and Self
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This course is devoted to exploring the relationships among consciousness, the mind, and the brain, the nature of the self or person, and other related topics. This course will also examine whether and to what extent these issues can be addressed by contemporary natural science. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 266S Mind, Brain, and Self
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This course is devoted to exploring the relationships among consciousness, the mind, and the brain, the nature of the self or person, and other related topics. This course will also examine whether and to what extent these issues can be addressed by contemporary natural science. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 310 History of Modern Philosophy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - An examination of seventeenth- and eighteenth century philosophy from Descartes to Kant, with emphasis on the nature and extent of knowledge, the relation of mind to body, the nature of personal identity, the problem of free will, and the problem of evil. Readings from Rene Descartes, Princess Elizabeth, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Benedict Spinoza, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PH 310S History of Modern Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - An examination of seventeenth- and eighteenth century philosophy from Descartes to Kant, with emphasis on the nature and extent of knowledge, the relation of mind to body, the nature of personal identity, the problem of free will, and the problem of evil. Readings from Rene Descartes, Princess Elizabeth, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Benedict Spinoza, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PH 340 Metaphysics and Epistemology
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPH160) or consent of instructor. - This course is about metaphysics (the study of what there is, and how it all relates) and epistemology (the study of knowledge, and how we can know things about the world) and their intersection. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 350 History of Ethics
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - Are there fundamental principles for determining the right way to act ethically' How do different eras answer this question' What is the significance of these differences' This course addresses these questions by examining classical ethical texts from different historical traditions. 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.
CAS PH 350S History of Ethics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - A critical and comparative examination of the ideas of representative moral philosophers, including Plato, Kant, and John Dewey.
CAS PH 360 Symbolic Logic
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Quantitative Reasoning I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - A survey of the concepts and principles of symbolic logic: valid and invalid arguments, logical relations of statements and their basis in structural features of statements, analysis of the logical structure of complex statements of ordinary discourse, and the use of a symbolic language to display logical structure and to facilitate methods for assessing the logical structure of arguments. We cover the analysis of reasoning with truth-functions ("and", "or", "not", "if ... then") and with quantifiers ("all", "some"), attending to formal languages and axiomatic systems for logical deduction. Throughout, we aim to clearly and systematically display both the theory underlying the norms of valid reasoning and their applications to particular problems of argumentation. The course is an introduction to first-order quantificational logic, a key tool underlying work in foundations of mathematics, philosophy of language and mind, philosophy of science and parts of syntax and semantics. It is largely mathematical and formal in character, but lectures situate these structures within the context of questions raised in contemporary philosophy of language and mind. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 409 Maimonides
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPH300) - A study of major aspects of the thought of Maimonides. Primary focus on the Guide of the Perplexed, with attention to its modern reception in works by Baruch Spinoza, Hermann Cohen, Leo Strauss, and others. Also offered as CAS RN 420. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS PH 415 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASPH 310 and one other philosophy course. - A survey of nineteenth-century European philosophy, focused on G.W.F. Hegel and the critical reception of his work by Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Marx. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 419 Nietzsche
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASPH 310 and two other philosophy courses, or consent of instructor. - This course responds to the current moment in American political culture by exploring why we're so polarized and how knowledge and ignorance are shaped by social organization and psychology. The course begins by studying theories of misinformation, echo chambers, tribalism, and populism (including Trumpism) before entering into debates about politically contentious topics such as trans rights, immigration, and policing.
CAS PH 426 Phenomenology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous PH courses, or consent of instructor.. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Rigorous examination of foundations of philosophical phenomenology in Husserl and others. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 427 Heidegger and Existential Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two philosophy courses. - This course critically examines what, in the case of human beings, it means to be, based upon Heidegger's "existential" posing of this question in his early, but unfinished work, Being and Time. Effective Spring 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy, The Individual in Community.
CAS PH 446 Philosophy of Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPH300 & CASPH310) - Critical investigation of the limits of human knowledge and the theoretical and practical demands for meaning attached to notions of God, providence, immortality, and other metaphysical conditions of human thriving, from Plato to modern philosophies of religion. Effective Spring 2022 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 453 Classical to Early Modern Political Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPH350) - Focuses on philosophical subjects relevant to ethics and politics, such as virtue and happiness; human nature and reason; qualifications of leadership; aims and means of civic education; and conceptions of law (man-made, natural, divine). Texts by Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Machiavelli. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 454 Community, Liberty, and Morality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: and two other philosophy courses, or consent of instructor. - This course studies the relationship between liberalism and fascism, framed in light of the Foucauldian concept of “politics as war by other means.” What is power and how is it related to politics? What is fascism and when does a state count as becoming fascist? Liberalism vs. neoliberalism; ideal theory vs. non-ideal theory; freedom, rights, equality, democracy—what are they and what does it take to ensure they exist in the future? Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 456 Topics in Philosophy and Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Topic for Fall 2024: Why are we here' Alongside philosophers and religious thinkers, this course explores different versions of this question. Why are we here reading and talking' Why are we at BU' Why are we here at all' Does life have some meaning' Effective Fall 2021, 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.
CAS PH 461 Mathematical Logic
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA293) or consent of instructor. - The investigation of logical reasoning with mathematical methods. The syntax and semantics of sentential logic and quantificational logic. The unifying Godel Completeness Theorem, and models of theories. A look at the Godel Incompleteness Theorem and its ramifications. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 465 Philosophy of Cognitive Science
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASPH 310 and CASPH 360 and one other philosophy course; or consent of instructor. - This course focuses on the blurry boundaries between philosophical and scientific study of the mind. Philosophers sometimes appeal to findings from empirical psychology to support views in philosophy of mind and epistemology. To what sorts of philosophical debates are empirical findings about the mind relevant? To what extent should we allow these findings to constrain our philosophical theorizing? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 470 Philosophy of Physics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous PH courses, or consent of instructor. - An introductory survey of fascinating problems in contemporary philosophy of physics. The basic ideas and main features of physical theories, which touch upon nature at its most fundamental level and interact most crucially with philosophy in general, are outlined, so that students will have a road map of the central problems in the field. Throughout, the driving theme is the entanglement of a radical revision in our conceptualization of the world (which is forced upon us by the changes in the physical picture of the world due to major developments in modern physics) with central philosophical. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 477 Philosophy of the Social Sciences
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry II
Topics in the philosophy of the social sciences such as the interpretation of human action and the objectivity of social inquiry. Social consideration of alternative theoretic viewpoints such as naturalism and interpretivism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 493 Meaning, Memory, and History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - Explores central issues in the philosophy of history, from Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche to Collingwood, Popper, and Danto. Topics include: is history a science' If so, what kind' How does it differ from tradition and memory' Does it have a meaning' Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 495 Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar; and one course from among the following: P hilosophy, Religion, Core Curriculum (CC101 and/or CC102) - A thematic introduction to mysticism and philosophy, with a focus on the dynamics of religious experience. Readings will be drawn from medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy; Sufi mysticism and philosophy; Kabbalah, Sufi poetry, Hebrew poetry from the Golden Age of Muslim Spain. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 496 Topics in Religious Thought
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASWR 120 or equivalent and one course from among the following: Religion, Philosophy, Core Curriculum (CASCC 101 and/or CC 102). - Topic for Spring 2025: Happiness, East and West. What is happiness' How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life' Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary studies on happiness and mindfulness. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 609 Maimonides
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A study of major aspects of the thought of Maimonides. Primary focus on the Guide of the Perplexed, with attention to its modern reception in works by Baruch Spinoza, Hermann Cohen, Leo Strauss, and others. Also offered as GRS RN 720. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS PH 615 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Course subtitle: "Constructing and Deconstructing Autonomy". We will ask: To what extent is a practical agent free or autonomous' We examine answers to these questions by figures such as Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche and Freud. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 619 Nietzsche
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An intensive study of Nietzsche's philosophical thought. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 626 Phenomenology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Rigorous examination of foundations of philosophical phenomenology in Husserl and others. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 633 Symbolic Logic
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Quantitative Reasoning I
A survey of the concepts and principles of symbolic logic: valid and invalid arguments, logical relations of statements and their basis in structural features of statements, analysis of the logical structure of complex statements of ordinary discourse, and the use of a symbolic language to display logical structure and to facilitate methods for assessing the logical structure of arguments. We cover the analysis of reasoning with truth-functions. Effective Spring 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 646 Philosophy of Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry I
Critical investigation of the limits of human knowledge and the theoretical and practical demands for meaning attached to notions of God, providence, immortality, and other metaphysical conditions of human thriving, from Plato to modern philosophies of religion. Effective Spring 2022 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 656 Topics in Philosophy and Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Topic for Fall 2024: Why are we here' Alongside philosophers and religious thinkers, this course explores different versions of this question. Why are we here reading and talking' Why are we at BU' Why are we here at all' Does life have some meaning' Effective Fall 2021, 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.
CAS PH 661 Mathematical Logic
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The investigation of logical reasoning with mathematical methods. The syntax and semantics of sentential logic and quantificational logic. The unifying Godel Completeness Theorem, and models of theories. A look at the Godel Incompleteness Theorem and its ramifications. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 665 Philosophy of Cognitive Science
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry II
We'll read important scientific work in evolutionary theory, psychology, etc. about human cognition. We'll then explore its philosophical implications. For example, we'll use research in cognitive science to think about whether humans are irremediably tribal and sectarian. Scientific Inquiry I and Social Inquiry I are both prerequisites for this course. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 670 Philosophy of Physics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry I
An introductory survey of fascinating problems in contemporary philosophy of physics. The basic ideas and main features of physical theories, which touch upon nature at its most fundamental level and interact most crucially with philosophy in general, are outlined, so that students will have a road map of the central problems in the field. Throughout, the driving theme is the entanglement of a radical revision in our conceptualization of the world (which is forced upon us by the changes in the physical picture of the world due to major developments in modern physics) with central philosophical. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 677 Philosophy of the Social Sciences
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry II
Topics in the philosophy of the social sciences such as the interpretation of human action and the objectivity of social inquiry. Social consideration of alternative theoretic viewpoints such as naturalism and interpretivism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 695 JUD/ISLAM PHIL
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
JUD/ISLAM PHIL
CAS PO 191 Introduction to Political Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate core course. Fundamental questions of political life are addressed by analyzing works of political philosophy. Historical and contemporary events and issues illustrate and complicate analysis of conceptions of authority, justice, liberty, and equality. Many definitions of government, law, and rights are considered. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. 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.
CAS PO 191S Introduction to Political Theory
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Major works of political philosophy are considered to address fundamental questions of political life. Looks at different conceptions of authority, justice, liberty, and equality, including how they justify and define government, law, and rights and how they pertain to current issues. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS.
CAS PO 223E ISS CONTMP POL
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in London Internship Program. - ISS CONTMP POL
CAS PO 303 It's a Free Country: Civil Liberties in America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An accessible introduction to American civil liberties. Students will read a sampling of key Supreme Court cases about issues including speech, religion, privacy and equality. They will understand the key the debates, considerations, and decisions about old and new civil liberties challenges in the U.S. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PO 388 Justice in an Unjust World
4 credits. Fall
A search for justice is the origin story of political science. We seek to understand what it means to be just in contemporary politics, laws, workplaces, families, and across borders, among many other sites. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PO 391 Classical to Early Modern Political Theory
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Fundamental questions of ethics and politics are addressed by analyzing early works of political philosophy. Considers their various conceptions of: human nature and reason; qualifications of leadership; aims and means of civic education; and natural, human, and divine law. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PO 392 Modern Political Theory
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Fundamental questions of ethics and politics are addressed by analyzing works of political philosophy from the Enlightenment in the 17th century through the 20th century. Considers their various conceptions of human nature, the social contract, rights, government, justice, and revolution. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PO 393 The European Enlightenment
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Survey of the intellectual and social transformation of Europe from the 1680s to the French Revolution. Readings draw on both eighteenth-century sources (including Voltaire, Diderot, Condorcet, Lessing, Smith, and Hume) and recent work by historians. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PO 393S ENLIGHTENMENT
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
ENLIGHTENMENT
CAS PO 395 Domination/Liberation
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
In this political theory course, we examine dilemmas surrounding domination and liberation in political theory and practice. We will ask what liberation is, how diverse forms of domination obstruct it; and whether freedom can be sustained in a lasting way. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PO 395S Domination/Liberation
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This political theory course examines dilemmas surrounding domination and liberation in political theory and practice. We ask what liberation is, how diverse forms of domination obstruct it, and whether freedom can be sustained in a lasting way. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS PO 396 Philosophy of Gender and Sexuality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This course analyzes gender and sexuality from an intersectional perspective. We focus on metaphysics, epistemology, and semantics to understand gender and sexuality as they exist within interlocking systems of oppression including racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and fatphobia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
CAS PO 574 Decolonization and Democracy in Africa
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Course looks at comparative legacies of colonialism, race, and decolonization in North and Sub-Saharan Africa and their implications for democracy and inequality today. Focus on incorporating African scholars and voices in addressing comparative social science questions. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PO 594 Advanced Feminist Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course explores themes in advanced feminist theory. Specific themes vary by semester. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PO 596 Colonization/Decolonization
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisite: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This seminar introduces you to the political, theoretical, and historical study of colonization and decolonization. Topics include various kinds of colonialism, such as settler colonialism, internal colonialism, and domestic colonialism, as well as debates over the contemporary call to decolonize. Effective Spring 2024: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS RN 100 Introduction to Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Religion matters It makes meaning and provides structure to life, addressing fundamental questions about body, spirit, community, and time. But what is it' How does it work in our world' This course explores religion in ritual, philosophical, experiential, and ethical dimensions. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 100S Introduction to Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Religion matters It makes meaning and provides structure to life, addressing fundamental questions about body, spirit, community, and time. But what is it' How does it work in our world' This course explores religion in ritual, philosophical, experiential, and ethical dimensions. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 106 Death and Immortality
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Examines death as religious traditions have attempted to accept, defeat, deny, or transcend it. Do we have souls' Do they reincarnate' What to do with a corpse' Other topics include mourning, burial, cremation, martyrdom, resurrection, near-death experiences. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 106S Death and Immortality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Examines death as religious traditions have attempted to accept, defeat, deny, or transcend it. Do we have souls' Do they reincarnate' What to do with a corpse' Other topics include mourning, burial, cremation, martyrdom, resurrection, near-death experiences. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 200 Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS Religion major, or consent of instructor. - Origins and history of the academic study of religion. Different constructions of religion as an object of study and the methods that arise from them. The role of the humanities and social sciences in understanding religion's place in history and contemporary experience. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 211 S24: Chinese Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A historical survey of Chinese religions from the ancient period to modern times. Covers cosmology, divination, philosophy, divine kingship, ancestors, art, the Silk Road, death and afterlives, popular deities, Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 213 Hinduism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The course will provide the student with the opportunity to study on an introductory level Hinduism, the majority religion of India and Nepal. It is structured for the student who has had little or no previous background in the study of Hinduism from either an anthropological perspective or from a literary and historical point of view. It will focus on the development of the Hindu textual tradition, the philosophy and mythology it expounds, and the ritual practices related to it. Emphasis will be placed on how Hindu traditions adapted to changing historical conditions. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS RN 214 Islam
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
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.
CAS RN 242 Magic, Science, and Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Boundaries and relationships between magic, science, and religion in Europe from antiquity through the Enlightenment. Explores global cultural exchange, distinctions across social, educational, gender, and religious lines, the rise of modern science, and changing assumptions about God, nature, and humanity. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 245 The Quest for God and the Good
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120), - An interactive seminar, investigating the meaning and purpose of human life, the significance of God or an Absolute, the role of contemplation and action in the spiritual quest, relationships between philosophy and religious thought, East and West. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS RN 246 S24: Sex, Death, and the Buddha
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
An exploration of various Buddhist understandings of the ideal human life. Topics examined include: karma and rebirth, nonviolence and war, human and animal rights, suicide and euthanasia, as well as abortion and contraception. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 338 Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar; and one course from among the following: P hilosophy, Religion, Core Curriculum (CC101 and/or CC102) - A thematic introduction to mysticism and philosophy, with a focus on the dynamics of religious experience. Readings will be drawn from medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy; Sufi mysticism and philosophy; Kabbalah, Sufi poetry, Hebrew poetry from the Golden Age of Muslim Spain. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS RN 364 Buddhist Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
What do Buddhist texts seek to do, and how do they do it' How are Buddhist texts deployed to engender personal and social transformation' Focusing on works from Indian, Tibetan, and Euro-American Buddhist traditions, we will explore these questions through varied literary genre, including Pāli folktales, Sanskrit poetry. canonical discourses, autobiography and contemporary socially engaged Buddhist writings. Particular attention will be given to the shifting valuation of embodiment in varied Buddhist works. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 396 Philosophy of Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry I
Critical investigation of the limits of human knowledge and the theoretical and practical demands for meaning attached to notions of God, providence, immortality, and other metaphysical conditions of human thriving, from Plato to modern philosophies of religion. Effective Spring 2022 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 397 Topics in Philosophy and Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Topic for Fall 2024: Why are we here' Alongside philosophers and religious thinkers, this course explores different versions of this question. Why are we here reading and talking' Why are we at BU' Why are we here at all' Does life have some meaning' Effective Fall 2021, 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.
CAS RN 420 Maimonides
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A study of major aspects of the thought of Maimonides. Primary focus on the Guide of the Perplexed, with attention to its modern reception in works by Baruch Spinoza, Hermann Cohen, Leo Strauss, and others. Also offered as CAS PH 409. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS RN 452 Topics in Religious Thought
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASWR 120 or equivalent and one course from among the following: Religion, Philosophy, Core Curriculum (CASCC 101 and/or CC 102). - Topic for Spring 2025: Happiness, East and West. What is happiness' How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life' Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary studies on happiness and mindfulness. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS RN 638 Philosophy and Mysticism: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
A thematic introduction to mysticism and philosophy, with a focus on the dynamics of religious experience. Readings will be drawn from medieval Jewish and Islamic philosophy; Sufi mysticism and philosophy; Kabbalah, Sufi poetry, Hebrew poetry from the Golden Age of Muslim Spain. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS RN 664 Buddhist Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
What do Buddhist texts seek to do, and how do they do it' How are Buddhist texts deployed to engender personal and social transformation' Focusing on works from Indian, Tibetan, and Euro-American Buddhist traditions, we will explore these questions through varied literary genre, including Pāli folktales, Sanskrit poetry. canonical discourses, autobiography and contemporary socially engaged Buddhist writings. Particular attention will be given to the shifting valuation of embodiment in varied Buddhist works. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 695 Topics in Philosophy and Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry I
PHIL RELIGION
CAS RN 697 Topics in Philosophy and Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Topic for Fall 2023: Why are we here' Alongside philosophers and religious thinkers, this course explores different versions of this question. Why are we here reading and talking' Why are we at BU' Why are we here at all' Does life have some meaning' Effective Fall 2023, 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.Topic for Fall 2024: Why are we here' Alongside philosophers and religious thinkers, this course explores different versions of this question. Why are we here reading and talking' Why are we at BU' Why are we here at all' Does life have some meaning' Effective Fall 2021, 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.
CAS RN 720 Maimonides
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Oral and/or Signed Communication Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A study of major aspects of the thought of Maimonides. Primary focus on the Guide of the Perplexed, with attention to its modern reception in works by Baruch Spinoza, Hermann Cohen, Leo Strauss, and others. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS RN 752 Topics in Religious Thought
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASWR 120 or equivalent and one course from among the following: Religion, Philosophy, Core Curriculum (CASCC 101 and/or CC 102). - Topic for Spring 2025: Happiness, East and West. What is happiness' How can we achieve a balanced, healthy, fulfilling life' Classical thinkers such as Aristotle, Plato, Chuang Tzu; Stoic, Confucian, Buddhist paths; comparison with contemporary studies on happiness and mindfulness. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS WS 101 Gender and Sexuality: An Interdisciplinary Introduction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry I
This course is the introduction to women's, gender, and sexuality studies, that considers the origins, diversity, and expression of sex and gender. Topics include the evolutionary origin of sexes; evolution, development, and social construction of sex, gender, and sexuality; sexual difference, similarities and diversity in gendered bodies, brains, and behavior. This interdisciplinary introduction is the foundation for the minor in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 396 Philosophy of Gender and Sexuality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Analyzes gender and sexuality from an intersectional perspective. Focus on metaphysics, epistemology, and semantics to understand gender and sexuality as they exist within interlocking systems of oppression including racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, and fatphobia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 420 Queer Theory
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Surveys major texts and arguments in queer theory from Butler's Gender Trouble to contemporary discussions of cisnormativity, homonationalism, affect, pinkwashing, crip theory, and queer-of-color critique. Explores different uses of queer theory in legal debates, literary analysis, and cultural criticism. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 480 Japanese Women Writers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Classic texts by Japanese women, including the "Tale of Genji" and "The Pillow Book," and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 594 Advanced Feminist Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course explores themes in advanced feminist theory. Specific themes vary by semester. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS XL 261 Rome and the Chinese World
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explore the cultural and intellectual worlds of ancient Rome and ancient East Asia (including China, Korea, and Japan), comparing world views, ethical values, political dynamics, and social functions of literature in these great Eurasian civilizations. Includes creative and performative assignments. Effective Fall 2021, 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS XL 284 War in Arab Literature and Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How do Arab writers and filmmakers depict the region’s defining wars? Comparison to nonfiction and to artworks by Israeli and American artists from the "other side." All readings in English; knowledge of Arabic or Middle Eastern history is welcome, but none is assumed. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS XL 325 Global Modernist Fiction
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A comparative study of five modernist authors from different world cultures: Faulkner, Kafka, Chang, Rushdie, and Murakami. Examines experiments in narrative technique as differently situated responses to the major events and legacy of the twentieth century. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS XL 420 Queer Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Surveys major texts and arguments in queer theory from Butler's Gender Trouble to contemporary discussions of cisnormativity, homonationalism, affect, pinkwashing, crip theory, and queer-of-color critique. Explores different uses of queer theory in legal debates, literary analysis, and cultural criticism. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS XL 525 Judith Butler
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate prerequisites: two previous XL, WS, or PH courses; or consent of instructor. Graduate prerequisites: graduate standing. - An intensive study of Judith Butler's philosophical thought and social theory from the 1990s to the present, with an emphasis on the continuities and discontinuities between Butler's early work on gender performativity and more recent writings on racial justice, war, and violence. Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, The Individual in Community .
CAS XL 530 Marxist Cultural Criticism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to Marxist cultural criticism that examines the transformation of concepts in classic Marxism (Marx, Lukacs, Althusser, Adorno, and Gramsci) into contemporary debates about race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, modernity, and language (Said, Zizek, Spivak, and others). Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CFA AR 508 The Experimental Photograph
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
This course brings together the STEM disciplines with the art of photography through hands on experiments and explorations of neuroscience, engineering, and new media. From pinhole photography to 3D printing, students will gain skills in historical processes within the medium of photography as well as current technologies. Readings from both the natural sciences and critical theory will also be required. The interdisciplinary approach to the course aims to broaden students' understanding of the medium of photography and to appreciate an expanded view of the arts and sciences. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CFA AR 545 Performative Text and Design
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Intersections of text, design, performance, publishing, and activism. Examinations of techniques, forms, media, and theoretical ideas--asking about the political potential of such practices. Students develop an interdisciplinary approach to thinking about the form a text might take as a spatial appearance (page or environment), through materials (costume, flags) or how it might be used as a performative object. Themes include: labour, liveness and documentation, ephemeral vs. permanent, alternative publishing, activist archiving. Lectures, project based, field trips, and studio visits. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA FA 100 Doing, Making & Knowing: The CFA Experience
2 credits. Fall
Through collaborative projects, visiting artists and inspiring conversations, the course is an experiential and comprehensive introduction to the full scope of artistic endeavors housed within the College of Fine Arts. The following will be explored: When did I, the practitioner, embrace the experience of joy as an individual and as an artist' How do I, the practitioner, fit within the community of the arts' How do different disciplines of the arts think and respond' How do we collectively as artists observe, listen and physically respond' How do we collaborate and integrate our artistic voice. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CFA ME 203 Introduction to Music Teaching and Learning
2 credits. Fall and Spring
Development of a personal orientation to music teaching and learning through course readings, discussions, observations of varied music teaching contexts, and peer teaching experiences. Critical exploration of contemporary music education practices. Includes an exploration of music teacher identity and an overview of the historical, philosophical, psychological, and sociological foundations of music education. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CFA TH 508E CONTEMP BR THEA
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
CONTEMP BR THEA
CGS HU 201 History of Ethics
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A rigorous course in the history of ethical thought from the ancient world through the nineteenth century. The course also includes selected films and literary works that embody philosophical ideas and ethical dilemmas. Primary texts are used throughout. 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.
CGS HU 201E HIS WEST ETH I
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
HIS WEST ETH 1
CGS HU 202 Modern and Applied Ethics
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The course focuses on the application of philosophical ideas to various areas of modern life, such as politics, science, business, personal development, education, and religious faith. 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CGS HU 450 Giving Well
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Giving Well is a class that explores the theory and practice of impactful charity. Students will read influential texts on philanthropy and apply ideas from these texts as they evaluate the effectiveness of existing charities. The course is supported by a grant from the Philanthropy Lab, and it culminates with the disbursement of potentially upwards of $50,000 to causes selected by students. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, The Individual in Community, Ethical Reasoning.
CGS IN 306 Shakespeare's Ethics
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
What can great literature teach us about the ethical life' Can the arts teach sympathy or empathy for the unfamiliar' Can stepping into the shoes of a character from dramatic literature help us both deepen our sense of what it means to be human and how to lead a good life (be a morally upstanding citizen)' In what ways can art model ethical performance' This course will explore five of Shakespeare's plays with an emphasis on discovering and analyzing Shakespeare's ethical ideas. We will assess the thinking of philosophers who influenced Shakespeare. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
COM CM 334E Advertising in the U.K.
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Examines the structure and organization of the United Kingdom mass media from a commercial and business perspective. In particular, terrestrial and satellite TV, billboard and transport, newspapers and magazines, and radio and film are examined in a practical advertising context.
COM FT 345 Australian Cinema
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to Australian cinema by examining the relationship between Australian social history, cultural history, art history, and cinema. In order to understand the "national" nature of Australian films, the course addresses two periods of film production: the first wave from the late 1910s, '20s, and '30s; and the restructuring of the film industry with the so-called new wave of the 1970s and '80s. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
COM FT 345E Australian Cinema
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to Australian cinema by examining the relationship between Australian social history, cultural history, art history, and cinema. In order to understand the "national" nature of Australian films, the course addresses two periods of film production: the first wave from the late 1910s, '20s, and '30s; and the restructuring of the film industry with the so-called new wave of the 1970s and '80s.
ENG BE 400 Undergraduate Special Topics in Biomedical Engineering
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA226) - Globally more than a 100 million people are forcibly displaced from their homes due to conflict, climate change and persecution. Health challenges faced by these displaced persons are complex and multi-faceted. This course will focus on understanding the health challenges of forcibly displaced persons, identifying why existing solutions may not work, and designing robust, effective and context appropriate solutions for these settings. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
HUB IC 209 Interdisciplinary Introduction to Forced Displacement
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Social Inquiry I
Over 120 million people have been displaced from their homes by war and persecution, creating a protracted humanitarian disaster. This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to this subject by exploring such questions as: What disciplines and methodologies will help us understand this global challenge? Who should bear responsibility for the welfare of refugees? What is our ethical responsibility to those who are displaced, and how do we write, research, and study others ethically? Do we believe in a basic human right to mobility and the search for “the good life”? How does forced displacement impact our understanding of home, identity, and belonging? Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry 1.
KHC AH 103 Experimental Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This seminar investigates how visual and performance artists have wildly expanded our definition of what art is, including an exploration of new techniques, theories, markets, and political implications of art in the 20th and 21st centuries. How Does Art Happen' Who Is Art For' How Do You Make Art History' We will consider artists that challenged viewers' and philosophers' ideas about what makes something a work of art. These experimental artworks brought new people into the story of art history, expanding our understanding of who can be an artist (all of us). Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC AN 106 Scientists in Society
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Scientific Inquiry I
Understanding the nature of science and the role of the scientist in society is critically important in an increasingly technologically driven and interconnected world. Through an examination of the work of 5 impactful scientists and their interactions with prevailing institutions and societal norms, we will explore the fundamental nature of science and how individual scientists have navigated unique challenges created by their work. We will examine the work and controversies that surrounded:
Galileo Galilei and Church authorities in the 1600¿s
Alan Turing and the British Government post WWII
Percy Lavon Julian and higher education in the US in the 1900¿s
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier and the battles over credit and patent rights for CRISPR-9 technology
Antony Fauci and his leadership role in the nation¿s public health during COVID-19
Through a combination of assigned readings, lectures and interactive classroom discussions, students will explore the scientific achievements of each person(s) and then explore their broader circumstances and interactions with society. Using this knowledge students will consider and reflect on the nature of scientific contributions and important societal institutions and norms.
Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Critical Thinking, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Scientific Inquiry I.
KHC EN 102 Ancient and Modern Quarrels: Fiction and Philosophy Since 1900
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The "ancient quarrel" between literature and philosophy. Ancient works by Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle; existentialist writing by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, De Beauvoir, Ellison; contemporaries such as Sontag, Robinson, Coetzee. What good is art and narrative' What are their powers, limits, dangers' Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
KHC HC 501 People in Process: Lives & Works
2 credits. Fall and Spring
Students discuss case studies that highlight the impact of innovative research on culture and examine the major challenges that face our society, from access to higher education to health care to race and gender in the workplace. The course also supports students ongoing work on their senior projects. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following Hub area: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
KHC IR 104 The Ethics of War and Political Violence
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This course surveys key debates in the ethics of war and political violence. When, if ever, is resorting to war justifiable' How should wars be fought' Are these two questions at all interrelated' Does it even make sense to speak of the ethics of war and political violence' Are arguments for pacifism or nonviolence, for example, more compelling' Are these hopelessly political questions, unsuitable for ethical consideration' Throughout this course, we will study a range of perspectives on these issues¿many of which have informed international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions. In the process, we will also address topical debates in international ethics, including the ethics of self-defense and preemptive war; humanitarian intervention and the responsibility to protect; combatant liability and noncombatant immunity; ¿proportionality¿ in collateral damage; guerrilla warfare and terrorism; and more. Course materials draw widely from political philosophy, international law, literature, and film. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Critical Thinking, , Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
KHC PH 105 Speech and Freedom
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
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 103 Democracy and Capitalism in the United States
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
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 RH 104 The Pursuit of Happiness
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
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 UC 104 The Ethics of Food
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Choices about what food to eat pervade our everyday lives. This course explores the ethics of such choices. We'll examine arguments for vegetarian and vegan diets, for eating organic, for eating local, and for restricting oneself to only humanely raised and slaughtered meat. 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.
KHC UC 105 Liberty, Fanaticism & Censorship
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
From Socrates's execution for speech that 'corrupted the youth' and Jesus's crucifixion for claims that threatened empire to today's debates about cancel culture, disinformation, and social media censorship, questions about free speech and its political, ethical, and religious consequences have been central to western history. This course examines some of the enduring issues animating these questions with an eye to their ongoing significance. 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.
KHC UC 106 Biomedical Enhancement and the Future of Human Nature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Biomedical technologies are increasingly being used to enhance the biological, cognitive, and psychological capacities of otherwise healthy human beings. Although the enhancement enterprise aims to increase levels of human wellbeing, it also raises a host of ethical concerns, such as worries that it will exacerbate inequality, undermine authenticity, devalue diversity, or even pose an existential threat to the human species. This course will survey the ethics of biomedical enhancements carried out through the administration of drugs, genetic modifications, and human-machine interfaces. 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.
KHC UC 107 Sexual Ethics
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Ethical Reasoning Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Sexual activity has attracted a bewildering range of preoccupations. These shifting concerns raise questions about what ¿sex¿ means, how it becomes ethically problematic, and how it might still matter to our lives. We will pursue these questions through current debates around sexual identity, monogamy, polyamory, sexual violence, sex work, pornography, and erotic desires across the stages of a human life. You will be encouraged to use the course material to clarify and refine your own ethical reasoning about sex. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
WED DE 372 Social Psychology and the Deaf World
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This courses explores the psychological, sociological, and educational constructions of Deaf people and how cultural, social, and medical models contribute to our perceptions about social arrangements, "bodies," and the politics of difference. We will use ideas from a host of disciplines, events, and experiences to illuminate how many of the issues related to the Deaf World are universal, human issues. Finally, we will hope to arrive at conclusions that showcase how studying the Deaf World can have many important implications for understanding human development. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Social Inquiry I.
WED ED 110 Introduction to Education
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This exploratory course introduces students to the profession of teaching through discussions and a field experience at a local school. From this experience, students begin to cultivate a reflective stance toward themselves, curriculum, schools, and society. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings and, The Individual in Community.
WED ED 200 Introduction to Justice-Based Education
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More The Individual in Community Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - This exploratory course introduces students to a critical history of schooling in America and the extent to which various philosophies of education can work (and have worked) in service of or in opposition to democratic and justice- oriented ends. Students will begin to cultivate a critically reflective stance toward classroom experiences, educational policies, their identities, and the intersection among them. This course requires 4 hours of field-based experience. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, The Individual in Community, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
Aesthetic Exploration
CAS AA 114 Kongo to Cuba: Art, Exchange, and Self-Determination in Africa and Latin America
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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 132 Write Back Soon: Blackness and the Prison
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
This course interrogates the theme of black containment from slavery and Jim Crow to, principally, mass incarceration. Students explore the topic alongside the development of open letter writing skills. This form explores the persuasive impact of personal relationships and the politics of public vulnerabilities. Readings include letters to and from prison, documentaries, poetry, short stories, anthologies, memoirs, comics, visual art, and critical interventions. We also look at contemporary projects organizing for abolition and prisoner support.. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS AA 210 American Minstrelsy
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - An American entertainment historically rooted in commodified performance of "blackness", this course engages with the complicated history of minstrelsy as both a racist and progressive art form. Course material surveys the minstrel tradition and its influence on popular entertainment. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 215 Arts of Africa and Its Diaspora
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Exploration of a diversity of visual and performing arts from Africa, including royal regalia, masquerades, and contemporary painting. Examines how the dispersal of Africans, due to the transatlantic slave trade and immigration, contributed to the cultural richness of the Americas. 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.
CAS AA 221 Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 294 Religion and Black Popular Music
4 credits. Spring
Students explore the interplay of religious themes and Black music through social and political theory. They analyze how these themes shape behavior and examine the cultural significance of notable works, fostering a deeper understanding of cultural influences and artistic expression. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AA 294S Religion and Black Popular Music
4 credits. Summer
Students explore the interplay of religious themes and Black music through social and political theory. They analyze how these themes shape behavior and examine the cultural significance of notable works, fostering a deeper understanding of cultural influences and artistic expression. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AA 296 Religion and Hip Hop
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Uses digital media studies to explore diverse religious expressions in hip hop culture. Through critical reading, community field trips, and hands-on technology usage, students consider an often overlooked element in the study of hip hop culture: religion. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AA 410 The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
4 credits.
Students engage with hip hop history, including aesthetic trends, some important artists and works, regional styles, and relationship with the larger sociocultural context. Students will critique and remake hip hop canons. They will identify how hip hop is shaped by race, class, and gender issues and reflect on their own positionality. They will acquire and apply listening, viewing, and reading skills to interpret primary and secondary sources and bring their analyses of these sources to bear. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 411 Race, Memory, and Diaspora in US Popular Music
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Examines selected popular and vernacular musical cultures in the U.S. within a broad historical, political, and economic context; how global musical practices brought by people to the U.S. have been shaped by the unique space of the nation; and how these styles are the product of interracial and intercultural dialogues, struggles, and negotiation processes that continue to produce new hybrid forms. Will develop ability to hear and appreciate entanglements that immerse music-making within competing interests and sensibilities, using key concepts on race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 430 Black American Cinema
4 credits.
A survey of important genres and movements in the history of Black American cinema, with possible focus on race films, civil rights dramas, horror and Blaxploitation films, postcolonial cinema, the LA Rebellion school, Black independent film, afrofuturism, and/or more. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AA 477 Critical Studies: Black Diaspora Theory and Practice
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Explore "diaspora" as a keyword for black studies, intervene in the term's emergence, usage, and many theorizations. Beginning with Paul Gilroy's take on diasporic culture and consciousness, course goes on to complicate/extend/challenge through lens of black gender and sexuality studies. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS AA 630 Black American Cinema
4 credits.
A survey of important genres and movements in the history of Black American cinema, with possible focus on race films, civil rights dramas, horror and Blaxploitation films, postcolonial cinema, the LA Rebellion school, Black independent film, afrofuturism, and/or more. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AA 677 Critical Studies: Black Diaspora Theory and Practice
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Explore "diaspora" as a keyword for black studies, intervene in the term's emergence, usage, and many theorizations. Beginning with Paul Gilroy's take on diasporic culture and consciousness, course goes on to complicate/extend/challenge through lens of black gender and sexuality studies. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 111 Pyramids to Cathedrals: An Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Art
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
A chronological examination of the fundamentals of art and architectural history, this course introduces students to major monuments and works of art from antiquity to the middle ages in their social, religious and historical contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AH 111S Pyramids to Cathedrals: An Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Art
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
A chronological examination of the fundamentals of art and architectural history, this course introduces students to major monuments and works of art from antiquity to the middle ages in their social, religious and historical contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AH 112 Introduction to Art in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post- Modernism
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Major monuments and artists in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post-Modernism. Sequential development of major styles in architecture, sculpture, painting, and photography. Relationship of visual art to social and cultural forces. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 112S Introduction to Art in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post- Modernism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Major monuments and artists in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post-Modernism. Sequential development of major styles in architecture, sculpture, painting, and photography. Relationship of visual art to social and cultural forces. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 113 Arts and Monuments of Asia
4 credits.
An introduction to the art and architecture of Asia from the earliest times to the present. Course addresses not only important cultural monuments but also portable art objects within museum collections. Course examines a wide range of media, including ink painting, ceramics, textiles, photography, as well as major architectural projects, monuments, and built environments. It aims to challenge and rethink monolithic definitions of "Asian art" by allowing students to understand the complex and sophisticated processes of interregional and global cultural exchange. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AH 114 Kongo to Cuba: Art, Exchange, and Self-Determination in Africa and Latin America
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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 AH 114S Kongo to Cuba: Art, Exchange, and Self-Determination in Africa and Latin America
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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 AH 201 Understanding Architecture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Introduces a range of approaches to understanding architecture in an historical perspective. Learn how architects and others have imagined buildings, landscapes, and cities in relation to politics, society, nature, history, and technology, focused upon European and American architecture from 1400 to the present. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 201S Understanding Architecture
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Introduces a range of approaches to understanding architecture in an historical perspective. Learn how architects and others have imagined buildings, landscapes, and cities in relation to politics, society, nature, history, and technology, focused upon European and American architecture from 1400 to the present. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 210 Learning to See
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Strengthens your ability to describe and analyze the visual world. From fundamentals such as color and composition to the design of advertisements, propaganda, and appliances. A lab component provides opportunities for direct engagement with objects, images, and the built environment. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 210S Learning to See
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Strengthens students' ability to describe and analyze the visual world. From fundamentals such as color and composition to the design of advertisements, propaganda, and appliances. A lab component provides opportunities for direct engagement with objects, images, and the built environment. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 215 Arts of Africa and Its Diaspora
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Exploration of a diversity of visual and performing arts from Africa, including royal regalia, masquerades, and contemporary painting. Examines how the dispersal of Africans, due to the transatlantic slave trade and immigration, contributed to the cultural richness of the Americas. 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. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS AH 220 Islamic Art and Architecture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Examines key monuments of Islamic art and architecture within their historical and cultural context, and emphasizes the diversity within the visual cultures of the Islamic world. 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, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 220S Islamic Art and Architecture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Examines key monuments of Islamic art and architecture within their historical and cultural context, and emphasizes the diversity within the visual cultures of the Islamic world. 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, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 225 The Arts of Asia
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Surveys of the major artistic traditions of Asia. Important monuments are examined analytically in order to explain why certain forms and styles are characteristic of specific times and places, and how these monuments functioned in their cultural contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 225S The Arts of Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Surveys of the major artistic traditions of Asia. Important monuments are examined analytically in order to explain why certain forms and styles are characteristic of specific times and places, and how these monuments functioned in their cultural contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The technology, economy, social life, political organization, religions, art, and architecture of Egypt from Predynastic times through the Hellenistic period, based on archaeological and historical sources. Emphasis on the period of the pharaohs (ca. 3000-323 BCE). Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Also offered as CAS AR 232. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 233 The Arts of Greece
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Greek architecture, painting, sculpture, and other arts. Topics include: Greek perceptions of the world, the rise of monumental art and architecture, uses of color, period and individual styles. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 233S The Arts of Greece
4 credits. Summer
Greek architecture, painting, sculpture, and other arts. Topics include: Greek perceptions of the world, the rise of monumental art and architecture, uses of color, period and individual styles. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 240 Medieval Art in Europe
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course covers roughly one thousand years of art and architecture in Europe, Western Asia, and the Mediterranean from the Late Roman Era to the Renaissance. A broad range of media from stained glass to sculpture, gem encrusted metalwork, mosaics, ivories, manuscript illumination, lavish textiles, and other types of visual culture are examined. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 242 Latin American Art Since Contact
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Course surveys Latin American art from the colonial period to present and relates it to imperial, state, institutional, and private agendas. Course interrogates both notions of art within colonial / neo-colonial contexts and changing roles of artists over past half-millennia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 242S Latin American Art Since Contact
4 credits. Summer
Surveys Latin American art from the colonial period to present and relates it to imperial, state, institutional, and private agendas. Interrogates both notions of art within colonial/neo-colonial contexts and the changing roles of artists over the past half-millennia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 257 Renaissance Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Survey of the arts in the Renaissance in Italy from the communes of the early fifteenth century to the courts of the sixteenth century. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 257E Renaissance Art
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Survey of the arts in the Renaissance in Italy from the communes of the early fifteenth century to the courts of the sixteenth century.
Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 257S Renaissance Art
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Survey of the arts in the Renaissance in Italy from the communes of the early fifteenth century to the courts of the sixteenth century. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 258E The Spaces of Art: from Velazquez to the Private Gallery in Spain
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS AH 284 Arts in America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
A survey of art and visual culture made in North America between the early colonial period and World War I, exploring the ways that painters, sculptors, photographers, and graphic artists navigated major aesthetic debates, political conflicts, and economic crises. 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, Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 308E Switzerland: Art and Architecture
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Geneva Internship Program. - Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area:
Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AH 320E British Arts in the Twentieth Century
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Considers painting, sculpture, and performing arts from the turn of the century to the present. Examines impact of European modernism. Surveys art of World War I, the Festival of Britain after World War II, and the impact of American painting in the postwar years.
CAS AH 325 Art, Media, and Buddhism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expression have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and re-contextualized in the West. Topics include: self- immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 326 Arts of Japan
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
The arts of Japan, from prehistory to the twentieth century. Lectures intend to cover a broad range of media (painting, sculpture, ceramics, prints) and building types (temples, palaces, castles, teahouses). Special attention is paid to major projects integrating multiple forms. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 327 Arts of China
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Explores major works of Chinese art, from bronze vessels, Buddhist caves, ink painting, to contemporary performance. Addresses topics such as constructions of monumentality, cultural exchange, displays of power, literati identity, feminine space, and quests for modernization. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 333 Arts of Classical Greece
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Examines architecture, sculpture, painting, and metalwork of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in their original contexts. Addresses such larger issues as development of portraiture; tension of "real" and "ideal"; roles and shifting iconographies of myth; and political use of monuments. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 349E Art Renaissance Padua
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Padua Italian & European Studies Program.
CAS AH 352 Venetian Renaissance Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
A study of art and architecture in Renaissance Venice with focus on the "Myth of Venice," Byzantinne heritage, introduction of the oil medium, Scuole, and the work of the Bellini, Giorgione, Titian, Palladio, Veronese, and Tintoretto. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AH 353 Italian Renaissance Architecture and Theory
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Italian Renaissance architecture and architectural theory from 1400 to 1600. Emphasis on individual buildings and urban planning in Rome, Florence, and Venice, and on treatises by Alberti, Serlio, and Palladio. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS AH 354E Italian Art and Architecture
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - VENETN ART/ARCH
CAS AH 356E FRENCH Art & Architecture
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Paris Internship Program. - MOD ART PARIS
CAS AH 361 Southern Baroque Art
4 credits.
Explores transformations in painting, sculpture, and architecture of late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Italy, Spain, and France. Topics include: crisis of the religious image and Counter-Reformation; arts in service of a rejuvenated, triumphant Catholic faith; papal nepotism and patronage. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 364E Art & Architecture Madrid
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Madrid Spanish & European Studies Program. - ART&ARCH MADRID
CAS AH 365 Baroque Arts in Northern Europe
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the vibrant artistic culture of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the northern and southern Netherlands, corresponding roughly to present-day Holland and Belgium. Emphasis on major artists such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Frans Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Visits to the MFA's Center for Netherlandish Art.. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 368 Graffiti, Street Art, and Independent Interventions in Public Space in Madrid
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to graffiti and street art through case studies in Madrid. Combines contextual and aesthetic analysis with hands-on activities. Focus on artistic interventions in public spaces through the lenses of activism, the right to the city, and public space management. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS AH 368E Graffiti, Street Art, and Independent Interventions in Public Space in Madrid
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in BU's Study Abroad program. - Introduction to graffiti and street art through case studies in Madrid. Combines contextual and aesthetic analysis with hands-on activities. Focus on artistic interventions in public spaces through the lenses of activism, the right to the city, and public space management. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS AH 369 American Folk Art
4 credits.
Explores the objects that collectors and museums identify as "American Folk Art." Examines how this label developed throughout the twentieth century; familiarizes students with major collections and genres including painting, sculpture, textiles, and other media. Also offered as CAS AM 369. Effective Spring 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 374E Australian Art and Architecture
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examines the complexity of Australian artistic life and cultural tradition over the past two centuries. Considers both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal art, with particular focus on different media and art forms.
CAS AH 379 American Art and Culture in the Nineteenth Century
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the visual arts of painting, sculpture, photography, and popular media, through their interplay with persistent political and social questions that defined nineteenth-century America and continue to shape life in the twenty-first century. Themes include heroes, citizenship, war, imperialism, cosmopolitanism, consumerism. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 380 The Age of Napoleon
4 credits. Fall and Spring
In-depth exploration of art in the age of revolution, nationalism, colonial expansion, and religious revival. Development of new attitudes toward history, nature, and the imagination in the work of Friedrich, Goya, Delacroix, Gericault, Ingres, Turner, Constable, Blake, and others. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 381E London Architecture and Urbanism
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Explores the evolution of urban form in London from the walled town of the Middle Ages to the modern city, discussing town planning and architecture in relation to urban, economic, and cultural history, and to the other arts.
CAS AH 383E Architecture of Paris
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London and Paris Art & Architecture program. - PARIS ARCH&URBN
CAS AH 386 Modern American Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This class explores the diverse and contested field of modern art in the United States, examining the broad range of artists and art practices that laid claim to aesthetic modernism in the years between 1890 and 1945. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 386S Modern American Art
4 credits.
Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 388E British Painting from Holbein to the Twentieth Century
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
A survey of painting in Britain from the Reformation to 1914. Emphasis on the cultural context of art in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The development of portraiture, landscape, genre, and history painting is discussed.
CAS AH 389S The Age of Impressionism
4 credits.
Impressionism, its sources, and its aftermath: from the painting of modern life and leisure by Manet, Monet, Morisot, Renoir, and Degas to the evocation of spirituality, pain, and desire in the work of Van Gogh, Gauguin, Rodin, and Munch. Effective summer 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 391 Twentieth-Century Art to 1940
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
A study of the key tendencies in European art between the 1880s and World War II. The work of van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Dali, and their contemporaries is examined in relation to major issues in European culture and politics. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 392 Twentieth Century Art from 1940 to 1980
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores major currents in art produced around the world during the tumultuous middle decades of the 20th century. The following topics, among others, are examined in relation to postwar culture and Cold War politics: realism vs. abstraction, global pop art and conceptual art, new materials and technologies, international artists' networks, and performative art practices. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 393 Contemporary Art: 1980 to Now
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the terms of debate, key figures, and primary sites for the production and reception of contemporary art on a global scale since 1980. Painting, installation art, new media, performance, art criticism, and curatorial practice are discussed. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 393S Contemporary Art: 1980 to Now
4 credits.
Explores the terms of debate, key figures, and primary sites for the production and reception of contemporary art on a global scale since 1980. Painting, installation art, new media, performance, art criticism, and curatorial practice are discussed. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 395 History of Photography
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
An introduction to the study of photographs. The history of the medium in Europe and America from its invention in 1839 to the present. After lectures on photographic theory and methodology, photographs are studied both as art objects and as historical artifacts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 395S History of Photography
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
An introduction to the study of photographs. The history of the medium in Europe and America from its invention in 1839 to the present. After lectures on photographic theory and methodology, photographs are studied both as art objects and as historical artifacts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 399 History and Theory of Landscape Architecture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores man's relationship with nature by a study of selected built environments from antiquity to the present. Focus on both the private garden and the public park--here considered as works of art--and their changing forms, meaning, and interpretations. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AH 411E Writing, Art, & Society
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Internship program and junior standing, or c onsent of instructor. - WRTNG ART&SOCTY
CAS AH 495 Seminar: Twentieth Century Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Oral and/or Signed Communication Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAH111 & CASAH112) and two courses at the 200 level or higher, or consent of the instruct or. - Examines major artists and artistic currents of the twentieth century. Topics vary each year. Some background in the history of modern art is recommended. Topic for Fall 2020: Picasso. Explores more than eight decades of incessant art making by Pablo Picasso. How his friends, his lovers, and his preoccupation with eroticism and death affected his imagery. Students master fundamental currents of European Modernism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 495S Seminar: Critical Issues in Painting Since 1945
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Oral and/or Signed Communication Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAH111 & CASAH112) and two courses at the 200 level or higher, or consent of the instruct or. - Topic for Summer I 2011: Critical Issues in Painting since 1945. Explores major trends (Abstract Expressionism, Informel, Pop, Neo-Expressionism) and key figures (Picasso, Pollock, Rauschenberg, Warhol, Salle) in painting since WWII. Considers painting's moments of decline and revival in relation to social, political, and economic developments.
CAS AH 507 Digital Curation: Towards National Parks: Art and Nature, Nature and Nation
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Prerequisite: CASAH 112, or at least one course on art or literature in Europe/US 1300-1750 or 1750-present. - Before national parks, wild locations attracted artists, photographers and poets. Their works made these areas known to tourist-viewers. Prepare a digital exhibition and map artist- advocates as they explored mountains, forests and waterfalls. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AH 727 Colloquium in Chinese Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Graduate Corequisites: (GRSAH728) - (Students must also register for required co-req GRS AH 728.) This graduate-level colloquium will critically examine issues of Chinese art covered in AH327 Arts of China. Special attention will be given to recent scholarship that engages with Chinese art in a greater socio-cultural context. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy. Must attend MWF section with AH327.
CAS AN 308 Food in Place(s): Identity, Location, and the Cultures of Taste
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores historical and cultural ecologies of foodways. Field trips focus on history, immigration, and taste identity in Boston¿s neighborhoods. Main text: Wurgaft and White, Ways of Eating: Exploring Food through History and Culture. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS AN 308S Food in Place(s): Identity, Location, and the Cultures of Taste
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores historical and cultural ecologies of foodways. Field trips focus on history, immigration, and taste identity in Boston¿s neighborhoods. Main text: Wurgaft and White, Ways of Eating: Exploring Food through History and Culture. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course
CAS AN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AN 375E CULT&SOCOFSASIA
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
CLTR/RN S.ASIA
CAS AN 397 Anthropology and Film: Ways of Seeing
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Considers the history and development of anthropological, ethnographic, and transcultural filmmaking. In- depth examination of important anthropological films in terms of methodologies, techniques, and strategies of expression; story, editing, narration, themes, style, content, art, and aesthetics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 708 Food in Place(s): Identity, Location, and Cultures of Taste
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores historical and cultural ecologies of foodways. Field trips focus on history, immigration and taste identity in Boston¿s neighborhoods. Main text: Wurgaft and White, Ways of Eating: Exploring Food through History and Culture. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AN 708S Food in Place(s): Identity, Location, and Cultures of Taste
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Study of foodways, culinary social history, and diet and food ecology with special attention to Asian societies and Boston's food culture. Examines the use of food and cuisine as a focus for identity, national development, and social change.
CAS AN 775 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS AN 797 Anthropology and Film: Ways of Seeing
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Considers the history and development of anthropological, ethnographic, and transcultural filmmaking. In-depth examination of important anthropological films in terms of methodologies, techniques, and strategies of expression; story, editing, narration, themes, style, content, art, and aesthetics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The art, and architecture, political organization, social life, religion, economy and technology of ancient Egypt from prehistoric times through the Roman period, based on archaeological and historical sources. Emphasis on the period of the Pharaohs (ca. 3000 BC to ca. AD 300 BC). This course carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills one unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 240 Archaeology of Ancient China
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Examines the archaeology of ancient China from the Neolithic through the early imperial periods (7000 BCE to 3rd C. CE) the interactions of technology, art, literature with ancient political, religious, and social power; and cultural heritage issues in facing modern China. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AR 331 Early Greek Art and Architecture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Examines a critical formative stage in Greek art. Analyzes the rise of identifiable artists, the relationship of art to epic, the evolution of the architectural orders, and the formation of Greek style in monumental stone sculpture. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS AR 333 Arts of Classical Greece
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Examines architecture, sculpture, painting, and metalwork of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in their original contexts. Addresses such larger issues as development of portraiture; tension of "real" and "ideal"; roles and shifting iconographies of myth; and political use of monuments. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 435 Materiality and Religion in Late Antiquity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: prior coursework in archaeology or ancient religions, or consent of i nstructor. - Investigates material traces and contexts of religion in the Graeco-Roman world, including iconic, architectural, votive, magical, and other archaeological remains; and draws on theories of space, image, and ritual performance. Topics vary. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CC 101 Core Humanities I: Ancient Worlds
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation First-Year Writing Seminar
An interdisciplinary study of the origins of narrative, epic, tragedy, and philosophical thought including works from ancient Mesopotamia, the Hebrew Bible, and classical Greece. Focusing on close reading and effective writing, we consider the contrasting values of different cultures and explore the long-standing narrative and visual traditions motivated by creative readings and interpretations of these texts. A visit to the MFA Boston enables students to explore the rich interpretive visual traditions that follow these texts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, a First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120).
CAS CC 101S The Ancient World
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation First-Year Writing Seminar
Begins in the ancient Near East with the origins of Mesopotamian civilization and the Hebrew Bible. Continues with an overview of the beginning and development of Greek civilization and careful study of Homer, Greek tragedy, and Plato. Students also examine architecture and the visual arts, as well as the relation of beauty and mathematics, with a study of the Parthenon and its role in Athenian Imperialism. Students will be asked to listen to additional online lectures to augment class discussion. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, a First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120).
CAS CC 201 Core Humanities 3: Renaissance, Rediscovery, and Reformation
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing, Research, and Inquiry
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g. CASCC 101 or WR 120). Encountering works by Petrarch, Machiavelli, Montaigne, Cervantes, Shakespeare, Milton, Cavendish, and Descartes, we consider the revival and imitation of the classics and explore the formation of genre and the emergence of the self. A study of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and works by Rembrandt add a visual lens to our studies. A focus on writing and research complements our emphasis on authorship and source material. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing, Research, and Inquiry; Research and Information Literacy. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy, Writing, Research & Inquiry (e.g., WR 150).
CAS CG 105E BUPH SUM LNG
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
BUPH SUM LNG
CAS CG 106E BUPH SUM CLT
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
BUPH SUM CLT
CAS CG 357 Modern Greek Culture and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Introduction to Greek cultural, social, historical, political, economic, and religious issues through a range of films that have reflected and shaped contemporary Greek society. Entertainment, education, popular culture, propaganda, and identity- and nation-building practices as reflected in Greek cinema. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CG 357S MODGRKCLTR&FILM
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
MODGRKCLTR&FILM
CAS CG 359 Cavafy and History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
A study of the Modern Greek poet, Konstantinos Kavafis (Cavafy), addressing the historical background, themes, and settings of his works, which treat periods ranging from the Trojan War through the Hellenistic Period to Late Antiquity. Taught in English. Also offered as CAS CL 359. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS CI 101 History of Global Cinema 1: Origins through 1950s
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course provides an overview of film history in a number of different national traditions, from the origins of film through the 1950s. It covers the emergence of the key international film movements, alongside the economic and historical conditions that inform them. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 102 History of Global Cinema 2: 1960s to the Present
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course provides an overview of film history in a number of different national traditions, from the 1960s to the present. It covers the emergence of the key international film movements, alongside the economic and historical conditions that inform them. 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, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 128 Religion and Film
4 credits.
Religions and films are world-building engines. They create -- and re-create -- a visioning of society as a world of justice, of lived myth, of fantasy, of ideology: a world we may long to live in or a world we wish to avoid at all costs. This course explores such worlds by examining the ways in which religious beliefs, practices and people are portrayed in popular film from the 1960s to the present. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CI 200 Introduction to Film & Media Aesthetics
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression
Introduction to fundamental concepts for the analysis/understanding of film and media. Key concepts of formal composition (e.g. editing, mise-en-sc'ne, cinematography, sound and more) over a diverse set of media texts. Foundational skills in analysis appropriate to film, television and moving-image media. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 200S Introduction to Film & Media Aesthetics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression
Online offering. Introduction to fundamental concepts for the analysis and understanding of film and media. Key concepts of formal composition (e.g., editing, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and more) over a diverse set of media texts. Foundational skills in analysis appropriate to film, television, and moving-image media. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 201 Literature and the Art of Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Provides an overview of fundamental concepts for the analysis and understanding of film. Films are screened weekly and in conjunction with works of literature. Students must register for screening, discussion, and lecture. Also offered as CAS EN 175. 4 cr. either sem. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS CI 201S Literature and the Art of Film
4 credits. Summer
Provides an overview of fundamental concepts for the analysis and understanding of film. Films are screened in conjunction with works of literature. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS CI 255 The Myth of the Family in Classic American Literature, Film, and Television
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Blood bonds, criminality, violence, and language as they emerge across American cultural forms. Works include novels by Twain, Faulkner, Morrison, and Junot D¿az; films such as The Godfather and Boys Don't Cry; serial television such as Breaking Bad and The Wire. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
CAS CI 260 Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS CI 260S JPN CLT FILM ET
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
JPN CLT FILM ET
CAS CI 263 Philosophy and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This class provides an introduction philosophical and aesthetic issues connected with film. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 266 A Study of Italian Cinema from the 1940s to the Present
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Films by De Sica, Fellini, Benigni, Sorrentino and others tell the story of social and cultural development during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 268 Religion and Film
4 credits.
Religions and films are world-building engines. They create -- and re-create -- a visioning of society as a world of justice, of lived myth, of fantasy, of ideology: a world we may long to live in or a world we wish to avoid at all costs. This course explores such worlds by examining the ways in which religious beliefs, practices and people are portrayed in popular film from the 1960s to the present. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CI 270 Israeli Culture through Film (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on Israeli society; trials of women; war; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods. 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, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS CI 319 Disability and Queerness in Speculative Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course examines how LGBTQ2IA speculative fiction engages with disability and other intersecting frameworks of difference to present alternate, parallel, or invented worlds. This course provides opportunities for students to strengthen ethical reasoning, cultural analysis, and aesthetic exploration. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS CI 320 Weimar Cinema (taught in English)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
German silent and early sound films from Caligari to Hitler, viewed in the aesthetic context of contemporary and recent film theory and criticism and in the broader cultural context of the interwar Weimar Republic (1918--1933), with international points of comparison. Weekly screenings. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 321 Introduction to Brazilian Cinema
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
An overview of Brazilian cinema in the 60s, 70s and 80s, its discourse on revolution and marginality, as well as its connection to artistic, musical, and literary movements. Focus on the work of avant-garde filmmakers and younger generations. Also includes attention to Cuban cinema. Taught in English. Also offered as CAS LP 360. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS CI 325 Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema. Drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS CI 325S Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema by drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS CI 330 Film Genres & Movements
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
An intensive exploration of a particular cinematic genre or movement, paying special attention to how individual films respond to an existing traditions and to the historical and cultural contexts underpinning artistic change. How do genres grow and evolve across historical, cultural and institutional settings? How do particular cinematic movements respond to particular cultural challenges? Course content varies by semester. Topic for Fall 2025: Film Noir. A broad survey of one of the most stylish and influential genres. We watch important early examples of the genre before charting its baroque evolution into the late '40s and '50s and beyond, finally investigating the rise of international and contemporary neo-noir cinemas. Films by John Huston, Ida Lupino, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, Jacques Tourneur, Carl Franklin, Howard Hawks, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Akira Kurosawa, among others. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CI 352 Auteur Filmmaking
4 credits.
Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120). - Topic for Spring 2025: Section A1: Céline Sciamma & Sébastian Lifshitz. This course centers on the fiction films of Céline Sciamma and the documentaries of Sébastien Lifshitz, two contemporary French auteurs who explore themes of childhood, female adolescence, gender identity, and LGBTQ representation. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS CI 363 Screening Modern China (in English Translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Major Chinese films interpreted in light of modern Chinese history and culture. Focus on questions of national and cultural identity in films from the 1980s to the present day by directors from mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In English. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS CI 363S Screening Modern China (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Major Chinese films interpreted in light of modern Chinese history and culture. Focus on questions of national and cultural identity in films from the 1980s to the present day by directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In English. Students who have completed CAS LC 480 cannot take CAS LC 287 and vice versa. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS CI 365 Modern Korean Culture through Cinema (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to Korean Cinema from the early 20th century to the present. Discussion and essays on ethics of representation, colonialism, wars, state violence against citizens, psychological violence, sexual violence. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 367 Studies in Non-Cinematic Media
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
This course covers a range of aesthetic and cultural issues related to non- cinematic media, encompassing the study of photography, television, video art, video and online gaming, new media and more. Topics vary by semester. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CI 378 Modern Greek Culture and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Introduction to Greek cultural, social, historical, political, economic, and religious issues through a range of films that have reflected and shaped contemporary Greek society. Entertainment, education, popular culture, propaganda, and identity- and nation-building practices as reflected in Greek cinema. Also offered as CAS CG 357. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CI 378S Modern Greek Culture and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Introduction to Greek cultural, social, historical, political, economic, and religious issues through a range of films that have reflected and shaped contemporary Greek society. Entertainment, education, popular culture, propaganda, and identity- and nation-building practices as reflected in Greek cinema. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CI 380 Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film
4 credits. Fall
An exploration of representations of gender and identity in contemporary Middle Eastern films by male and female directors reflecting on the impact of modernization, globalization, war and trauma through different visual genres. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS CI 381 Modern India through Bollywood
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Explores the social history and culture of modern India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema, commonly called Bollywood. We analyze Bollywood films both as forms of art and as cultural texts, and examine how they reflect and interpret modern Indian society. Course readings focus on theoretical approaches to Hindi cinema, and also shed light on the larger historical and social context that surrounds it. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 383 Auteur Studies: Japan
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Topic for Spring 2023: Kurosawa Akira. Attention to Kurosawa's film style, global reception, and his complex reflections on Japanese history and the nature of cinema and art. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CI 386 Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
4 credits.
The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 395 Inhuman Films: Genders, Animals, Machines
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Digital/Multimedia Expression Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or 120). - This course explores what happens to the "human" at the intersection of feminist theory and cinematic representation. How and why do films assign humanity to some figures and withhold it from others on the basis of race, gender, "ability," etc.' Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS CI 430 Black American Cinema
4 credits.
A survey of important genres and movements in the history of Black American cinema, with possible focus on race films, civil rights dramas, horror and Blaxploitation films, postcolonial cinema, the LA Rebellion school, Black independent film, afrofuturism, and/or more. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS CI 445 On Screen: Italians in America
4 credits.
Italian Americans have long been represented in American film and television. What are these representations and how have they been received' How is Italian American identity constructed through these media' Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 470 Mexican Cinema on the World Stage
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Mexican history and culture through the lens of film. The course draws on film criticism and theory to approach the study of Mexican films as both historical artifacts and works of art and within the background of world cinema. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CI 480 Modern Chinese Literature & Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
A seminar on the major works of modern Chinese literature and cinema from the May Fourth period to the present, with a focus on close reading and visual analysis. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS CI 482 Cinema-Monde: Mapping French Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Spanning from the silent era to the present-day, this course reframes the key movements of French cinema through the lens of the global. Directors include Georges Melies, Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Chantal Ackerman, Agnes Varda, and the Dardenne brothers. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CI 551 Studies in Auteur Filmmaking
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) - Intensive study of a single filmmaker or group of filmmakers, paying special attention to theoretical problems of authorship and artistic control. How do filmmakers respond to studio pressure, historical events or government censorship' How do personal styles develop and transform in a collaborative medium' What does it mean to think of the director or writer or producer of a film as its author' Topic for Spring 2025, Section A1: Roberto Rossellini & Pier Paolo Pasolini. Survey of Italian filmmakers Roberto Rossellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini, from their similar roots in the (neo)realist tradition to their diverging paths, one would explore the pedagogical power of television while the other moved to literary adaptations and radical cinema. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 207 Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Exploration of Ancient Greek and Roman conceptions of sexuality and sexual identity through a study of visual and written sources. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 212 Latin 4: Verse
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL211) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from Latin poetry. Authors read may include Catullus, Ovid, and Vergil. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 212S Latin 4: Verse
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL211) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from Latin poetry. Authors read may include Catullus, Ovid, and Vergil. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 224 Greek Drama in Translation
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The history and development of ancient Greek theater; study of important plays in the genres of tragedy, comedy, and satyr drama by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 225 Roman Warfare
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
This course explores the world of Roman warfare. Through a close reading of Julius Caesar¿s two literary masterpieces, The Civil War and the Gallic Wars, students reconstruct the skills, experiences, and fears of soldiers in the ancient Roman army. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CL 230 The Golden Age of Latin Literature
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
An in-depth exploration in English of some of the greatest poets from Ancient Rome, including Catullus, Virgil, and Ovid. Examines the Romans' engagement with Greek literature and the development of their own "Classics," from personal love poetry to profound epic. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS CL 249 Classics in Popular Culture
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or 120) -
This course explores the ways in which modern myth-makers have reimagined ancient Greek and Roman legends for contemporary audiences. It examines a wide variety of popular artforms to investigate how to they use the past to interrogate the present. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CL 262 Greek 4: Homer
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL261) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from the Iliad or Odyssey. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 262S Greek 4: Homer
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL261) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from the Iliad or Odyssey. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 302 The Age of Augustus
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL102 OR CASCL222) First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) or consent of inst ructor - The culture of the age of Augustus; political institutions, literature, art, architecture, engineering works, coins, religion, social institutions and life, the role of women, and life in the Roman provinces. Some familiarity with the civilization of Ancient Rome recommended. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 305 Topics in Myth
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) - This course may be repeated for credit as topics change. Topic for Fall 2025: The Iliad: translations, condensations, distillations. We consider some of the many and varied attempts to translate the Iliad and convey its essential qualities. Much of the course focuses on translations into English, from George Chapman to Emily Wilson. We also consider some smaller or more selective Iliads, including, for example, Alice Oswald's Memorial and visual representations of the poem. No knowledge of Greek required. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing- Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 305S Topics in Myth
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120) - Topic for summer 2025: Ancient Myth and Allegory. Looks at Greek myths and how ancient philosophers, Jews, and Christians read them. In class, we will discuss the myths themselves and the range of strategies used by ancient interpreters to make sense of them. Students will read selections in translation from texts from c. 500 BCE to 250 CE. Selections will include philosophical readings of the Odyssey; Orphic and Gnostic theogonies; and Jewish and Christian allegorical interpretations of the Hebrew Bible. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 310 The Classical Tradition in Modern Literature
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar - Explores the ways in which the theatre, myth, and literature of Ancient Greece and Rome have sparked ideas, debates, and conversations among contemporary authors and artists. Students analyze modern works of literature in different genres together with the classical works that inspired them. All Greek and Latin literature is read in translation. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CL 348 Gods, Graves and Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Religion and Ritual
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) or consent of inst ructor - The beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, from their origins in Predynastic times to the development of the great temple complexes in the New Kingdom and later are studied in a broad synthesis of the data: archaeological, architectural and textual. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS CL 351 Latin Seminar
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCL 212 or equivalent. - Intensive study of selected major authors. May be repeated for credit as topics change. Topic for Fall 2025: Catullus. Topic for Spring 2026: Tacitus. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 359 Cavafy and History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
A study of the Modern Greek poet, Konstantinos Kavafis (Cavafy), addressing the historical background, themes, and settings of his works, which treat periods ranging from the Trojan War through the Hellenistic Period to Late Antiquity. Taught in English. Also offered as CAS CG 359. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS CL 391 Greek Seminar
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCL 262 or equivalent. - Intensive study of selected major authors. May be repeated for credit as topics change. Topic for Fall 2025: Plato’s Republic. Topic for Spring 2026: Hesiod and his Aftermath. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EE 230 Environmental Humanities and Society
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Ethical Reasoning Writing-Intensive Course
Pre- Requisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Introduces students to Environmental Humanities as an interdisciplinary field exploring our understandings of diverse social, cultural, and aesthetic relationships to lived environments, environmental change, and environmental justice. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive, Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 101 Encounters: Reading across Time and Space
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Teamwork/Collaboration
Encounters in literature from Britain, the Americas and around the globe: early literature in English and contemporary adaptations and remediation. Explores canonical and non-canonical texts, in various genres and media, including poetry, drama, travel narrative, autobiography, novel, film, performance. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 121 Reading World Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Study of literature in English or English translation -- poetry, drama, and prose narrative -- outside of British and American traditions. Attention to such topics as cultural self-construction, relationships of historical context to artistic expression, and development of literary forms. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EN 121S READ WLD LIT I
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
READ WORLD LIT
CAS EN 122 Medieval Worlds
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Why does the deep medieval past continue to haunt our dreams' In novels, games, and on TV' Medieval literature and its afterlives. Topics may include Arthurian romance, otherworld visions, monsters and heroes, women's lives and writing, modern medievalism. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 125 Reading Modern Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduces key concepts for understanding major developments in modern literature. Readings in poetry, drama and fiction from varying traditions, designed to motivate an interest in some of the most engaging, and challenging, works of our time. Topics vary by instructor. In the 2018-19 Academic year, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing- Intensive Course. In the 19-20 academic year, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 125S Reading Modern Literature
4 credits.
Introduces key concepts for understanding major developments in modern literature. Readings in poetry, drama, and fiction from varying traditions, designed to motivate an interest in some of the most engaging, and challenging, works of our time. Topics vary by instructor. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing- intensive Course.
CAS EN 126 Jewish Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - How do changing notions of ethnicity and race, religion, and gender, as well as geographical place define Jewish family and community' Topics include immigration, diaspora, and national culture; patriotism, antisemitism, and multiculturalism; Jewish identities and gender; conversion, assimilation, and acculturation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-intensive Course. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS EN 127 Reading American Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Readings may include works of fiction, poetry, or drama composed in America from the colonial period to the present. Attention to a wide range of literary works and historical and cultural contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing- intensive Course. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community.
CAS EN 127S Readings in American Literature
4 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course description is currently under construction.
CAS EN 130 Science/Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: None - Through readings in British and/or American literature, an exploration of some of the following topics: science and technology as literary themes; historical construction of science and art; similarities and differences between literary and scientific methods; the development of science fiction. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS EN 130S Science/Fiction
4 credits. Summer
Through readings in British and/or American literature, an exploration of some of the following topics: science and technology as literary themes; historical construction of science and art; similarities and differences between literary and scientific methods; the development of science fiction. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS EN 132 Write Back Soon: Blackness and the Prison
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
This course interrogates the theme of black containment from slavery and Jim Crow to, principally, mass incarceration. The topic is explored in tandem with the development of open letter writing skills. This epistolary form allows both for the intimate engagement of individual, familiar contact and the deft inclusion of targeted eavesdroppers in order to raise the consciousness of listeners and affirm the value of personal relationships. Course texts include letters to and from prison, poetry, short stories, memoir, social science, documentaries, and critical theory. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 141 Introduction to Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduces critical concepts for analyzing works of fiction. Readings in different periods, genres, and traditions, ranging from canonical masterpieces to unheralded literary gems, aimed to cultivate an appetite for the pleasures, and rigors, of narrative art. Topics vary by instructor. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS EN 141S Introduction to Fiction
4 credits.
Introduces critical concepts for analyzing works of fiction. Readings in different periods, genres, and traditions, ranging from canonical masterpieces to unheralded literary gems, aimed to cultivate an appetite for the pleasures, and rigors, of narrative art. Topics vary by instructor. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same number that was previously titled "Literary Types: Fiction." 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, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS EN 142 Introduction to Poetry
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to the understanding, interpretation, and appreciation of a wide range of poetry. Focus on poetic form, genre, and style, with explorations of cultural and aesthetic contexts. Particular emphasis on close, careful reading and discussion. Topics vary by instructor. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS EN 142S Literary Types: Poetry
4 credits. Summer
This course description is currently under construction.
CAS EN 145 Introduction to Performance
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Investigates the many forms performance might take, from live art in a visual art context, experimental theatre, poetry readings, video, or audio work in 20th and 21st century creative practice. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings (PLM), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 145E Introduction to Performance
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Investigates the many forms performance might take, from live art in a visual art context, experimental theatre, poetry readings, video, or audio work in 20th and 21st century creative practice. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings (PLM), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 145S Introduction to Performance
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Investigates the many forms performance might take, from live art in a visual art context, experimental theatre, poetry readings, video, to audio work in 20th- and 21st- century creative practice. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings (PLM), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 150 Children's Literature: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, and Imaginary Spaces
4 credits. Fall and Spring
What stories do we tell about children' What guidance do we imagine them needing' Examines fairy tales; the Golden Age of Children's Literature (1860- -1920); fantasy; genre and adaptation. Authors include Grimms, Bronte, Lewis Carroll, Tolkien, Le Guin, Pullman, Sendak. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 150S Children's Literature: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, and Imaginary Spaces
4 credits.
What stories do we tell about children' What guidance do we imagine them needing' Examines fairy tales; the Golden Age of Children's Literature (1860- 1920); fantasy; genre and adaptation. Authors include Grimms, Bronte, Lewis Carroll, Tolkien, Le Guin, Pullman, Sendak. 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, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 155 The Myth of the Family in Classical American Literature, Film, and Television
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Blood bonds, criminality, violence, and language as they emerge across American cultural forms. Works include novels by Twain, Faulkner, Morrison, and Junot Diaz; films such as The Godfather and Boys Don't Cry; serial television such as Breaking Bad and The Wire. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
CAS EN 160 Big Novels, Big Ideas
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How do big famous novels explore philosophical ideas about knowledge, selfhood, nature, community' Are fiction and philosophy partners or rivals' Novels may include Moby Dick, Middlemarch, Invisible Man, Infinite Jest, read alongside Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche, Du Bois, Sartre, and others. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 163 Reading Shakespeare
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
A critical introduction to Shakespeare through intensive analyses of six or seven plays. Possible attention to such topics as literary sources, early modern stagecraft, performance history, and contemporary film adaptation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 163S Reading Shakespeare
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
A critical introduction to Shakespeare through intensive analyses of six or seven plays. Possible attention to such topics as literary sources, early modern stagecraft, performance history, and contemporary film adaptation. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 170 The Graphic Novel
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Examination of the rise, nature, and status of the contemporary book-length graphic novel. Topics include graphic vs. traditional novel, word and image, style and space, representations of subjectivity, trauma, and history. Authors may include Spiegelman, Bechdel, Nakazawa, Sacco, Satrapi, Backderf. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 170S The Graphic Novel
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Examination of the rise, nature, and status of the contemporary book-length graphic novel. Topics include graphic vs. traditional novel, word and image, style and space, representations of subjectivity, trauma, and history. Authors may include Spiegelman, Bechdel, Nakazawa, Sacco, Satrapi, Backderf. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 175 Literature and the Art of Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Provides an overview of fundamental concepts for the analysis and understanding of film. Films are screened weekly and in conjunction with works of literature. Students must register for screening, discussion, and lecture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS EN 175S Literature and the Art of Film
4 credits. Summer
Provides an overview of fundamental concepts for the analysis and understanding of film. Films are screened in conjunction with works of 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, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS EN 176 Introduction to Film & Media Aesthetics
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression
Introduction to fundamental concepts for the analysis/understanding of film and media. Key concepts of formal composition (e.g. editing, mise-en-sc'ne, cinematography, sound and more) over a diverse set of media texts. Foundational skills in analysis appropriate to film, television and moving-image media. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 176S Introduction to Film & Media Aesthetics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression
Online offering. Introduction to fundamental concepts for the analysis and understanding of film and media. Key concepts of formal composition (e.g., editing, mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and more) over a diverse set of media texts. Foundational skills in analysis appropriate to film, television, and moving-image media. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 177 Introduction to Asian-American Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: None - Explores Asian American literature from the early twentieth century until today. Addresses questions of identity, immigration, national belonging, diaspora, war, and global capitalism. Authors include John Okada, Maxine Hong Kingston, Chang-Rae Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, Monique Truong, and Ha Jin. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-intensive Course. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 178 Introduction to Latinx Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Teamwork/Collaboration
Survey of U.S. Latinx literature that introduces students to the major trends in the tradition. Course emphasizes the historical and aesthetic networks established in the Latinx literary canon that continue into the present, while also exploring the relationship between genre and socio-historical issues. We begin with readings from contemporary scholars who attempt to define what Latinx is and can be, establishing a foundation for thinking about the shifting definitions of "Latinx" in the U.S. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 179 Introduction to Trans Literature
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Is there such a thing as trans literature' While "Trans Studies" as a field of study in academia is relatively new, trans literature is not. In this course we engage with a wide-ranging trans literary tradition that spans time, genre, and language. We ask questions about authorship, community, and the social and political conditions which allow and bar the flourishing of trans culture. We will ask: What can the word 'trans' mean, and how does its multiple meanings open space to imagine new ways of becoming' How can literature expand how the world might be, rather than what it is'. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 180 Post-Apocalyptic Narratives
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Why is contemporary culture drawn to stories of zombies, social collapse, and environmental disaster' What fascinates us about dystopia' Stories, novels, graphic novels, film, and television all examined to explore questions of narrative, interpretation, genre, politics, "high" vs. "popular" culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS EN 195 Literature and Ideas
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How does literature relate to philosophy' How do poems and stories explore philosophical beliefs' Readings may include novels, epics, dialogues, sermons, theoretical treatises, and poetry, all engaging with broad questions about meaning, selfhood, divinity, politics, community, value. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 201 Introduction to Literary Studies
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEN120) or another First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120) . - Introduction to literary analysis and interpretation. Variable topics. Through frequent writing assignments and discussion, students develop skills in the analysis of literary texts and learn to express their interpretive ideas in correct and persuasive prose. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS EN 201S INTMEDIATE COMP
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEN120) or another First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120) . - INTERMED COMP
CAS EN 202 Introduction to Creative Writing
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This is primarily a creative writing workshop, in which students write and revise their own short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and read their peers' work with generosity, providing constructive feedback. Students also learn to read closely the work of literary masters past and present. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 202S Introduction to Creative Writing
4 credits.
Primarily a creative writing workshop, in which students write and revise their own short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and read their peers' work with generosity, providing constructive feedback. Students also learn to read closely the work of literary masters past and present. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 221 Major Authors
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASEN 120 or CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Introduction to the major works of ancient and medieval literatures that influenced later Continental, English, and American literature: the Bible, Homeric epic, Greek tragedy, Vergil's Aeneid, and Dante's The Divine Comedy. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS EN 221S Major Authors I
4 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Introduction to the major works of ancient and medieval literatures that influenced later Continental, English, and American literature: the Bible, Homeric epic, Greek tragedy, Vergil's Aeneid, and Dante's The Divine Comedy. Required of concentrators in English. (Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course by the same title that was formerly numbered CAS HU 221.)
CAS EN 230 Environmental Humanities and Society
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Ethical Reasoning Writing-Intensive Course
Pre- Requisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Introduces students to Environmental Humanities as an interdisciplinary field exploring our understandings of diverse social, cultural, and aesthetic relationships to lived environments, environmental change, and environmental justice. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive, Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 304 Writing of Poetry
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor, to whom five to ten poems must be submitted dur ing the period just before classes begin. - This is primarily a poetry writing workshop, in which students write and revise their own poetry, and read their peers' poems with generosity, providing constructive feedback. Students also learn to read closely the work of master poets past and present. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 304S Writing of Poetry
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor, to whom five to ten poems must be submitted dur ing the period just before classes begin. - A focused exploration of poetry writing. The course is run as a workshop, as students write and revise their own poetry, as well as read their peers' poems with generosity, providing constructive feedback. Students also learn to read closely the work of master poets past and present. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 306 Introduction to Playwriting
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course teaches playwriting craft through lectures, readings, discussion of dramatic writing, writing workshops, attending theatrical events, individual conferences, and the writing of short plays culminating in a one-act. A portfolio of revised work is due at semester's end. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 310E Introduction to Modern British Literature
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the BU London Internship Programme. - Considers the nature and function of modern British literature, with reading in poetry, fiction, and drama. In addition to reviewing the essential terminology used to analyze this literature, the course focuses on literal and figurative expression in poetry, mimesis, and the extent to which fiction is representational, as well as performance vs the printed text in drama. Examines the social and political roles literature has played in the twentieth century.
CAS EN 322 British Literature I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120), EN 220, and EN 221. - Beginnings of English literature from Anglo-Saxon period to end of the seventeenth century. Topics include the development of various poetic forms, medieval romance, and British drama. Authors may include Chaucer, Kempe, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Donne, and Milton. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 322S British Literature I
4 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120), EN 220, and EN 221. - Literature from the beginnings to the Restoration. Includes works by Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, and others.
CAS EN 323 British Literature 2
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASEN 120 or CASWR 100 or WR 120) and CASEN 322. - Overview of English literature between 1700 and 1900. Topics include London as urban center, modern prose fiction, Romantic and Victorian poetry, tensions between religion and science. Authors may include Pope, Swift, Wordsworth, Austen, Dickens, Tennyson, Wilde. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 323S British Literature 2
4 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASEN 120 or CASWR 100 or WR 120) and CASEN 322. - Overview of English literature between 1700 and 1900. Topics include London as urban center, modern prose fiction, Romantic and Victorian poetry, tensions between religion and science. Authors may include Pope, Swift, Wordsworth, Austen, Dickens, Tennyson, Wilde. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 326 Arts of Gender
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Examines representations of gender and sexuality in diverse art forms, including drama, dance, film, and literature, and how art reflects historical constructions of gender. Past topics include Gendered Utopias, Gendered Dystopias, the Nature of Gender. Please see English Department's Website for current topic. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community.
CAS EN 326E ARTS OF GENDER
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - ARTS OF GENDER
CAS EN 327 Topics in American Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Topics vary. Past topics include Fictions of the Modern American South and Modernism, Race, and Resistance. Please see English Department's Website for current topic..Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 328 Women's Literary Cultures
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Writings by women in diverse literary forms, including drama, poetry and prose. How does women's literary culture reflect historical constructions of gender and sexuality' How do writers engage with new literary forms, like the lyric, political treatise, or the novel' Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 329 Film Genres & Movements
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
An intensive exploration of a particular cinematic genre or movement, paying special attention to how individual films respond to an existing traditions and to the historical and cultural contexts underpinning artistic change. How do genres grow and evolve across historical, cultural and institutional settings' How do particular cinematic movements respond to particular cultural challenges' Course content varies by semester. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 331 Topics in Nineteenth-Century British Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course, or junior or senior standing. - May be repeated for credit as topics change. Past topics include Gender and World Travel, the Classic Nineteenth Century Novel, etc. Please see English Department's Website for current topic. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 333 American Literature: Beginnings to Civil War
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course, or junior or senior standing. - An introduction to the multiple literary traditions of North America (especially that area that would come to be the United States) from the close of the fifteenth century through 1855. Authors include John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson, Benjamin Franklin, Phillis Wheatley, William Apess, Washington Irving, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 334 American Literature: Civil War to World War I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - American literature from the Civil War to the end of World War I in 1918. Changing literary forms in the age of Reconstruction, robber barons, the New Woman, westward expansion. Authors may include Whitman, Alger, Twain, James, Crane, Wharton, Chesnutt. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 340E WRITING LONDON
4 credits. Fall
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London History & Literature Programme. First Year Wr iting Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - WRITING LONDON
CAS EN 341 History of the Novel in English
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - An introduction to the history of the Anglophone novel, from its origins in early modern England to its status as the dominant literary form of modernity. Readings include Defoe, Austen, Dickens, James, Woolf, Morrison, and Coetzee. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 343 Modern Irish Writers
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Readings in Irish fiction, drama, and poetry, with attention to historical context, aesthetics forms, and values, from 1890 to the present, by such writers as Wilde, Yeats, Lady Gregory, Joyce, Bowen, Beckett, Heaney, Boland, Muldoon, and Carr. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 345 Nineteenth-Century American Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - The development of the American novel in 19th C America: Uncle Tom's Cabin and Moby- Dick, plus Twain, Jacobs, Southworth, Chesnutt. Formal/aesthetic questions will be linked to cultural/historical ones including race and slavery, gender, individualism, and representing America. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 347 Topics in Contemporary Global Fiction
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - May be repeated for credit as topic varies. Introduction to contemporary fiction by authors outside Europe and North America. Themes addressed include migration, hybridity, cosmopolitanism, decolonization, citizenship, ethnic conflict, and changing notions of cultural identity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS EN 349 Contemporary American Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - US prose fiction from the last few decades, exploring questions of individualism, community, identity, technology, media, religious belief, violence, post-WWII political changes, and our relation to history. Authors may include Roth, Robinson, DeLillo, Pynchon, Morrison, and Lahiri, among others. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community.
CAS EN 354 The Poetry of War
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120). - Survey of narrative, lyric, and dramatic forms of war poetry, mostly in English, beginning with mythic war and then responding to four modern wars: the American Civil War, the First and Second World Wars, and the American war in Vietnam. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing Intensive.
CAS EN 356 Drama and Performance, 1945 - Present
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Theater history and performance art from 1945 to today. Analysis of plays through the lens of performance theory, blurring the line between the aesthetic and the social. Playwrights may include Brecht, Hansberry, Valdez, Moraga, Beckett, Kane, Deveare Smith, Shange, Parks. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 357 Modern British Drama: A Critic's Perspective
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course offers an aesthetic and ethical understanding of postwar and contemporary British drama, as well as the interpretation of its literary genres, plus knowledge of critical tools -- including journalistic reviewing skills -- for the analysis of current shows. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 357E Modern British Drama
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Offers a broad study of major developments in British drama over the past fifty years as they relate to British society. The work of specific writers is analyzed in detail. Prerequisites: advanced (junior or senior) standing; previous coursework in British drama, British literature, or theatre arts. Enrollment is limited to 15 students. A course fee will be charged in London to cover the costs of theatre excursions.
CAS EN 363 Shakespeare I
4 credits. Fall
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Six plays chosen from the following: Richard II, Henry IV, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, Hamlet, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Winter's Tale. Some attention to the sonnets. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 363S Shakespeare I
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Six plays chosen from the following: Richard II, Henry IV (Part I), Troilus and Cressida, As You Like It, Hamlet, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Winter's Tale. Some attention to the sonnets. For students who have declared an English major prior to Fall 2022: fulfills Pre-1800 British or American Literature requirement. For students declaring an English major in Fall 2022 and after: fulfills British or American Literature before 1700 requirement. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 364 Shakespeare 2
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Six or seven plays chosen from the following: Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and The Tempest. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 364S Shakespeare II
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Students do not need to have taken CAS EN 363 (Shakespeare I) prior to taking this course. Six or seven plays chosen from the following: Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and The Tempest. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 365 Studies in Non-Cinematic Media
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - This course explores the economic, political, and aesthetic implications of the ¿Marvel Cinematic Universe.¿ How does the MCU¿s interlocking multimedia meganarrative give the impression of a ¿universe,¿ and how does that universe interact with the one we live in'. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 369 Haruki Murakami and His Sources
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Students read works by Haruki Murakami and by writers who shaped him or were shaped by him, reflect on the nature of intertextuality, and gain a perspective on contemporary literature as operating within a global system of mutual influence. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 373 Detective Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Major writers in the history of literary crime and detection, mainly British and American, with attention to the genre's cultural contexts and development from the eighteenth century to the present, as well as the literary features and standards of aesthetic evaluation of works in this genre. Authors may include Godwin, Poe, Conan Doyle, Chandler, contemporary authors. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 373S Detective Fiction
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - A survey of crime and detective fiction from the late 18th to the late 20th centuries, in the British and American traditions. Reading, discussion, exams, and written work focus on masters of the genre, including Poe, Doyle, Christie, Sayers, Hammett, Chandler, and Cain.
CAS EN 379 American Poetry
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Oral and/or Signed Communication Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - A survey of American poetry, from the Revolutionary era up through the post- WWII period, introducing the fundamentals of poetic form and lyric practice, as well as the historical and cultural contexts surrounding the development of Romanticism, Modernism, and beyond. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS EN 383E Writing in Australia
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - A critical introduction to the literature of Australia, surveying an indicative selection of texts written in English since the arrival of the country's first non-Aboriginal inhabitants in 1788. Addresses the critical examination of that literature in terms of Australia's history, views of Australia as a physical entity, and perspectives on Australia's people.
CAS EN 385 Auteur Filmmaking
4 credits.
Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120). - Topic for Spring 2025: Section A1: Céline Sciamma & Sébastian Lifshitz. This course centers on the fiction films of Céline Sciamma and the documentaries of Sébastien Lifshitz, two contemporary French auteurs who explore themes of childhood, female adolescence, gender identity, and LGBTQ representation. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 387E AMER WRIT PARIS
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Internship Program or the London History & Li terature Program. - WRTNG BRIT TDAY
CAS EN 388E CONTEMP BRT LIT
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Internship Program. - CONTEMP BRT LIT
CAS EN 391E SEM:LIT OF LON
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London History & Literature Programme. - SEM:LIT OF LON
CAS EN 392E MOD IRISH LIT
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
MOD IRISH LIT
CAS EN 394 Cultures of Science
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - This course explores the shared cultures of the sciences and literature from the Enlightenment through the Victorian eras in Britain and Europe. We combine the history of science, the social history of literature and related arts, and sociology of knowledge. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry II.
CAS EN 397 Black American Cinema
4 credits.
A survey of important genres and movements in the history of Black American cinema, with possible focus on race films, civil rights dramas, horror and Blaxploitation films, postcolonial cinema, the LA Rebellion school, Black independent film, afrofuturism, and/or more. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 398 Global Shakespeares
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Why do contemporary writers parrot and parody "Shakespeare," and how much of this activity is about Shakespeare at all' This seminar provides an introduction to reading and writing about Shakespeare's plays. But it also takes a step back to consider Shakespeare as a phenomenon, inspiring adapters around the world. Beyond learning about particular offshoots and adaptations, the deeper point is to explore how playwrights think about their sources, their audiences, and their art. Effective Summer 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 403 Advanced Writing of Poetry
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
This course is is intended for those who wish to learn to write in a variety of poetic forms, voices and styles, and who wish to further develop their skills in writing print-based verse and to deepen their familiarity with contemporary poetry. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 404 History of Literary Criticism I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - A historical survey of western literary-critical standards from the earliest surviving formulations in classical Athens to the dawn of the twentieth century. Writers include Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Augustine, Dante, Sidney, Hume, Wordsworth, Marx, Nietzsche. 4 cr. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 405 Advanced Writing of Fiction
4 credits. Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor, to whom two or three short stories must be subm itted during the period just before classes begin. - The writing of short stories and perhaps longer fiction. Manuscripts read and discussed in class. Individual conferences. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 437 Thinking with Animals
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - In literary texts, animals appear as tricksters, clueless victims, predatory men, eloquent captives, and heroic matriarchs. This course analyzes narratives about animals in Anglo-American philosophy, science, and literature. Human myths about animals and the supremacy of the human are central to beliefs about race, gender, and private property. Focuses on animals as food, embodied mindedness, environmental justice, and ecological thinking. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 471 Critical Studies in American Literary Movements
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Two previous literature courses or junior or senior status. - Transatlantic Revolutions. An introduction to the literatures and histories of the American, French, and Haitian Revolutions, focusing on the historical conditions that unite the Atlantic World into a united yet heterogeneous culture. Readings include Defoe, Franklin, Paine, Louverture, Christophe, Vastey, Wollstonecraft, Bronte, and Melville. 4 cr. Either sem. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EN 477 Critical Studies: Black Diaspora Theory and Practice
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Explore "diaspora" as a keyword for black studies, intervene in the term's emergence, usage, and many theorizations. Beginning with Paul Gilroy's take on diasporic culture and consciousness, course goes on to complicate/extend/challenge through lens of black gender and sexuality studies. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 482 Critical Studies in Modern Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Topic varies. Past topics include Global Literature, Approaches to the Postmodern novel, etc. Please see English Department's website or contact instructor for current topic. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 490 The Gothic, Identity, and the Human
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Readings in dark narratives from Mary Shelley through Toni Morrison in tandem with humanistic theory concerning identity (mind, self, agency), the character of the human (particularly in relation to the animal), hierarchies of value, and the character of evil. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 493 Critical Studies in Literature and The Arts
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - This course examines translational practices in art, writing, and performance, considering translation between languages, genres, discourses, and media--asking about the political potentials or pitfalls along the way. Includes creative exercises and concludes with the collaborative publication of a zine. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 497 Critical Studies in Literature and Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Truth, beauty, reason, emotion, interpretation, justice, meaning--this course reads literature from specific philosophical perspectives, and understands philosophical texts using literary methods. It also examines historical, theoretical, and aesthetic relationships between literature and philosophy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 500 Henry James and New Media
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior status. - James's writing exposed moral and aesthetic dimensions of society's play with status, wealth, and romance. After exploring contemporary dating apps, social media, and films of James's works, students complete a video, graphic novel, or other form of "new media" criticism. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 510 Playwriting 1: Writing of Short Plays
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor, to whom a short play or scene from a play must be submitted during the period just before classes begin. First Year W riting Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - A seminar in the writing of short, original plays, addressing structure, language, and theme. Students read and discuss the masters of modern drama. Writing exercises are assigned to stir the imagination and develop craft. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 517 Drama in Theory and Practice 1: Structure and the Script
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or 120) and by consent of ins tructor, to whom a short play or scene from a play must be submitted d uring the period just before classes begin. - Structure and the Contemporary Script. A comparison and analysis of the design of plays from the last two decades, encouraging students to imitate the form, character, and plot from these plays while experimenting with their own narrative structures. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 519 Drama in Theory and Practice 2: Experiments with Character and Form
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS WR 100 or WR 120 along with the consent of the instructor, to whom a short play or scene from a play must be submitted during the period just before classes begin. - Course includes the reading and analysis of dramatic works. Classes allow experimentation with the full-length monologue and small cast plays while giving attention to dramatic structure and style. Students present their own work in a workshop format, and material is critiqued in class. Students also attend performances and write critiques of professional productions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 520 Drama in Theory and Practice 3: Adaptation and the Theatre
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor, to whom a short play or scene from a play mustb e submitted during the period just before classes begin. First Year Wr iting Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This playwriting seminar focuses on translation versus adaptation, comparing the two, and culling material from other writing genres. Focusing on tone, imagery, stage design, and language, students write their own stage adaptations as well as read various texts translated from World Theatre. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 548 Joyce and After
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous literature courses or junior or senior standing. - Readings in transatlantic modernism (Irish, British, American) from 1922 forward. Joyce's Ulysses is central. Other readings from authors such as James Baldwin, Alison Bechdel, Samuel Beckett, Elizabeth Bishop, Ralph Ellison, William Faulkner, Langston Hughes, Alice Walker, and Virginia Woolf. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 562 Studies in Asexualities
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration The Individual in Community Writing-Intensive Course
Pre- Requisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Writing intensive seminar that explores asexuality studies as well as various kinds of sexual and romantic absences in contemporary literature, literary analysis, and critical theory with particular attention to race and disability. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive, The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 564 Studies in Auteur Filmmaking
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) - Intensive study of a single filmmaker or group of filmmakers, paying special attention to theoretical problems of authorship and artistic control. How do filmmakers respond to studio pressure, historical events or government censorship' How do personal styles develop and transform in a collaborative medium' What does it mean to think of the director or writer or producer of a film as its author' Topic for Spring 2025, Section A1: Roberto Rossellini & Pier Paolo Pasolini. Survey of Italian filmmakers Roberto Rossellini and Pier Paolo Pasolini, from their similar roots in the (neo)realist tradition to their diverging paths, one would explore the pedagogical power of television while the other moved to literary adaptations and radical cinema. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EN 582 Studies in Modern Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: junior or senior or graduate standing; First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120). - Specialized topics in literary texts from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Topic varies by semester. Past topics include Prophecy and Fiction, Irony and Belief. Please see English Department's website or contact instructor for current topic. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EN 582S Studies in Modern Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: junior or senior or graduate standing; First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120). - Specialized topics in literary texts from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Topic varies by semester. Past topics include Prophecy and Fiction, Irony and Belief. Please see English Department's website or contact instructor for current topic. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EN 604 History of Literary Criticism 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: graduate standing. - A historical survey of western literary-critical standards from the earliest surviving formulations in classical Athens to the dawn of the twentieth century. Writers include Plato, Aristotle, Horace, Augustine, Dante, Sidney, Hume, Wordsworth, Marx, Nietzsche. 4 cr. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 637 Thinking with Animals
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
In literary texts, animals appear as tricksters, clueless victims, predatory men, eloquent captives, and heroic matriarchs. This course analyzes narratives about animals in Anglo-American philosophy, science, and literature. Human myths about animals and the supremacy of the human are central to beliefs about race, gender, and private property. Focuses on animals as food, embodied mindedness, environmental justice, and ecological thinking. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS EN 677 Critical Studies: Black Diaspora Theory and Practice
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - Explore "diaspora" as a keyword for black studies, intervene in the term's emergence, usage, and many theorizations. Beginning with Paul Gilroy's take on diasporic culture and consciousness, course goes on to complicate/extend/challenge through lens of black gender and sexuality studies. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 682 Critical Studies in Modern Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - Introduction to philosophical and historical approaches to the study of global literature outside Europe and North America. Themes addressed include individual and social development, historical reflection, cosmopolitanism, nationalism, cultural identity, the impact of socio- economic forces Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings and Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS EN 693 Critical Studies in Literature and the Arts
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Graduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - This course examines translational practices in art, writing, and performance, considering translation between languages, genres, discourses, and media--asking about the political potentials or pitfalls along the way. Includes creative exercises and concludes with the collaborative publication of a zine. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 697 Critical Studies in Literature and Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Graduate standing. - Truth, beauty, reason, emotion, interpretation, justice, meaning--this course reads literature from specific philosophical perspectives, and understands philosophical texts using literary methods. It also examines historical, theoretical, and aesthetic relationships between literature and philosophy. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 192 American Popular Culture
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Examines how Americans have changed (and haven't) since the nineteenth century by exploring their curious beliefs, social and sexual practices, and changing understandings of selfhood. Topics include Victorian etiquette, modern city pleasures, racial stereotyping, dating rituals, family dynamics, and more. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Individual and the Community.
CAS HI 221 Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 221S Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 226 Cities and Cultures
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examines the relationship between cultural expression and political, social, and economic change by focusing on cities such as Boston, Paris, London, Casablanca, and Johannesburg during times of intense creativity and upheaval. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS HI 226S Cities and Cultures
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examines the relationship between cultural expression and political, social, and economic change by focusing on cities such as Boston, Paris, London, Casablanca, and Johannesburg during times of intense creativity and upheaval. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS HI 239 African History through Popular Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to African history through works of popular culture (novels, films, graphic novels), with a focus on oral traditions, slavery, colonialism, independence struggles, and postcolonial life. Final project centered on proposing a future work of popular culture. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS HI 250E BRIT YOUTH CULT
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Internship Program and completion of one univ ersity-level history course or one university-level sociology course. - BRIT YOUTH CULT
CAS HI 279 Experiencing Total War
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Analyzes how soldiers and civilians experienced WWI and WWII, which brutally penetrated their everyday lives and affected their bodies, vocabularies, and world-views. Major sources include combat accounts, diaries, letters, songs, material culture, food, and more. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Intimate Histories of War" that was previously numbered CAS HI 279. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 279S Experiencing Total War
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Analyzes how soldiers and civilians experienced WWI and WWII, which brutally penetrated their everyday lives and affected their bodies, vocabularies, and world-views. Major sources include combat accounts, diaries, letters, songs, material culture, food, and more. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Intimate Histories of War" that was previously numbered CAS HI 279. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 300 American Popular Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines how Americans have changed (and haven't) since the nineteenth century by exploring their curious beliefs, social and sexual practices, and changing understandings of selfhood. Topics include Victorian etiquette, modern city pleasures, racial stereotyping, dating rituals, family dynamics, and more. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 310 Social and Cultural History of Modern Italy
4 credits. Spring
A survey history of Italian society and culture since 1796. Topics covered include national unification, differences between the north and south, Catholicism, anarchism, liberalism, WWI, fascism, WWII, the partisan resistance, the Republic, industrialization, terrorism, corruption, migration, and populism. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 355 Fashion and Beauty Under War and Empire
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
How can clothing reveal histories of US war and empire from the mid-nineteenth century to today' We examine case studies like Philippine lingerie production and the bikini¿s invention during the Atomic Age to investigate how fashion illuminates violence and power. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 358 Twentieth-Century European Thought and Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
This course treats artistic, musical, literary, political, and philosophical works historically. Among its large themes are modernism and the discovery of the unconscious, the cultural effects of both World Wars, democracy and its critics, totalitarian culture, existentialism, and postmodernism. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS HI 390 Cities in the Middle East: Mecca to Dubai
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines Middle Eastern history through the lens of its cities because cities have always been pivotal sites of governance, religious life, cultural development, architectural legacies, and political protest. Today, they are the epicenter of neoliberal globalization. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 426 Music and Ideas from Mozart to the Jazz Age
4 credits.
This senior-level seminar considers music in its historical and cultural contexts. Masterworks from the eighteenth century to jazz are its subject. Topics include political and intellectual climates, evolving views of the artist, audiences, social criticism, and race. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS HI 440 Refugee Hollywood (1933-1950)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the flight of artists, writers, and intellectuals from Germany to Los Angeles in the wake of Hitler's rise to power with a focus on accounts by the emigres themselves, their works, and their influence on American culture. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 505 The American South in History, Literature, and Film
4 credits.
Explores the American South through literature, film, and other sources. Considers what, if anything, has been distinctive about the Southern experience and how a variety of Americans have imagined the region over time. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS HI 462. Also offered as CAS AM 505. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 528 Engineering Boston
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Examines how governments, companies and residents have constructed Boston, its neighborhoods and its transportation systems. The class studies shifting immigration and development patterns, produce photographic essays, and construct maps analyzing urban renewal, while visiting neighborhoods every week. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS HI 539 Nazis on Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores changing representations of Nazis on the silver screen, from celebrations of the "Third Reich" to post-1945 depictions of Nazis as evil. Focuses on the longing for strong leadership, pleasure at inflicting pain on enemies, fear of others, and racism. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 381 Cities in the Middle East: Mecca to Dubai
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines Middle Eastern history through the lens of its cities because cities have always been pivotal sites of governance, religious life, cultural development, architectural legacies, and political protest. Today, they are the epicenter of neoliberal globalization. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS IR 386 Nation Building and Erosion in Africa
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course is an overview of nation-building in Africa since the era of decolonization. It focuses on key events in modern African political history: post -independence transformation, the role of Pan-Africanism, and the politics of social movements. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS JS 120 The Bible
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the great canonical anthologies of Jews and Christians. Students will learn to read for historical context and genre conventions; study classical and modern strategies of interpretation; and create a collaborative commentary or piece of "fan-fiction." Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS JS 121 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism in historical and cultural context, origins to the present. Examines diversity of practices, belief systems, and social structures within these religions. Also addresses debates within and between communities as well as contemporary controversies and concerns. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS JS 130 Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Narrative prose by major writers from the revival of Hebrew culture in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe to present-day Israel, including works of Peretz, Agnon, Yehoshua, Oz, Shalev, Keret, Kashua, and Castel-Bloom. Special focus on the struggle to forge modern identity in the domains of family, nation, religion and in the broader Middle East. Required for the minor in Hebrew. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS JS 136 Jewish Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120). - How do changing notions of ethnicity and race, religion, and gender, as well as geographical place define Jewish family and community' Topics include immigration, diaspora, and national culture; patriotism, antisemitism, and multiculturalism; Jewish identities and gender; conversion, assimilation, and acculturation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS JS 210 The Hebrew Bible
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Study of the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the religious traditions to which these writings bear witness within the context of the history of the ancient Israelite community. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 246 Jewish Mysticism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Teamwork/Collaboration Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) - This course explores the rich world of Jewish Mysticism from its earliest roots to its contemporary expressions in the 21st century. We look at the interaction between Jewish mystics and major western schools of thought such as Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, and Sufism. The course also introduces students to the Kabbalistic tradition and its various historical manifestations. No prior knowledge of Hebrew or other themes in Jewish studies required. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS JS 250 Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Transformation of an ordinary ancient city into the holy city of Jews, Christians, and Muslims; and development of modern Jerusalem, as shaped by British rule, Zionism, and Palestinian nationalism. Jerusalem's past, present, and meanings considered through analyses of religious and secular rhetoric. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 283 Israeli Culture through Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on Israeli society; trials of women; war; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods. 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, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS JS 365 Music and the Holocaust
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate prerequisite: First-Year writing seminar (CASWR 100 or 120.) - History and music of composers targeted during the Holocaust: classical music, jazz, and cabaret musical styles banned as "degenerate" by the Nazis. Particular focus on the art and music created in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS JS 366 Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
4 credits.
The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS JS 383 Israeli Culture through Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLH311) First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the ongoing impact of the Holocaust on Israeli society; trials of women; war; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods. 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, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS JS 421 The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate prerequisites: RN101, 202, or equivalent recommended. Examines literary and historical roots of apocalypticism in early Judaism and Christianity. Attention to literary genre, symbolism, metaphor, heaven, hell, angelology, demonology, attitudes toward the end of the world. Examines relationship of apocalypticism to shamanism, mysticism, magic, gnosticism, liturgy. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LC 250 Masterpieces of Classical Chinese Literature (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Overview of three thousand years of Chinese literature from its beginnings to the threshold of modernity. Discusses masterpieces of one of the world's oldest continuous traditions in their cultural context and in the context of literatures around the world. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 251 Masterpieces of Modern Chinese Literature (in English translation)
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Modern Chinese literature tells stories of trauma, accommodation, and resistance. It offers private and public records of tumultuous transitions. This course focuses on great works of transformative importance. Authors include Lu Xun, Wang Meng, and Jin Yong. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 260 Gateway to Asian Cultures
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 281 Chinese Theater
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the theatrical performance of Chinese opera and the canonical works of Chinese drama. Close reading of well-known dramatic works in their social and historical contexts, with special attention to themes such as illusion, identity, and gender. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 282 Old Tales for New Times: Folktale in Modern China
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Folklore in modern and contemporary China. An interdisciplinary approach to China's most famous folk tales such as the Weaving Maiden and the Ox Herder, and the White Snake and Mulan. Traces the development of these stories in premodern times and their modern incarnations. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LC 287 Screening Modern China (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Major Chinese films interpreted in light of modern Chinese history and culture. Focus on questions of national and cultural identity in films from the 1980s to the present day by directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In English. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 287S Screening Modern China (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Major Chinese films interpreted in light of modern Chinese history and culture. Focus on questions of national and cultural identity in films from the 1980s to the present day by directors from Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In English. Students who have completed CAS LC 480 cannot take CAS LC 287 and vice versa. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 314 Classical Chinese 1 for Students of East Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLC112 OR CASLJ212) or advanced Korean with consent of instructor. - Introductory readings in Classical Chinese for students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Learn the shared literary language of premodern East Asia and read masterpieces of East Asian philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction in the original. Also offered as CAS LJ 314 and CAS LK 314. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 315 Classical Chinese
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLC 212 or CASLC 216 or consent of instructor. - Learning the basic syntactical, lexical, and semantic features of classical Chinese by reading original texts from Pre-Qin and Han China, and examining how active classical Chinese is in modern Chinese, in order to understand this cultural and linguistic heritage. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 320 Advanced Classical Chinese
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Prerequisites: CASLC 311, CASLC 314, CASLC 315, or consent of instructor. - Readings of classical Chinese poetry, philosophy, and short and long fiction for students with a foundation in literary Chinese. Selected materials address perennial human questions and are drawn from the past three millennia of the Chinese textual tradition. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 416 Chinese through Literary Masterpieces
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two 300-level modern Chinese courses, or consent of instructor. - This content-based course introduces students to selected original works in modern Chinese poetry, short stories, novels, drama, letters, and prose. Through close reading, collaborative presentations and group discussions, students will examine how social realities and ideologies are reflected in these works and explore how these works reflect the author's sense of identity crisis. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LC 451 Visual Politics: Propaganda Art, Literature, and "Model Films" during the Chinese Cultural Revol
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS WR 100, CAS WR 120 or equivalent. - A study of "model films," poster art, and literature during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A critical approach to the larger cultural and political context of socialist art and literature as well as its legacy in China today. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LC 480 Modern Chinese Literature & Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
A seminar on the major works of modern Chinese literature and cinema from the May Fourth period to the present, with a focus on close reading and visual analysis. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LF 308 French through Film and Media
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Oral and/or Signed Communication
Prerequisites: CASLF 212 or equivalent; or placement test results. With the goal of better understanding French and Francophone culture and society, students study various media forms that can include film, written and broadcast press, television, podcasts, blogs, and social media. Topic for Fall 2025: Quebec Culture Through Its Films. Why is French spoken in North America? What makes Quebec's French different from France's? What does "chu tanne" mean? Explore Québec's rich history and culture through films that highlight its unique language and diverse people. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS LF 343E FRANCE IN PARIS
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Paris Internship program. - FRANCE IN PARIS
CAS LF 350 Reading the French Way
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one Level 1 Advanced Course (CAS LF 303, 307, 308, 309, 310,3 11) or equivalent; or placement test results. First Year Writing Semin ar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Development of techniques for reading and interpreting French literary texts. Special attention to the study of lyric poetry, drama, and short narrative. 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, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS LF 350E INTRO FR TEXTS
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one Level 1 Advanced Course (CAS LF 303, 307, 308, 309, 310,3 11) or equivalent; or placement test results. First Year Writing Semin ar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - RDG FRENCH WAY
CAS LF 350S Introduction to Analysis of French Texts
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one Level 1 Advanced Course (CAS LF 303, 307, 308, 309, 310,3 11) or equivalent; or placement test results. First Year Writing Semin ar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Prereq: (CAS LF 303) or 5 semesters of college French for non-BU students or placement test results. Develops techniques and skills for use in reading and interpreting French literary texts. Special attention to lyric poetry, theater, and short narratives. Theme for Summer 2015: "Freedom." Required for French Studies majors, counts for minor. Carries CAS humanities divisional credit.
CAS LF 351 Introduction to the French Novel
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350) First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Close readings in the French novel from 19th century to contemporary times. Attention to narration, themes, symbols, and schools. Investigation of the roman d'analyse, realist fiction, anti-colonialist, and other types of narrative. 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, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS LF 441 Topics in Urban Imgainaries in Literature and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - 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.
CAS LF 442 Geographies of the Imagination: Writing (beyond) the Island
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Approaches to real and imagined spaces in their literary representations. Emphasis on relation between cultural and political heritage and aesthetic forms. Discussion of themes such as exile, displacement, mobility, and empire in critical discourse. French, Francophone, and related traditions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LF 448 Topics in Text/Image/Spectacle
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Explores literary texts and their relation to works of visual and performance art. Uses critical and historical study in combination with creative practices to explore the creative dynamics of influence, appropriation, and transformation across axes of time and space. Readings and works selected may vary by instructor. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LF 455 Studies in Nineteenth-Century French Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350) First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Examines major themes and works in the literature of nineteenth-century France. Attention to cultural context and dialogue between the arts, literature, politics, and popular culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LF 462 Cinema-Monde: Mapping French Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Spanning from the silent era to the present-day, this course reframes the key movements of French cinema through the lens of the global. Directors include Georges Melies, Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Chantal Ackerman, Agnes Varda, and the Dardenne brothers. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LF 464 Author/Auteur
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - In-depth study of a single author or film maker. Attention to critical/theoretical debates about the author's work(s); their relation to aesthetic, political, and/or historical debates of the time; and questions about relation to tradition and/or legacy and ongoing influence. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LF 479 Fatal Women and Dangerous Bodies
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Examines depictions of the femme fatale and fears of female sexuality in realist, naturalist and decadent French fictions. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS LF 487 Topics in Memory & Monument
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Through interdisciplinary, in-depth study, explores the history, legacy, and future of a single 'lieu de memoire'--an iconic 'site of memory' that serves as a cultural touchstone. Sources include manuscripts, architecture, literary texts, music, film, photography, and others. Taught in English. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LF 641 Topics in Urban Imaginaries in Literature and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - 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.
CAS LF 642 Geographies of the Imagination: Writing (beyond) the Island
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Approaches to real and imagined spaces in their literary representations. Emphasis on relation between cultural and political heritage and aesthetic forms. Discussion of themes such as exile, displacement, mobility, and empire in critical discourse. French, Francophone, and related traditions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LF 648 Topics in Text/Image/Spectacle
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Explores literary texts and their relation to works of visual and performance art. Uses critical and historical study in combination with creative practices to explore the creative dynamics of influence, appropriation, and transformation across axes of time and space. Readings and works selected may vary by instructor. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LF 655 Studies in Nineteenth-Century French Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Examines major themes and works in the literature of nineteenth-century France. Attention to cultural context and dialogue between the arts, literature, politics, and popular culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LF 662 Cinema-Monde: Mapping French Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Spanning from the silent era to the present-day, this course reframes the key movements of French cinema through the lens of the global. Directors include Georges Melies, Jean Renoir, Jean-Luc Godard, Chantal Ackerman, Agnes Varda, and the Dardenne brothers. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LF 664 Author/Auteur
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - In-depth study of a single author or film maker. Attention to critical/theoretical debates about the author's work(s); their relation to aesthetic, political, and/or historical debates of the time; and questions about relation to tradition and/or legacy and ongoing influence. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LF 687 Topics in Memory & Monument
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Through interdisciplinary, in-depth study, explores the history, legacy, and future of a single 'lieu de memoire'--an iconic 'site of memory' that serves as a cultural touchstone. Sources include manuscripts, architecture, literary texts, music, film, photography, and others. Taught in English.
CAS LG 250 Masterpieces of German Literature (in English Translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the major works of German literature, emphasizing methods of close reading and the art of critical writing. Texts by Johannes von Saaz, J.W. Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist, Georg Buchner, Robert Musil, Ingeborg Bachmann and others. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LG 283 The Faust Tradition
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one literature course or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Sem inar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Comparative study of the Faust theme, 1500 to present: Marlowe, Goethe, Mann, Gertrude Stein, Jan Svankmajer, others. Transmission and adaptation of literary themes within and between national traditions. Emphasis on close reading and research, use of theory and criticism. 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, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS LG 335 Music, Art, and History in the German-Speaking World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one course numbered CASLG 302-309, or consent of instructor. - Introduction to works, lives, and times of some composers and artists who have shaped the cultures of the German-speaking world. Conducted in German, the course aims to deepen students' cultural awareness as well as the sophistication of their language skills. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LG 350 Introduction to German Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: any course numbered CAS LG 302-345 or equivalent; or permission of in structor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). ; Undergraduate Corequisites: (CASWR100)or equivalent, or permission of instructor. - Masterpieces of German literature representing major eras and genres from the eighteenth century to the present. Practical introduction to methods of close reading and literary interpretation; class discussion. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS LG 387 Weimar Cinema (taught in English)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
German silent and early sound films from Caligari to Hitler, viewed in the aesthetic context of contemporary and recent film theory and criticism and in the broader cultural context of the interwar Weimar Republic (1918-1933), with international points of comparison. Weekly screenings. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LG 450 Origins of German Culture
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: any course numbered LG302-350 or consent of instructor. - Survey of major developments in the cultural history of German-speaking countries, from the Middle Ages through the Enlightenment. Literature, expository texts, music, art and architecture, and their influence on contemporary cultural debates. Course conducted in German. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LG 456 Twentieth-Century Culture: Since 1945
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLG350) or consent of instructor. - Survey of postwar and contemporary German-language literature in its cultural-historical context. The Nazi past and the Holocaust; the economic rise of West Germany and accompanying disillusionment; East Germany's socialist ideal and reality; German reunification; women's voices; migrant and transnational literature. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LG 463 German Theatre
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLG350) or consent of instructor. - Masterpieces from the German theater viewed chronologically (from Lessing to the present) or according to a particular period. Development of the theater, history of acting. Relationship between genre (puppet theater, bourgeois and classical tragedy, comedy) and class. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LH 250 Masterpieces of Modern Hebrew Literature (taught in English)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Narrative prose by major writers from nineteenth-century Eastern Europe to present-day Israel, including works of S.Y. Agnon, Dvora Baron, A.B. Yehoshua, Amos Oz, Shalev, Etgar Keret, Sayed Kashua, and Orly Castel-Bloom. Focus on the struggle to forge modern identity in the domains of family, nation, religion and Middle East. Required for the minor in Hebrew. 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 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LH 283 Israeli Culture through Film (taught in English)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - Israeli society, from its origins to contemporary times, through the medium of film. Topics include immigration; war; the impact of the Holocaust; trials of women; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Introduction to film analysis and interpretive methods. Required for the Hebrew minor. 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, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LI 283 A Study of Italian Cinema from the 1940s to the Present
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Films by De Sica, Fellini, Benigni, Sorrentino and others tell the story of social and cultural development during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 330 Social and Cultural History of Modern Italy
4 credits. Spring
A survey history of Italian society and culture since 1796. Topics covered include national unification, differences between the north and south, Catholicism, anarchism, liberalism, WWI, fascism, WWII, the partisan resistance, the Republic, industrialization, terrorism, corruption, migration, and populism. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS LI 340 Italian Music: From Renaissance to 20th Century Avant-Garde
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLI212) - The course examines the history, evolution, and main aesthetic features of Italian music from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. Italy played a central role in the development of music, witnessing the birth of opera, the cantata, oratorio, sonata, concerto, and symphony, all of which were disseminated internationally, creating a cohesive, international musical style. The main aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive view on the making and developments of the main Italian music genres, from Renaissance to post-WWII Avant-gardes. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 351 Italian Literature II: Renaissance and Baroque
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: any 300-level language course of consent of instructor. - Strategies for reading important Italian texts from medieval to the eighteenth century: Boccaccio's novelle, a political play by Machiavelli, Calvino's presentation of Ariosto's Renaissance epic poem, a comic play by Goldoni, and their literary, social and historical contexts. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LI 352 Italian Literature III: Modern Period
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: any 300-level language course or consent of instructor. - Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Italian literary texts. Historical and critical study of Italian literature from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: romanticism, fantastical literature and postwar culture. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LI 354E CONTMP ITAL LIT
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Padua Italian Studies Program. First Year Writing S eminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - CONTMP ITAL LIT
CAS LI 355 Italian Migrant Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Padua Italian Studies Program. First Year Writing S eminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - While at the end of the Nineteenth Century and the first half of the Twentieth Century, Italy was a country of emigration, recent history shows that it has become the country of destination for many people. This change concerns diverse aspects of life at various levels: social, anthropological, economic, but also linguistic and cultural. The course introduces students to different aspects of Italian migrant literature (e.g. history, style, topics) from its appearing in the late Eighties to today. Students will approach literary works written by authors with different intercultural backgrounds. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LI 355E MIGRNT ITAL LIT
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Padua Italian Studies Program. First Year Writing S eminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - MIGRNT ITAL LIT
CAS LI 355S ITA MIGR LIT
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
ITA MIGR LIT
CAS LI 386 Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
4 credits.
The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 445 On Screen: Italians in America
4 credits.
Italian Americans have long been represented in American film and television. What are these representations and how have they been received' How is Italian American identity constructed through these media' Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 475 Literature and Film In Fascist Italy
4 credits.
Examines the film production that took place under Fascism, as well as literature of the period. Fascist history and ideology is discussed through artistic representations that range from subversive to outright propaganda. Taught in Italian. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LJ 250 Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
An introduction to Japanese literary history using Murasaki Shikibu’s Tale of Genji as the core text. Use of literary and visual materials. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 251 Modern Japanese Literature (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to modern Japanese literature. Topics may include naturalism, the I-novel, modernism, proletarian literature, postwar and post-recession crises of cultural identity. Authors may include Higuchi Ichiyo, Natsume Soseki, Dazai Osamu, Tanizaki Jun'ichiro, and works of contemporary fiction. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 260 Gateway to Asian Cultures
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 283 Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Also Offered as CAS CI 260. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 283S Modern Japanese Culture in Cinema (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Japanese film from the silent era to contemporary animation, with attention to the intersection of cinematic and cultural analysis and genres such as yakuza movies. Directors studied may include Ozu, Kurosawa, Mizoguchi, and Miyazaki Hayao. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 314 Classical Chinese I for Students of East Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLJ212 OR CASLC112) or advanced Korean with consent of instructor. - Introductory readings in Classical Chinese for students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Learn the shared literary language of premodern East Asia and read masterpieces of East Asian philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction in the original. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 350 Readings in Modern Japanese Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLJ303) or equivalent. - Readings in modern fiction from Akutagawa to Murakami and beyond to deepen knowledge of Japanese language, learn about the development of Japanese literature from 1900 to the present, and to place it in contemporary context. Readings and discussions in Japanese. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LJ 360 Haiku
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent). - The history and evolving forms of haiku in Japan and around the world. Students write and workshop their own haiku in English or Japanese, learning from great poets how to focus attention, observe nature, read closer, and write better. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LJ 383 Auteur Studies: Japan
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LJ 386 Japanese Translation/Interpretation Workshop
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Oral and/or Signed Communication Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) and CASLJ 212 or CASLJ 211 with consent of instructor. - Through training in translating and interpreting, the course enhances knowledge of Japanese language and culture and improves English writing skills. Students are given a wide variety of texts to translate and practice oral interpretation in a range of contexts. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS LJ 460 Haruki Murakami and His Sources
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Students read works by Haruki Murakami and by writers who shaped him or were shaped by him, reflect on the nature of intertextuality, and gain a perspective on contemporary literature as operating within a global system of mutual influence. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LK 250 Introduction to Korean Literature (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
What is Korean literature? How has it evolved through interaction with Chinese, Japanese, European and American literatures and cultures? What roles have regional and global changes played in shaping Korean imaginative writing? No prerequisites; readings and discussion in English. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship, and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LK 251 Classics of Korean Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to Korean literature from its first recorded beginnings to the early twentieth century, understood against the backdrop of the complex historical, cultural, political, linguistic, philosophical and religious contexts and networks. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LK 260 Gateway to Asian Cultures
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LK 314 Classical Chinese 1 for Students of East Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLC112 OR CASLJ212) or advanced Korean with consent of instructor. - Introductory readings in Classical Chinese for students of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Learn the shared literary language of premodern East Asia and read masterpieces of East Asian philosophy, history, poetry, and fiction in the original. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LK 317 Hanmun Premodern Korean Literary Sinitic
4 credits.
Prerequisites: CASLK 212 or CASLK 216 or equivalent proficiency. - Practical introduction to both Hanja (Sinographs used in the Korea of old and new) and Hanmun (Literary Sinitic as used in premodern Korea). Students learn to read, understand, interpret, and discuss simple to moderately challenging pre-twentieth century Hanmun texts. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LK 375 Growing Up in Korea
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examining memoirs, biographies, prose fiction, poetry, films, television dramas, and graphic narratives asking: How have Korean women recounted women’s lives through media? What roles have gender and sexuality played in stories of "growing up" from the late 1800s to today? Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LK 383 Modern Korean Culture through Cinema (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to Korean Cinema from the early 20th century to the present. Discussion and essays on ethics of representation, colonialism, wars, state violence against citizens, psychological violence, sexual violence. 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, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS LK 460 Korean Translation
4 credits. Fall
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Through training in translating from Korean into English, the course enhances knowledge of Korean language and culture and improves English writing as well as deepening the understanding of what is involved in translating one language into another. Students collaboratively translate a short-story by a South Korean author. In the Fall semester of 2024, this author participates in a workshop with the students and takes part in a public reading of the jointly prepared translation, to be published. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LK 475 Major Authors in Korean Literature
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Closely examines major authors in Korean literature through their representative works in English translation. Students analyze each author's writing style, themes, and characters while exploring various theoretical questions, institutional practices, and cultural praxes regarding literary authors and authorship. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LK 485 Animals in Premodern Korean Literature
4 credits. Fall
Through animals in literature, this course addresses questions surrounding human-animal relations in premodern Korea and China. This serves as a window onto culture and life in premodern East Asia. It engages students in comparative literature, and raises their awareness for pressing environmental issues. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LK 660 Korean Translation
4 credits. Fall
Graduate Prerequisites: Two 300-level Korean language courses such as LK 311, 312, 313, 319, 3 22, or consent of the instructor. Proficiency in contemporary Korean. Proficiency in Classical Chinese is welcome but optional. - Through training in translating from Korean into English, the course enhances knowledge of Korean language and culture and improves English writing as well as deepening the understanding of what is involved in translating one language into another. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LK 675 Major Authors in Korean Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Graduate Prerequisites: Advanced Reading Proficiency of Korean, two or more 300-level Korean language courses such as LK 311, 312, 313, 319, and 322, or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 12 - Closely examines major authors in Korean literature through their representative works in English translation. Students analyze each author’s writing style, themes, and characters while exploring various theoretical questions, institutional practices, and cultural praxes regarding literary authors and authorship. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LN 260 Gateway to Asian Cultures
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LN 260E Gateway to Asian Cultures
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
ASIAN CULTURE
CAS LN 380 Modern India through Bollywood
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Explores the social history and culture of modern India through the lens of popular Hindi cinema, commonly called Bollywood. We analyze Bollywood films both as forms of art and as cultural texts, and examine how they reflect and interpret modern Indian society. Course readings focus on theoretical approaches to Hindi cinema, and also shed light on the larger historical and social context that surrounds it. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS LN 470 Topics in South Asian Literature and Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Topics vary. May be taken multiple times for credit if topic is different. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LP 352 Tropical Metropolis and Brazilian Modernity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLP212) or consent of instructor. - Focus on aesthetic and thematic changes in Brazilian art and literature during the country's waves of modernization, with attention to the repercussion of those themes in film production, music, and performance. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LP 360 Introduction to Brazilian Cinema (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
An overview of Brazilian cinema in the 60s, 70s and 80s, its discourse on revolution and marginality, as well as its connection to artistic, musical, and literary movements. Focus on the work of avant-garde filmmakers and younger generations. Also includes attention to Cuban cinema. Taught in English. Also offered as CAS CI 321. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LP 362 Inventing Brazil (in English Translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
This course focuses on the main figures who undertook the task of forging the national image of Brazil in the 20th century. It encompasses several cultural realms and intellectual disciplines -- literature, history, art, film, sociology, and anthropology. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LP 580 Music and Politics in Brazil
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLP212) or Portuguese proficiency, or consent instructor. - Studies the relationship between Brazilian music and politics, from the modernist revolution with Villa-Lobos to Carioca funk. Other music genres are also studied, such as bossa nova, tropicalia, samba, rock, heavy metal, (hardcore) punk rock, and hip-hop. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LR 250 Classics of Russian Prose (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Prose works that define the Russian literary tradition, including Pushkin's Queen of Spades, Gogol's Overcoat, Turgenev's Fathers and Sons, Dostoevsky's Notes from the Underground, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LR 280 Dostoevsky (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Dostoevsky's evolution as novelist and philosopher. Explore major novels, including Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, and Demons, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, personality, freedom, health, justice, and evil. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LR 281 Tolstoy (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Tolstoy's evolution as novelist and moral philosopher. Explore major works, including War and Peace and Anna Karenina, within cultural and political contexts; consider the significance of literary innovations and meditations on questions of morality, death, freedom, justice, meaning, and happiness. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LR 282 Russian Prose Classics of the Twentieth Century (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Introduction to the major writers of twentieth-century Russian prose and to the literary traditions that they represent through a close reading of selected texts. Authors include Chekhov, Tolstoy, Babel, Bulgakov, Kharms, Pasternak, Shalamov, Solzhenitsyn, Petrushevskaya, Sorokin. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS LR 288 Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Close, careful study of Dostoevsky's masterpiece, with eye to historical, philosophical, theological, cultural, and literary significance; explores Dostoevsky's reinvention of the novel alongside questions of morality, justice, modernity, community, personality, and the meaning of life. Taught in English. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LR 289 Russian Culture: Literature, Film, and Arts (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the history of Russian culture from its beginnings to the 21st century. This course surveys main works of literature, painting, architecture, and film chronologically. It keeps relevant historical developments in sight, and investigates cause-effect links between history and culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LR 289S Russian Culture: Literature, Film, and Arts (in English translation)
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the history of Russian culture from its beginnings to the 21st century. This course surveys main works of literature, painting, architecture, and film chronologically. It keeps relevant historical developments in sight, and investigates cause-effect links between history and culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LR 355 Chekhov: The Stories and Plays (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Chekhov's major plays and a wide selection from his prose (in English translation); studies the arc of his career, his aesthetic innovations, moral psychology, philosophical perspective. Includes practicum in which students produce a play composed of scenes from Chekhov. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LR 457 Advanced Russian Language and Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Introduces students to major works of Russian literature in the original: stories, poems, and prose excerpts from writers such as Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Akhmatova, Kharms, Shalamov, Petrushevskaya. Emphasis on speaking and writing. Discussions provide historical and cultural context.' Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS LS 350 Introduction to Analysis of Hispanic Texts
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Prerequisites: any 300-level Spanish language course or placement exam results. - Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Hispanic literary texts; reading of lyric poetry, drama, and fictional narrative. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LS 350E Introduction to Analysis of Hispanic Texts
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: any 300-level Spanish language course or placement exam results. - Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Hispanic literary texts; reading of lyric poetry, drama, and fictional narrative.
CAS LS 350S Introduction to Analysis of Hispanic Texts
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: any 300-level Spanish language course or placement exam results. - Development of techniques for reading and interpreting Hispanic literary texts; reading of lyric poetry, drama, and fictional narrative. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS LS 410 Religion and Literature in Medieval Spain
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and a first-year writing seminar (e.g. CAS WR 100). Explores religion and literature in medieval Spain through a critique of Convivencia, the notion of a peaceful coexistence among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Close readings of medieval literary works that imagine religious identity and relationships across religious boundaries. To enrich exploration of interrelated themes and learning outcomes, student registrants of LS 410 will meet with student registrants of RN/HI 410/RN 710 during scheduled class time on 2/20, 3/6, 3/27, 4/24, and 5/1. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LS 449E CTMP SPAN NOVEL
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Madrid Internship Program or Madrid Spanish and Euro pean Studies Program. - CTMP SPAN NOVEL
CAS LS 452 Topics in Latin American Literature and Culture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Prerequisite: CASLS 350 - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. Provides new and contemporary perspectives on Latin American literature and culture. Can focus on some specific works through their connection to avant-garde movements, questions of identity and politics, media and the arts, canonical and marginal authors. Topic for Fall 2025: Tell Me Your Story. Creative writing and translation. Bilingualism, travel, communication. Students interview and write each other’s stories as well as their own. Exercises in flash fiction and popular lyrics in Spanish and English. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS LS 452E TPCS LAT AM LIT
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS350) - TPCS LAT AM LIT
CAS LS 454 Survey of Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Spanish Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS350) - Representative 19th and 20th century Spanish texts, poetry, drama and novel; explorations of the place of the individual within the rhythms of Spain's changing identity. Authors: Jose de Espronceda, Benito Perez Galdos, Federico Garcia Lorca, Angela Figuera Aymerich and Graciela Baquero. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS LS 455 Spanish American Literature Through the Nineteenth Century
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS350) - A close reading of representative texts of Spanish American literature from early writings of discovery and conquest through the nineteenth century. Emphasis on the development of the modern novel and on Spanish America's quest for a cultural identity. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LS 456 Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. A literary and cultural approach to Iberian writers of the medieval and early modern periods. Explores interactions between the literary production of Christians, Jews, and Muslims and their diverse linguistic, historical, and cultural contexts. Topics Fall 2025: Section A1: Honor, Loyalty, & Betrayal. What do soldiers, lovers, or friends owe to one another in premodern Iberia? What do they owe themselves? We explore these moral and social obligations in literature, theater, and visual arts by Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Section B1: Under the Spotlight: Theater in the Age of Cervantes. Deep dive into the most important mode of mass entertainment in early modern Iberia: theater. From the classic five-act play to the revolutionary comedia nueva, this course explores themes such as humor, empire, gender and sexuality, stage technology, and race. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LS 457 Twentieth Century Spanish American Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS350) - Representative literary works written in Spanish America during the twentieth century. Special attention to the relationship between modernity and identity, and the connection of literature with other cultural expressions, particularly film. 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.
CAS LS 462 Mexican Cinema on the World Stage
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Mexican history and culture through the lens of film. The course draws on film criticism and theory to approach the study of Mexican films as both historical artifacts and works of art and within the background of world cinema. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LS 477 Contemporary Spanish Cinema
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
An overview of Spanish contemporary cinema and the variety of genres that have emerged in the last decades. Using different resources from films and literature, students will be able to better understand the diversity of Spanish society, which they will experience for themselves on the streets of Madrid. This course also explores how the technical elements of film (camera shots, angles, etc.) can express emotions as well as cultural and social values. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LS 477E Contemporary Spanish Cinema
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information 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, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LS 548 Topics in Text/Image/Spectacle in the Hispanic World
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and one CASLS 400-level course, or consent of instructor. - May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. Explores literature from the Spanish-speaking world and its relation to visual and performance art. Combines critical inquiry with creative practices to explore dynamics of influence, appropriation, and transformation across time and space. Topic for Fall 2025: The Middle Ages at the Movies. Investigates the history and legends of medieval Iberia (modern Spain and Portugal) and their modern film and television adaptations. Close readings of medieval and modern narratives about the Cid, Averroes, Inês de Castro, and Isabel I of Castile reveal a historical imagination at work. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Ethical Reasoning..
CAS LS 568 Prose Fiction of the Spanish Middle Ages
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS350) and two LS 400-level courses, or consent of instructor. - Explores the development of medieval Iberian prose traditions in Castilian, Latin, Arabic and Hebrew through oral storytelling, translation, and manuscript culture. Readings in genres such as framed narratives and chronicles in the context of religious, linguistic, and gender difference. Exact texts vary by semester. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LS 579 Topics in Hispanic Cinemas
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLS 350 and at least two 400-level LS courses. – May be taken twice for credit if topics are different. Cinema as a perspective from which to analyze cultural and socio-political developments within the Spanish- speaking world. Topics drawn from the history of specific national cinemas, individual filmmakers or particular "schools," relations between literature and film, and political uses of film. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking
CAS LT 389 The Interplay of Literature and History on the Turkic Silk Road
4 credits. Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Historical and literary interactions among residents, travelers, armies, and intellectuals throughout dramatic transformations of the Central Asian Silk Road. Daily life of individuals and families in collapsing empires, the Soviet era, and the emergence of new nation states. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LX 120 Language and Music
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Research and Information Literacy Scientific Inquiry I
Is the co-occurrence of music and language in human societies coincidental or inevitable' This course examines this question by defining what language and music are, exploring their structural similarities and differences, and surveying global diversity in musical and linguistic expression. Carries humanities divisional studies credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Scientific Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LY 284 War in Arab Literature and Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How do Arab writers and filmmakers depict the region’s defining wars? Comparison to nonfiction and to artworks by Israeli and American artists from the "other side." All readings in English; knowledge of Arabic or Middle Eastern history is welcome, but none is assumed. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS LY 284S War in Arab Literature and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Studies how Arab writers and filmmakers depict the wars that have shaped the region (1948, 1967, Lebanese Civil, Iran-Iraq, Iraq, Syria, "war on terror"). Also considers writers from the "other side" of those wars (Israeli, Iranian, American, etc.). Readings in English. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS LY 350 Introduction to Arabic Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLY303) or equivalent. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Selection of Arabic poetry, short stories, novels, and drama. Focus on development and refinement of Arabic reading strategies, literary analysis of short passages, and writing and speaking skills. Readings and assignments in Arabic and English. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS LY 441 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two literature courses or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - What is The Thousand and One Nights? How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences? Focus on Nights' structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS LY 741 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two literature courses and consent of instructor. First Year Writing S eminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - What is The Thousand and One Nights' How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences' Focus on Nights structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS LZ 315 Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema. Drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LZ 315S Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This course examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema by drawing on both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS LZ 380 Persian Epic and Romance (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the heroic and romantic narrative literature of Iran and Afghanistan. Readings include: the Persian epic Shahnameh, romances by Gorgani, Nezami and Jami. Discussion of the endurance of Persian myths and tales in world literature and visual forms. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LZ 381 Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the Persian Sufi poet Rumi's narrative and lyric writings. Focus on Islamic mysticism, the innovative aspects of Rumi's poetry, and the problem of profane vs. sacred love. All readings in English translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS PH 159 Philosophy and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This class provides an introduction philosophical and aesthetic issues connected with film. 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, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 259 Philosophy of the Arts
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - What makes something beautiful' How do different arts (music, dance, painting, sculpture, architecture, film, drama) relate to our aesthetic experience of the world' Explores several philosophical theories of art through specific examples of artwork. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 489 Henry James and New Media
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
James’s writing exposed the moral and aesthetic dimensions of social status, wealth, and romance. Exploring James’s works and film adaptations of them, as well as contemporaneous philosophy, we address how they anticipate the social media of our time. Students complete a video, graphic novel, or other form of “new media” for a final project. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS PH 689 Henry James and New Media
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
James's writing exposed moral and aesthetic dimensions of society's play with status, wealth, and romance. After exploring contemporary dating apps, social media, and films of James's works, students complete a video, graphic novel, or other form of "new media" criticism. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS PO 394 Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PO 394S Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 101 The Bible
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the great canonical anthologies of Jews and Christians. Students will learn to read for historical context and genre conventions; study classical and modern strategies of interpretation; and create a collaborative commentary or piece of "fan-fiction." 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, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 101S The Bible
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the great canonical anthologies of Jews and Christians. Students learn to read for historical context and genre conventions; study classical and modern strategies of interpretation; and create a collaborative commentary or piece of "fan-fiction." 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, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 103 Religions of Asia
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Teamwork/Collaboration
Study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Focus on the world view of each tradition and the historical development of that world view. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 103S Religions of Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Teamwork/Collaboration
Online offering. Study of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Shinto. Focus on the world view of each tradition and the historical development of that world view. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 104 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Islam, Christianity, and Judaism in historical and cultural context, origins to the present. Examines diversity of practices, belief systems, and social structures within these religions. Also addresses debates within and between communities as well as contemporary controversies and concerns. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 104S Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
The study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Introduction to the development, thought, practices, and influences of these religions. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS RN 201 The Hebrew Bible
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Study of the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the religious traditions to which these writings bear witness within the context of the history of the ancient Israelite community. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 203 Religion and Film
4 credits.
Religions and films are world-building engines. They create -- and re-create -- a visioning of society as a world of justice, of lived myth, of fantasy, of ideology: a world we may long to live in or a world we wish to avoid at all costs. This course explores such worlds by examining the ways in which religious beliefs, practices and people are portrayed in popular film from the 1960s to the present. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 213 Hinduism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The course will provide the student with the opportunity to study on an introductory level Hinduism, the majority religion of India and Nepal. It is structured for the student who has had little or no previous background in the study of Hinduism from either an anthropological perspective or from a literary and historical point of view. It will focus on the development of the Hindu textual tradition, the philosophy and mythology it expounds, and the ritual practices related to it. Emphasis will be placed on how Hindu traditions adapted to changing historical conditions. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS RN 220 Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Transformation of an ordinary ancient city into the holy city of Jews, Christians, and Muslims; and development of modern Jerusalem, as shaped by British rule, Zionism, and Palestinian nationalism. Jerusalem's past, present, and meanings considered through analyses of religious and secular rhetoric. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 220S The Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
Transformation of an ordinary ancient city into the holy city of Jews, Christians, and Muslims; and development of modern Jerusalem, as shaped by British rule, Zionism, and Palestinian nationalism. Jerusalem's past, present, and meanings considered through analyses of religious and secular rhetoric. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS RN 294 Religion and Black Popular Music
4 credits. Spring
Students explore the interplay of religious themes and Black music through social and political theory. They analyze how these themes shape behavior and examine the cultural significance of notable works, fostering a deeper understanding of cultural influences and artistic expression. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 294S Religion and Black Popular Music
4 credits. Summer
Students explore the interplay of religious themes and Black music through social and political theory. They analyze how these themes shape behavior and examine the cultural significance of notable works, fostering a deeper understanding of cultural influences and artistic expression. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 296 Religion and Hip Hop
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Uses digital media studies to explore diverse religious expressions in hip hop culture. Through critical reading, community field trips, and hands-on technology usage, students consider an often overlooked element in the study of hip hop culture: religion. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 326 Jewish Mysticism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Teamwork/Collaboration Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) - This course explores the rich world of Jewish Mysticism from its earliest roots to its contemporary expressions in the 21st century. We look at the interaction between Jewish mystics and major western schools of thought such as Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, and Sufism. The course also introduces students to the Kabbalistic tradition and its various historical manifestations. No prior knowledge of Hebrew or other themes in Jewish studies required. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 348 Rumi and Persian Sufi Poetry (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Introduction to the Persian Sufi poet Rumi's narrative and lyric writings. Focus on Islamic mysticism, the innovative aspects of Rumi's poetry, and the problem of profane vs. sacred love. All readings in English translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS RN 364 Buddhist Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
What do Buddhist texts seek to do, and how do they do it' How are Buddhist texts deployed to engender personal and social transformation' Focusing on works from Indian, Tibetan, and Euro-American Buddhist traditions, we will explore these questions through varied literary genre, including Pāli folktales, Sanskrit poetry. canonical discourses, autobiography and contemporary socially engaged Buddhist writings. Particular attention will be given to the shifting valuation of embodiment in varied Buddhist works. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 365 Art, Media, and Buddhism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expressions have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and re- contextualized in the West. Topics include: self- immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 375 Culture, Society, and Religion in South Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS RN 400 Writing Religion
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - A writing-intensive seminar focused on the close reading and careful writing on spirituality and religion in various non-fiction genres (memoir, Instagram essays, op-eds, academic articles). Possible authors: Ann Lamott, Jeff Sharlet, J. Z. Smith, Virginia Woolf, James Baldwin, Annie Dillard. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS RN 411 The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate prerequisites: RN101, 202, or equivalent recommended. Examines literary and historical roots of apocalypticism in early Judaism and Christianity. Attention to literary genre, symbolism, metaphor, heaven, hell, angelology, demonology, attitudes toward the end of the world. Examines relationship of apocalypticism to shamanism, mysticism, magic, gnosticism, liturgy. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 432 Gender, Sexuality, and Buddhism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examines gender and sexuality in various Buddhist cultures from a broad range of time periods such as ancient India, medieval China, and modern America. Topics include: family, the body, lust, abortion, and menstruation. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 490 Materiality and Religion in Late Antiquity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: prior coursework in archaeology or ancient religions, or consent of i nstructor. - Investigates material traces and contexts of religion in the Graeco-Roman world, including iconic, architectural, votive, magical, and other archaeological remains; and draws on theories of space, image, and ritual performance. Topics vary. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 626 Jewish Mysticism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Teamwork/Collaboration Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) - This course explores the rich world of Jewish Mysticism from its earliest roots to its contemporary expressions in the 21st century. We look at the interaction between Jewish mystics and major western schools of thought such as Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Aristotelianism, and Sufism. The course also introduces students to the Kabbalistic tradition and its various historical manifestations. No prior knowledge of Hebrew or other themes in Jewish studies required. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 664 Buddhist Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Teamwork/Collaboration
What do Buddhist texts seek to do, and how do they do it' How are Buddhist texts deployed to engender personal and social transformation' Focusing on works from Indian, Tibetan, and Euro-American Buddhist traditions, we will explore these questions through varied literary genre, including Pāli folktales, Sanskrit poetry. canonical discourses, autobiography and contemporary socially engaged Buddhist writings. Particular attention will be given to the shifting valuation of embodiment in varied Buddhist works. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 665 Art, Media, and Buddhism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expressions have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and re- contextualized in the West. Topics include: self-immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 675 Culture, Society and Religion in South Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Ethnographic and historical introduction to the Indian subcontinent with a focus on the impact of religion on cultural practices and social institutions. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS RN 711 The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate prerequisites: RN101, 202, or equivalent recommended. Examines literary and historical roots of apocalypticism in early Judaism and Christianity. Attention to literary genre, symbolism, metaphor, heaven, hell, angelology, demonology, attitudes toward the end of the world. Examines relationship of apocalypticism to shamanism, mysticism, magic, gnosticism, liturgy. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 732 Gender, Sexuality, and Buddhism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examines gender and sexuality in various Buddhist cultures from a broad range of time periods such as ancient India, medieval China, and modern America. Topics include: family, the body, lust, abortion, and menstruation. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS TL 500 History and Theory of Translation
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS TL 551 Topics in Translation
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
May be taken multiple times for credit if topics are different. There are two topics for Spring 2025. Section A1: Self-translation and Bilingualism. Explores self-translation, the process and product of a bilingual author’s rendering of their text into another language. Challenges binary categories of original and translation, of author and translator. Students investigate literary translingualism as scholars and as creative writers-translators. Section B1: Translating the Francophone World. Explores the paratextual, transcultural elements, and challenges entailed in translating Francophone literature, through fictional works with writers, translators, and storytellers, part of the narrative. Authors to be discussed: Assia Djebar, Ananda Devi, Danny Laferrière, Mbougar Sarr. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 179 Introduction to Trans Literature
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Is there such a thing as trans literature' While "Trans Studies" as a field of study in academia is relatively new, trans literature is not. In this course we engage with a wide-ranging trans literary tradition that spans time, genre, and language. We ask questions about authorship, community, and the social and political conditions which allow and bar the flourishing of trans culture. We will ask: What can the word 'trans' mean, and how does its multiple meanings open space to imagine new ways of becoming' How can literature expand how the world might be, rather than what it is'. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS WS 319 Disability and Queerness in Speculative Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course examines how LGBTQ2IA speculative fiction engages with disability and other intersecting frameworks of difference to present alternate, parallel, or invented worlds. This course provides opportunities for students to strengthen ethical reasoning, cultural analysis, and aesthetic exploration. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS WS 326 Arts of Gender
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one prior literature course, or CASWS 101, or junior or senior standing. - Examines representations of gender and sexuality in diverse art forms, including drama, dance, film, and literature, and how art reflects historical constructions of gender. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community.
CAS WS 326E Arts of Gender
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one prior literature course, or CAS WS 101, or junior or seni or standing. - ARTS OF GENDER
CAS WS 375 Growing Up in Korea
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examining memoirs, biographies, prose fiction, poetry, films, television dramas, and graphic narratives asking: how have Korean women recounted women’s lives through media? What roles have gender and sexuality played in stories of ‘growing up' from the late 1800s to today? Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS WS 380 Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film
4 credits. Fall
An exploration of representations of gender and identity in contemporary Middle Eastern films by male and female directors reflecting on the impact of modernization, globalization, war and trauma through different visual genres. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS WS 382 Women's Literary Cultures
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Writings by women in diverse literary forms, including drama, poetry and prose. How does women's literary culture reflect historical constructions of gender and sexuality' How do writers engage with new literary forms, like the lyric, political treatise, or the novel' Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS WS 395 Inhuman Films: Genders, Animals, Machines
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Digital/Multimedia Expression Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120). - This course explores what happens to the "human" at the intersection of feminist theory and cinematic representation. How and why do films assign humanity to some figures and withhold it from others on the basis of race, gender, "ability," etc.' Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS WS 432 Gender, Sexuality, and Buddhism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Examines gender and sexuality in various Buddhist cultures from a broad range of time periods such as ancient India, medieval China, and modern America. Topics include: family, the body, lust, abortion, and menstruation. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 479 Fatal Women and Dangerous Bodies
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Examines depictions of the femme fatale and fears of female sexuality in realist, naturalist and decadent French fictions. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS WS 562 Studies in Asexualities
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration The Individual in Community Writing-Intensive Course
Pre- Requisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Writing intensive seminar that explores asexuality studies as well as various kinds of sexual and romantic absences in contemporary literature, literary analysis, and critical theory with particular attention to race and disability. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive, The Individual in Community, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS WS 679 Fatal Women and Dangerous Bodies
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Examines depictions of the femme fatale and fears of female sexuality in realist, naturalist and decadent French fictions. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 100 Leaving Home: Explorations in World Literature
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Growing up. Moving to the big city. Wisdom quest. Immigration. Tourism. How have the world's great literatures portrayed and shaped these experiences' How have literary works themselves found new worlds through translation and adaptation' Counts for credit toward all WLL majors. 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.
CAS XL 222 Introduction to Western Literatures
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of influential texts of the Western tradition from antiquity to present. Topics include genre, translation, appropriation, interpretation, theories of literary production and effect. All works read in English. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 223 Introduction to Middle Eastern Literatures
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew literature. Readings may include The Arabian Nights, Shahnameh, lyric poetry, and novels from the twentieth century. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 224 Introduction to East Asian Literatures
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores why and how to compare literatures and cultures and envisions the place of East Asia's traditions in World Literature. Embarks on theoretical reflection and close reading of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean texts from three millennia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 225 Introduction to South Asian Literatures
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Indian and other South Asian literatures. Readings may include Shakuntala, The Ramayana, bhakti and Sufi literatures. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 225S Introduction to South Asian Literatures
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Introduces basic methods of comparative literary study through close readings of some of the most influential texts of Indian and other South Asian literatures. Readings may include Shakuntala, The Ramayana, bhakti and Sufi literatures. 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, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 230 Topics in Big Fat Books
4 credits. Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) - Enters deeply into the world of one literary work and explores its reverberations across national and disciplinary boundaries. Topics for Fall 2025 & Spring 2026: TBD. Previous Topics: Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Marcel Proust's Swann's Way. Death in Venice. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 230S Topics in Big Fat Books: The Iliad
4 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120) - Homer's Iliad is the oldest work of Western literature. Across its three thousand years or more of life, the world around this song of heroes and gods has changed unrecognizably ¿ changed not once but over and over in just about every respect. And yet most readers of the Iliad today come to feel that this epic has if anything gained, not lost, in relevance and power. To read this tale of the Trojan War remains an absorbing, sometimes thrilling experience; the art of the poem, sophisticated almost beyond belief for a work so impossibly ancient, is as rich in irony and humor as it is in pathos; but in some way the book also seems to matter. This is a work that can touch us personally, with undiminished power and emotion, as a kind of truth. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 236 Jewish Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
How do changing notions of ethnicity and race, religion, and gender, as well as geographical place define Jewish family and community' Topics include immigration, diaspora, and national culture; patriotism, antisemitism, and multiculturalism; Jewish identities and gender; conversion, assimilation, and acculturation. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS XL 244 Greek Drama in Translation
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The history and development of ancient Greek theater; study of important plays in the genres of tragedy, comedy, and satyr drama by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS CL 324. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Ethical Reasoning, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS XL 260 Gateway to Asian Cultures
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Panoramic introduction to the cultures of East and South Asia in comparative perspective (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, India). Examines shared foundations, transformative inflection points, sites, peoples, and ideologies over the past two millennia through primary texts and media. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS XL 284 War in Arab Literature and Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How do Arab writers and filmmakers depict the region’s defining wars? Comparison to nonfiction and to artworks by Israeli and American artists from the "other side." All readings in English; knowledge of Arabic or Middle Eastern history is welcome, but none is assumed. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS XL 315S Tradition and Modernity in Iranian Film and Literature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Examines how competing notions of tradition and modernity are presented in Iranian cinema. Explores both classical and modern Persian literary works to draw out underlying connections between the readings and the films. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS XL 343 Alexander the Great in the East
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing (WR 120 or equivalent) - Study of the various narratives about Alexander the Great, also known as Sikandar or Iskandar, as conqueror, philosopher-king, and hero, in medieval Middle Eastern and Asian literatures. Modern filmic representations of the historical figure are also compared. 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 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS XL 344 Global Shakespeare
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Why do contemporary writers parrot and parody "Shakespeare," and how much of this activity is about Shakespeare at all? This seminar provides an introduction to reading and writing about Shakespeare's plays. But it also takes a step back to consider Shakespeare as a phenomenon, inspiring adapters around the world. Beyond learning about particular offshoots and adaptations, the deeper point is to explore how playwrights think about their sources, their audiences, and their art. Effective Summer 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS XL 368 Religion and Film
4 credits.
Religions and films are world-building engines. They create -- and re-create -- a visioning of society as a world of justice, of lived myth, of fantasy, of ideology: a world we may long to live in or a world we wish to avoid at all costs. This course explores such worlds by examining the ways in which religious beliefs, practices and people are portrayed in popular film from the 1960s to the present. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS XL 377 Global Asian Literature
4 credits. Fall
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS WR 120, First-Year Writing Seminar. - This course explores 20th-and 21st-century ethnic Asian writers whose literary works help us question the paradigm of national literature and appreciate the power of border-crossing literature. Main topics include colonialism, racism, post-colonial politics, migration, World War II, and wars in post-1945 Asia. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 380 Gender and Identity in Contemporary Middle Eastern Film
4 credits. Fall
An exploration of representations of gender and identity in contemporary Middle Eastern films by male and female directors reflecting on the impact of modernization, globalization, war and trauma through different visual genres. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS XL 381 Topics in Gender and Literature (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (CASWR 120 or equivalent) - Topics vary. May be repeated for credit if topic is different. Previous Topics: Gender and Genre in the Works of Natsume Soseki, Courtesans in World Literature. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS XL 389 The Interplay of Literature and History on the Turkic Silk Road
4 credits. Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Historical and literary interactions among residents, travelers, armies, and intellectuals throughout dramatic transformations of the Central Asian Silk Road. Daily life of individuals and families in collapsing empires, the Soviet era, and the emergence of new nation states. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS XL 441 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two literature courses or consent of instructor and First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - What is The Thousand and One Nights? How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences? Focus on the Nights' structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS XL 451 Visual Politics: Propaganda Art, Literature, and "Model Films" during the Chinese Cultural Revolut
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS WR 100, CAS WR 120 or equivalent. - A study of "model films," poster art, and literature during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. A critical approach to the larger cultural and political context of socialist art and literature as well as its legacy in China today. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration.
CAS XL 500 History and Theory of Translation
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students will learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS XL 741 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two literature courses and consent of instructor. First Year Writing S eminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - What is The Thousand and One Nights' How has this ever-expanding collection appealed to its diverse audiences' Focus on Nights structure and themes, notable translations and offshoots in western literature and art, and later appropriations by Arab and Muslim writers. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CFA AR 121 Foundation Sculpture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation The Individual in Community
In this course, the students explore extensively the fundamentals of 3D design and construction while cultivating the capacity for visual and critical thinking. The students investigate the structural, compositional and conceptual roles of basic materials. A variety of techniques are used to articulate projects in three dimensions and to address fundamental ideas and issues that define the role of art and design in the community and the society we inhabit. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 121S Foundation Sculpture
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation The Individual in Community
In this course, the students explore extensively the fundamentals of 3D design and construction while cultivating the capacity for visual and critical thinking. The students investigate the structural, compositional and conceptual roles of basic materials. A variety of techniques are used to articulate projects in three dimensions and to address fundamental ideas and issues that define the role of art and design in the community and the society we inhabit. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 132 Drawing One: Drawing as Visual Language
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CFA AR131 - AR 132 Drawing One is a four-credit studio course designed to equip students with the formal elements of the language of drawing, and the ability to make independent critical decisions about their creative work and the works of others. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CFA AR 193 Visual Arts Drawing
4 credits. Fall and Spring
An introductory class for non-majors to explore drawing based on analysis and observation. Study of perception and measuring techniques to create proportion and perspective. Use of line, shape and value in the context of visual description of still life, figure and interior. Dry, wet media and collage. Not applicable to BFA degree 4.0 Credits. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 194 Mixed Media Drawing and Collage
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
In this entry level studio based class we will work together to learn various techniques and approaches to the art of mixed media drawing and collage. Through the making of a portfolio of work that will bridge basic drawing skills with mixed media projects in representation and abstraction, we will investigate how the ways of seeing and making have intersected with History, Culture, Belief and Identity during the 20th and 21st centuries. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 224 New Genres in Sculpture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression
This course investigates the language of Contemporary Sculpture and Installation Art from the perspective of new genres such as film, video and performance art. We will explore the ways in which these genres play an influential role in contemporary art production with a specific focus on the spatial-temporal relationship. This is a non-medium specific, portfolio- building, studio class with the objective of expanding and advancing students' already existing 3D language, methodologies, technical skills, and critiquing abilities. Students will learn the formal, historical and conceptual implications of mixed-media art production and understand these within a broad context of contemporary art. This class is divided into three parts: studio time with one-on-one meetings with the instructor; video editing and technical workshops; and mini-lectures and screenings. 4cr Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Critical Thinking.
CFA AR 225 Sophomore Graphic Design Fall: Form-Making, Communication
4 credits. Fall
Sophomore Graphic Design focuses on form making and conceptual problem solving. Image making techniques will be explored and integrated into graphic design contexts. Conceptual problem solving will be examined according to how forms suggest meaning. A student is expected to build upon the skills developed during foundation year to generate innovative and inventive form in both analog and digital formats. Emphasis will be on form making and typography using generative and iterative methods to explore new tools, design processes, and media. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CFA AR 225E SOPH DESIGN
4 credits. Fall and Spring
SOPH GR DSGN ST
CFA AR 225S Graphic Design
4 credits.
Sophomore Graphic Design focuses on form making and conceptual problem solving. Image making techniques will be explored and integrated into graphic design contexts. Conceptual problem solving will be examined according to how forms suggest meaning. A student is expected to build upon the skills developed during foundation year to generate innovative and inventive form in both analog and digital formats. Emphasis will be on form making and typography using generative and iterative methods to explore new tools, design processes, and media. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CFA AR 243 Photography 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
You will acquire skills to properly expose, develop and print black and white 35mm film. Lectures will introduce historical and contemporary photographic practices. Students will have weekly assignments and should be prepared to develop their own ideas. The integration of historical, conceptual and technical skills will broaden your experience with the medium in hopes that you will gain an appreciation for photography as a fine art. In this course, you will gain skills and experience not only in making photographs, but also in the analysis and critique of photographic imagery. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 243S PHOTOGRAPHY 1
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
Students learn to properly expose, develop, and print black and white 35mm film. Lectures introduce historical and contemporary photographic practices. Students have weekly assignments and should be prepared to develop their own ideas. The integration of historical, conceptual, and technical skills broadens experience with the medium and allows students to gain an appreciation for photography as a fine art. In this course, students gain skills and experience not only in making photographs, but also in the analysis and critique of photographic imagery. No previous experience is required, but access to a 35mm camera with manual exposure capability is necessary. Some material costs are expected. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 250 Introduction to Printmaking
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This printmaking course covers relief, monotype, and basic etching. Utilizing drawing, design, color, layering, and mark students create independent work within the context of historical and contemporary printmaking. Set in a cooperatively operated printmaking workshop, students complete collaborative and independent projects, and think creatively and critically. Learning creative collaboration is a key element of Intro to Printmaking, a valuable experience for all art students beyond the particular technical and studio skills. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CFA AR 261 Introduction to Art Education
2 credits. Fall and Spring
This course is designed to introduce students to a range of ideas and philosophies that support teaching visual art in public education. Participants develop artistic literacy, appreciation, and ways to respond to visual art, as well as approaches to creation and presentation. In addition to studio processes, readings and discussions, students identify strategies for enhancing observation skills, thinking critically about art, as well as presenting, responding, and connecting aesthetics, culture, the learner's needs, and curriculum frameworks at local, state, and national levels. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CFA AR 340E ARTS IN IRELAND
4 credits.
ARTS IN IRELAND
CFA AR 415 Photography 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
You will acquire skills to properly expose, develop and print black and white 35mm film. Lectures will introduce historical and contemporary photographic practices. Students will have weekly assignments and should be prepared to develop their own ideas. The integration of historical, conceptual and technical skills will broaden your experience with the medium in hopes that you will gain an appreciation for photography as a fine art. In this course, you will gain skills and experience not only in making photographs, but also in the analysis and critique of photographic imagery. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 415S Photography 1
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
Students learn to properly expose, develop, and print black and white 35mm film. Lectures introduce historical and contemporary photographic practices. Students have weekly assignments and should be prepared to develop their own ideas. The integration of historical, conceptual, and technical skills broadens experience with the medium and allows students to gain an appreciation for photography as a fine art. In this course, students gain skills and experience not only in making photographs, but also in the analysis and critique of photographic imagery. No previous experience is required, but access to a 35mm camera with manual exposure capability is necessary. Some material costs are expected. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 470 Ceramics 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
Introduction to methods and strategies for using ceramics as a sculptural medium. The course initiates the students to the process, vocabulary and techniques involved in all the steps of hand-building, glazing and firing. Students explore traditional and experimental techniques: coiling, slabbing, imprints, and molds, extruding, altered throwing, glazing and staining. The class includes experimentation with surface treatments and initiation to glaze chemistry. Lectures, museum visits and research on historical and contemporary ceramics sustain the studio work and provide context. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 470S Ceramics 1
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
Introduction to methods and strategies for using ceramics as a sculptural medium. The course initiates the students to the process, vocabulary, and techniques involved in all the steps of hand-building, glazing, and firing. Students explore traditional and experimental techniques: coiling, slabbing, imprints, molds, extruding, altered throwing, glazing, and staining. The class includes experimentation with surface treatments and initiation to glaze chemistry. Lectures, museum visits, and research on historical and contemporary ceramics sustain the studio work and provide context. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 501 DRW VEN
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Students learn how to translate the experience of living in Venice into a drawing language, go beyond the stereotyped images of Venice, what elements of the past and present of the city can enrich their personal drawing style. Students will expand their technical skills by both drawing in class and on- site, through targeted exercises and creative and innovative projects. On-site practice, discussions and critiques allow students to make experience and instinctively reinterpret Venice in a set time, immersed in historical places, museums and art galleries, artist studios and artisan workshops. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 501E DRAWING VENICE
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
DRW VEN
CFA AR 770 Ceramics 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
Introduction to methods and strategies for using ceramics as a sculptural medium. The course initiates the students to the process, vocabulary and techniques involved in all the steps of hand-building, glazing and firing. Students explore traditional and experimental techniques: coiling, slabbing, imprints, and molds, extruding, altered throwing, glazing and staining. The class includes experimentation with surface treatments and initiation to glaze chemistry. Lectures, museum visits and research on historical and contemporary ceramics sustain the studio work and provide context. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA MH 106 Music and Culture
2 credits. Fall and Spring
This course introduces music across history, genre, and cultures, examining music's relationship to politics, race, religion, and identity. We'll approach music as a human activity enmeshed in social, political, economic, philosophical, religious, ecological, and individual contexts. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CFA MH 211 History & Literature of Music 1
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Historical survey of music tracing the history, performance, cultural significance, and development of musical styles from the Middle Ages to approximately the end of the Baroque. Required for all students in the BM and BA Music routes. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CFA MH 211S HIST&LIT MUS 1
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
HIST&LIT MUS 1
CFA MH 212 History & Literature of Music 2
4 credits. Spring
Historical survey of music from 1750 to the present. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 340 Italian Music: From Renaissance to 20th Century Avant-Garde
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The course examines the history, evolution, and main aesthetic features of Italian music from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. Italy played a central role in the development of music, witnessing the birth of opera, the cantata, oratorio, sonata, concerto, and symphony, all of which were disseminated internationally, creating a cohesive, international musical style. The main aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive view on the making and developments of the main Italian music genres, from Renaissance to post-WWII Avant-gardes. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 400 Music of Black Americans
2 credits. Fall and Spring
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, seeing live performances, student presentations, readings, and discussions. Topics include spirituals, ragtime, blues, jazz, popular music, rhythm and blues, rap, and classical music. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration.
CFA MH 403 Latinos Making Music in the United States
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
What impact have Latinos and Latinas had on the popular music of the United States' More than you might think. Not only have Latinos in the United States been instrumental in creating globally popular Spanish-language music like salsa, norteno, and reggaeton, they are also central, if usually unacknowledged, in the histories of jazz, rock and hip hop. The history of US music is usually told as the story of interactions between black and white Americans, so what does a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual music history reveal about music in the United States' To answer these questions, we will trace the participation of Latinos, alongside other ethnic groups, in the creation of US popular music from the 19th to the 21st centuries, surveying the musical styles of Latinos in the US and discussing the role of these musics in articulating race, class, gender and sexual identities for US Latinos, their circulation along migration routes, their role in identity politics and ethnic marketing, and their commercial crossover to Anglo audiences. But then, what is Latino in the first place' Many Latinos are of Mexican descent, others from the Caribbean, and others from elsewhere. Some are Spanish-dominant and some only speak English. Some have been here for generations an others arrived last year. Some have been reticent to highlight their Latino identities, and others have put Latino identity and identity politics at the center of their musical projects. How do these different ways of being Latino manifest themselves in musical activities and musical taste' and how, since the early 2000s boom of Latin artists like Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and Jennifer Lopez, has the music industry sought to market to all of them' Above all, how can we tell these stories in all their richness and complexity' Case studies may include Mexican- American/Chicano, Puerto Rican/Nuyorican and Cuban/American musics; Latin music in golden age Hollywood; Latin dance crazes from mambo to the Macarena; rock en espanol; reggaeton, race politics, and the creation of the "Hurban" market; and the transnational Latin music industries of Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. 4cr Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CFA MH 408 Bob Dylan: Music and Words
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course examines Bob Dylan's music and lyrics from 1962 to 1975 in the context of his life, artistic influences, and milieu. We will explore the wealth of criticism and reaction his songs have inspired, paying special attention to questions concerning the nature of his art--for example, his dependence on musical tradition or the relationship between song lyrics and poetry--and past and current critical discussion about his legacy. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course.
CFA MH 409 Music of Black Americans
4 credits. Fall and Spring
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 410 The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
4 credits.
Students engage with hip hop history, including aesthetic trends, some important artists and works, regional styles, and relationship with the larger sociocultural context. Students will critique and remake hip hop canons. They will identify how hip hop is shaped by race, class, and gender issues and reflect on their own positionality. They will acquire and apply listening, viewing, and reading skills to interpret primary and secondary sources and bring their analyses of these sources to bear. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 410S The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
4 credits.
Students in this course will engage with a history of hip hop music, including major trends, changes in technique and musicianship, some important artists and albums, regional styles, and relationship with the larger sociocultural context of African-American and US politics, cultural production, and daily life. Students will examine and critique the construction of canons of hip hop greatness and engage in remaking them. They will identify how hip hop is shaped by the politics of race, class, and gender issues in ways that have ramifications for a broader appraisal of the role of these factors in US society. Students will reflect on their own positionality as social and political actors and global citizens. Students will interpret both primary sources (recordings, music videos, films, album art, reviews) and secondary sources (scholarly and journalistic texts), applying the listening, viewing, and reading skills necessary to assess these sources critically, and bring their analyses of these sources to bear in discussion and in- and out-of-class assignments.¿No prerequisites or prior skills required. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 411 Race, Memory, and Diaspora in US Popular Music
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
Examines selected popular and vernacular musical cultures in the U.S. within a broad historical, political, and economic context; how global musical practices brought by people to the U.S. have been shaped by the unique space of the nation; and how these styles are the product of interracial and intercultural dialogues, struggles, and negotiation processes that continue to produce new hybrid forms. Will develop ability to hear and appreciate entanglements that immerse music-making within competing interests and sensibilities, using key concepts on race, ethnicity, class, gender, and sexuality. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy.
CFA MH 420 Western Composers and Bali
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
This course considers the fascination of Western composers with Indonesian gamelan music. Starting with the Paris World's Fair of 1889, we will explore subsequent works by Debussy, Britten, Glass, McPhee, Tenzer, and Ziporyn. Through reading, listening, and analysis, we will unpack the vast array of Balinese and Javanese gamelan musical influences within the compositions of American, Canadian, and European composers since 1903, while considering the historical context . Students will also learn to perform Balinese music on authentic instruments and they will compose music as a creative project. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA MH 430 R&B, Motown, and Classic Funk: Soundtracks of Empowerment and Civil Rights
4 credits. Spring
Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Motown, Soul, and Funk are seminal in the development of rap, hip hop, fusion, and contemporary urban and R&B styles. These styles provided the soundtrack for African American identity, empowerment, and protest from the civil rights struggle of the late 1950s and early '60s to the Black Power commentary of the 1970s, and, eventually into the hip hop era. This course places these styles within their cultural and historical contexts and examines their musical characteristics in detail. This course does not require previous training in music. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 430S R&B, Motown, and Classic Funk: Soundtracks of Empowerment and Civil Rights
4 credits. Summer
Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Motown, Soul, and Funk are seminal in the development of rap, hip-hop, fusion, and contemporary urban and R&B styles. These styles provided the soundtrack for African American identity, empowerment, and protest from the civil rights struggle of the late 1950s and early '60s to the Black Power commentary of the 1970s, and, eventually into the hip-hop era. This course places these styles within their cultural and historical contexts and examines their musical characteristics in detail. This course does not require previous training in music. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 432 History of Jazz
4 credits.
No prereq; open to all students. A chronological study of the history of -- and topics in -- jazz, from its beginnings to the present, focusing on styles, major performers and recordings, individuality and sound, instruments, voices, and forms, as well as social and cultural issues, such as race, popularity and commercialism, the individual versus and within the group, American identity and global rejection/admiration. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CFA MH 432S History of Jazz
4 credits.
No prereq; open to all students. A chronological study of the history of--and topics in--jazz, from its beginnings to the present. Focuses on styles, major performers and recordings, individuality and sound, instruments, voices, and forms, as well as social and cultural issues, such as race, popularity and commercialism, the individual versus and within the group, American identity, and global rejection/admiration. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CFA MH 436 Musical Culture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Research and Information Literacy
This course offers both an introductory look at four selected regions/countries among the diverse musical cultures around the world: West Africa, Bulgaria, Brazil, and Korea. Through these musical practices, we will investigate the ways in which many of these styles are the product of long running intra/intercultural dialogues, struggles, and negotiation processes that continue to produce new hybrid forms. Because of the vast array of people and cultures within each selected area, this course is necessarily selective and introductory. A variety of scholars and performing artists will be invited to give a workshop on music/dance and discuss their lives as musicians. Over the course of the semester, you will gain an understanding of the myriad ways people use music to construct and individual group identities, the diverse ways groups incorporate music into their lives, and how to understand music within a broader historical, political, and economic context. You will also be introduced to basic musical concepts and terminology, and acquire listening skills that will enable you to better encounter and understand music in this course and beyond. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CFA MT 105 Elements of Music Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Elements of Music Theory (CFA MT105) provides a creative introduction to the foundational principles of musical structure. Using a multi-modal approach, combining in-class performance exercises, listening, composition, keyboard, aural (and oral) learning, students acquire an analytical vocabulary and the basic knowledge to support the exploration of musical repertoires, to enhance their own performances, and to develop their own musical compositions. Analytical and music-composition projects engage concepts of musical space, time, pitch, rhythm, and harmony as employed in tonal music. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation. Course may not be taken by CFA music majors
CFA MT 105S Elements of Music Theory 1
4 credits.
A creative introduction to the foundational principles of musical structure. Uses a multi-modal approach, combining in-class performance exercises, listening, composition, keyboard, and aural (and oral) learning. Students acquire an analytical vocabulary and the basic knowledge to support the exploration of musical repertoires, to enhance their own performances, and to develop their own musical compositions. Analytical and music-composition projects engage concepts of musical space, time, pitch, rhythm, and harmony as employed in tonal music. Course may not be taken by CFA music majors. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA MT 202 Music Theory 4
3 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Quantitative Reasoning I
Prerequisite: CFA MT201. Further study of chromatic music in the common-practice period is approached through listening, writing, and analytical work. The course explores the structure and usage of augmented-sixth chords, mode mixture/borrowed chords, the Neapolitan triad, and modulation to distantly related keys. Continued work in applying general voice-leading principles will be covered through figured-bass exercises and harmonization of melodies. Formal structures such as sonata and sonata hybrids will be introduced. A keyboard harmony component will be covered in separate weekly meetings. Effective Fall 2018, this course is part of a Hub sequence: when taken with CFA MT 201, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Quantitative Reasoning I, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA MU 365 Music and the Holocaust
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate prerequisite: First-Year writing seminar (CASWR 100 or 120.) - History and music of composers targeted during the Holocaust: classical music, jazz, and cabaret musical styles banned as "degenerate" by the Nazis. Particular focus on the art and music created in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CFA TH 124 Acting 2: Intro to Scene Study
3 credits. Spring
Prereq: CFA TH 121 or permission of instructor. Building upon the foundational acting course in Theater Ensemble, this course shifts to the exploration of the individual role of the actor within the overall theater-making process. Students will gradually move from improvisation into the interpretation of the written text through an organic integration of self and theatrical storytelling elements. Exploring the text of various plays adhering to the cultural and historical significance, students will learn a shared vocabulary to enhance their ability to analyze and critique theatre's art form by reading and viewing theatrical productions. Required for BFA Performance Core. 3.0 credits. Spring semester. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CFA TH 139 20th Century Dance History
2 credits. Spring
An introduction to the people, events and masterworks that shaped the development of dance in the twentieth century. Course includes lectures, viewing videos and films, select readings and discussions. Course does not presuppose a technical knowledge of dance. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CFA TH 157 Introduction to Design 1: Storytelling and Collaboration for Live Performance
3 credits. Fall
This course introduces students to design through a focus on the origins and history of Storytelling in all regions of the world and how storytelling developed into the Theatrical Art forms of drama, dance, and music. In addition to and concurrently, we will discuss how collaboration in the Theatre is practiced and nourished and how collaborative relationships are developed and formed. Required for BFA Design, Production & Management Core. 3.0 credits. Fall semester. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA TH 239 Aesthetic and Philosophy of Dance
2 credits. Fall
This course looks at three major theories of art and applies them to dance. How do we view and perceive dance' The theories that provide us the most insight are the mimetic/representation, formal, and expression theories. We will use them to consider visual art, theater, and music, and then focus on dance. How is movement and gesture organized to tell a story, convey an idea and/or create an aesthetic experience' How do we make sense of this nonverbal form of communication and increase our appreciation for dance's power to engage' Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration.
CFA TH 440E EXP LONDON THEA
Var credits. Fall and Spring
EXP LONDON THEA
CFA TH 508E CONTEMP BR THEA
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
CONTEMP BR THEA
CGS HU 103 Literature and Art from the Ancient World to the Enlightenment
5 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
The course examines key figures and works in literary and artistic traditions from the ancient and classical periods through the Renaissance, concluding with a focus on the Enlightenment and Romanticism. The semester's units concentrate on how the works reflect cultural ideals and developments and on how they represent evolving aesthetic standards that have shaped conventions in literature and the arts. Coursework and assignments include learning trips to various sites of historical and cultural significance in the Boston area to emphasize the Humanities' relevance beyond the classroom. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS HU 104E Literature and Art from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution
5 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course is an interdisciplinary approach to literature and art history. The course focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries and concludes with the technologically complex 21st century. Assignments encourage research skills, critical thinking, and contextual awareness. Trips to historically and culturally important sites enhance the course's experiential component and augment the humanities' interdisciplinary significance. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS HU 104S Literature and Art from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution
5 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course is an interdisciplinary approach to literature and art history. The course focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries and concludes with the technologically complex 21st century. Assignments encourage research skills, critical thinking, and contextual awareness. Trips to historically and culturally important sites enhance the course's experiential component and augment the humanities' interdisciplinary significance. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS HU 240 Imperial Era Global Folklore and Supernatural Fiction
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Teamwork/Collaboration Writing-Intensive Course
This course examines people of color¿s supernatural fiction and corresponding folkloric traditions worldwide. Topics include the literary value, narrative voice(s), and cultural appropriation of Indigenous authors¿ works. Students will collaborate in groups to contribute inclusive scholarly materials for online publication. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration, Writing Intensive Course.
CGS HU 250 Supernatural Horror in American Literature and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Supernatural Horror in American Literature and Film will explore the impact of horror on American culture from the genre's roots in early American history and the Gothic through the works of its most important practitioners in American literature and film. Works covered will include those of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, and Stephen King; films such as The Exorcist and The Blair Witch Project; episodes of the The X Files; and critical writings on horror, film and popular culture. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS HU 425 Trauma in History, Art & Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Today trauma haunts soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It afflicts the survivors of 9/11 and witnesses to the Boston Marathon bombings. It colors the lives of victims in the rape epidemic still unfolding on college campuses. It shapes the way we talk about race after the deaths of Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and others. It is a lens through which we examine the unfolding climate crisis. And it provides novel ways to read literature, view art, and watch television and film. This course is an interdisciplinary seminar that explores the many ways that psychological trauma manifests itself. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry II. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Social Inquiry II.
CGS IN 306 Shakespeare's Ethics
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
What can great literature teach us about the ethical life' Can the arts teach sympathy or empathy for the unfamiliar' Can stepping into the shoes of a character from dramatic literature help us both deepen our sense of what it means to be human and how to lead a good life (be a morally upstanding citizen)' In what ways can art model ethical performance' This course will explore five of Shakespeare's plays with an emphasis on discovering and analyzing Shakespeare's ethical ideas. We will assess the thinking of philosophers who influenced Shakespeare. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Creativity/Innovation.
COM CM 334E Advertising in the U.K.
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Examines the structure and organization of the United Kingdom mass media from a commercial and business perspective. In particular, terrestrial and satellite TV, billboard and transport, newspapers and magazines, and radio and film are examined in a practical advertising context.
COM CM 501 Design Strategy & Software
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. - Provides knowledge and practice for effective graphic design for all media. Develops a foundation in design principles and creative software skills including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Students create projects demonstrating how design strategies are used to engage audiences, and enhance comprehension of all forms of mass communication from traditional print to digital media. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
COM CM 501S Design Strategy and Software
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing. - Provides knowledge and practice for effective graphic design for all media. Develops a foundation in design principles and creative software skills including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Students create projects demonstrating how design strategies are used to engage audiences and enhance comprehension of all forms of mass communication from traditional print to digital media. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation. (Formerly COM CM 323. Students cannot take COM CM 501 for credit if they have already taken COM CM 323.)
COM FT 250 Understanding Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Understanding Film introduces students to key aesthetic aspects of film. Students study a variety of historical and contemporary examples of fiction and nonfiction films that illustrate the expressive possibilities of image and sound. Students learn to analyze, explain and write about these formal elements. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
COM FT 250S Understanding Film
4 credits. Summer
Introduces students to key aesthetic aspects of film. Students study a variety of historical and contemporary examples of fiction and nonfiction films that illustrate the expressive possibilities of image and sound. Students learn to analyze, explain, and write about these formal elements. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
COM FT 303 Understanding Television
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course examines television (and its foundation in radio) as it emerged, stabilized as an aesthetic and technological form, interacted with other media, was regulated and deregulated, and was shaped by and shaped the culture around it. We will use the sitcom and soap opera genres as aesthetic through-lines for this study and examine their evolution in historical contexts. Throughout the semester, we focus on broadcasting's beginnings, expansion, establishment as the national, mass medium in America, and eventual fracturing into niches. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
COM FT 303S Understanding Television
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines television (and its foundation in radio) as it emerged, stabilized as an aesthetic and technological form, interacted with other media, was regulated and deregulated, and was shaped by and shaped the culture around it. Uses the sitcom and soap opera genres as aesthetic through-lines for this study and examines their evolution in historical contexts. Throughout the semester, we focus on broadcasting's beginnings, expansion, establishment as the national mass medium in America, and eventual fracturing into niches. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
COM FT 316E The Impact of Film and Television in Modern Britain
4 credits.
Examines selected elements of British film, television and other broadcast media, marketing, promotions and new technologies. Students will study major trends and trans-Atlantic influences in media.
COM FT 318E BRIT TV STUDIES
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BRIT TV STUDIES
COM FT 344E EUROPEAN CINEMA
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
EUROPEAN CINEMA
COM FT 345 Australian Cinema
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to Australian cinema by examining the relationship between Australian social history, cultural history, art history, and cinema. In order to understand the "national" nature of Australian films, the course addresses two periods of film production: the first wave from the late 1910s, '20s, and '30s; and the restructuring of the film industry with the so-called new wave of the 1970s and '80s. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
COM FT 345E Australian Cinema
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to Australian cinema by examining the relationship between Australian social history, cultural history, art history, and cinema. In order to understand the "national" nature of Australian films, the course addresses two periods of film production: the first wave from the late 1910s, '20s, and '30s; and the restructuring of the film industry with the so-called new wave of the 1970s and '80s.
COM FT 415 Screening Ireland
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Teamwork/Collaboration Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASWR120) - Ireland has a rich history of media production, stretching back to the early twentieth century and more recently has become a hub of animation, digital games and other 'new media'. Through the combination of critical theory and media praxis, this course will provide not only an introduction to screen media in Ireland but will also train students to be the next generation of influential media producers that shape public discourse. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive, Aesthetic Exploration, Teamwork/Collaboration.
COM FT 415E IRISH FILM/TV
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Teamwork/Collaboration Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASWR120) - SCR'INGIRELAND
COM FT 500 Writing Film Criticism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course examines the art of film and television criticism and gives students extensive practice in writing about film and TV in a way that balances informed, insightful analysis and lively writing. Students write several film and TV reviews, each covering a different type of film or TV show, as well as a longer think piece. Students will review films currently playing in local theaters and TV shows currently available on broadcast, cable or other internet platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and the like. Key critics discussed include James Agee, Andrew Sarris, Pauline Kael, Roger Ebert, Emily Nussbaum, Matt Zoller Seitz, Anthony Lane, Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking.
HUB IC 207 Heroes and Heroines: Quest for Self and Identity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explore how iconic classic and contemporary heroes struggle with identity, confront evil, and lead for the greater good through the art of decision-making and storytelling while uncovering your quest for personal growth, leadership, social justice, creativity, and risk taking. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Social Inquiry I.
HUB SA 301E KYOTO ELCTV 1
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
KYOTO ELCTV 1
HUB SA 303E KYOTO ELCTV 3
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Social Inquiry II
KYOTO ELCTV 3
HUB SA 305E KYOTO ELCTV 5
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Social Inquiry I
KYOTO ELCTV 5
HUB SA 308E KYOTO ELCTV 8
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
KYOTO ELCTV 8
KHC AH 101 (MIS)REPRESENTING HISTORY IN ART
4 credits. Fall and Spring
An examination of the ways that historical events have been depicted by artists from antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on the intentional misrepresentation of events ("fake news") to serve the needs of the artists' patrons, usually ruling elites. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
KHC AH 102 First Person, Singular: Representing the Self, Then and Insta-Now
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Is the act of self-representation mere extroversion and exhibitionism with filters applied' Or perhaps when we represent ourselves we are aiming to reach for a deeper truth, somehow hidden below the surface of skin and bone' How does the project of self-portraiture reveal and make sense of societal strictures, differences of identity, race, gender and sexual orientation' This course investigates the human drive for representing the self through a thematic approach, highlighting select moments throughout history, starting with Early Modern Europe. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC AH 103 Experimental Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
This seminar investigates how visual and performance artists have wildly expanded our definition of what art is, including an exploration of new techniques, theories, markets, and political implications of art in the 20th and 21st centuries. How Does Art Happen' Who Is Art For' How Do You Make Art History' We will consider artists that challenged viewers' and philosophers' ideas about what makes something a work of art. These experimental artworks brought new people into the story of art history, expanding our understanding of who can be an artist (all of us). Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC EH 103 Race in America: Understanding the Present by Exploring the Past
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Course explores how contemporary racial crises have surprising histories and deep roots in America's cultural imagination. Slave owning in New England' "Black Lives Matter" and 100-year old Confederate memorials' Books, movies, TV drama, journalism today and their urgent historical background. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC EK 104 Appreciation of music in a STEM context
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Quantitative Reasoning II
This course leverages the relationship that students, who are not averse to STEM fields, have with music in order to turn them into GEEKS! It uses the electric guitar as a gateway to musical acoustics, electroacoustics, psychoacoustics and hands-on projects. No formal music training is required; the only prerequisites are the ability to appreciate music in some vaguely defined sense, and to try understand this appreciation with precise terms. The course will be supported by field trips, demos and projects. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Quantitative Reasoning II, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC EN 102 Ancient and Modern Quarrels: Fiction and Philosophy Since 1900
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The "ancient quarrel" between literature and philosophy. Ancient works by Sophocles, Plato, Aristotle; existentialist writing by Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre, De Beauvoir, Ellison; contemporaries such as Sontag, Robinson, Coetzee. What good is art and narrative' What are their powers, limits, dangers' Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
KHC EN 103 Poetry as Activism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation The Individual in Community
Do artists have a responsibility to bear witness to their times' This course explores the work of contemporary poets who directly engage the current moment, who show us that art can function as political action. Among the controversial topics that these authors draw attention to and comment on are racial injustice, mass incarceration, war, LGBTQ rights, immigration policy, and environmental devastation. Through our course texts and students' own poems, we will consider the ethics of appropriation and representation, as well as the use of personal experience and found documents in poetry. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC EN 104 Writing Lives: The Craft and Forms of Literary Biography
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Research and Information Literacy
Literary writers craft characters. Many were characters as well–in their own lifetime and after their deaths. In this course, we explore the character of the writer as portrayed in multiple genres including fiction, essay, biography, autobiography, obituaries, and docudramas. We ask how does our perception of an artist change over time? How might literary biography serve as a lens to discuss changing conceptions of creativity, trends in historiography, and the development of literary canons? Our case studies will focus on 20th-century American writers (including Carl Sandburg, Langston Hughes, and Adrienne Rich, among others) whose lives and work have been important to American education and social movements. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Research and Information Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC EN 105 The Romance Novel
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Romance novels have been scorned, adored, and most of all, widely read. This course examines the history, artistry, and social significance of the genre, with attention to the ways in which romance novels have variously reinforced and disrupted norms of r not only on the world’s problems but also on the world’s pleasures? Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC FT 102 UnAmerican Cinema
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
This course seeks to understand American film history in light of one set of events: the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings on communism in the film industry and the resulting industry blacklist. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC FT 103 Screenwriting: Doing Justice Through Adaptation
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - This course will analyze the responsibilities of adapting socially significant source material for the screen. The lessons from case studies will assist students in their effort to identify impactful source material, research related topics, and develop a screenplay adaptation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC HI 102 The Culture of World War I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Studies World War I through works of literature, art, and music. Themes include initial optimism, the brutal reality of the trenches, and consequences of the peace. Works by Owen, Sassoon, Brooke, Kandinsky, Picasso, Grosz, Stravinsky, Butterworth, Freud, West, Junger, Celine. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
KHC HI 107 Global History of a Movement
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
It is difficult for us in our historical moment to discern the degree to which the social, political, economic, and intellectual life of the world was riven by conflicts between competing ideologies/movements as they imagined the future of the global system. Through careful attention to our shared archives of art, fiction, and primary-source texts, this course will explore movements like communism, feminism, and decolonization across time and space in order to understand these movements as global phenomena that continue to structure the unfolding of history in our present. Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC NE 104 VISION & ART
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Scientific Inquiry I Teamwork/Collaboration
The course will guide students to learn about the neuroscience and neurology of eye and brain functions and disfunction and will discuss their relationship paintings. We will discuss the effect of eye and retinal diseases on the painting of Degas, Monet, ElGreco, Georgia O'Keefe, and the blind Turkish painter (E.Armagan) who sees by touch. Impairments of cortical visual functions will be associated with discussion of the paintings of great masters such as Rembrandt, Bacon, and Van Gogh. Virtual and real visits to Art Museums. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Scientific Inquiry I, Teamwork/Collaboration.
KHC RH 101 Serious Comics: Graphic Narrative and the Representation of History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Oral and/or Signed Communication
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 103 A Reexamination of Childhood through Children's Literature and Community-Based Learning
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking The Individual in Community
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 RN 102 Sacred Spaces
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
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 TH 102 Aesthetics and Dance: Form and Structure
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course looks at three major theories of art and applies them to dance. How do we view and perceive dance' The theories that provide us the most insight are the mimetic/representation, formal, and expression theories. While these theories have been in existence for centuries, we will use them to consider visual art, theater, and music, and then focus on dance. How is movement and gesture organized to tell a story, convey an idea and/or create an aesthetic experience' How do we make sense of this nonverbal form of communication and increase our appreciation for dance's power to engage' Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC VA 104 More than a Face: What Masks Reveal
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Other faces, frames, transformations and disguises, masks speak to what it is to be human among other humans, unifying the body and the psyche in ways few objects do. Participants study the complexity of masks as a cross- disciplinary nexus. Effective Spring 2021 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC XL 101 Global Shakespeares: Text, Culture, Appropriation
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy
Why do contemporary writers parrot and parody "Shakespeare," and how much of this activity is about Shakespeare at all' This seminar provides an introduction to reading and writing about Shakespeare's plays. But it also takes a step back to consider Shakespeare as a phenomenon. Among others we'll look at feminist Shakespeare, postcolonial and nationalist Shakespeare, and sci-fi Shakespeare. Beyond learning about particular offshoots and adaptations, the deeper point is to make sure you never read a "Great Book" the same way again. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
KHC XL 103 Problems in Propaganda and Persuasion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
How does propaganda move people to action by appealing not to reason but to emotions' Theories and material from Germany, Russia, Poland, Italy, China, Japan, USA, the Middle East; totalitarian ruler-cult & mobilization for war; propagandistic use of media technologies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
WED DE 351 Deaf Literature and Visual Arts
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression
An investigation of the narrative traditions of the Deaf community that weaves together threads from a variety of disciplines and analytical perspectives resulting in a comprehensive study of literature, visual arts, performance, as well as culture. The study will provide insights into the fundamental role that literature and artistic compositions play in revealing culture and the natural inclination humans have to share "stories." Students become more thoughtful consumers of creative art and enhance their appreciation for the contributions of the Deaf World. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation.
Historical Consciousness
CAS AA 112 Black Power in the Classroom: The History of Black Studies
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
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 113 Introduction to Antiracism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
This course introduces students to the concept of antiracism, particularly its historical contours in the United States. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AA 207 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Examines the fundamental theoretical and empirical approaches regarding race/ethnicity and the current state of race relations in the U.S. that explore both contemporary social problems. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 207S Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Examines the fundamental theoretical and empirical approaches regarding race/ethnicity and the current state of race relations in the U.S., exploring both contemporary social problems and the deep historical roots of those problems through a sociological lens. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 221 Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 237 Reconstructing the African Past
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores the richness and diversity of a continent where oral histories and environmental settings have shaped society as much as written records. Considers Africa's critical place in the world from ancient Egypt and Ghana to the Asante and Ethiopian empires. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 237S Reconstructing the African Past
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores the richness and diversity of a continent where oral histories and environmental settings have shaped society as much as written records. Considers Africa's critical place in the world from ancient Egypt and Ghana to the Asante and Ethiopian empires. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 287 Slavery and the In-Between
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
Examines the space between freedom and enslavement known as recaptivity. Course discussions focus on conceptions of freedom and their relationship to recaptive status. Reviews recaptivity contexts in both the historical and archaeological record. Also examines the theme of return. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 297 African American Women's History
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
Survey of African American women's history from the slave trade to the present, investigating its critical role in shaping the meaning of race, gender, and sexuality during slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. Also offered as CAS HI 297 and CAS WS 297. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AA 310 Civil Rights History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
This course examines the U.S. Civil Rights and the struggle for black freedom movements. From the late nineteenth century through the twenty-first century, we consider events, organizations, "leaders" and organizers, legal campaigns, and political protests to answer the questions: What were the race, class, and gender dynamics within the movements' What were the changing definitions of freedom' The course treats the movement's roots, goals, ideologies, and cultures, and includes a comparison of the struggles for equal rights of Mexican Americans, Native Americans, LGBT folks, and other groups. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AA 310S History of the Civil Rights Movement
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
This course examines the U.S. Civil Rights and the struggle for black freedom movements. From the late nineteenth century through the twenty-first century, we consider events, organizations, "leaders" and organizers, legal campaigns, and political protests to answer the questions: What were the race, class, and gender dynamics within the movements' What were the changing definitions of freedom' The course treats the movement's roots, goals, ideologies, and cultures, and includes a comparison of the struggles for equal rights of Mexican Americans, Native Americans, LGBT folks, and other groups. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AA 335 Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or CAS WS 101/1 02. - No one of us is one thing, one identity, nor motivated by one singular interest, nor privileged or subjugated by one singular form of power, but how do those multiple forms of ourselves affect how we are advantaged, disadvantaged, viewed, and understood by the social world' Our social world, is, by default, a vast web of social intersections between and across groups with shared, overlapping, and conflicting identities. Race, class and gender affect nearly all of our lived experiences and greatly complicate and nuance concepts of diversity and difference. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression , The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 335S Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or CAS WS 101/1 02. - Prereq: (CAS WS 101/102), at least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or consent of the instructor. Examines race, class, gender, and sexuality as intersecting axes of stratification, identity, and experience -- acknowledging that no one of us is one thing, one identity, nor motivated by one singular interest, nor privileged or subjugated by one singular form of power. This course studies how these multiple forms of ourselves affect how we are advantaged, disadvantaged, viewed, and understood by the social world. Our social world is, by default, a vast web of social intersections between and across groups with shared, overlapping, and conflicting identities. Within this framework, we investigate the various ways that race, class, and gender affect nearly all of our lived experiences and greatly complicate and nuance concepts of diversity and difference. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 363 Race and the Development of the American Economy: A Global Perspective
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101) or consent of instructor. - Surveys the economic history of African Americans within the context of the development of the American and global economies. Topics include the economics of slavery; race and industrialization; the Great Migration; anti- discrimination legislation; and the historical origins of contemporary racial inequalities. Also offered as CAS EC 363. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS AA 371 Black Freedom Dreams: America and the World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Surveys the history of African diaspora peoples in the Americas from their African origins and the rise of the Atlantic slave trade through the age of emancipations, investigating the varied meanings of race, resistance, migration, and freedom. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration. Also offered as CAS HI 298.
CAS AA 371S Black Freedom Dreams: America and the World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore standing. - 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.
CAS AA 382 History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
The study of the development of religious traditions in Africa during the period prior to European colonialism. An emphasis on both indigenous religions and the growth and spread of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the continent as a whole. Also offered as CAS HI 349 and CAS RN 382. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 383 African Diaspora Religions
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
This course introduces students to religions of the African Diaspora, with a specific focus on the Caribbean and the Americas. Religious traditions such as Africanized Christianity, Cuban Santer¿a, Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candombl¿ and African American Spiritualism will be explored. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AA 388 Transnational Black Radicalism from the 19th Century to the Present
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores black cultural and political movements and examines how they interacted in ways that establish ideas crucial to our contemporary moment through readings in literature and history, film and popular culture productions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AA 410 The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
4 credits.
Students engage with hip hop history, including aesthetic trends, some important artists and works, regional styles, and relationship with the larger sociocultural context. Students will critique and remake hip hop canons. They will identify how hip hop is shaped by race, class, and gender issues and reflect on their own positionality. They will acquire and apply listening, viewing, and reading skills to interpret primary and secondary sources and bring their analyses of these sources to bear. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 514 Labor, Sexuality, and Resistance in the Afro-Atlantic World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - The role of slavery in shaping the society and culture of the Afro-Atlantic world, highlighting the role of labor, the sexual economy of slave regimes, and the various strategies of resistance deployed by enslaved people. Also offered as CAS HI 584. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 523 Race, Ethnicity, and Childhood in US History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar. - The history of childhood in US History intersects with the interdisciplinary area of childhood studies. Within that, the histories of Black children and children of ethnic minorities and historically marginalized young people is a burgeoning subfield. This course examines how identities inclusive of (and structural inequities associated with) race, ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexuality have differently affected the lives and experiences of young people in the United States from the colonial period through to the 21st century. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness (HCO), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AA 574 Introduction to Critical University Studies: Space, Place, and BU
4 credits.
This team-taught seminar uses the lens of "critical university studies" to consider the ways colonialism and white supremacy have shaped the history of American universities. Readings and archival research examine land appropriation, slavery and anti-slavery, segregation, and policing at Boston University. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AA 683 African Diaspora Religions
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
This course introduces students to religions of the African Diaspora, with a specific focus on the Caribbean and the Americas. Religious traditions such as Africanized Christianity, Cuban Santer¿a, Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candombl¿ and African American Spiritualism will be explored. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 111 Pyramids to Cathedrals: An Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Art
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
A chronological examination of the fundamentals of art and architectural history, this course introduces students to major monuments and works of art from antiquity to the middle ages in their social, religious and historical contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AH 111S Pyramids to Cathedrals: An Introduction to Ancient and Medieval Art
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
A chronological examination of the fundamentals of art and architectural history, this course introduces students to major monuments and works of art from antiquity to the middle ages in their social, religious and historical contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AH 112 Introduction to Art in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post- Modernism
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Major monuments and artists in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post-Modernism. Sequential development of major styles in architecture, sculpture, painting, and photography. Relationship of visual art to social and cultural forces. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 112S Introduction to Art in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post- Modernism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Major monuments and artists in Europe and the United States from the Renaissance to Post-Modernism. Sequential development of major styles in architecture, sculpture, painting, and photography. Relationship of visual art to social and cultural forces. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 201 Understanding Architecture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Introduces a range of approaches to understanding architecture in an historical perspective. Learn how architects and others have imagined buildings, landscapes, and cities in relation to politics, society, nature, history, and technology, focused upon European and American architecture from 1400 to the present. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 201S Understanding Architecture
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Introduces a range of approaches to understanding architecture in an historical perspective. Learn how architects and others have imagined buildings, landscapes, and cities in relation to politics, society, nature, history, and technology, focused upon European and American architecture from 1400 to the present. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 205 History of World Architecture
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
An examination of patterns in world architecture and urbanism from pre-history to the twentieth century. Lectures and discussions address questions of program, spatial composition, structure, technology, iconography, and cultural context for the examples considered 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, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 210 Learning to See
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Strengthens your ability to describe and analyze the visual world. From fundamentals such as color and composition to the design of advertisements, propaganda, and appliances. A lab component provides opportunities for direct engagement with objects, images, and the built environment. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 210S Learning to See
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Strengthens students' ability to describe and analyze the visual world. From fundamentals such as color and composition to the design of advertisements, propaganda, and appliances. A lab component provides opportunities for direct engagement with objects, images, and the built environment. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 225 The Arts of Asia
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Surveys of the major artistic traditions of Asia. Important monuments are examined analytically in order to explain why certain forms and styles are characteristic of specific times and places, and how these monuments functioned in their cultural contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 225S The Arts of Asia
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Surveys of the major artistic traditions of Asia. Important monuments are examined analytically in order to explain why certain forms and styles are characteristic of specific times and places, and how these monuments functioned in their cultural contexts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The technology, economy, social life, political organization, religions, art, and architecture of Egypt from Predynastic times through the Hellenistic period, based on archaeological and historical sources. Emphasis on the period of the pharaohs (ca. 3000-323 BCE). Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Also offered as CAS AR 232. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 233 The Arts of Greece
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Greek architecture, painting, sculpture, and other arts. Topics include: Greek perceptions of the world, the rise of monumental art and architecture, uses of color, period and individual styles. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 233S The Arts of Greece
4 credits. Summer
Greek architecture, painting, sculpture, and other arts. Topics include: Greek perceptions of the world, the rise of monumental art and architecture, uses of color, period and individual styles. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 240 Medieval Art in Europe
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course covers roughly one thousand years of art and architecture in Europe, Western Asia, and the Mediterranean from the Late Roman Era to the Renaissance. A broad range of media from stained glass to sculpture, gem encrusted metalwork, mosaics, ivories, manuscript illumination, lavish textiles, and other types of visual culture are examined. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 242 Latin American Art Since Contact
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Course surveys Latin American art from the colonial period to present and relates it to imperial, state, institutional, and private agendas. Course interrogates both notions of art within colonial / neo-colonial contexts and changing roles of artists over past half-millennia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 242S Latin American Art Since Contact
4 credits. Summer
Surveys Latin American art from the colonial period to present and relates it to imperial, state, institutional, and private agendas. Interrogates both notions of art within colonial/neo-colonial contexts and the changing roles of artists over the past half-millennia. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 251 Ancient Maya Civilization
4 credits. Fall and Spring
An exploration of the Maya civilization of Mexico and Central America, including its origins, intellectual achievements, city-state rise and collapse cycles, and the cultural endurance of the Maya people of today. This course carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AH 257 Renaissance Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Survey of the arts in the Renaissance in Italy from the communes of the early fifteenth century to the courts of the sixteenth century. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 257E Renaissance Art
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Survey of the arts in the Renaissance in Italy from the communes of the early fifteenth century to the courts of the sixteenth century.
Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 257S Renaissance Art
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Survey of the arts in the Renaissance in Italy from the communes of the early fifteenth century to the courts of the sixteenth century. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 284 Arts in America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
A survey of art and visual culture made in North America between the early colonial period and World War I, exploring the ways that painters, sculptors, photographers, and graphic artists navigated major aesthetic debates, political conflicts, and economic crises. 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, Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 319E British Arts & Media
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Liberal Arts Programme. - ARTS&MEDIA BRIT
CAS AH 320E British Arts in the Twentieth Century
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Considers painting, sculpture, and performing arts from the turn of the century to the present. Examines impact of European modernism. Surveys art of World War I, the Festival of Britain after World War II, and the impact of American painting in the postwar years.
CAS AH 325 Art, Media, and Buddhism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expression have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and re-contextualized in the West. Topics include: self- immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AH 326 Arts of Japan
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
The arts of Japan, from prehistory to the twentieth century. Lectures intend to cover a broad range of media (painting, sculpture, ceramics, prints) and building types (temples, palaces, castles, teahouses). Special attention is paid to major projects integrating multiple forms. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 328 Modern Japanese Architecture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
An introduction to major architects, buildings, theories, and critical issues of Japanese architecture from 1850 to the present. Focus on the development of new forms in response to interchanges with the West, new technologies, earthquakes, nationalism, international wars, and colonialism. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 333 Arts of Classical Greece
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Examines architecture, sculpture, painting, and metalwork of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in their original contexts. Addresses such larger issues as development of portraiture; tension of "real" and "ideal"; roles and shifting iconographies of myth; and political use of monuments. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 349E Art Renaissance Padua
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Padua Italian & European Studies Program.
CAS AH 356E FRENCH Art & Architecture
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Paris Internship Program. - MOD ART PARIS
CAS AH 361 Southern Baroque Art
4 credits.
Explores transformations in painting, sculpture, and architecture of late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Italy, Spain, and France. Topics include: crisis of the religious image and Counter-Reformation; arts in service of a rejuvenated, triumphant Catholic faith; papal nepotism and patronage. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 365 Baroque Arts in Northern Europe
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the vibrant artistic culture of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in the northern and southern Netherlands, corresponding roughly to present-day Holland and Belgium. Emphasis on major artists such as Rubens, Van Dyck, Frans Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Visits to the MFA's Center for Netherlandish Art.. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 369 American Folk Art
4 credits.
Explores the objects that collectors and museums identify as "American Folk Art." Examines how this label developed throughout the twentieth century; familiarizes students with major collections and genres including painting, sculpture, textiles, and other media. Also offered as CAS AM 369. Effective Spring 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 379 American Art and Culture in the Nineteenth Century
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the visual arts of painting, sculpture, photography, and popular media, through their interplay with persistent political and social questions that defined nineteenth-century America and continue to shape life in the twenty-first century. Themes include heroes, citizenship, war, imperialism, cosmopolitanism, consumerism. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 380 The Age of Napoleon
4 credits. Fall and Spring
In-depth exploration of art in the age of revolution, nationalism, colonial expansion, and religious revival. Development of new attitudes toward history, nature, and the imagination in the work of Friedrich, Goya, Delacroix, Gericault, Ingres, Turner, Constable, Blake, and others. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 381E London Architecture and Urbanism
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Explores the evolution of urban form in London from the walled town of the Middle Ages to the modern city, discussing town planning and architecture in relation to urban, economic, and cultural history, and to the other arts.
CAS AH 383E Architecture of Paris
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London and Paris Art & Architecture program. - PARIS ARCH&URBN
CAS AH 386 Modern American Art
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This class explores the diverse and contested field of modern art in the United States, examining the broad range of artists and art practices that laid claim to aesthetic modernism in the years between 1890 and 1945. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 386S Modern American Art
4 credits.
Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 388E British Painting from Holbein to the Twentieth Century
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
A survey of painting in Britain from the Reformation to 1914. Emphasis on the cultural context of art in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The development of portraiture, landscape, genre, and history painting is discussed.
CAS AH 389S The Age of Impressionism
4 credits.
Impressionism, its sources, and its aftermath: from the painting of modern life and leisure by Manet, Monet, Morisot, Renoir, and Degas to the evocation of spirituality, pain, and desire in the work of Van Gogh, Gauguin, Rodin, and Munch. Effective summer 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 391 Twentieth-Century Art to 1940
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
A study of the key tendencies in European art between the 1880s and World War II. The work of van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Dali, and their contemporaries is examined in relation to major issues in European culture and politics. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AH 392 Twentieth Century Art from 1940 to 1980
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores major currents in art produced around the world during the tumultuous middle decades of the 20th century. The following topics, among others, are examined in relation to postwar culture and Cold War politics: realism vs. abstraction, global pop art and conceptual art, new materials and technologies, international artists' networks, and performative art practices. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 393 Contemporary Art: 1980 to Now
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the terms of debate, key figures, and primary sites for the production and reception of contemporary art on a global scale since 1980. Painting, installation art, new media, performance, art criticism, and curatorial practice are discussed. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 393S Contemporary Art: 1980 to Now
4 credits.
Explores the terms of debate, key figures, and primary sites for the production and reception of contemporary art on a global scale since 1980. Painting, installation art, new media, performance, art criticism, and curatorial practice are discussed. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 395 History of Photography
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
An introduction to the study of photographs. The history of the medium in Europe and America from its invention in 1839 to the present. After lectures on photographic theory and methodology, photographs are studied both as art objects and as historical artifacts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 395S History of Photography
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
An introduction to the study of photographs. The history of the medium in Europe and America from its invention in 1839 to the present. After lectures on photographic theory and methodology, photographs are studied both as art objects and as historical artifacts. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AH 398 Global Modern and Contemporary Architecture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate prerequisites: CASAH 201 and CASAH 205 are recommended. This course provides an introduction to major developments in architecture and urban planning from the 19th century to the present. It challenges canonical history of architecture by showcasing global perspectives on and struggles for/against modernity, colonialism, decolonization, nationalism, and more. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AH 398S Global Modern and Contemporary Architecture
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This course provides an introduction to the major developments in architecture and urban planning from ca. 1900 to the present. It traces the proliferation of modernist thought through key projects but also to everyday buildings and landscapes. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 102 Human Biology, Behavior, and Evolution
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduces basic principles of evolutionary biology, human origins, genetics, reproduction, socio-ecology, and the evolution of primate and human behavior and adaptions. Section activities include examination of fossil and skeletal material, and hands-on projects involving human and primate behavior and biology. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 202 Archaeological Mysteries: Pseudoscience and Fallacy in the Human Past
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Investigation through case studies of pseudoscientific claims about the past. Purported solutions to archaeological mysteries are subjected to the test of evidence using the scientific method. Topics include Atlantis, ancient extraterrestrials, Pyramids, Stonehenge, crop marks, and Noah's Ark. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS AN 206 Ancient Technology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to the emergence of culture and the reconstruction of early lifeways from archaeological evidence. Topics include early humans in Africa, Asia, and Europe; Neanderthals; the first Americans; and the prelude to agriculture. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AN 243 Shamans and Shamanism
4 credits.
Shamans in global and theoretical perspectives. The origins and construction of the category of shamanism. Modern theories and debates about the category and the appropriateness of applying it cross-culturally. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AN 285 Coping with Crisis in Contemporary Africa (area)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the ways ordinary Africans are coping with problems of security, environmental degradation, forced migration, economic decline, and disease. Readings and lectures contrast outsiders' interpretations of these "crises" with the way they are experienced by those they affect. Staff. 4 cr. Either sem. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AN 287 Slavery and the In-Between
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
Examines the space between freedom and enslavement known as recaptivity. Course discussions focus on conceptions of freedom and their relationship to recaptive status. Reviews recaptivity contexts in both the historical and archaeological record. Also examines the theme of return. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 291 Peoples of the Arctic
4 credits. Fall and Spring
People have lived in the Arctic for 40,000 years and continue to thrive in this challenging environment. We use archaeological, oral history, historic, and ethnographic data to examine this long history, and to address the ways in which themes from the past can be used to highlight contemporary issues in Arctic communities. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AN 305 Paleolithic Archaeology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
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 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 310 Studies in North American Ethnography (area)
4 credits.
A survey including an appreciation of the traditional background and heritage of native North Americans, analysis of the history and contact with Europeans and governmental policies, and an examination and evaluation of the contemporary situation. 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 AN 319 Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics (area)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines the history and contemporary dynamics of religion and politics across the entire Muslim-majority world. Special attention to the changing nature of religious observance and authority, and its implications for citizenship, democracy, youth culture, and gender relations. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS AN 319S Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Prereq: (CAS AN 101) or other anthropology course. Examines Muslim societies' ongoing struggle over the forms and meanings of Muslim culture and politics, as well as its implications for religious authority, gender ideals, and new notions of citizenship, civil society, and democracy.
CAS AN 321 Cognition and Culture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This class explores the relationship between culture and cognition. We place emphasis on the mechanisms of cultural change and how these affect features of human cognition. In turn, culture itself is shaped and constrained by human cognition. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 323 East Africa: Order and Change (area)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores East Africa and its people's ways of understanding time, space, and social order. Topics include issues such as settlement order, birth order, inter-generational relations, ritual and ceremony -- as challenged, upheld, and reformed -- and questions of power, authority, belief, and ethics. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AN 327 Islam in Africa
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
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.
CAS AN 331 Human Origins
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN102 OR CASAR101 OR CASBI107) or equivalent. - Introduction to human paleontology and methods for reconstructing the ancestry, structure, diet, and behavior of fossil primates and humans. Survey of primate and hominid fossils, primate comparative anatomy, radioactive dating, molecular and structural phylogenies, climactic analyses, and comparative behavioral ecology. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 337 Creation and Evolution
4 credits.
A critical survey of the creation/evolution dispute in historical and intellectual context. By discussing key texts and issues, participants will gain understanding of the history of science, its relationship to ethical and religious ideas, and the polarization of American society. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS AN 344 Culture and Social Change in Japan (area)
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Contemporary Japanese society examined through social institutions such as family, school and workplace. Looking at social and historical change through critical moments in Japan's modern history, we examine the experiences of individuals through social class, gender, and the impact of globalization. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 365E SPAIN MEXICO
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Madrid Internship Program or the Madrid Spanish Stud ies Program. - SPAIN MEXICO
CAS AN 368E AUSTRL CULT&SOC
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
AUSTRL CULT&SOC
CAS AN 384 Anthropology of Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN101) or consent of instructor. - Introduction to the anthropological study of myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AN 384S Anthropological Study of Religion
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAN101) or consent of instructor. - An introduction to the anthropological study of myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology.
CAS AN 397 Anthropology and Film: Ways of Seeing
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Considers the history and development of anthropological, ethnographic, and transcultural filmmaking. In- depth examination of important anthropological films in terms of methodologies, techniques, and strategies of expression; story, editing, narration, themes, style, content, art, and aesthetics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 506 Regional Archaeology and Geographical Information Systems
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one archaeology course or consent of instructor. - Graduate Prerequisites: one archaeology course or consent of instructor. - Use of advanced computer (GIS) techniques to address regional archaeological problems. This applied course examines digital encoding and manipulation of archaeological and environmental data, and methods for testing hypotheses, analyzing, and modeling the archaeological record. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AN 532 Literacy and Islam in Africa
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the Islamization of Africa and literary traditions. Students learn about African texts written in the Arabic script (Ajami) and the spread of Islam and its Africanization throughout the continent. Texts written by enslaved Africans in the Americas are examined. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AN 565 Memory in 3-D: Memorials, Then and Now
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - Memorials and the spaces around them are charged zones, time portals where past and present co-exist. In this course we focus on the development of memorial culture in America, along with a comparative examination of the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome. The distance afforded by stepping outside our own time and place provides perspectives on aspects of form and message, as well as on how the meanings of memorial can change. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AN 575 The Cosmopolitan Past: Material Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Using archaeology to understand the cosmopolitan world of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, from Alexander through the Romans. We travel to cities and sanctuaries, estates and farmsteads, to learn how people at all levels of society displayed their affiliations, ideals, and personas. Through the prism of personal identity we track cultural capital: what that meant, how it changed, and how people used it in order to assert who they were and how they mattered. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 719 Anthropology of Muslim Cultures and Politics (Area)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: graduate standing. CAS AN 101 or another anthropology course is strong ly recommended. - Explores Muslim societies' ongoing struggle over the forms and meanings of Muslim culture and politics. Examines the implications of these struggles for religious authority, gender ideals, citizenship, civil society, and democracy. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS AN 744 Modern Japanese Society: Family, School, and Workplace (Area)
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Approaches diversity and change in contemporary Japanese society through a focus on the life course, family, school, and workplace. Also explores popular and material culture, and the social history of urban life. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AN 784 Anthropology of Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AN 797 Anthropology and Film: Ways of Seeing
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Considers the history and development of anthropological, ethnographic, and transcultural filmmaking. In-depth examination of important anthropological films in terms of methodologies, techniques, and strategies of expression; story, editing, narration, themes, style, content, art, and aesthetics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 100 Archaeology Today
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to how archaeologists use material culture to study inequality, diet, gender, religion, identity, and sustainability in global case studies from the origins of humans to the present. Looting, heritage, and repatriation are addressed with the perspectives of descendant communities. 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. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 100S Archaeology Today
4 credits.
Introduction to how archaeologists use material culture to study inequality, diet, gender, religion, identity, and sustainability in global case studies from the origins of humans to the present. Looting, heritage, and repatriation are addressed with the perspectives of descendant communities. 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. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 150 Archaeology of Cities
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Teamwork/Collaboration
An introduction to the archaeology of cities and urbanism. The course includes introductory urban theory, exposure to ancient and early modern cities from geo-temporal contexts that Archaeology Program faculty specialize in, and comparison of cities and urbanism organized along central themes. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AR 190 Introduction to Archaeology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Foundational training in how archaeologists study past peoples and cultures via field, museum, and laboratory methods. Apply theoretical frameworks to archaeological themes and datasets. Relate archaeological outcomes to the present day through real-world examples from around the globe. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AR 190S Introduction to Archaeology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Foundational training in how archaeologists study past peoples and cultures via field, museum, and laboratory methods. Students apply theoretical frameworks to archaeological themes and datasets and learn to relate archaeological outcomes to the present day through real-world examples from around the globe. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AR 200 Heritage Matters: Introduction to Heritage Management
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Protection and management of archaeological heritage, including sites, artifacts, and monuments. Survey of heritage values and stakeholders. Issues covered include policy and legislation, U.S. preservation system, Carries social science 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, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AR 200E HERITAGE MATTRS
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
HERITAGE MATTRS
CAS AR 202 Archaeological Mysteries: Pseudoscience and Fallacy in the Human Past
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Investigation through case studies of pseudoscientific claims about the past. Purported solutions to archaeological mysteries are subjected to the test of evidence using the scientific method. Topics include Atlantis, ancient extraterrestrials, Pyramids, Stonehenge, crop marks, and Noah's Ark. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills one unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AR 205 Origins of Civilization
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The comparison of origins and institutions of civilizations in the Old and New Worlds, including the first state-organized societies of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, China, Mesoamerica, and Peru. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness and Social Inquiry I.
CAS AR 206 Ancient Technology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course explores the history of technology through hands-on experimental work with artifacts and case studies including stone tools, ceramics, metals, machines, and monumental architecture from the earliest prehistoric societies in Palaeolithic Africa to the Roman Empire and beyond. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS AR 210 Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations
4 credits.
Traces the rise and fall of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations from their Stone Age roots to the end of the Bronze Age. Subjects include art, architecture, economic, social, political, and religious characteristics, and theoretical explanations of cultural change. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AR 230 Introduction to Greek & Roman Archaeology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - An archaeological journey from Bronze Age Greece to democratic Athens to Imperial Rome, tracking social upheaval and cohesion through religious, civic, and domestic spheres. Learn to read material remains to understand life in a complex past, a past that illuminates our own world today. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AR 230S Introduction to Greek and Roman Archaeology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (WR 120 or equivalent) - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120) or consent of instructor. An archaeological journey from Bronze Age Greece to democratic Athens to Imperial Rome, tracking social upheaval and cohesion through religious, civic, and domestic spheres. Students learn to read material remains to understand life in a complex past, a past that illuminates our own world today. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS AR 232 Archaeology of Ancient Egypt
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The art, and architecture, political organization, social life, religion, economy and technology of ancient Egypt from prehistoric times through the Roman period, based on archaeological and historical sources. Emphasis on the period of the Pharaohs (ca. 3000 BC to ca. AD 300 BC). This course carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills one unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 251 Ancient Maya Civilization
4 credits. Fall and Spring
An exploration of the Maya civilization of Mexico and Central America, including its origins, intellectual achievements, city-state rise and collapse cycles, and the cultural endurance of the Maya people of today. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AR 273 Archaeology of the Viking Age
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Archaeological evidence of Viking life and culture. Topics include home life, ships and shipbuilding, trade, warfare, religion, art, colonization; detailed examination of major terrestrial and underwater archaeological excavations in Europe, Greenland, and North America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 291 Peoples of the Arctic
4 credits. Fall and Spring
People have lived in the Arctic for 40,000 years and continue to thrive in this challenging environment. We use archaeological, oral history, historic, and ethnographic data to examine this long history, and to address the ways in which themes from the past can be used to highlight contemporary issues in Arctic communities. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS AR 305 Paleolithic Archaeology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAR101) - 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.
CAS AR 331 Early Greek Art and Architecture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Examines a critical formative stage in Greek art. Analyzes the rise of identifiable artists, the relationship of art to epic, the evolution of the architectural orders, and the formation of Greek style in monumental stone sculpture. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS AR 333 Arts of Classical Greece
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Examines architecture, sculpture, painting, and metalwork of the fifth and fourth centuries B.C. in their original contexts. Addresses such larger issues as development of portraiture; tension of "real" and "ideal"; roles and shifting iconographies of myth; and political use of monuments. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AR 347 Egypt and Northeast Africa: Early States in Egypt, Nubia, and Eritrea/Ethiopia
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)or consent of instr uctor. - This course focuses on early states in northeast Africa, in Egypt, Nubia, and Eritrea/Ethiopia. Comparative analyses include socio-economic institutions, kingship, burial practices and religions of these early states, concentrating on archaeological as well as textual evidence. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS AR 365E SPAIN MEXICO
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Madrid Internship Program or the Madrid Spanish Stud ies Program. - SPAIN MEXICO
CAS AR 435 Materiality and Religion in Late Antiquity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: prior coursework in archaeology or ancient religions, or consent of i nstructor. - Investigates material traces and contexts of religion in the Graeco-Roman world, including iconic, architectural, votive, magical, and other archaeological remains; and draws on theories of space, image, and ritual performance. Topics vary. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AR 503E Archaeological Field Methods
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry II Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASAR101) , or consent of instructor. - ARCH FIELD METH
CAS AR 506 Regional Archaeology and Geographical Information Systems
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one archaeology course or consent of instructor. - Graduate Prerequisites: one archaeology course or consent of instructor. - Use of advanced computer (GIS) techniques to address regional archaeological problems.This applied course examines digital encoding and manipulation of archaeological and environmental data, and methods for testing hypotheses, analyzing, and modeling the archaeological record. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AR 565 Memory in 3-D: Memorials, then and now
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
Memorials and the spaces around them are charged zones, time portals where past and present co-exist.The decision to erect a memorial is a statement on many levels -- of cultural stamina, political will, social need, and above all of historical consciousness. In this course we focus on the development of memorial culture in America, along with a comparative examination of the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome. The distance afforded by stepping outside our own time and place provides perspectives on aspects of form and message, as well as on how the meanings of memorial can change. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS AR 575 The Cosmopolitan Past: Material Identity in the Ancient Mediterranean
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two CAS AR courses at the 200 level of above, or consent of instructor . First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Using archaeology to understand the cosmopolitan world of the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East, from Alexander through the Romans. We travel to cities and sanctuaries, estates and farmsteads, to learn how people at all levels of society displayed their affiliations, ideals, and personas. Through the prism of personal identity we track cultural capital: what that meant, how it changed, and how people used it in order to assert who they were and how they mattered. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS AS 413 Extragalactic Astrophysics and Cosmology
4 credits. Fall
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS AS 203, CAS AS 312, and CAS PY 355. - Historical and intellectual developments that led to our current understanding of the universe; galaxies, galaxy clusters and large-scale structure; galaxy formation and evolution; dark matter and dark energy; Hot Big Bang and inflation; foundations of general relativity. (Offered alternate years.) Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS AS 414 Solar and Space Physics
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS PY 355; and CAS PY 212 or CAS PY 252. - The historical development of solar and space physics. Solar system plasma physics. The Sun, solar magnetic field, solar activity, and solar wind. Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere. Magnetic storms and space weather. Research project relevant to solar and space physics. Oral and/or signed presentation on research project. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS BI 206 Genetics
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Quantitative Reasoning II
Prerequisites: CASBI 108 or equivalent. Corequisite: CASCH 203. - Principles of classical, molecular, and evolutionary genetics derived from analytical, molecular, and whole genome cytological evidence in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion. Students may receive credit for CASBI 206 or 216, but not both courses. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking.
CAS BI 206S Genetics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Quantitative Reasoning II
Prerequisites: CASBI 108 or equivalent. Corequisite: CASCH 203. - Principles of classical, molecular, and evolutionary genetics derived from analytical, molecular, and whole genome cytological evidence in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion. Students may receive credit for CASBI 206 or 216, but not both courses. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking.
CAS BI 216 Intensive Genetics
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Quantitative Reasoning II Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASBI 108 & BI 203 (or equivalents), and CASCH 203 or consent of instructor. Advanced alternative to CASBI 206, because (unlike BI206) BI216 does not repeat topics already taught in BI203 (or BI213) and also builds on fundamental information learned in B I203 (or BI 213). BI 216 also introduces students to reading research papers. Students in BI 216 attend lectures with students in BI 206 for the first half of the semester, after which BI 216 students are taught separately from BI 206 students. Principles of classical, molecular, and evolutionary genetics derived from analytical, molecular, and whole genome cytological evidence in animals, plants, and microorgansims. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion. Students may receive credit for CASBI 216 or 206, but not both courses. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS BI 282 Fundamentals of Biology 2
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Quantitative Reasoning II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCH182) or equivalent, and consent of instructor. - Limited to seven-year medical students. Principles of classical, molecular, and evolutionary genetics derived from analytical, molecular, and whole genome cytological evidence in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking.
CAS BI 302 Vertebrate Zoology
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Scientific Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASBI107) - Methods and principles of comparative vertebrate zoology. Phylogeny, natural history, adaptation, and taxonomy. Laboratory emphasis on correlation among structural, physiological, and evolutionary features of selected vertebrates by both dissection and experimentation. Field trips. Two hours lecture, six hours lab. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS BI 414 Ornithology
4 credits. Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASBI107) - Examines the behavior, ecology, morphology, physiology, classification, and evolution of birds. Flight, navigation, migration, territorial courtship, nesting, and parental behavior. Field trips. Three hours lecture, one hour discussion and demonstrations. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS BI 475 Urban Ecology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Scientific Inquiry II Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEE100 OR CASEE101) and one of the following: CAS BI 306, CAS BI 443 or GRS BI 643, CAS EE 456 or GRS EE 656, or CAS BI 530 or CAS EE 530; or consent of instruc tor. - The biophysical environments and ecology of urban settlements. Key topics include the physical environment, patterns in human population growth and development, ecosystem structure and function, global change, urban environment pollution and management, and sustainable urban development. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS BI 675 Urban Ecology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Scientific Inquiry II Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEE100 OR CASEE101) and one of the following: CAS BI 306, CAS BI 443 or GRS BI 643, CAS EE 456 or GRS EE 656, or CAS BI 530 or CAS EE 530; or consent of instruc tor. - The biophysical environments and ecology of urban settlements. Key topics include the physical environment, patterns in human population growth and development, ecosystem structure and function, global change, urban environment pollution and management, and sustainable urban development. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CC 211 Power, Political Forms, and Economics: Core Social Science 2
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry II Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Builds on CC 112, considering the major events and processes that have shaped the modern world, and looks at the roots of these changes in the works studied in first year Core. Ideas of human rights and self- determination, the relation of the individual and society, and the relation of power and economics to society. Readings are drawn from classic works of social and political theory: Thucydides, Ibn Khaldun, Hobbes, Rousseau, Tocqueville, Weber, Adam Smith, Marx, Durkheim, and Malinowski. The course is writing intensive. Carries social science 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 II, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS CC 221 Making the Modern World: Progress, Politics, and Economics
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry II Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g. CAS CC 101 or WR 120). Applying careful readings of Western social, political, and economic thinkers between 1600-1900, the course asks: How did "society" emerge as a distinctive object of political engineering, normative discourse, and social scientific inquiry? And what economic transformations helped shape theories of justice and social contract? Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS CG 105E BUPH SUM LNG
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
BUPH SUM LNG
CAS CG 106E BUPH SUM CLT
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
BUPH SUM CLT
CAS CH 121 Chemistry in Culture & Society
4 credits. Spring
The course is intended to provide scientific fluency in the basic concepts of chemistry, to understand basic, scientific principles and make informed decisions as an essential feature of an advanced society and culture. Contemporary topics including sustainable energy, nutrition, 3D printing, scientific ethics and many others will be explored. Carries natural science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 101 History of Global Cinema 1: Origins through 1950s
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course provides an overview of film history in a number of different national traditions, from the origins of film through the 1950s. It covers the emergence of the key international film movements, alongside the economic and historical conditions that inform them. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 102 History of Global Cinema 2: 1960s to the Present
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course provides an overview of film history in a number of different national traditions, from the 1960s to the present. It covers the emergence of the key international film movements, alongside the economic and historical conditions that inform them. 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, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 266 A Study of Italian Cinema from the 1940s to the Present
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Films by De Sica, Fellini, Benigni, Sorrentino and others tell the story of social and cultural development during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 269 Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film
4 credits.
How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies' Holocaust representation in literature, film and memorials, including discussions of bystander complicity and societal responsibilities, testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, documentaries and feature films. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS CI 283 Arab Cultures Through Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required. Effective Fall 2024 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CI 283S Arab Cultures Through Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required. Effective Summer 2024 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CI 320 Weimar Cinema (taught in English)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
German silent and early sound films from Caligari to Hitler, viewed in the aesthetic context of contemporary and recent film theory and criticism and in the broader cultural context of the interwar Weimar Republic (1918--1933), with international points of comparison. Weekly screenings. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 353 Stalin's Crimes: Gulag and Genocide
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar CAS WR 100 or 120 or equivalent. - History, poetry and prose written in the genocidal conditions of Stalinist Russia, when the revolutionary euphoria and artistic innovation of the 1920s came up against the political repression and violence of the modern totalitarian state. Readings and films from some of the greatest poets, directors and prose writers of the 20th century display the richness of modern Russian literature as well as the complex interplay of political power, cinema and the written word, of murderous history and the creative imagination, during the Ukraine famine-genocide and the gulags. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 369 Greek Tragedy and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores Greek tragic myth's afterlife, both directly and obliquely, in cinema and in the modern literature spawning cinema: how certain Greek tragic myths have come to life as film and how "non-mythic" stories have acquired a mythic power in literary and cinematic form. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CI 383 Auteur Studies: Japan
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Topic for Spring 2023: Kurosawa Akira. Attention to Kurosawa's film style, global reception, and his complex reflections on Japanese history and the nature of cinema and art. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CI 386 Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
4 credits.
The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 387 The Holocaust Through Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS CI 389 World Cities: Istanbul
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CI 445 On Screen: Italians in America
4 credits.
Italian Americans have long been represented in American film and television. What are these representations and how have they been received' How is Italian American identity constructed through these media' Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CI 470 Mexican Cinema on the World Stage
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Mexican history and culture through the lens of film. The course draws on film criticism and theory to approach the study of Mexican films as both historical artifacts and works of art and within the background of world cinema. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 101 The World of Greece
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The literature, philosophy, art, and culture of ancient Greece and their impact on later cultures. Topics covered include the emergence of epic poetry; art and lyric in the Archaic Age; drama, architecture, philosophy, and political developments of classical Athens and Greece. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 101S The World of Greece
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
The literature, philosophy, art, and culture of ancient Greece. Topics covered include the emergence of epic poetry; art and lyric in the Archaic Age; drama, architecture, philosophy, and political developments of classical Athens and Greece. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 102 The World of Rome
4 credits. Fall and Spring
An introduction to the world of the ancient Romans, as viewed in their literature, culture, and art. Discusses their origins, army, family life, religion, and education, and their legacy in our own time. All texts in translation. 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 CL 102S The World of Rome
4 credits. Summer
An introduction to the world of the ancient Romans, as viewed in their literature, culture, and art. Discusses their origins, army, family life, religion, and education, and their legacy in our own time. All texts in translation. 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, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 106 The Others: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Ancient World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
An overview of enemies and neighbors of ancient Greeks and Romans such as Lydians, Phrygians, the Phoenicians, Persians or the Gauls with a special emphasis on the contrast between so-called "classical" and "indigenous" sources in each case. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CL 108 Scientific Terminology from Greek and Latin Roots
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
Introduction to Greek and Latin roots of English word elements and word origins with focused etymological and linguistic analysis of scientific terminology and systems, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, chemistry, geology, and medicine. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 205 Origins of Writing
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Overview of the world's major writing systems: Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs; Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform; West Semitic consonantal scripts (abjads); East Asian scripts; runes; Greek and Roman alphabets. Considerable linguistic component supplemented by historical information about ancient languages and cultures. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 205S Origins of Writing
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Overview of the world's major writing systems: Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs; Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform; West Semitic consonantal scripts (abjads); East Asian scripts; runes; Greek and Roman alphabets. Considerable linguistic component supplemented by historical information about ancient languages and cultures. 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, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 206 Women in Antiquity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
In this class, we explore the writings, representations, rituals, powers, and spaces of women in the ancient world (Greece, Rome) and beyond, discussing literature, documentary evidence, works of art and architecture, archaeological remains, and gender theory. All texts in translation. 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 CL 207 Sexuality in Ancient Greece and Rome
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Exploration of Ancient Greek and Roman conceptions of sexuality and sexual identity through a study of visual and written sources. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 211 Latin 3: Prose
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL112) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from Latin prose. Authors read may include Caesar, Cicero, Livy, Petronius, and Pliny. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 211S Latin 3: Prose
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL112) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from Latin prose. Authors read may include Caesar, Cicero, Livy, Petronius, and Pliny. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 213 Greek and Roman Mythology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A general introduction to the myths of the ancient classical world, with particular regard to the patterns of experience, both religious and psychological, from which they evolved. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2019, this course carries a single unit in each of the following areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CL 213S Greek and Roman Mythology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
A general introduction to the myths of the ancient classical world, with particular regard to the patterns of experience, both religious and psychological, from which they evolved. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CL 216 Greek and Roman Religion
4 credits.
Survey of ancient Greek and Roman religions and their development from earliest beginnings to the eclipse of paganism. Theories and practices of these religions, comparisons with other religions, and relationships to Judaism and Christianity. All texts in translation. 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 CL 225 Roman Warfare
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
This course explores the world of Roman warfare. Through a close reading of Julius Caesar¿s two literary masterpieces, The Civil War and the Gallic Wars, students reconstruct the skills, experiences, and fears of soldiers in the ancient Roman army. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness.
CAS CL 228 The History of Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
This course surveys the history of medical thought and practice in Greece and Rome, from the archaic to the Byzantine period. It examines developments in anatomy, pharmacology, psychology and nutrition, and analyzes texts by important ancient medical thinkers. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 228S The History of Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
A survey of the history of medical thought and practice in Greece and Rome, from the archaic to the Byzantine period. Examines developments in anatomy, pharmacology, psychology and nutrition, and analyzes texts by important ancient medical thinkers. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same name that was previously numbered CAS CL 328.
CAS CL 261 Greek 3: Prose
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL162) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from Greek prose. Authors read may include Herodotus, Plato and Lysias, as ,well as selections from the New Testament. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 261S Greek 3: Prose
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCL162) or equivalent. - Reading of selections from Greek prose. Authors read may include Plato and Lysias, as well as selections from the New Testament. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS CL 321 Greek History
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to the political, social, and economic history of Greece from the earliest historical period through the death of Alexander the Great. All texts in translation. 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 CL 325 Greek Tragedy and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores Greek tragic myth's afterlife, both directly and obliquely, in cinema and in the modern literature spawning cinema: how certain Greek tragic myths have come to life as film and how "non-mythic" stories have acquired a mythic power in literary and cinematic form. All texts in translation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS CL 325S Greek Tragedy and Film
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Explores Greek tragic myth's afterlife, both directly and obliquely, in cinema and in the modern literature spawning cinema: how certain Greek tragic myths have come to life as film and how "non-mythic" stories have acquired a mythic power in literary and cinematic form. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS CL 336 The Roman Empire: Society, Culture, Religion
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Perquisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or 120). - The culture of the age of Roman emperors; history, political institutions, literature, art, religion, social institutions and life, the role of women, and life in the Roman provinces. Some familiarity with the civilization of ancient Rome recommended. All texts in translation. Effective Summer 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU HUB areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Writing Intensive.
CAS CL 348 Gods, Graves and Pyramids: Ancient Egyptian Religion and Ritual
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) or consent of inst ructor - The beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, from their origins in Predynastic times to the development of the great temple complexes in the New Kingdom and later are studied in a broad synthesis of the data: archaeological, architectural and textual. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS CL 351 Latin Seminar
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCL 212 or equivalent. - Intensive study of selected major authors. May be repeated for credit as topics change. Topic for Fall 2025: Catullus. Topic for Spring 2026: Tacitus. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 391 Greek Seminar
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASCL 262 or equivalent. - Intensive study of selected major authors. May be repeated for credit as topics change. Topic for Fall 2025: Plato’s Republic. Topic for Spring 2026: Hesiod and his Aftermath. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS CL 534 Historical and Comparative Linguistics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Introduction to language change and the methodology of historical linguistic analysis, using data from a wide array of languages. Investigates genetic relatedness among languages, language comparison, historical reconstruction, and patterns and principles of change in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS CL 717 GRK & ROMAN REL
4 credits. Fall
GRK & ROMAN REL
CAS EC 322E ECON OF MENA
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101 & CASEC102) , and enrollment in the London Internship Program. - ECON OF MENA
CAS EC 333 Market Organization and Public Policy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC201 OR CASEC332) - Introduction to antitrust and regulatory policy. Studies sources of market inefficiency and historical and current policy towards topics such as collusion, merger, monopolization, and regulatory treatment of competition issues. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EC 361E Economic Development of Europe
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Offers a broad understanding of the European Union, its history and its prospects for growth beyond the current member-states. Topics: Europe in search of new structures; institutions of the Union; instruments and systems of organization; economic policies of the European Union; social dimensions of an integrated market; monetary policies; and relations with other free market nations, with Eastern and Central Europe, and with developing countries.
CAS EC 363 Race and the Development of the American Economy: A Global Perspective
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101) or consent of instructor. - (Meets with CAS AA 363.) Surveys the economic history of African Americans within the context of the long run development of the American and global economies. Topics include basic features of American economic growth in the long run; the economics of slavery; the Civil War and the aftermath of slavery; the evolution of racial inequality from the end of the Civil War to the present. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS EC 365 Economic Institutions in Historical Perspective
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASEC 201 and CASEC 202. - Historical development of state finance since antiquity. Topics include the impact of geography and climate, the interaction of political and economic interests, income distribution, and ideological support for economic policies. Some comparisons will be made between developments in the East and West. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness , Quantitative Reasoning I.
CAS EC 365S Economic Institutions in Historical Perspective
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101 & CASEC102) - Historical development and role of institutions underlying market economies. Topics include contract enforcement and trading institutions, financial institutions, property rights in land, environmental resources such as water management and fisheries, economic infrastructure, regulation of labor, and capital markets. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning I.
CAS EC 369 Economic Development of Latin America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101 & CASEC102) - Contemporary issues of economic and social policy. Macroeconomic issues: inflation, stabilization, and the debt crisis. Foreign trade and economic restructuring. Poverty and income distribution. Role of the state. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EC 372E Irish Economy
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Dublin Internship Program; and CAS EC 101 or CAS EC 102, or consent of instructor. - IRISH ECONOMY
CAS EC 563 Race and the Development of the American Economy: A Global Perspective
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101) - Surveys African-American economic history in the context of the development of American and global economies, using available data and econometrics methods. Topics include: economics of slavery; race and industrialization; the Great Migration; anti-discrimination legislation; historical origins of contemporary racial inequalities. (Meets with CAS AA 563.)
CAS EC 565 Economic Institutions in Historical Perspective
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101) - Graduate Prerequisites: (CASEC101) - Historical development and role of institutions underlying market economies. Topics include contract enforcement and trading institutions, financial institutions, property rights in land, environmental resources such as water management and fisheries, economic infrastructure, regulation of labor, and capital markets.
CAS EE 150 Sustainable Energy: Technology, Resources, Society and Environment
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Scientific Inquiry I
Examines the social, environmental, and technological aspects of renewable and nonrenewable energy systems, their historical evolution and implications for the future. Discusses energy issues in context of globalization, climate change, and sustainable development. Explores lifestyle and policy decisions related to energy issues. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EE 150S Sustainable Energy: Technology, Resources, Society and Environment
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Scientific Inquiry I
Sustainable Energy: Technology, Resources, Society and Environment
CAS EE 201 World Regional Geography
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Overview of the special combination of environmental, historical, economic, and organizational qualities of the regions of the Old World, including Western and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, East and South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Emphasis on current issues of regional and global development. Carries social science 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, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS EE 201S World Regional Geography
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
World Regional Geography
CAS EE 250 The Fate of Nations: Climate, Resources, and Institutions
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Relationships among environment (e.g. climate), natural resources (e.g. energy, water), and human societies (hunter-gatherers to industrial economies). Principles from thermodynamics, climatology, ecology, and economics used to evaluate the role of environment and resources in the success and failure of societies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS EE 382 Understanding the Middle East
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduces the contemporary Middle East, Including the Arab world, Iran, Israel, and Turkey; examines the systems of government; the roles of external powers; the origins of the state system; the sources and objectives of opposition forces; the prospects for political reform including democratization; and the prospects for future cooperation or conflict. Also offered as IR 394. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EE 475 Urban Ecology
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Scientific Inquiry II Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASEE100 OR CASEE101) and one of the following: CAS BI 306, CAS BI 443 or GRS BI 643, CAS EE 456 or GRS EE 656, or CAS BI 530 or CAS EE 530; or consent of instructor. - This course explores the biophysical environments and ecology of urban settlements. Key topics covered include the physical environment (particularly climate & water), patterns in human population growth and development, ecosystem structure and function (net primary productivity, soils, nutrients cycling, organismal populations), global change (urban growth, disturbance, climate change), urban environment pollution and management (air and water quality), and sustainable urban development policies and regulations. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EE 522 The Development of Sustainable Environmental Responsibility
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
In-depth look at environmental policy and decision-making: how society addresses environmental problems. Includes discussion of the environmental movement, law, science, technology, economics, and international relations. Examines new issues facing environmental professionals and approaches to creating a sustainable world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EE 522S The Development of Sustainable Environmental Responsibility
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
In-depth look at environmental policy and decision-making: how society addresses environmental problems. Includes discussion of the environmental movement, law, science, technology, economics, and international relations. Examines new issues facing environmental professionals and approaches to creating a sustainable world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS EN 122 Medieval Worlds
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Why does the deep medieval past continue to haunt our dreams' In novels, games, and on TV' Medieval literature and its afterlives. Topics may include Arthurian romance, otherworld visions, monsters and heroes, women's lives and writing, modern medievalism. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 128 Representing Boston
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
Literary and cultural geography of Boston, from Puritan sermons to modern crime fiction. Readings by Winthrop, Wheatley, Emerson, Hopkins, Antin, Lowell, Lehane and others; required fieldwork, including four Saturday excursions: Freedom Trail, Black Heritage Trail, MFA, and Fenway Park. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 128S Representing Boston
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
Literary and cultural geography of Boston, from Puritan sermons to modern crime fiction. Readings by Winthrop, Wheatley, Emerson, Hopkins, Antin, Lowell, Lehane and others; required fieldwork, including: Freedom Trail, Black Heritage Trail, MFA, the North End, and the West End. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 163 Reading Shakespeare
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
A critical introduction to Shakespeare through intensive analyses of six or seven plays. Possible attention to such topics as literary sources, early modern stagecraft, performance history, and contemporary film adaptation. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 163S Reading Shakespeare
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
A critical introduction to Shakespeare through intensive analyses of six or seven plays. Possible attention to such topics as literary sources, early modern stagecraft, performance history, and contemporary film adaptation. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 179 Introduction to Trans Literature
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Is there such a thing as trans literature' While "Trans Studies" as a field of study in academia is relatively new, trans literature is not. In this course we engage with a wide-ranging trans literary tradition that spans time, genre, and language. We ask questions about authorship, community, and the social and political conditions which allow and bar the flourishing of trans culture. We will ask: What can the word 'trans' mean, and how does its multiple meanings open space to imagine new ways of becoming' How can literature expand how the world might be, rather than what it is'. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS EN 322 British Literature I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120), EN 220, and EN 221. - Beginnings of English literature from Anglo-Saxon period to end of the seventeenth century. Topics include the development of various poetic forms, medieval romance, and British drama. Authors may include Chaucer, Kempe, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Donne, and Milton. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 322S British Literature I
4 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS EN 120 or WR 100 or WR 120), EN 220, and EN 221. - Literature from the beginnings to the Restoration. Includes works by Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, and others.
CAS EN 323 British Literature 2
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASEN 120 or CASWR 100 or WR 120) and CASEN 322. - Overview of English literature between 1700 and 1900. Topics include London as urban center, modern prose fiction, Romantic and Victorian poetry, tensions between religion and science. Authors may include Pope, Swift, Wordsworth, Austen, Dickens, Tennyson, Wilde. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 323S British Literature 2
4 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASEN 120 or CASWR 100 or WR 120) and CASEN 322. - Overview of English literature between 1700 and 1900. Topics include London as urban center, modern prose fiction, Romantic and Victorian poetry, tensions between religion and science. Authors may include Pope, Swift, Wordsworth, Austen, Dickens, Tennyson, Wilde. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 333 American Literature: Beginnings to Civil War
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course, or junior or senior standing. - An introduction to the multiple literary traditions of North America (especially that area that would come to be the United States) from the close of the fifteenth century through 1855. Authors include John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson, Benjamin Franklin, Phillis Wheatley, William Apess, Washington Irving, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Frederick Douglass, Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 334 American Literature: Civil War to World War I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - American literature from the Civil War to the end of World War I in 1918. Changing literary forms in the age of Reconstruction, robber barons, the New Woman, westward expansion. Authors may include Whitman, Alger, Twain, James, Crane, Wharton, Chesnutt. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 341 History of the Novel in English
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - An introduction to the history of the Anglophone novel, from its origins in early modern England to its status as the dominant literary form of modernity. Readings include Defoe, Austen, Dickens, James, Woolf, Morrison, and Coetzee. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 345 Nineteenth-Century American Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - The development of the American novel in 19th C America: Uncle Tom's Cabin and Moby- Dick, plus Twain, Jacobs, Southworth, Chesnutt. Formal/aesthetic questions will be linked to cultural/historical ones including race and slavery, gender, individualism, and representing America. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 354 The Poetry of War
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120). - Survey of narrative, lyric, and dramatic forms of war poetry, mostly in English, beginning with mythic war and then responding to four modern wars: the American Civil War, the First and Second World Wars, and the American war in Vietnam. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing Intensive.
CAS EN 363 Shakespeare I
4 credits. Fall
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Six plays chosen from the following: Richard II, Henry IV, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, Hamlet, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Winter's Tale. Some attention to the sonnets. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 363S Shakespeare I
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Six plays chosen from the following: Richard II, Henry IV (Part I), Troilus and Cressida, As You Like It, Hamlet, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Winter's Tale. Some attention to the sonnets. For students who have declared an English major prior to Fall 2022: fulfills Pre-1800 British or American Literature requirement. For students declaring an English major in Fall 2022 and after: fulfills British or American Literature before 1700 requirement. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 364 Shakespeare 2
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Six or seven plays chosen from the following: Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and The Tempest. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 364S Shakespeare II
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Students do not need to have taken CAS EN 363 (Shakespeare I) prior to taking this course. Six or seven plays chosen from the following: Richard III, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and The Tempest. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS EN 373 Detective Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - Major writers in the history of literary crime and detection, mainly British and American, with attention to the genre's cultural contexts and development from the eighteenth century to the present, as well as the literary features and standards of aesthetic evaluation of works in this genre. Authors may include Godwin, Poe, Conan Doyle, Chandler, contemporary authors. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS EN 373S Detective Fiction
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one previous literature course or junior or senior standing. - A survey of crime and detective fiction from the late 18th to the late 20th centuries, in the British and American traditions. Reading, discussion, exams, and written work focus on masters of the genre, including Poe, Doyle, Christie, Sayers, Hammett, Chandler, and Cain.
CAS EN 388E CONTEMP BRT LIT
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Internship Program. - CONTEMP BRT LIT
CAS EN 391E SEM:LIT OF LON
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London History & Literature Programme. - SEM:LIT OF LON
CAS EN 570 Studies in British Literary Movements
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (CASWR 100 or 120 or equivalent.) - Topic varies by semester. Past topics include Radical Reimaginings: Cavendish, Milton, and the Power of Literature. Please see English Department's website or contact instructor for current topic. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 112 Black Power in the Classroom: The History of Black Studies
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
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 113 Introduction to Antiracism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
This course introduces students to the concept of antiracism, particularly its historical contours in the United States. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 151 The Emerging United States to 1865
4 credits. Fall
Explores how the United States, at first only a series of borderland outposts, became a sprawling national republic. Investigates factors that brought Americans together and those that tore them apart, as they struggled passionately over racial, religious, and sectional values. Carries social science 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.
CAS HI 151S The Emerging United States to 1865
4 credits.
Explores how the United States, at first only a series of borderland outposts, became a sprawling national republic. Investigates factors that brought Americans together and those that tore them apart, as they struggled passionately over racial, religious, and sectional values. Carries social science 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.
CAS HI 152 The Emerging United States Since 1865
4 credits. Spring
After the Civil War, Americans created a new urbanizing and industrializing landscape, flush with immigrants, growing class conflict, and racial divisions. This course explores how, through times of prosperity, depression, and war, Americans transformed the United States into one of the world's leading nations. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 152S The Emerging United States Since 1865
4 credits.
After the Civil War, Americans created a new urbanizing and industrializing landscape, flush with immigrants, growing class conflict, and racial divisions. This course explores how, through times of prosperity, depression, and war, Americans transformed the United States into one of the world's leading nations. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 175 World History to 1500
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores historical and environmental factors influencing how cultures take shape and impact each other. Examines early global connections and conflicts between people of different continents as well as between humans, other species, the natural environment, and the planet as a whole. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 176 World History 1500-Present
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines the religious encounters, economic rivalries, and military battles produced by European imperialism in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia since 1500. Analyzes how European colonialism came to dominate the world and nationalist movements succeeded in gaining independence. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS HI 176S World History 1500-Present
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines the religious encounters, economic rivalries, and military battles produced by European imperialism since 1500 in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Analyzes how European colonialism came to dominate the world and how nationalist movements succeeded in gaining independence. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS HI 190 History of Boston: Community and Conflict
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores the history of Boston and the city's changes over time. Students work with archival objects, maps, and manuscripts. Topics include Native American history, colonial settlement, revolution, immigration, urban development, and race. Students visit nearby historical sites and museums. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS HI 200 The Historian's Craft
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Required workshop for majors, normally taken in the sophomore year. Gives students the opportunity to analyze original sources and engage with leading works of historical scholarship. Explores how historians reconstruct and interpret the past using creativity, deduction, and contextual analysis. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy, Writing Intensive.
CAS HI 203 Magic, Science, and Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Boundaries and relationships between magic, science, and religion in Europe from antiquity through the Enlightenment. Explores global cultural exchange, distinctions across social, educational, gender, and religious lines, the rise of modern science, and changing assumptions about God, Nature, and humanity. 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, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 205 Gender and Sexuality in Judaism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores the role of gender and sexuality in Judaism and Jewish experience, historically and in the present. Subjects include constructions of masculinity and femininity, attitudes toward (and uses of) the body and sexuality, gendered nature of religious practice and authority. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 207 Game of Thrones: Power and Politics in Pre-Modern Europe
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
This course employs medieval and early modern authors, as well as contemporary scholars, as vehicles for understanding the dynamics of power, gender, violence and politics in George Martin's novel, Game of Thrones. Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 207S Game of Thrones: Power and Politics in Pre-Modern Europe
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
This course employs medieval and early modern authors, as well as contemporary scholars, as vehicles for understanding the dynamics of power, gender, violence, and politics in George Martin's novel, Game of Thrones. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 215 The European Enlightenment
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How Europe became modern. The rise of science, critique of religion, and struggle for rights. The public sphere emerges: newspapers, Freemasons, coffee, salons, smut. The invention of a cosmopolitan republic of letters; Voltaire, Diderot, Kant, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS HI 215S The European Enlightenment
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
How Europe became modern. The rise of science, critique of religion, and struggle for rights. The public sphere emerges: newspapers, Freemasons, coffee, salons, smut. The invention of a cosmopolitan republic of letters: Voltaire, Diderot, Kant, Adam Smith, Benjamin Franklin. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS HI 218 Power and Authority in Europe since World War I
4 credits.
Explores the breakdown of traditional authority, the rise of authoritarianism, and the triumph of democracy in twentieth-century Europe. Examines changing notions of power and legitimacy through major events, including communist revolutions, fascist takeovers, wartime occupations, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 221 Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 221S Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 227 Living in the City
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Gateway to international urban history. Case studies of selected cities -- from ancient Uruk to modern Shanghai -- through scrutiny of histories and documents. Discussion of important themes for our urban future: justice, health, worship, entertainment, human rights, city planning, beauty. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS HI 231 Media and Politics in Modern America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Examines how mass media have shaped the modern American political landscape, including electoral campaigns, voter attitudes, social movements, and war mobilization, as well as the ways public policy has structured both the news and entertainment media. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 231S Media and Politics in Modern America
4 credits.
Examines how mass media have shaped the modern American political landscape, including electoral campaigns, voter attitudes, social movements, and war mobilization, as well as the ways public policy has structured both the news and entertainment media. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 234 Introduction to India and South Asia
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
A survey of South Asian history from antiquity to the present. Considers pre- modern empires, the rise of the British Empire in South Asia, and the struggle for independence. Explores the modern politics and culture of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. 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.
CAS HI 237 Reconstructing the African Past
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores the richness and diversity of a continent where oral histories and environmental settings have shaped society as much as written records. Considers Africa's critical place in the world from ancient Egypt and Ghana to the Asante and Ethiopian empires. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 237S Reconstructing the African Past
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores the richness and diversity of a continent where oral histories and environmental settings have shaped society as much as written records. Considers Africa's critical place in the world from ancient Egypt and Ghana to the Asante and Ethiopian empires. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 243E BRITAIN&EUROPE
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Internship Program. - BRIT FORGN POLY
CAS HI 246E LON SINCE 1666
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London History & Literature Programme. - LON SINCE 1666
CAS HI 247 The Making of Modern Britain
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
How did a small island nation develop into a global superpower, and at what costs' This course charts Britain's ascendancy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with a focus on industrialization, colonial expansion, democratic institution building, and enlightenment thought. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 247S The Making of Modern Britain
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
How did a small island nation develop into a global superpower, and at what costs' This course charts Britain's ascendancy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with a focus on industrialization, colonial expansion, democratic institution building, and enlightenment thought. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS HI 321.
CAS HI 248 Modern Britain, 1867 to Present
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
A political, social, and cultural history of England with emphasis on the impact of the two world wars, the emergence of the welfare state, the loss of empire, and Britain's relations with Europe. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 248S Modern Britain, 1867 to Present
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
A political, social, and cultural history of England with emphasis on the impact of the two world wars, the emergence of the welfare state, the loss of empire, and Britain's relations with Europe. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 249E LON WOM SOC HIS
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the the London Internship Program. - LON WOM SOC HIS
CAS HI 251E POP CULT:LONDON
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the BU London Internship Programme. - POP CULT:LONDON
CAS HI 252E HST BRIT GENIUS
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the BU London Internship Programme. - CLASS,POWER,BRT
CAS HI 253E LONDON AT WAR
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London Internship Program. - LONDON AT WAR
CAS HI 254 The History of Ireland
4 credits.
This course provides an introduction to the major themes, individuals and events that have shaped modern Irish history. Each lecture focuses on a seminal period or event in the history of modern Ireland, examines its background and assesses its impact. Effective Summer I 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 254E HIST OF IRELAND
4 credits.
HIST OF IRELAND
CAS HI 254S HIST OF IRELAND
4 credits.
HIST OF IRELAND
CAS HI 256E HISTORY SPAIN
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Madrid Spanish & European Studies Program. - HISTORY SPAIN
CAS HI 260E HIST OF VENICE
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Enrollment in the BU Padova Language & Liberal Arts Program. - VEN REPUB
CAS HI 266 French Revolution and Napoleon
4 credits.
The French Revolution began with high ideals of liberty and equality but quickly dissolved into civil war, the Terror, and Napoleon's expansionist ambitions. From the fall of the Bastille to Waterloo, this course traces the revolution's successes, failures, and legacy. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 268E POSTCOLNL PARIS
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Paris Internship Program. - POSTCOLNL PARIS
CAS HI 271 The Nazis
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores the rise and fall of Europe's most notorious mass movement through film, diaries, party documents, and other sources. Considers the impact of Nazi rule on art, finance, politics, and family life. Analyzes the mass murder and destruction caused by Nazi rule. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 272 Russia's Empire under the Tsars
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Focuses on the history of Russia under the Romanov Dynasty and its establishment as a Eurasian power and empire. Emphasizes issues of religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity, modernization, reform and revolt, and the vexed question of Russian identity. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 273 The History of the Soviet Union
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines the tumultuous history of Russia's revolutions and its 74-year experiment with socialism. Explores the new revolutionary state's attempt to create a utopia by re-engineering human bodies, behaviors, and beliefs, and the successes and failures of that project. Effective Fall 2018, this course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same number that was previously entitled "Russia and Its Empires Since 1900." Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship an Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 273S The History of the Soviet Union
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines the tumultuous history of Russia's revolutions and its 74-year experiment with socialism. Explores the new revolutionary state's attempt to create a utopia by re-engineering human bodies, behaviors, and beliefs, and the successes and failures of that project. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same number that was previously entitled "Russia and Its Empires Since 1900." Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 275 Divided Nation: Germany 1945-1990
4 credits.
How is national identity formed' This course explores history of three German states after 1945 (East and West Germany and Austria), from the Nazi past and competition between communism and capitalism to the importance of German unification to European unity. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 277 War: Myths and Realities
4 credits. Spring
The past may tell us about the future of war. Study the lessons of wars past to correct current falsehoods and persistent myths about war in the wider culture. Learn to separate popular myths from the realities of war. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 277S War: Myths and Realities
4 credits.
The past may tell us about the future of war. This course studies the lessons of wars past to correct current falsehoods and persistent myths about war in the wider culture. Students learn to separate popular myths from the realities of war. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 279 Experiencing Total War
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Analyzes how soldiers and civilians experienced WWI and WWII, which brutally penetrated their everyday lives and affected their bodies, vocabularies, and world-views. Major sources include combat accounts, diaries, letters, songs, material culture, food, and more. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Intimate Histories of War" that was previously numbered CAS HI 279. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 279S Experiencing Total War
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Analyzes how soldiers and civilians experienced WWI and WWII, which brutally penetrated their everyday lives and affected their bodies, vocabularies, and world-views. Major sources include combat accounts, diaries, letters, songs, material culture, food, and more. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Intimate Histories of War" that was previously numbered CAS HI 279. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 287 History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
4 credits.
Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS HI 287S History of American Foreign Relations Since 1898
4 credits. Summer
Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS HI 297 African American Women's History
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
Survey of African American women's history from the slave trade to the present, investigating its critical role in shaping the meaning of race, gender, and sexuality during slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. Also offered as CAS AA 297 and CAS WS 297. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 298 Black Freedom Dreams: America and the World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Surveys the history of African diaspora peoples in the Americas from their African origins and the rise of the Atlantic slave trade through the age of emancipations, investigating the varied meanings of race, resistance, migration, and freedom. 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 298S Black Freedom Dreams: America and the World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
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.
CAS HI 299 Civil Rights History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
This course examines the U.S. Civil Rights and the struggle for black freedom movements. From the late nineteenth century through the twenty-first century, we consider events, organizations, "leaders" and organizers, legal campaigns, and political protests to answer the questions: What were the race, class, and gender dynamics within the movements' What were the changing definitions of freedom' The course treats the movement's roots, goals, ideologies, and cultures, and includes a comparison of the struggles for equal rights of Mexican Americans, Native Americans, LGBT folks, and other groups. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS HI 299S Civil Rights History
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Teamwork/Collaboration
This course examines the U.S. Civil Rights and the struggle for black freedom movements. From the late nineteenth century through the twenty-first century, we consider events, organizations, "leaders" and organizers, legal campaigns, and political protests to answer the questions: What were the race, class, and gender dynamics within the movements' What were the changing definitions of freedom' The course treats the movement's roots, goals, ideologies, and cultures, and includes a comparison of the struggles for equal rights of Mexican Americans, Native Americans, LGBT folks, and other groups. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS HI 300 American Popular Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines how Americans have changed (and haven't) since the nineteenth century by exploring their curious beliefs, social and sexual practices, and changing understandings of selfhood. Topics include Victorian etiquette, modern city pleasures, racial stereotyping, dating rituals, family dynamics, and more. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 301 Women and Gender in US History
4 credits.
Examines the ideas and experiences of women in the United States from the 1600s through the late twentieth century. Considers the common factors that shaped women's lives as well as women's diverse class, ethnic, and regional experiences. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 302 Science and American Culture
4 credits.
Examines the rise of the natural and human sciences as influential forces in American society. Considers why they gained considerable authority in realms of medicine and technology but have proven far more limited in their impact on morality and religion Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 303 Sex, Love, Family: American Relationships from Birth to Death
4 credits.
Explores Americans' intimate bonds and family dynamics throughout US history. Follows the life cycle from birth to death, surveying common milestones and rituals such as coming of age, coming out, getting married, or having a midlife crisis, and more. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS HI 303S Sex, Love, Family: American Relationships from Birth to Death
4 credits.
Summer description should be the same as AY: Explores Americans' intimate bonds and family dynamics throughout US history. Follows the life cycle from birth to death, surveying common milestones and rituals such as coming of age, coming out, getting married, or having a midlife crisis, and more. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS HI 304 Science and Religion: Dialogue and Debate
4 credits.
Challenges conventional wisdom that science and religion have always been at war in Europe and North America. Explores their interactions, mutual existence, and conflict from Copernicus' claim that the earth revolved around the sun to contemporary debates about evolution. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 305 American Thought and Culture, 1776-1900
4 credits.
History 305 examines how major American thinkers and intellectual movements of the "long nineteenth century" constructed an "exceptional" national identity by adjusting their culture's provincial Protestant and Enlightenment traditions to the challenges of transnational democratic, Romantic, and secular modes of thinking. Specific topics include Transcendentalism, evangelical and liberal Protestantism, pro- and anti- slavery arguments about "freedom," race and gender theory, philosophical idealism, literary realism, scientific Darwinism, and evolutionary social science. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 306 American Thought and Culture, 1900 to the Present
4 credits.
History 306 examines American thought in the 20th century when thinkers anointed their times "modern" and themselves "modernists" in revolt against the moral certainties and progressivist faiths of the 19th century. Four discourses driving this turn are spotlighted in the course's first half: philosophical pragmatism, social science relativism, non-rational modern art, and debates over America's role in the world. In the second half we consider post-World II conservative, multicultural, and postmodernist challenges to modernist norms in science, religion, liberal politics, and popular culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 308 Religious Thought in America
4 credits.
Surveys many of the strategies that American religious thinkers have adopted for interpreting the cosmos, the social order and human experience, and the interaction of those strategies with broader currents of American culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS HI 315 The American West
4 credits.
We examine the American West, the mythical landscape of freedom and adventure, as a region of violence, empire, and exclusion. Exploring 300 years of Western history, we focus in particular on Indigenous conquest and the continuities of colonialism. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS HI 316 American Urban History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Examines cities in America, from colonial era forward, focusing on Boston, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Detroit, and San Francisco in national and transnational context. Focus on social, political, and environmental change to understand present and past urban landscapes. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 317 Nineteenth-Century European Thought and Culture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This is the century of "system-builders" who aspired to encompass politics, society, and history in their creations. Discuss the ideas of Marx, Mill, and Nietzsche; study the music of Berlioz, the art of Delacroix, and the fiction of Goethe. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 320 Understanding Revolution: France and Algeria
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Freedom! Liberty, equality, fraternity! National liberation! These slogans have inspired violent revolutions around the world. What do they really mean, and what have they really led to' We will investigate these questions by role-playing and historical analysis of two case studies: the French Revolution (1789-1794) and the Algerian Revolution (1954-62). Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS HI 321 The American Revolution, 1750-1800
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The course examines the American Revolution and America's dramatic war for independence, situating these struggles within broader changes in the society and the Atlantic world. The course also shows how Americans struggled, often violently, to create a stable republic in the aftermath of these truly revolutionary upheavals. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 322 The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Examines early modern Britain's global expansion, with a focus on the British isles and the American colonies. Explains how economic growth and imperial warfare shaped Britain and her colonies, and probes the causes of the empire's collapse in 1776. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course titled "Colonial British America from Settlement to Revolution" that was previously numbered CAS HI 322. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 328 Slavery and Freedom in the Civil War Era
4 credits.
What led to the US Civil War and how did Americans, North and South, black and white, male and female, experience this central cataclysm' What were its consequences and what has been its legacy' Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 328S The Civil War Era
4 credits. Summer
Social, economic, and political consequences of slavery; Southern secession and the Civil War; political reconstruction; the New South; and the betrayal of black rights.
CAS HI 331 Drugs and Security in the Americas
4 credits. Fall and Spring
(Meets with CAS IR 290). Drug trafficking has become a dominant issue in U.S.- Latin American relations. This class examines the War on Drugs from both U.S. and Latin American perspectives in order to draw out racial, socio-economic, political, and gender-based dimensions and explore alternatives. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS HI 335 International Nuclear Politics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. It foregrounds the "global atomic marketplace" with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Also offered as CAS IR 315 and CAS PO 358. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS HI 335S International Nuclear Politics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Foregrounds the "global atomic marketplace" with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS HI 338 Repression, Revolution, Rock n' Roll: US in 1950s & 1960s
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry II
Few periods shaped American society, culture and politics as dramatically and enduringly as the 1950s and 1960s, transforming institutions, life experiences, the nation's role in the world, and the ways Americans thought about social problems and political activism. Topics include: Cold War, McCarthyism, Civil Rights, Vietnam, Campus Protest, Counterculture Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 339 A History of the Present: The United States since 1968
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry II
Analyzing the recent experience of the United States and its people in historical perspective, the course allows students to explore important developments in US politics, race relations, economy, and popular culture, investigate diverse social science approaches to contemporary problems, and develop an independent research project. Topics include war, politics, religion, and popular culture as well as changing notions about race, gender, and selfhood. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 339S A History of the Present: The United States since 1968
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry II
Considers the recent experience of the United States and its people in historical perspective. Students explore important developments in US politics, race relations, economy, and popular culture; investigate diverse social science approaches to contemporary problems; and develop an independent research project. Topics include war, politics, religion, and popular culture as well as changing notions about race, gender, and selfhood. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 341 Political and Cultural Revolution
4 credits. Fall and Spring
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 342E Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim's Way Yesterday and Today
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Pre-requisites: Admission to the BU Study Abroad Program. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This course provides a comprehensive approach to the phenomenon of the Camino de Santiago, integrating historical, cultural, social, and contemporary perspectives to offer students a well-rounded understanding of this significant European pilgrimage route. Effective Summer 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS HI 343 Taste, Culture, and Power: The Global History of Food
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
An exploration of the global history of food from prehistory to the present, considering the birth of agriculture, food in nations and empires, hunger and nutrition, and the future of eating, including examples from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 347 Bodies, Drugs, and Healing: A Global History of Medicine
4 credits. Fall and Spring
An introduction to the history of medicine in global contexts, offering a broad perspective on the ways that bodies, healers, drugs, and health have been conceptualized, from antiquity to the present day, in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS HI 349 History of Religion in Precolonial Africa
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
The study of the development of religious traditions in Africa during the period prior to European colonialism. An emphasis on both indigenous religions and the growth and spread of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the continent as a whole. Also offered as CAS AA 382 and CAS RN 382. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 355 Fashion and Beauty Under War and Empire
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
How can clothing reveal histories of US war and empire from the mid-nineteenth century to today' We examine case studies like Philippine lingerie production and the bikini¿s invention during the Atomic Age to investigate how fashion illuminates violence and power. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 358 Twentieth-Century European Thought and Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
This course treats artistic, musical, literary, political, and philosophical works historically. Among its large themes are modernism and the discovery of the unconscious, the cultural effects of both World Wars, democracy and its critics, totalitarian culture, existentialism, and postmodernism. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS HI 363 Early Chinese History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
From the Bronze Age to the seventeenth century, China changed dramatically yet maintained political and cultural cohesion, unlike any other civilization. This course explores both diversity and unity in early Chinese society as well as their historical legacies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 363S US 1900-1945
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
ERLY CHINESE HI
CAS HI 364 Modern Chinese History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
A hodgepodge of lands and seas between the Pamir and the Pacific, China is ten thousand worlds folded into one. We trace the people who animated those worlds: Manchus, Maoists, and the many. Featuring fun stories and deep thinking. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 364S Modern Chinese History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Since 1600, China experienced Manchu imperial expansion, conflict with the West, two revolutions, and the construction of a socialist society now dominated by authoritarian capitalism. Explores the interplay between enduring traditions, upheaval and modernity, and their consequences for our world. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 367 The Odd Couple: China and the USA, 1776 to the present
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
The USA, a bastion of capitalism, and China, the largest communist state on earth, are the two major global powers today. It was not always this way, and the course will map three centuries of this complex historical relationship, filled with mutual admiration and misunderstanding. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 376 The Israeli Settlement Project: History, and the Dynamics of Power
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This course explores the Israeli settlement movement's evolution, focusing on the religious rights ideological, political, and societal impact from the 1970s to today. Students will analyze its historical roots, legal structures, and implications for Israeli-Palestinian conflict and dynamics. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry 1, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS HI 389 Americans and the Middle East
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines the intersecting histories of America and the Middle East from the late eighteenth century to the present, focusing first on American missionary and educational efforts in the region and then on American political and military involvement after World War II. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 390 Cities in the Middle East: Mecca to Dubai
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines Middle Eastern history through the lens of its cities because cities have always been pivotal sites of governance, religious life, cultural development, architectural legacies, and political protest. Today, they are the epicenter of neoliberal globalization. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 391 Media Revolutions in the Modern Middle East
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
Examines how media revolutions in the modern Middle East have helped to garner state support and foment rebellions. Sources range widely from Lebanese civil war posters and state radio broadcasts to tourist campaigns, Turkish soap operas, and reality television competitions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 393 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, analysis of conflicting narratives through primary sources and film. Students present their own reflections on the conflict and debate possibilities of resolution. Counts toward majors and minors in History, International Relations, Middle East & North Africa Studies, and Jewish Studies. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS HI 393S ISR-PAL CONFLIC
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
ISR-PAL CONFLIC
CAS HI 399 Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
(Meets with CAS IR 367 and CAS PO 360.) Examines patterns and complexities of Latin American politics and foreign policies. Focuses on a range of Latin American political and historical experiences, from colonization to global inequality to the impact of Indigenous, Black, feminist and other social movements in the region. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 399S INTRO LA POL&IR
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
INTRO LA POL&IR
CAS HI 401 Senior Honors Seminar 1
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: senior standing and departmental approval. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - The first of a two-semester seminar that guides students through the research and writing of an honors thesis grounded in primary historical research. Students participate in a workshop environment and are matched with an additional faculty advisor. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 407 Topics in Medieval Religious Culture
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Topic for Spring 2025: Marriage, Sex, and Ritual. Explores the ritualized nature of marriage and sex among Christians, Jews, and others. Topics include betrothals and weddings, religious authority and marriage, ritual power and sex, procreative `magic,¿ and objects used by people to ritualize their marital and sexual lives. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 410 Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Interactions between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Europe's most religiously diverse region -- from the establishment of an Islamic al-Andalus in 711 CE to the final Christian "reconquest" of the peninsula and expulsion of the Jews in 1492 CE. To enrich exploration of interrelated themes and learning outcomes, student registrants of RN/HI 410/RN 710 will meet with student registrants of LS 410 during scheduled class time on 2/21, 3/13, 3/27, 4/24, and 5/1 during the term. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 434 Monarchy in Modern Britain
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
A seminar probing seminal moments in the history of modern British sovereignty, when the politics of the court intersected with the politics of the people. Particular consideration is given to how monarchy has survived as an institution. Also offered as CAS WS 434. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 440 Refugee Hollywood (1933-1950)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the flight of artists, writers, and intellectuals from Germany to Los Angeles in the wake of Hitler's rise to power with a focus on accounts by the emigres themselves, their works, and their influence on American culture. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 447 Born under a Red Star: Soviet Children at Home, School, & Play
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - In the USSR, children were the revolution's lifeblood. They were politically privileged, but also regular victims of poverty and political turmoil. Using schoolbooks, fairy tales, diaries, toys, and fashion, this seminar examines children's lives and childhood as a historically constructed phenomenon. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 449 The History of Soviet Terror
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: sophomore standing. - Examines how terror became a tool of revolutionary transformation in the USSR, one which first strengthened, then unseated Soviet state power. Explores how Soviet people experienced and participated in such violence as a part of their everyday lives. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 451 Fashion as History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This seminar treats clothing and other products of material culture as historical documents. Explores what clothing can tell us about key developments in the modern period relating to trade and commerce, empire, gender, class, industry, revolution, nation-building, identity politics, and globalization. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 457 Alternative America
4 credits.
Explores groups who not only dissented from mainstream American society, but constructed entire alternative communities. Considers the ideas of freedom, religion, sex, family, community, justice, ecology, and survival that inspired such experiments from the country's beginnings to the present day. Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 458 American Migrations
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
Mass migrations have been central to American history from the colonial era to the present. This course investigates why people pick up their lives to travel vast distances, often at great risk, and how such journeys have changed over time. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 460 Animals in America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Examines the place of animals in North American culture and society from pre- colonial times to the twentieth century, to shed light on popular beliefs, social relationships, environmental change, and politics. From hunting to husbandry, pet keeping to popular entertainment, we will look at animals to understand larger trends in American history. Topics include pigs in New York City, Jumbo the Elephant, and Bambi. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 482 Merchants, Pirates, Missionaries, and the State in Maritime Asia, 600-2000
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. - Oceans connected the peoples of coastal Asia, Africa, and Oceania long before the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s. This course examines how commerce, piracy, religious contact, and imperialisms shaped maritime Asia, and how oceans facilitated our own era's global connections. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 503 Race, Ethnicity, and Childhood in US History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar. - The history of childhood in US History intersects with the interdisciplinary area of childhood studies. Within that, the histories of Black children and children of ethnic minorities and historically marginalized young people is a burgeoning subfield. This course examines how identities inclusive of (and structural inequities associated with) race, ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexuality have differently affected the lives and experiences of young people in the United States from the colonial period through to the 21st century. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness (HCO), Creativity/Innovation.
CAS HI 504 The Civil War in American Memory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
From the immediate post-war years through very recent political conflicts, Americans have vigorously contested the memory of their Civil War. This course considers this question by exploring literature, film, and historical documents. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 505 The American South in History, Literature, and Film
4 credits.
Explores the American South through literature, film, and other sources. Considers what, if anything, has been distinctive about the Southern experience and how a variety of Americans have imagined the region over time. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS HI 462. Also offered as CAS AM 505. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 506 The Transformation of Early New England: Witches, Whalers and Warfare
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores how religious schisms and revival, warfare with native Americans, political revolution, and commercial development transformed New England from a Puritanical agricultural society into an urbanized, industrial society by the outbreak of the American Civil War. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 507 Three Revolutions
4 credits.
The course examines how the English civil wars, the Glorious Revolution, and the American Revolution altered Anglo-American political thought and encouraged the rise of a democratic order and changed the nature of governance. Writers from Hobbes and Milton to Burke and Jefferson grappled with these transformations that created political modernity. The course situates these changes within their broader social and spiritual contextes and explores the continuation of inequality within a democratic order. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS HI 508 The Age of Hamilton
4 credits.
The course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the world in the aftermath of the War of the American Revolution, through the lens of one of its most iconic figures. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 515 Meaning, Memory, and History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - Explores central issues in the philosophy of history, from Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche to Collingwood, Popper, and Danto. Topics include: is history a science' If so, what kind' How does it differ from tradition and memory' Does it have a meaning' Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS HI 523 U.S.-Latin American Relations
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores both sides of the U.S.-Latin American relationship, tracing its development over time and analyzing its current challenges. Each week focuses on a different theme--including imperialism, intervention, hemispheric security, trade, immigration, and drug trafficking--within a roughly chronological framework. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 529 History Media Lab: Producing Public-Facing History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness
Prerequisites: consent of instructor. Preference given to history majors and minors. - Advanced seminar exploring research and production of historical documentaries and podcasts. Students blend historical research with digital storytelling, developing skills in archival research, interviewing, and audio/video production while creating short-form media that bring critical historical narrative and debate to general audiences. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 532 The Far Right in Europe
4 credits.
This seminar approaches the resurgence of the far right in Europe since 1945 historically, reconstructing the ideology through its major thinkers, texts, organizations, and turning points with attention to broader social and political-economic context. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 539 Nazis on Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Explores changing representations of Nazis on the silver screen, from celebrations of the "Third Reich" to post-1945 depictions of Nazis as evil. Focuses on the longing for strong leadership, pleasure at inflicting pain on enemies, fear of others, and racism. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 553 Transnational Histories of Asia: How Homo Sapiens Changed the Largest Continent on Our Planet
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
From archaic humans roaming the woods of Siberia to the thunderous call of the modern revolutions, the story of the Asian continent is the story of our species and its aspirations. This course tells that story from a transnational perspective. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and Signed Communication.
CAS HI 568 The Modern Metropolis: Approaches to Urban History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Cities such as New York, Paris, London, and Shanghai captured the worst problems and most exciting possibilities of the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This course investigates how urban spaces facilitated commerce, social life, and the forging of modern identities. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 568E MODRN METRPOLIS
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - MODRN METRPOLIS
CAS HI 574 Introduction to Critical University Studies: Space, Place, and BU
4 credits.
This team-taught seminar uses the lens of "critical university studies" to consider the ways colonialism and white supremacy have shaped the history of American universities. Readings and archival research examine land appropriation, slavery and anti-slavery, segregation, and policing at Boston University. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 578 The United States as a Great Power
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
The course material is organized along a debate format. Although the course is primarily concerned with twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy, attention is also given to eighteenth-and nineteenth-century issues. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS HI 584 Labor, Sexuality, and Resistance in the Afro-Atlantic World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - The role of slavery in shaping the society and culture of the Afro-Atlantic world, highlighting the role of labor, the sexual economy of slave regimes, and the various strategies of resistance deployed by enslaved people. Also offered as CAS AA 514. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS HI 595 Morocco: History on the Cusp of Three Continents
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. - Explores the range and limits of social mixture -- cultural, political, economic -- as three civilizations met at the northwest corner of Africa and influenced one another from the 8th to the 21st centuries. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 704 Science and Religion: Dialogue and Debate
4 credits.
Challenges conventional wisdom that science and religion have always been at war in Europe and North America. Explores their interactions, mutual existence, and conflict from Copernicus' claim that the earth revolved around the sun to contemporary debates about evolution. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS HI 705 American Thought and Culture, 1776 to 1900
4 credits.
Examines how intellectuals constructed an "exceptional" American identity by adjusting provincial Protestant and Enlightenment traditions to the challenges of transnational democratic, Romantic, and secular thought. Topics include Transcendentalism, pro- and anti-slavery movements, philosophical idealism, literary realism, and Darwinian theories. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 706 American Thought and Culture, 1900 to the Present
4 credits.
Investigates how American thinkers brought about an intellectual revolution in three challenging moments: the naturalist revolt in pragmatic philosophy and modern art; progressive liberals' confrontations with radicalism and new conservatisms; and post-structuralists' uncertain leap beyond modernist science, religion, and humanities. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Intellectual History of the United States, 1900 to the Present" that was previously numbered GRS HI 706. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
CAS HI 708 Religious Thought in America
4 credits.
Surveys many of the strategies that American religious thinkers have adopted for interpreting the cosmos, the social order and human experience, and the interaction of those strategies with broader currents of American culture. Also offered as GRS RN 614. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS IR 234 Fundamentals of Strategic Intelligence
4 credits. Fall and Spring
What do intelligence agencies do and why' Intelligence is a crucial but widely misunderstood element of foreign policy decision making. Addresses intelligence gathering, analysis, and covert action, as well as key legal and ethical issues. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS IR 240 America Abroad: Debating the U.S. and the World since 1789
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduces students to debates and associated concepts over the United States' role in international affairs since independence. Using history and theory, explores core elements in these debates, examines changes in US policy over time, and evaluates historical and contemporary policies. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS IR 290 Drugs and Security in the Americas
4 credits. Fall and Spring
(Meets with CAS HI 331). Drug trafficking has become a dominant issue in U.S.- Latin American relations. This class examines the War on Drugs from both U.S. and Latin American perspectives in order to draw out racial, socio-economic, political, and gender-based dimensions and explore alternatives. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS IR 315 International Nuclear Politics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. It foregrounds the "global atomic marketplace" with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Also offered as CAS HI 335 and CAS PO 358. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS IR 315S International Nuclear Politics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Foregrounds the "global atomic marketplace" with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS IR 322 History of the Climate Crisis
4 credits. Spring
Explores how the tools of history can help navigate our present-day climate crisis, how factors like colonialism, capitalism, and fossil fuel extraction contributed to global warming, and strategies to seek climate justice in the face of business-as-usual opposition. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community.
CAS IR 323E Iberia 20th Century
4 credits. Fall and Spring
CAS IR 332 Understanding and Managing Rising Powers
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines rising powers have affected global politics from the 19th to the 21st century. What are rising powers' What accounts for their foreign policy behavior' Is war with a rising power inevitable' How should current great powers manage them' Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS IR 335E Britain and Europe: A New Beginning
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines the changing social, cultural, political, and economic structures of Britain at the end of the twentieth century. Introduction to current debates about the future of the United Kingdom in its relationship with Europe.
CAS IR 344E EC DEV WEST EUR
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
EC DEV WEST EUR
CAS IR 349 History of International Relations, 1900-1945
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
What were the causes and the consequences of the two World Wars' What was the nature of political, economic, and military relations among the major powers of the world from the beginning of the twentieth century to the end of the Second World War' What was the effect of domestic factors (political, economic, religious, and ideological) on the foreign policies of individual states' Seeking to provide a genuinely multinational perspective on world affairs, this course will assess the ways in which powerful nation-states in this period competed and cooperated in the international system. 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.
CAS IR 349S History of International Relations, 1900-1945
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
What were the causes and the consequences of the two World Wars' What was the nature of political, economic, and military relations among the major powers of the world from the beginning of the twentieth century to the end of the Second World War' What was the effect of domestic factors (political, economic, religious, and ideological) on the foreign policies of individual states' Seeking to provide a genuinely multinational perspective on world affairs, this course assesses the ways in which powerful nation-states in this period competed and cooperated in the international system. 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.
CAS IR 350 History of International Relations since 1945
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
This is a foundational course in international history since 1945. We follow a basic timeline of major world events and international developments in the eight decades since the Second World Wars end while also familiarizing ourselves with the tools of the historians craft. Students learn how to navigate databases, deploy evidence, and understand the nature of arguments about causality, contingency, and change over time. We are attentive to the way events were narrated at the time as well as the way they are remembered retroactively. 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 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy, The Individual in Community .
CAS IR 350S History of International Relations since 1945
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
This is a foundational course in international history since 1945. We follow a basic timeline of major world events and international developments in the eight decades since the Second World Wars end while also familiarizing ourselves with the tools of the historians craft. Students learn how to navigate databases, deploy evidence, and understand the nature of arguments about causality, contingency, and change over time. We are attentive to the way events were narrated at the time as well as the way they are remembered retroactively. 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 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy, The Individual in Community .
CAS IR 367 Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
(Meets with CAS HI 399 and CAS PO 360.) Examines patterns and complexities of Latin American politics and foreign policies. Focuses on a range of Latin American political and historical experiences, from colonization to global inequality to the impact of Indigenous, Black, feminist and other social movements in the region. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 367S INTRO LA POL&IR
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
INTRO LA POL&IR
CAS IR 370 China: From Revolution to Reform
4 credits. Fall
(Meets with CAS PO 351.) Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. Focus is on the party's official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS IR 370E China: From Revolution to Reform
4 credits.
(Meets with CAS PO 369.) Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. Focus is on the party's official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China.
CAS IR 370S China: From Revolution to Reform
4 credits. Summer
Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. Focus is on the party's official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS IR 376 History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS IR 376S History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
4 credits. Summer
America's tradition and heritage in foreign policy. American foreign policy during the Cold War. Conflicting approaches to the formulation of American foreign policy in the current international environment. Domestic and institutional actors in policy formulation: Congress, media, Presidency, CIA, military.
CAS IR 377 Global South Asia
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASWR150 OR CASWR151 OR CASWR152) - What were the characteristics of U.S. foreign policy in South Asia during the Cold War' What was U.S. response in the various interstate wars in the region, particularly the 1962 war, the 1965 war, the 1971 war and the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan' What are the long-term trends that we can infer from studying the Cold War history of the region that allow us to draw policy lessons for understanding the current foreign policy and security issues in South Asia' These are some of the questions that this course will examine. No background in South Asia is required for taking this course. 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.
CAS IR 381 Cities in the Middle East: Mecca to Dubai
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines Middle Eastern history through the lens of its cities because cities have always been pivotal sites of governance, religious life, cultural development, architectural legacies, and political protest. Today, they are the epicenter of neoliberal globalization. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS IR 382 Understanding the Modern Middle East
4 credits. Fall and Spring
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 382S Understanding the Modern Middle East
4 credits.
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 386 Nation Building and Erosion in Africa
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course is an overview of nation-building in Africa since the era of decolonization. It focuses on key events in modern African political history: post -independence transformation, the role of Pan-Africanism, and the politics of social movements. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 392E BRITAIN&EUROPE
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the BU London Internship Programme. - BRIT FORGN POLY
CAS IR 410 Latin America Today: An Interdisciplinary Approach
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior or senior standing; or sophomore standing with consent of instr uctor.; First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Examines the historical roots and contemporary realities of Latin American cultural, political, social and economic challenges. Brings to bear insights of classical and contemporary scholarship from multiple disciplines and traditions to provide deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the region. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS IR 516 Intelligence and Homeland Security
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
Introduces students to the interplay of intelligence and homeland security by answering questions such as: Who threatens' How and why do they threaten' Who protects the homeland' How do they protect us' What ethical framework should we apply' Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 521 Intelligence, Congress and the Formulation of National Security Policy
4 credits.
Examines the role and influence of Congress on the intelligence agencies of the US, Congress's oversight of intelligence collection, counterintelligence, covert action and surveillance in relation to the executive powers. Explores the influence of espionage on national security policy. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and Signed Communication.
CAS IR 521S Congress and National Security
4 credits.
Seminar on the constitutional, historical, and practical role of the U.S. Congress in foreign defense policy. Analyzes the powers of the relevant committees and illustrates Congress' role in war making, treaties, appointments, and broad policy directions. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and Signed Communication.
CAS IR 522 Politics of Nuclear Weapons
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry II Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASIR376 OR CASPO366) First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor. - This course examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. It analyzes the "global atomic marketplace" with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS IR 526 National and Homeland Security Law
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) and CAS IR 271. - This course examines national and homeland security law as the balance between the state's requirement for security juxtaposed against civil liberties. We study the Constitution, judicial cases, and other primary sources focusing on specific topic areas. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 532 The Far Right in Europe
4 credits.
This seminar approaches the resurgence of the far right in Europe since 1945 historically, reconstructing the ideology through its major thinkers, texts, organizations, and turning points with attention to broader social and political-economic context. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 539 History, Policy & Statecraft
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120). - How can we use history to understand the past, contemplate the present, and anticipate the future' How effective is historical analysis to resolve contemporary policy problems' This course connects history with current policy problems to make sense of national statecraft. Effective Summer 1 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing- Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS IR 539S History, Policy & Statecraft
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120). - What can we learn from the past' How can we use history to understand the past, the present, and anticipate the future' This course introduces students to historical thinking to make sense of contemporary issues in national and international politics. Effective Summer 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course, Critical Thinking.
CAS IR 545 History of Inequality
4 credits. Spring
Investigates the origins of present-day global inequality and asks how inequality has been understood differently over time through hierarchies of difference and categories of gender, race, class, time, land, population, capacity, geography, and biology. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 568 U.S.-Latin American Relations
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores both sides of the U.S.-Latin American relationship, tracing its development over time and analyzing its current challenges. Each week focuses on a different theme--including imperialism, intervention, hemispheric security, trade, immigration, and drug trafficking--within a roughly chronological framework. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS IR 568S U.S.-Latin American Relations
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores both sides of the U.S.-Latin American relationship, tracing its development over time and analyzing its current challenges. Each week focuses on a different theme--including imperialism, intervention, hemispheric security, trade, immigration, and drug trafficking--within a roughly chronological framework.
CAS IR 581 The Evolution of Strategic Intelligence
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) and CAS IR 271. - With emphasis on U.S. intelligence activities from the American Revolution through the Cold War, IR 581 examines various aspects of intelligence practices, principles, organizations, activities, and events and the impact intelligence has had on global events. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS IR 581S EVOL/STRAT INT
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: limited to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) and CAS IR 271. - STRATEGIC INTEL
CAS JS 110 Judaism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Systematic and historical introduction to doctrines, customs, literature, and movements of Judaism; biblical religion and literature; rabbinic life and thought; medieval mysticism and philosophy; modern movement and developments. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 120 The Bible
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the great canonical anthologies of Jews and Christians. Students will learn to read for historical context and genre conventions; study classical and modern strategies of interpretation; and create a collaborative commentary or piece of "fan-fiction." Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS JS 210 The Hebrew Bible
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Study of the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the religious traditions to which these writings bear witness within the context of the history of the ancient Israelite community. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 211 From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
4 credits.
Introduces the texts of the New Testament and other early Christian writings: first, to place Jesus of Nazareth in the religious and social context of Second Temple Judaism and the Roman empire; and second, to explain the origins and growth of Christian beliefs, practices, and social formations up to the second century. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 252 History of Judaism
4 credits. Spring
This class surveys Jewish history from the classical period to modern times. It covers: the destruction of the 1st Temple; the encounter with Hellenism; the Roman period; the destruction of the 2nd Temple; the rise and influence of rabbinic Judaism; the medieval era under Muslim and Christian rule; medieval antisemitism; Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah); and philosophy (Maimonides). For the modern era we discuss: the Renaissance; the Reformation; the complex issue of Emancipation; coming to America; the growth of American Judaism; religious reform; modern antisemitism; and Zionism. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 255 Modern Judaism
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Encounters between Judaism and modernity from the Renaissance and Reformation; the Spanish expulsion and creation of Jewish centers in the New World; emancipation and its consequences; assimilation, Reform Judaism, Zionism, the American Jewish community, non-European communities, Jewish global migration, and modern antisemitism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 257 Antisemitism after the Holocaust
4 credits. Fall
Are there new forms of antisemitism that have developed since the Holocaust' How have old forms persisted and reappeared indifferent guises' Did the Holocaust change our understanding of possible consequences of bigotry and hatred' These questions are discussed, along with similarities to other forms of bigotry and racism, and the relationship of anti-Zionism to antisemitism. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 260 The Holocaust
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Rise of German (and European) antisemitism; rise of Nazism; 1935 Nuremberg Laws; the initial Jewish reaction; racial theory; organizing mass murder including ghettos, concentration camps, killing squads, and gas chambers; bystanders and collaborators (countries, organizations, and individuals); Jewish resistance; post-Holocaust religious responses; moral and ethical issues. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 261 Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies' Holocaust representation in literature, film and memorials, including discussions of bystander complicity and societal responsibilities, testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, documentaries and feature films. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS JS 286 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, analysis of conflicting narratives through primary sources and film. Students present their own reflections on the conflict and debate possibilities of resolution. Counts toward majors and minors in History, International Relations, Middle East & North Africa Studies, and Jewish Studies. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS JS 286S Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
ISR-PAL CONFL
CAS JS 311 Dead Sea Scrolls
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examination of the ancient Hebrew documents discovered in the Judean desert. Their authorship; the religious significance of the Scrolls; their relations to Ancient Judaism and early Christianity; the controversy over their release and publication. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 343 Jewish Fundamentalisms
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Exploration of Jewish Fundamentalist identities: diverse global communities reflecting a strict interpretation of Jewish law, the formation of Haredi societies in the 19th century, unprecedented growth, marriages and family life, religious studies' social and symbolic centrality, economy, and Haredi trans-national communities. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork and Collaboration .
CAS JS 365 Music and the Holocaust
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate prerequisite: First-Year writing seminar (CASWR 100 or 120.) - History and music of composers targeted during the Holocaust: classical music, jazz, and cabaret musical styles banned as "degenerate" by the Nazis. Particular focus on the art and music created in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS JS 366 Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
4 credits.
The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS JS 367 The Holocaust Through Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS JS 369 Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Levi's writings employ scientific, literary, ethical, theological and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. An examination of Levi's works both within the context of other writers such as Elie Wiesel, and within the practice of Holocaust testimony, ethics, and witnessing. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS JS 377 Gender, Sexuality, and Judaism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores the role of gender and sexuality in Judaism and Jewish experience, historically and in the present. Subjects include constructions of masculinity and femininity, attitudes toward (and uses of) the body and sexuality, gendered nature of religious practice and authority. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS JS 388 The Israeli Settlement Project ¿ History, and the Dynamics of Power
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This course explores the Israeli settlement movement's evolution, focusing on the religious rights ideological, political, and societal impact from the 1970s to today. Students will analyze its historical roots, legal structures, and implications for Israeli-Palestinian conflict and dynamics. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry 1, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS JS 416 Biblical Fakes and Forgeries
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Religion, philosophy, or archaeology majors or minors with junior or s enior standing, or consent of instructor. - Examines issues regarding forged documents and artifacts relating to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Examples of forgeries (alleged and certain) include: book of Daniel, Letter of Aristeas, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark; forged Scrolls in museum collections. Proposed Edit: Examines forged documents and artifacts relating to Hebrew Bible and New Testament, probing historical and ethical questions they raise. Examples (alleged and certain forgeries) include: book of Daniel, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark, and forged Dead Sea Scroll fragments. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS JS 421 The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate prerequisites: RN101, 202, or equivalent recommended. Examines literary and historical roots of apocalypticism in early Judaism and Christianity. Attention to literary genre, symbolism, metaphor, heaven, hell, angelology, demonology, attitudes toward the end of the world. Examines relationship of apocalypticism to shamanism, mysticism, magic, gnosticism, liturgy. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS JS 460 Seminar on the Holocaust
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
This course will examine historical, ethical and religious issues arising from the Holocaust. We will discuss antisemitism and ideology; what communities were considered "other"; human motivation regarding collaborators, perpetrators and bystanders; the role of individuals, organizations and governments; the treatment of women; the ethics of resistance; the behavior of the Jewish Councils; and attitudes to the existence of God during and after the Holocaust. We will also compare the Holocaust to contemporary crises now occurring around the world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LC 280 Chinese Classics in Today's World (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Discusses canonical texts and authors that for millennia have defined Chinese culture and reflects on their appeal, significance, and current comeback in today’s pop culture and politics in and beyond China. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LC 282 Old Tales for New Times: Folktale in Modern China
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Folklore in modern and contemporary China. An interdisciplinary approach to China's most famous folk tales such as the Weaving Maiden and the Ox Herder, and the White Snake and Mulan. Traces the development of these stories in premodern times and their modern incarnations. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LF 309 French in the World
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF212) or equivalent; or placement test results. - Advanced study of French through the analysis of images, short stories, excerpts of novels and films that explore topics pertaining to the Francophone World. Specific regions vary by semester, but can include Africa, the Caribbean or North America. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Oral and/or Signed Communication. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication (OSC), Historical Consciousness.
CAS LF 344E POST-COL PARIS
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry I
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Paris Internship Program. - POST-COL PARIS
CAS LF 349 The History of the French Language
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate pre-requisites: CASLX 250. - Overview of socio-historical and linguistic factors underpinning the emergence, development, and spread of the French language over time. Study of historical, societal, and political events, along with phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and orthographic changes. Representative texts demonstrate stages of language change. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LF 442 Geographies of the Imagination: Writing (beyond) the Island
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Approaches to real and imagined spaces in their literary representations. Emphasis on relation between cultural and political heritage and aesthetic forms. Discussion of themes such as exile, displacement, mobility, and empire in critical discourse. French, Francophone, and related traditions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LF 448 Topics in Text/Image/Spectacle
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Explores literary texts and their relation to works of visual and performance art. Uses critical and historical study in combination with creative practices to explore the creative dynamics of influence, appropriation, and transformation across axes of time and space. Readings and works selected may vary by instructor. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LF 478 Topics in The Voice in the Text: Gender and Authorship
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Explores how French and Francophone women writers and theorists engage with cultural, social, and political issues. Draws on works such as novels, autobiographies, plays, and essays, situating these writings at the intersection of gender, language, nationality, and collective memory. Topic for Spring 2024: Traces how French women writers explore key questions about identity by engaging with contemporary literary and social movements. Novels from the eighteenth to twentieth century exploring love, marriage, betrayal, and work-life balance, with readings from newspapers and women¿s magazines. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LF 642 Geographies of the Imagination: Writing (beyond) the Island
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Approaches to real and imagined spaces in their literary representations. Emphasis on relation between cultural and political heritage and aesthetic forms. Discussion of themes such as exile, displacement, mobility, and empire in critical discourse. French, Francophone, and related traditions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LF 648 Topics in Text/Image/Spectacle
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLF350 OR CASLF351) or consent of instructor. - Explores literary texts and their relation to works of visual and performance art. Uses critical and historical study in combination with creative practices to explore the creative dynamics of influence, appropriation, and transformation across axes of time and space. Readings and works selected may vary by instructor. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LF 678 Topics in The Voice in the Text: Gender and Authorship
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Explores how French and Francophone women writers and theorists engage with cultural, social, and political issues. Draws on works such as novels, autobiographies, plays, and essays, situating these writings at the intersection of gender, language, nationality, and collective memory. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LG 325 Modern German History and Culture through Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLG212) or consent of instructor. - Films about the legacies of World War II, Cold War, Germany's reunification, labor and refugee migrations, and current events in German-speaking Europe. Readings provide historical and artistic contexts. Analytical and creative written, oral and digital assignments. Conducted in German. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LG 387 Weimar Cinema (taught in English)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
German silent and early sound films from Caligari to Hitler, viewed in the aesthetic context of contemporary and recent film theory and criticism and in the broader cultural context of the interwar Weimar Republic (1918-1933), with international points of comparison. Weekly screenings. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LG 388 World Cities: Berlin
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin's urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LG 450 Origins of German Culture
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: any course numbered LG302-350 or consent of instructor. - Survey of major developments in the cultural history of German-speaking countries, from the Middle Ages through the Enlightenment. Literature, expository texts, music, art and architecture, and their influence on contemporary cultural debates. Course conducted in German. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LG 456 Twentieth-Century Culture: Since 1945
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLG350) or consent of instructor. - Survey of postwar and contemporary German-language literature in its cultural-historical context. The Nazi past and the Holocaust; the economic rise of West Germany and accompanying disillusionment; East Germany's socialist ideal and reality; German reunification; women's voices; migrant and transnational literature. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 283 A Study of Italian Cinema from the 1940s to the Present
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Films by De Sica, Fellini, Benigni, Sorrentino and others tell the story of social and cultural development during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 336E Diversity and Multiculturalism in Italy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 120) and enrollment in the BU Study Abroad (Padova) program. - A multidisciplinary approach to contemporary Italy's cultural diversity. Topics vary from history to literature, music, film, current day immigration and the diverse cultures that make up contemporary Italy. Students approach literature through concepts of race, racism, immigration, postcolonialism, and identity. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS LI 340 Italian Music: From Renaissance to 20th Century Avant-Garde
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLI212) - The course examines the history, evolution, and main aesthetic features of Italian music from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. Italy played a central role in the development of music, witnessing the birth of opera, the cantata, oratorio, sonata, concerto, and symphony, all of which were disseminated internationally, creating a cohesive, international musical style. The main aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive view on the making and developments of the main Italian music genres, from Renaissance to post-WWII Avant-gardes. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 386 Fascism and the Holocaust in Italy
4 credits.
The Fascist regime and the Holocaust in Italy: how the civic status of Italian Jews changed from the beginnings of discrimination against them to deportations of 1943, posing larger questions about bigotry and racism, and the role of bystander complicity. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 445 On Screen: Italians in America
4 credits.
Italian Americans have long been represented in American film and television. What are these representations and how have they been received' How is Italian American identity constructed through these media' Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LI 459 Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature
4 credits.
Levi's writings employ scientific, literary, ethical, theological and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. An examination of Levi's works both within the context of other writers such as Elie Wiesel, and within the practice of Holocaust testimony, ethics and witnessing. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS LI 475 Literature and Film In Fascist Italy
4 credits.
Examines the film production that took place under Fascism, as well as literature of the period. Fascist history and ideology is discussed through artistic representations that range from subversive to outright propaganda. Taught in Italian. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LJ 316 Classical Japanese
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASLJ 212 or equivalent, or consent of instructor. - Introduction to Classical Japanese, Japan's written language from the seventh until the twentieth century. A systematic study of grammar and lexicon enriched by original readings from major works of Japanese literature such as Man’yoshu, Pillow Book, Genji, and Heike monogatari, Hojoki. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 350 Readings in Modern Japanese Fiction
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLJ303) or equivalent. - Readings in modern fiction from Akutagawa to Murakami and beyond to deepen knowledge of Japanese language, learn about the development of Japanese literature from 1900 to the present, and to place it in contemporary context. Readings and discussions in Japanese. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LJ 383 Auteur Studies: Japan
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Deep exploration of the films of one director with attention to cultural and historical context and the creative process. Readings in English and all films available with English subtitles. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LJ 388 World Cities: Tokyo
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LJ 410 The History of the Japanese Language
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLJ212) or consent of instructor. - Overview of major issues in the history of Japanese: genetic relationships, changes in sound system, word and sentence structures, and pragmatics. Special attention to the process leading to the current writing system. Representative texts used to demonstrate different literary languages. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LJ 430 Supernatural Beings in Japan: Mononoke
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: LJ 303. - Mononoke "Supernatural Beings" have appeared in literature, historical records, traditions, and most recently, in anime and film. Through Mononoke students are able to learn about social issues, values and ideas in different periods of Japanese history. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS LJ 480 Japanese Women Writers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLJ350) - Classic texts by Japanese women, including the "Tale of Genji" and "The Pillow Book," and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS LJ 680 Japanese Women Writers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Classic texts by Japanese women, including the "Tale of Genji" and "The Pillow Book," and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS LK 251 Classics of Korean Literature
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduction to Korean literature from its first recorded beginnings to the early twentieth century, understood against the backdrop of the complex historical, cultural, political, linguistic, philosophical and religious contexts and networks. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LK 317 Hanmun Premodern Korean Literary Sinitic
4 credits.
Prerequisites: CASLK 212 or CASLK 216 or equivalent proficiency. - Practical introduction to both Hanja (Sinographs used in the Korea of old and new) and Hanmun (Literary Sinitic as used in premodern Korea). Students learn to read, understand, interpret, and discuss simple to moderately challenging pre-twentieth century Hanmun texts. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LK 485 Animals in Premodern Korean Literature
4 credits. Fall
Through animals in literature, this course addresses questions surrounding human-animal relations in premodern Korea and China. This serves as a window onto culture and life in premodern East Asia. It engages students in comparative literature, and raises their awareness for pressing environmental issues. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LP 308 Brazilian History and Contemporary Identities
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS LP 212 or placement results or consent of instructor. - Students develop intercultural competence by analyzing the influence of history on on contemporary Brazilian identity. Written and oral work explores colonial legacy in relation to culture, race, and ethnicity. Readings and screenings present diverse voices within Brazil and interactions with other Portuguese-speaking countries. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication.
CAS LR 289 Russian Culture: Literature, Film, and Arts (in English translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the history of Russian culture from its beginnings to the 21st century. This course surveys main works of literature, painting, architecture, and film chronologically. It keeps relevant historical developments in sight, and investigates cause-effect links between history and culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LR 289S Russian Culture: Literature, Film, and Arts (in English translation)
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the history of Russian culture from its beginnings to the 21st century. This course surveys main works of literature, painting, architecture, and film chronologically. It keeps relevant historical developments in sight, and investigates cause-effect links between history and culture. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LR 327 Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This course explores literature about migration created by women primarily from Eastern Europe. We read autobiographical narratives that focus on the shaping of transcultural identity with an eye to the problem of translation as a linguistic, cultural, and personal phenomenon. Conducted in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LR 353 Stalin's Crimes: Gulag and Genocide
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar CAS WR 100 or 120 or equivalent. - History, poetry and prose written in the genocidal conditions of Stalinist Russia, when the revolutionary euphoria and artistic innovation of the 1920s came up against the political repression and violence of the modern totalitarian state. Readings and films from some of the greatest poets, directors and prose writers of the 20th century display the richness of modern Russian literature as well as the complex interplay of political power, cinema and the written word, of murderous history and the creative imagination, during the Ukraine famine-genocide and the gulags. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS LS 241E CIV OF SPAIN
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
CULTURES SPAIN
CAS LS 455 Spanish American Literature Through the Nineteenth Century
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLS350) - A close reading of representative texts of Spanish American literature from early writings of discovery and conquest through the nineteenth century. Emphasis on the development of the modern novel and on Spanish America's quest for a cultural identity. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS LS 459E Crisis and Literature in Contemporary Spain
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Pre-requisite: admission to BU Study Abroad program (Madrid). 5th semester Spanish language course or equivalent. - "Crisis" is defined as "a profound change with significant consequences in a process or situation." This course studies how these changes are reflected through Spanish literature, press, cinema, music, and other artistic media of the 20th and 21st centuries. Effective Spring 2025, 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.
CAS LS 462 Mexican Cinema on the World Stage
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Mexican history and culture through the lens of film. The course draws on film criticism and theory to approach the study of Mexican films as both historical artifacts and works of art and within the background of world cinema. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LT 388 World Cities: Istanbul
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS LX 205 Origins of Writing
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Overview of the world's major writing systems: Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs; Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform; West Semitic consonantal scripts (abjads); East Asian scripts; runes; Greek and Roman alphabets. Considerable linguistic component supplemented by historical information about ancient languages and cultures. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS. Also offered as CAS CL 205. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LX 205S Origins of Writing
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Overview of the world's major writing systems: Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs; Sumerian and Akkadian cuneiform; West Semitic consonantal scripts (abjads); East Asian scripts; runes; Greek and Roman alphabets. Considerable linguistic component supplemented by historical information about ancient languages and cultures. 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, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LX 360 Historical and Comparative Linguistics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) or consent of instructor. - Introduction to language change and the methodology of historical linguistic analysis, using data from a wide array of languages. Investigates genetic relatedness among languages, language comparison, historical reconstruction, and patterns and principles of change in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Carries humanities divisional studies credit in CAS. Also offered as GRS LX 660. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS LX 535. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LX 360S Historical and Comparative Linguistics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASLX250) or consent of instructor. - Introduction to language change and the methodology of historical linguistic analysis, using data from a wide array of languages. Investigates genetic relatedness among languages, language comparison, historical reconstruction, and patterns and principles of change in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Carries humanities divisional studies credit in CAS. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS LX 535.
CAS LX 375 The History of the French Language
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate pre-requisites: CASLX 250. - Overview of socio-historical and linguistic factors underpinning the emergence, development, and spread of the French language over time. Study of historical, societal, and political events, along with phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and orthographic changes. Representative texts demonstrate stages of language change. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LX 660 Historical and Comparative Linguistics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Introduction to language change and the methodology of historical linguistic analysis, using data from a wide array of languages. Investigates genetic relatedness among languages, language comparison, historical reconstruction, and patterns and principles of change in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Carries humanities divisional studies credit in CAS. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS LX 535. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS LX 660S HISTORICAL LING
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
HISTORICAL LING
CAS LX 675 The History of the French Language
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate pre-requisites: CASLX 250. - Overview of socio-historical and linguistic factors underpinning the emergence, development, and spread of the French language over time. Study of historical, societal, and political events, along with phonetic, morphological, syntactic, and orthographic changes. Representative texts demonstrate stages of language change. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS LY 283 Arab Cultures Through Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS LY 283S Arab Cultures Through Film (in English translation)
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Explores Arab cultures with a focus on key historical and social issues through the lens of Arabic films, both as historical artifacts and artworks. Diverse cinematic works from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, and beyond are discussed and analyzed. No prior knowledge of the Arab world or Arabic is required. Effective Spring 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS MA 505 History of Mathematics
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA225 OR CASMA230) and (CASMA242 or CASMA442); or consent of instructor. - The development of mathematics from Antiquity through the 18th Century. Assuming background in modern mathematics, its roots are systematically pursued in terms of modern techniques, structures, and results. Providing the emergence of mathematical concepts and procedures, a coherent, unifying view of number, geometry, algebra, calculus, and mathematical analysis is presented. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS NE 456 Neurobiology of Sex and Aggression
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Scientific Inquiry II
Examines neurobiological and genetic factors that influence sex and violence. Students review primary literature from the past century that highlights major scientific discoveries that have reconceptualized our understanding of the origins of sexual-determination, -attraction and - aggression. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II.
CAS NE 456S Neurobiology of Sex and Aggression
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Scientific Inquiry II
Examines neurobiological and genetic factors that influence sex and violence. Students review primary literature from the past century that highlights major scientific discoveries that have reconceptualized our understanding of the origins of sexual-determination, -attraction and - aggression. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II.
CAS PH 110 Great Philosophers
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to philosophy through a reading of great figures in western thought. The list may include Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Roussesau, Nietzsche, Russell. 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, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 110S Great Philosophers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An introduction to philosophy through a reading of great figures in western thought. The list may include Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Rousseau, Nietzsche, Russell. Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.
CAS PH 242 Philosophy of Human Nature
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Examines the way in which Darwin, Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud undermine traditional conceptions of human nature. These thinkers teach us to question our ordinary assumptions about religion, human distinctiveness, the conscious mind, the role and status of morality, and the uplifting effects of civilization. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 310 History of Modern Philosophy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - An examination of seventeenth- and eighteenth century philosophy from Descartes to Kant, with emphasis on the nature and extent of knowledge, the relation of mind to body, the nature of personal identity, the problem of free will, and the problem of evil. Readings from Rene Descartes, Princess Elizabeth, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Benedict Spinoza, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PH 310S History of Modern Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: one philosophy course or sophomore standing. - An examination of seventeenth- and eighteenth century philosophy from Descartes to Kant, with emphasis on the nature and extent of knowledge, the relation of mind to body, the nature of personal identity, the problem of free will, and the problem of evil. Readings from Rene Descartes, Princess Elizabeth, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Benedict Spinoza, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PH 415 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASPH 310 and one other philosophy course. - A survey of nineteenth-century European philosophy, focused on G.W.F. Hegel and the critical reception of his work by Soren Kierkegaard and Karl Marx. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 418 Marx and Marxism
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: two previous PH courses, or consent of instructor. - Marxism is treated as a conceptual framework for understanding history and society, as a critique of capitalism and a program of transforming it, with an analysis of both its philosophical and ethical presuppositions. The evolution of its theoretical bases is critically examined. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 419 Nietzsche
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CASPH 310 and two other philosophy courses, or consent of instructor. - This course responds to the current moment in American political culture by exploring why we're so polarized and how knowledge and ignorance are shaped by social organization and psychology. The course begins by studying theories of misinformation, echo chambers, tribalism, and populism (including Trumpism) before entering into debates about politically contentious topics such as trans rights, immigration, and policing.
CAS PH 493 Meaning, Memory, and History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - Explores central issues in the philosophy of history, from Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche to Collingwood, Popper, and Danto. Topics include: is history a science' If so, what kind' How does it differ from tradition and memory' Does it have a meaning' Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PH 615 Nineteenth-Century Philosophy
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Course subtitle: "Constructing and Deconstructing Autonomy". We will ask: To what extent is a practical agent free or autonomous' We examine answers to these questions by figures such as Kant, Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche and Freud. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 618 Marx and Marxism
4 credits.
Philosophical foundation of Marxism and its development. Critical study of Marx's writings stressing questions of philosophy, political economy, science, and history. Emphasis on Marx's theory of relation of praxis to consciousness. Later (including contemporary) Marxists and critics. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS PH 619 Nietzsche
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
An intensive study of Nietzsche's philosophical thought. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PO 220 Britain and Europe: A New Beginning'
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in London Internship Program. - What is Britain' What is Europe' Where did Brexit come from, and where could it go' Understand the origins and evolution of the United Kingdom's complex relationship with Europe, and with (as well as within) the European Union. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 220E BRIT & EUROPE
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in London Internship Program. - BRIT & EUROPE
CAS PO 222E BRIT LEGAL SYST
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the Boston University London Internship Programme. - BRIT LEGAL SYST
CAS PO 223E ISS CONTMP POL
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in London Internship Program. - ISS CONTMP POL
CAS PO 231E HIST OF IRELAND
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: admission to the Dublin Internship Program. - HIST OF IRELAND
CAS PO 321 Foundations of American Public Policy
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO 111 or 151). - This course investigates the social and political roots of US public policies. We use historical perspectives and social scientific analysis to shed light on the seemingly unique American solutions to pressing social and economic problems. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 331 Comparative Political Economy
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate prerequisite: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or WR 120) - Introduces students to comparative political economy from a historical perspective, covering the early development of capitalism, industrialization, the welfare state, and the evolution of industry regulation, continuing to topics like deindustrialization, economic stagnation, and the rise of economic inequality. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS PO 336 Voting Rights
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS PO 111 or CAS PO 151 - Examines voting rights in the United States, including the social, legal, and political movements that have affected who has the right to vote; how that right is exercised; and current legal and political developments. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 351 China: from Revolution to Reform
4 credits. Fall
Introduction to modern Chinese politics including the development of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the political development of the PRC since its founding in 1949. Focus is on the party's official policy and its changing relationships with the people of China. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS PO 351E The Politics of Race and Ethnicity
4 credits.
Definitional hypotheses of race and ethnicity based on cultural, sociological, and biological determinants tested against concrete examples of plural societies in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Correlations between racial/ethnic differentiation and sociopolitical stratification and cleavages examined.
CAS PO 355 War and Memory in the American Experience
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
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 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Individual in Community, Creativity & Innovation
CAS PO 358 International Nuclear Politics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - This course examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. It foregrounds the "global atomic marketplace" with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS PO 358S International Nuclear Politics
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR 100 or CAS WR 120). Examines politics, history, and technologies surrounding nuclear weapons and nuclear energy. Foregrounds the "global atomic marketplace" with emphasis on the challenges and opportunities for nuclear proliferation and nonproliferation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS PO 360 Introduction to Latin American Politics and International Relations
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines patterns and complexities of Latin American politics and foreign policies. Focuses on a range of Latin American political and historical experiences, from colonization to global inequality to the impact of Indigenous, Black, feminist and other social movements in the region. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 360S INTRO LA POL&IR
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
INTRO LA POL&IR
CAS PO 381 History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
4 credits.
Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS PO 381S History of American Foreign Relations since 1898
4 credits.
Meets with CAS HI 287. Analysis of the history of American foreign policy from the perspective of the changing world and regional international systems; emphasis on the effect of these systems and the impact of America on the creation and operation of international systems. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 366. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS PO 389 Citizenship: Who Belongs' Who Decides'
4 credits. Spring
Undergraduate prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. - This course explores the history of citizenship, migration, and border enforcement primarily in the US. We ask: who is entitled to citizenship, what justifies excluding people, what are rights and duties of citizenship, and what do societies owe refugees, and asylum seekers' Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 393 The European Enlightenment
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Survey of the intellectual and social transformation of Europe from the 1680s to the French Revolution. Readings draw on both eighteenth-century sources (including Voltaire, Diderot, Condorcet, Lessing, Smith, and Hume) and recent work by historians. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings.
CAS PO 393S ENLIGHTENMENT
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
ENLIGHTENMENT
CAS PO 394 Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PO 394S Catastrophe and Memory
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Examines the ways in which catastrophes, both natural and social, enter into cultural memory. Goal is to understand how events that seem to defy comprehension are represented in works of art and given a place in the memory of a culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PO 507 Development of American Constitutional Law
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPO111 & CASPO304) - A survey of the development of constitutional law and the exercise of power by the U.S. Supreme Court. The course is drawn entirely from decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court and the principal theme is the development of national constitutions and power. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 508 The Judiciary and Civil Liberties
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - First Amendment rights of speech, press, assembly, religion; rights of defendants in criminal cases; and the constitutional protection of racial minorities. Supreme Court decision-making processes and modes of compliance with its decisions are also considered. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 508S The Judiciary and Civil Liberties
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - First Amendment rights of speech, press, assembly, religion; rights of defendants in criminal cases; and the constitutional protection of racial minorities. Supreme Court decision-making processes and modes of compliance with its decisions are also considered.
CAS PO 518 Causes and Consequences of Political Segregation in the United States
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Social Inquiry II
This seminar explores how political geography ¿ where different political, racial, economic, and social groups live in relation to one another ¿ shapes U.S. politics. The course covers trends shaping political segregation and its impacts on representation, elections, political campaigns, and polarization. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Social Inquiry II.
CAS PO 540 Prohibition
4 credits.
The American experience of Prohibition is used to understand a variety of political and policy issues, including the War on Drugs, crime and law enforcement, bureaucracies, regulation, taxation, and social movements. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS PO 558 War and Society in the Modern Age
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. - This course takes a state-oriented approach to understanding war in the modern age (as distinct from focusing on segments of the armed forces). How states fight wars and how changes in warfare affect the relationship between state and society. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CAS PO 565 U.S.-Latin American Relations
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores both sides of the U.S.-Latin American relationship, tracing its development over time and analyzing its current challenges. Each week focuses on a different theme--including imperialism, intervention, hemispheric security, trade, immigration, and drug trafficking--within a roughly chronological framework. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS PO 565S U.S.-Latin American Relations
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Explores both sides of the U.S.-Latin American relationship, tracing its development over time and analyzing its current challenges. Each week focuses on a different theme--including imperialism, intervention, hemispheric security, trade, immigration, and drug trafficking--within a roughly chronological framework. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered CAS PO 568.
CAS PO 578 The United States as a Great Power
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
The course material is organized along a debate format. Although the course is primarily concerned with twentieth-century U.S. foreign policy, attention is also given to eighteenth- and nineteenth-century issues. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PO 579 Political Biography and Statecraft
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Political biographies and memoir literature used to evaluate twentieth-century international relations and statecraft. Topics vary but may include biographical literature related to World War II, the Cold War, and Third World political leaders. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS PO 595 Race and Capitalism
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
Students engage with the political thought of philosophers, legal scholars, writers, and historians who have explored the global history of capitalism and race, covering topics such as labor, climate change, colonialism, slavery, and mass incarceration. In this course, students learn to compare different authors, place thinkers within their historical context, understand the roots of contrasting arguments, as well as develop their own questions, analysis, and arguments. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Historical Consciousness, Oral and Signed Communication.
CAS PS 251 Psychology of Personality: Theories and Application
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPS101) - The historical development of personality theories and their application to social, research, and clinical concerns are emphasized. Classic theories of personality (e.g., psychoanalytic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, and social roles) are explored and evaluated through lectures, readings, and case materials. A consideration of trait-based approaches and personality disorder with regards to DSM 5 criteria is also included. Carries social science 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, Critical Thinking.
CAS PS 251S Psychology of Personality: Theories and Application
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPS101) - Emphasizes the historical development of personality theories and their application to social, research, and clinical concerns. Classic theories of personality (e.g., psychoanalytic, behavioral, trait, humanistic, cognitive, and social roles) are explored and evaluated through lectures, readings, and case materials. A consideration of trait-based approaches and personality disorder with regards to DSM 5 criteria is also included. Carries social science 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, Critical Thinking.
CAS PY 351 Modern Physics 1
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Scientific Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASPY251 & CASPY252) (or CASPY211, CASPY212) and CASMA124. ; Undergraduate Corequisites: (CASMA225) - This course traces the historical and intellectual developments that led to the formulation of modern physics. It introduces students to special relativity, quantum mechanics, classical and quantum statistics, emphasizing scientific inquiry and critical thinking. Labs are a required course component. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 101 The Bible
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the great canonical anthologies of Jews and Christians. Students will learn to read for historical context and genre conventions; study classical and modern strategies of interpretation; and create a collaborative commentary or piece of "fan-fiction." 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, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 101S The Bible
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
Introduction to the great canonical anthologies of Jews and Christians. Students learn to read for historical context and genre conventions; study classical and modern strategies of interpretation; and create a collaborative commentary or piece of "fan-fiction." 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, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 105 Introduction to the World's Religions
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores the symbols, beliefs, stories, and practices of the world's religions with attention to both historical development and contemporary practices. Possible traditions include: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and African/African diaspora religions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 105S Introduction to the World's Religions
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Explores the symbols, beliefs, stories, and practices of the world's religions with attention to both historical development and contemporary practices. Possible traditions include: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and African/African diaspora religions. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Creativity/Innovation. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 200 Theoretical Approaches to the Study of Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Undergraduate Prerequisites: CAS Religion major, or consent of instructor. - Origins and history of the academic study of religion. Different constructions of religion as an object of study and the methods that arise from them. The role of the humanities and social sciences in understanding religion's place in history and contemporary experience. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 201 The Hebrew Bible
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Study of the literature of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and the religious traditions to which these writings bear witness within the context of the history of the ancient Israelite community. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 202 From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Introduces the texts of the New Testament and other early Christian writings: first, to place Jesus of Nazareth in the religious and social context of Second Temple Judaism and the Roman empire; and second, to explain the origins and growth of Christian beliefs, practices, and social formations up to the second century. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 210 Buddhism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
A historical and critical introduction to the major themes of Buddhist thought and practice in India and Southeast Asia, with special attention to the transmission of Buddhism to Tibet and the modern West. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 210S Buddhism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
A historical and critical introduction to the major themes of Buddhist thought and practice in India and Southeast Asia, with special attention to the transmission of Buddhism to Tibet and the modern West. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 216 Judaism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Systematic and historical introduction to doctrines, customs, literature, and movements of Judaism; biblical religion and literature; rabbinic life and thought; medieval mysticism and philosophy; modern movement and developments. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 242 Magic, Science, and Religion
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Boundaries and relationships between magic, science, and religion in Europe from antiquity through the Enlightenment. Explores global cultural exchange, distinctions across social, educational, gender, and religious lines, the rise of modern science, and changing assumptions about God, nature, and humanity. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 243 Shamans and Shamanism
4 credits.
Shamans in global and theoretical perspectives. The origins and construction of the category of shamanism. Modern theories and debates about the category and the appropriateness of applying it cross-culturally. Also offered as CAS AN 243. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 301 Varieties of Early Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing. At least one prior course in biblical or New Testamen t literature recommended. - Surveys the many different and often competing forms of Christianity that arose and flourished in the second to the seventh century. Topics covered include martyrs, apocalypticism, Hell, Gnostics, prophecy, magical texts, angels and demons, and the various meanings of Christ. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 312 Buddhism in America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
The transplantation and transformation of Buddhism in the United States. Time period ranges from the eighteenth century to the present, but the emphasis is on contemporary developments, including the new Asian immigration, Jewish Buddhism, feminization, and engaged Buddhism. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 314 Religious Thought in America
4 credits.
Surveys many of the strategies that American religious thinkers have adopted for interpreting the cosmos, the social order and human experience, and the interaction of those strategies with broader currents of American culture. Also offered as CAS HI 308. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS RN 317 Greek and Roman Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Survey of ancient Greek and Roman religions and their development from earliest beginnings to the eclipse of paganism. Theories and practices of these religions, comparisons with other religions, and relationships to Judaism and Christianity. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS CL 317. 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, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 322 History of Judaism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This class surveys Jewish history from the classical period to modern times. It covers: the destruction of the 1st Temple; the encounter with Hellenism; the Roman period; the destruction of the 2nd Temple; the rise and influence of rabbinic Judaism; the medieval era under Muslim and Christian rule; medieval antisemitism; Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah); and philosophy (Maimonides). For the modern era we will discuss: the Renaissance; the Reformation; the complex issue of Emancipation; coming to America; the growth of American Judaism; religious reform; modern antisemitism; and Zionism. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 328 Modern Judaism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Encounters between Judaism and modernity from the Renaissance and Reformation; the Spanish expulsion and creation of Jewish centers in the New World; emancipation and its consequences; assimilation, Reform Judaism, Zionism, the American Jewish community, non-European communities, Jewish global migration, and modern antisemitism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 334 Dead Sea Scrolls
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examination of the ancient Hebrew documents discovered in the Judean desert. Their authorship; the religious significance of the Scrolls; their relations to Ancient Judaism and early Christianity; the controversy over their release and publication. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 337 Gender, Sexuality, and Judaism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores the role of gender and sexuality in Judaism and Jewish experience, historically and in the present. Subjects include constructions of masculinity and femininity, attitudes toward (and uses of) the body and sexuality, gendered nature of religious practice and authority. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 343 Jewish Fundamentalisms
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Exploration of Jewish Fundamentalist identities: diverse global communities reflecting a strict interpretation of Jewish law, the formation of Haredi societies in the 19th century, unprecedented growth, marriages and family life, religious studies' social and symbolic centrality, economy, and Haredi trans-national communities. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork and Collaboration .
CAS RN 349 Islam in Africa
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
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.
CAS RN 353E Camino de Santiago: A Pilgrim's Way Yesterday and Today
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Pre-requisites: Admission to the BU Study Abroad Program. First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - This course provides a comprehensive approach to the phenomenon of the Camino de Santiago, integrating historical, cultural, social, and contemporary perspectives to offer students a well-rounded understanding of this significant European pilgrimage route. Effective Summer 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CAS RN 361 Chinese Classics in Today's World (in English Translation)
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Discusses canonical texts, such as the "Five Confucian Classics" and "Four Books," which for millennia have defined Chinese culture, and reflects on their appeal, significance, and current comeback in Chinese pop culture and politics. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy.
CAS RN 365 Art, Media, and Buddhism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expressions have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and re- contextualized in the West. Topics include: self- immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 369 Science and Religion: Dialogue and Debate
4 credits.
Challenges conventional wisdom that science and religion have always been at war in Europe and North America. Explores their interactions, mutual existence, and conflict from Copernicus' claim that the earth revolved around the sun to contemporary debates about evolution. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 382 History of Religion in Pre-Colonial Africa
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
The study of the development of religious traditions in Africa during the period prior to European colonialism. An emphasis on both indigenous religions and the growth and spread of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the continent as a whole. Also offered as CAS AA 382 and CAS HI 349. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 383 African Diaspora Religions
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
This course introduces students to religions of the African Diaspora, with a specific focus on the Caribbean and the Americas. Religious traditions such as Africanized Christianity, Cuban Santer¿a, Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candombl¿ and African American Spiritualism will be explored. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 384 The Holocaust
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Rise of German (and European) antisemitism; rise of Nazism; 1935 Nuremberg Laws; the initial Jewish reaction; racial theory; organizing mass murder including ghettos, concentration camps, killing squads, and gas chambers; bystanders and collaborators (countries, organizations, and individuals); Jewish resistance; post-Holocaust religious responses; moral and ethical issues. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 387 Anthropology of Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology. Also offered as CAS AN 384. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 406 Biblical Fakes and Forgeries
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Religion, philosophy, or archaeology majors or minors with junior or s enior standing, or consent of instructor. - Examines issues regarding forged documents and artifacts relating to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Examples of forgeries (alleged and certain) include: book of Daniel, Letter of Aristeas, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark; forged Scrolls in museum collections. Proposed Edit: Examines forged documents and artifacts relating to Hebrew Bible and New Testament, probing historical and ethical questions they raise. Examples (alleged and certain forgeries) include: book of Daniel, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark, and forged Dead Sea Scroll fragments. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 409 Cults and Charisma
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: undergraduates who have taken RN 200 and/or RN 355, and with consent o f instructor. - Examines religious sects, new religions, and charismatic leadership using case- studies from history and the contemporary world, as well as analytical principles from religious studies and anthropology. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 410 Religion, Community, and Culture in Medieval Spain
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Interactions between Muslims, Christians, and Jews in medieval Europe's most religiously diverse region -- from the establishment of an Islamic al-Andalus in 711 CE to the final Christian "reconquest" of the peninsula and expulsion of the Jews in 1492 CE. To enrich exploration of interrelated themes and learning outcomes, student registrants of RN/HI 410/RN 710 will meet with student registrants of LS 410 during scheduled class time on 2/21, 3/13, 3/27, 4/24, and 5/1 during the term. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 411 The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate prerequisites: RN101, 202, or equivalent recommended. Examines literary and historical roots of apocalypticism in early Judaism and Christianity. Attention to literary genre, symbolism, metaphor, heaven, hell, angelology, demonology, attitudes toward the end of the world. Examines relationship of apocalypticism to shamanism, mysticism, magic, gnosticism, liturgy. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 450 Topics in Religion, Science, and Medicine
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Topic for Spring 2025: Healing and the Body in East Asian Religions. From Ayurveda to Zen, this course explores diverse healing practices and understandings of the human body across various East Asian religious traditions. Covering topics such as Buddhist medicine, Daoist remedies, Mongolian shamanism, and Shinto purification rituals, we discuss how different East Asian religions interpret the body within their philosophical and cosmological frameworks, as well as how practical healing applications were developed and performed. Effective Fall 2021, this course carries a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 453 Topics in Religion and Sexuality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Exploration of key topics and themes in the study of religion and sexuality, especially as they intersect with gender, race, and politics. Historical periods and religious contexts vary according to instructor. Topic for Spring 2025: Queer and Trans Religion. Religious language figures prominently in both attacks on and affirmations of queer and trans existence. We use religious studies and queer and trans studies to analyze fiction, film, and poetry that explores the relationships between gender, sexuality, and religion. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 460 Seminar on the Holocaust
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
This course will examine historical, ethical and religious issues arising from the Holocaust. We will discuss antisemitism and ideology; what communities were considered "other"; human motivation regarding collaborators, perpetrators and bystanders; the role of individuals, organizations and governments; the treatment of women; the ethics of resistance; the behavior of the Jewish Councils; and attitudes to the existence of God during and after the Holocaust. We will also compare the Holocaust to contemporary crises now occurring around the world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 470 Topics in Medieval Religious Culture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Topic for Spring 2025: Marriage, Sex, and Ritual. Explores the ritualized nature of marriage and sex among Christians, Jews, and others. Topics include betrothals and weddings, religious authority and marriage, ritual power and sex, procreative `magic,¿ and objects used by people to ritualize their marital and sexual lives. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 490 Materiality and Religion in Late Antiquity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Undergraduate Prerequisites: prior coursework in archaeology or ancient religions, or consent of i nstructor. - Investigates material traces and contexts of religion in the Graeco-Roman world, including iconic, architectural, votive, magical, and other archaeological remains; and draws on theories of space, image, and ritual performance. Topics vary. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 601 Varieties of Early Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior course in biblical or New Testament literature reco mmended. - Surveys the many different and often competing forms of Christianity that arose and flourished in the second to the seventh century. Topics covered include martyrs, apocalypticism, Hell, Gnostics, prophecy, magical texts, angels and demons, and the various meanings of Christ. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 612 Buddhism in America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
The transplantation and transformation of Buddhism in the United States. Time period ranges from the 18th century to the present, but the emphasis is on contemporary developments, including the new Asian immigration, Jewish Buddhism, feminization, and engaged Buddhism. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 614 Religious Thought in America
4 credits.
Surveys many of the strategies that American religious thinkers have adopted for interpreting the cosmos, the social order and human experience, and the interaction of those strategies with broader currents of American culture. Also offered as GRS HI 708. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II.
CAS RN 622 History of Judaism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This class surveys Jewish history from the classical period to modern times. It covers: the destruction of the 1st Temple; the encounter with Hellenism; the Roman period; the destruction of the 2nd Temple; the rise and influence of rabbinic Judaism; the medieval era under Muslim and Christian rule; medieval antisemitism; Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah); and philosophy (Maimonides). For the modern era we will discuss: the Renaissance; the Reformation; the complex issue of Emancipation; coming to America; the growth of American Judaism; religious reform; modern antisemitism; and Zionism. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 628 Modern Judaism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Encounters between Judaism and modernity from the Renaissance and Reformation; the Spanish expulsion and creation of Jewish centers in the New World; emancipation and its consequences; assimilation, Reform Judaism, Zionism, the American Jewish community, non-European communities, Jewish global migration, and modern antisemitism. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 634 Dead Sea Scrolls
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examination of the ancient Hebrew documents discovered in the Judean desert. Their authorship; the religious significance of the Scrolls; their relations to Ancient Judaism and early Christianity; the controversy over their release and publication. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 665 Art, Media, and Buddhism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Examines how textual, visual, and material forms of religious expressions have been conceptualized by Buddhists as well as how Buddhist objects are understood and re- contextualized in the West. Topics include: self-immolation; museums; war propaganda, and pop culture. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS RN 669 Science and Religion: Dialogue and Debate
4 credits.
Challenges conventional wisdom that science and religion have always been at war in Europe and North America. Explores their interactions, mutual existence, and conflict from Copernicus' claim that the earth revolved around the sun to contemporary debates about evolution. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 683 African Diaspora Religions
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
This course introduces students to religions of the African Diaspora, with a specific focus on the Caribbean and the Americas. Religious traditions such as Africanized Christianity, Cuban Santer'a, Haitian Vodou, Brazilian Candombl' and African American Spiritualism will be explored. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS RN 684 The Holocaust
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Rise of German (and European) antisemitism; rise of Nazism; 1935 Nuremberg Laws; the initial Jewish reaction; racial theory; organizing mass murder including ghettos, concentration camps, killing squads, and gas chambers; bystanders and collaborators (countries, organizations, and individuals); Jewish resistance; post-Holocaust religious responses; moral and ethical issues. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 685 Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film
4 credits.
Questions of representation in literature and film about the Holocaust, including testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, Ozick, and others; films include documentaries and feature films. Discussions of the Holocaust as historical reality, metaphor, and generative force in literature. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS RN 687 Anthropology of Religion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Myth, ritual, and religious experience across cultures. Special attention to the problem of religious symbolism and meaning, religious conversion and revitalization, contrasts between traditional and world religions, and the relation of religious knowledge to science, magic, and ideology. Also offered as GRS AN 784. This course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 706 Biblical Fakes and Forgeries
4 credits.
Graduate Prerequisites: GRS religion or STH graduate students, or consent of instructor. - Examines issues regarding forged documents and artifacts relating to the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Examples of forgeries (alleged and certain) include: book of Daniel, Letter of Aristeas, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark; forged Scrolls in museum collections. Proposed Edit: Examines forged documents and artifacts relating to Hebrew Bible and New Testament, probing historical and ethical questions they raise. Examples (alleged and certain forgeries) include: book of Daniel, Gnostic Gospels, Secret Gospel of Mark, and forged Dead Sea Scroll fragments. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 709 Cults and Charisma
4 credits.
Examines religious sects, new religions, and charismatic leadership using case- studies from history and the contemporary world, as well as analytical principles from religious studies and anthropology. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS RN 711 The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate prerequisites: RN101, 202, or equivalent recommended. Examines literary and historical roots of apocalypticism in early Judaism and Christianity. Attention to literary genre, symbolism, metaphor, heaven, hell, angelology, demonology, attitudes toward the end of the world. Examines relationship of apocalypticism to shamanism, mysticism, magic, gnosticism, liturgy. Effective Fall 2024 fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 750 Topics in Religion, Science, and Medicine
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Topic for Spring 2025: Healing and the Body in East Asian Religions. From Ayurveda to Zen, this course explores diverse healing practices and understandings of the human body across various East Asian religious traditions. Covering topics such as Buddhist medicine, Daoist remedies, Mongolian shamanism, and Shinto purification rituals, we discuss how different East Asian religions interpret the body within their philosophical and cosmological frameworks, as well as how practical healing applications were developed and performed. Effective Fall 2021, this course carries a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Critical Thinking.
CAS RN 753 Topics in Religion and Sexuality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Exploration of key topics and themes in the study of religion and sexuality, especially as they intersect with gender, race, and politics. Historical periods and religious contexts vary according to instructor. Topic for Spring 2025: Queer and Trans Religion. Religious language figures prominently in both attacks on and affirmations of queer and trans existence. We use religious studies and queer and trans studies to analyze fiction, film, and poetry that explores the relationships between gender, sexuality, and religion. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS RN 759 Primo Levi and Holocaust Literature
4 credits.
A study of Primo Levi's writings and scientific, theological, and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. Other theorists (Arendt, Wiesel, Müller-Hill) and other survivors' testimonies (Delbo, Borowski, Fink) are read in conjunction with Levi's works.
CAS RN 760 Seminar on the Holocaust
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication
This course will examine historical, ethical and religious issues arising from the Holocaust. We will discuss antisemitism and ideology; what communities were considered "other"; human motivation regarding collaborators, perpetrators and bystanders; the role of individuals, organizations and governments; the treatment of women; the ethics of resistance; the behavior of the Jewish Councils; and attitudes to the existence of God during and after the Holocaust. We will also compare the Holocaust to contemporary crises now occurring around the world. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness.
CAS RN 770 Topics in Medieval Religious Culture
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: junior standing or consent of instructor. First Year Writing Seminar ( e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Topic for Spring 2025: Marriage, Sex, and Ritual. Explores the ritualized nature of marriage and sex among Christians, Jews, and others. Topics include betrothals and weddings, religious authority and marriage, ritual power and sex, procreative `magic,¿ and objects used by people to ritualize their marital and sexual lives. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS SO 207 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Examines the fundamental theoretical and empirical approaches regarding race/ethnicity and the current state of race relations in the U.S. that explore both contemporary social problems. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS SO 207S Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community Research and Information Literacy
Examines the fundamental theoretical and empirical approaches regarding race/ethnicity and the current state of race relations in the U.S., including contemporary social problems. Carries social science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS SO 303 Substantive Themes in Sociological Theory
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASSO203) or consent of instructor. - Critique and application of major sociological theories to key themes and topics. Connections between classical and modern arguments, syntheses of alternative perspectives, and gaps between various perspectives. Themes include the maintenance of social order, power and authority, conflict and change, and sources of alienation. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community.
CAS SO 320 Political Sociology
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Social Inquiry II
Undergraduate Prerequisites: at least one previous Sociology course or consent of instructor. - Traces the sociology of politics from ancient times to modern era. Analyzes U.S. & global political shifts. Topics include: political cultures, constitutions and laws; political authority; political parties; revolutions and war; mass media, and politics of violence. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry II, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS SO 335 Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or CAS WS 101/1 02. - No one of us is one thing, one identity, nor motivated by one singular interest, nor privileged or subjugated by one singular form of power, but how do those multiple forms of ourselves affect how we are advantaged, disadvantaged, viewed, and understood by the social world' Our social world, is, by default, a vast web of social intersections between and across groups with shared, overlapping, and conflicting identities. Race, class and gender affect nearly all of our lived experiences and greatly complicate and nuance concepts of diversity and difference. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness.
CAS SO 335S Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or CAS WS 101/1 02. - Prereq: (CAS WS 101/102), at least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or consent of the instructor. Examines race, class, gender, and sexuality as intersecting axes of stratification, identity, and experience -- acknowledging that no one of us is one thing, one identity, nor motivated by one singular interest, nor privileged or subjugated by one singular form of power. This course studies how these multiple forms of ourselves affect how we are advantaged, disadvantaged, viewed, and understood by the social world. Our social world is, by default, a vast web of social intersections between and across groups with shared, overlapping, and conflicting identities. Within this framework, we investigate the various ways that race, class, and gender affect nearly all of our lived experiences and greatly complicate and nuance concepts of diversity and difference. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness.
CAS TL 500 History and Theory of Translation
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS TL 551 Topics in Translation
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
May be taken multiple times for credit if topics are different. There are two topics for Spring 2025. Section A1: Self-translation and Bilingualism. Explores self-translation, the process and product of a bilingual author’s rendering of their text into another language. Challenges binary categories of original and translation, of author and translator. Students investigate literary translingualism as scholars and as creative writers-translators. Section B1: Translating the Francophone World. Explores the paratextual, transcultural elements, and challenges entailed in translating Francophone literature, through fictional works with writers, translators, and storytellers, part of the narrative. Authors to be discussed: Assia Djebar, Ananda Devi, Danny Laferrière, Mbougar Sarr. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 179 Introduction to Trans Literature
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Is there such a thing as trans literature' While "Trans Studies" as a field of study in academia is relatively new, trans literature is not. In this course we engage with a wide-ranging trans literary tradition that spans time, genre, and language. We ask questions about authorship, community, and the social and political conditions which allow and bar the flourishing of trans culture. We will ask: What can the word 'trans' mean, and how does its multiple meanings open space to imagine new ways of becoming' How can literature expand how the world might be, rather than what it is'. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS WS 297 African American Women's History
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
Survey of African American women's history from the slave trade to the present, investigating its critical role in shaping the meaning of race, gender, and sexuality during slavery, Jim Crow, and the civil rights era. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
CAS WS 310E LON WOM SOC HIS
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: enrollment in the London History & Literature Programme. - LON WOM SOC HIS
CAS WS 313 Sex, Love, Family: American Relationships from Birth to Death
4 credits.
Explores Americans' intimate bonds and family dynamics throughout US history. Follows the life cycle from birth to death, surveying common milestones and rituals such as coming of age, coming out, getting married, or having a midlife crisis, and more. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
CAS WS 327 Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation'
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This course explores literature about migration created by women primarily from Eastern Europe. We read autobiographical narratives that focus on the shaping of transcultural identity with an eye to the problem of translation as a linguistic, cultural, and personal phenomenon. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 335 Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or CAS WS 101/1 02. - No one of us is one thing, one identity, nor motivated by one singular interest, nor privileged or subjugated by one singular form of power, but how do those multiple forms of ourselves affect how we are advantaged, disadvantaged, viewed, and understood by the social world' Our social world, is, by default, a vast web of social intersections between and across groups with shared, overlapping, and conflicting identities. Race, class and gender affect nearly all of our lived experiences and greatly complicate and nuance concepts of diversity and difference. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness.
CAS WS 335S Sociology of Race, Class & Gender
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
Undergraduate Prerequisites: At least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or CAS WS 101/1 02. - Prereq: (CAS WS 101/102), at least one prior 100- or 200-level sociology course, or consent of the instructor. Examines race, class, gender, and sexuality as intersecting axes of stratification, identity, and experience -- acknowledging that no one of us is one thing, one identity, nor motivated by one singular interest, nor privileged or subjugated by one singular form of power. This course studies how these multiple forms of ourselves affect how we are advantaged, disadvantaged, viewed, and understood by the social world. Our social world is, by default, a vast web of social intersections between and across groups with shared, overlapping, and conflicting identities. Within this framework, we investigate the various ways that race, class, and gender affect nearly all of our lived experiences and greatly complicate and nuance concepts of diversity and difference. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, The Individual in Community, Historical Consciousness.
CAS WS 377 Gender and Sexuality in Judaism
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Explores the role of gender and sexuality in Judaism and Jewish experience, historically and in the present. Subjects include constructions of masculinity and femininity, attitudes toward (and uses of) the body and sexuality, gendered nature of religious practice and authority. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS WS 434 Monarchy in Modern Britain
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Seminar probing seminal moments in the history of modern British sovereignty, when the politics of the court intersected with the politics of the people. Particular consideration is given to how monarchy has survived as an institution. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 451 Fashion as History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This seminar treats clothing and other products of material culture as historical documents. Explores what clothing can tell us about key developments in the modern period relating to trade and commerce, empire, gender, class, industry, revolution, nation-building, identity politics, and globalization. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 453 Topics in Religion and Sexuality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Ethical Reasoning Historical Consciousness
Exploration of key topics and themes in the study of religion and sexuality, especially as they intersect with gender, race, and politics. Historical periods and religious contexts vary according to instructor. Effective Spring 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Ethical Reasoning, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CAS WS 456 Neurobiology of Sex and Aggression
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Scientific Inquiry II
Examines neurobiological and genetic factors that influence sex and violence. Students review primary literature from the past century that highlights major scientific discoveries that have reconceptualized our understanding of the origins of sexual-determination, -attraction and - aggression. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II.
CAS WS 456S Neurobiology of Sex and Aggression
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Scientific Inquiry II
Examines neurobiological and genetic factors that influence sex and violence. Students review primary literature from the past century that highlights major scientific discoveries that have reconceptualized our understanding of the origins of sexual-determination, -attraction and - aggression. Effective Summer 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II.
CAS WS 460 Topics in LGBTQ History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Research and Information Literacy
Undergrad prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CASWR 100 or WR 120). - Seminar examines topics in the history of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) people and cultural or political movements. May be repeated for credit if topics vary. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS WS 480 Japanese Women Writers
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings
Classic texts by Japanese women, including the "Tale of Genji" and "The Pillow Book," and their modern legacy, read alongside important philosophical and theoretical texts in queer and feminist thought. Lectures and texts in English. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry and Life's Meanings, Critical Thinking.
CAS WS 660 Topics in LGBTQ History
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Research and Information Literacy
Undergrad prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., CAS WR100 or WR120). - Seminar examines topics in the history of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) people and cultural or political movements. May be repeated for credit if topics vary. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and Signed Communication, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS XL 281 Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film
4 credits.
How can we understand the impact of the Holocaust and its ongoing legacies' Holocaust representation in literature, film and memorials, including discussions of bystander complicity and societal responsibilities, testimonial and fictive works by Wiesel and Levi, documentaries and feature films. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS XL 327 Immigrant Women in Literature: Found in Translation'
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This course explores literature about migration created by women primarily from Eastern Europe. We read autobiographical narratives that focus on the shaping of transcultural identity with an eye to the problem of translation as a linguistic, cultural, and personal phenomenon. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CAS XL 341 Medieval Travel Writing and the Muslim World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate prerequisites: CASWR 120 or 150. - How did medieval and early modern Muslim travelers describe the places they visited and people they encountered, and how did Western travelers describe their travels in the Middle East and Asia? Readings include Ibn Battuta, Marco Polo, Evliya Celebi, and Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness.
CAS XL 342 Modern Travel Writing and the Muslim World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - How have modern Muslim travelers written about places and people they saw abroad, and how have Western travelers in the Muslim lands described their travels in "the East"? Readings include Zeyneb Hanoum, Tahtawi, Mark Twain, Malcolm X, Nawal Saadawi. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS XL 342S Travel Writing and the Muslim World
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Teamwork/Collaboration
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - How have modern Muslim travelers written about places and people they saw abroad, and how have Western travelers in the Muslim lands described their travels in "the East"? Readings include Zeyneb Hanoum, Tahtawi, Mark Twain, Malcolm X, Nawal Saadawi. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Oral and/or Signed Communication, Teamwork/Collaboration.
CAS XL 387 The Holocaust Through Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - An examination of film using the Holocaust as its central topic. What are the political and cultural effects when genocide is represented through film? Can feature films portray history, and if so, what are the consequences for an informed society? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing- Intensive Course.
CAS XL 396 World Cities: Berlin
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
This course explores Berlin's urban imaginary, investigating cinematic, written and visual texts, architecture and urban planning to witness the complex, exciting, and sometimes tragic history of Berlin and to understand how people make sense of cities in general. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS XL 397 World Cities: Istanbul
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
An examination of Istanbul in the global imaginary as it transformed from the Capital of the Ottoman Empire to the cultural capital of the Republic of Turkey through critical analysis of visual and literary texts. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS XL 398 World Cities: Tokyo
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Explores the past and present of the vibrant city of Tokyo through literature and visual culture. Includes hand-on experiences mapping literary spaces. Reading and discussion in English. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CAS XL 459 Primo Levi Within Holocaust Literature
4 credits.
A study of Primo Levi's writings and scientific, literary, theological, and philosophical approaches to the Holocaust. Other theorists (Arendt, Wiesel, and Muller-Hill) and other survivors' testimonies (Delbo, Borowski, Fink) are read in conjunction with Levi's works. Also offered as CAS LI 459 and RN 459. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning.
CAS XL 500 History and Theory of Translation
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the history of translation and the main trends in Translation Studies. Students will learn to apply concepts acquired in class to analyze and critique translations and develop their own strategies. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CFA AR 194 Mixed Media Drawing and Collage
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
In this entry level studio based class we will work together to learn various techniques and approaches to the art of mixed media drawing and collage. Through the making of a portfolio of work that will bridge basic drawing skills with mixed media projects in representation and abstraction, we will investigate how the ways of seeing and making have intersected with History, Culture, Belief and Identity during the 20th and 21st centuries. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA AR 340E ARTS IN IRELAND
4 credits.
ARTS IN IRELAND
CFA AR 580 History of Graphic Design
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Course (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) - This foundational course presents a chronological and thematic survey of graphic design and design culture from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Through slide lecture, reading and writing assignments, and discussion groups, students actively investigate how graphic design responded to and influenced the social, political and technological world around it. While, emphasis had been on European and American design histories, as well as major movements in Russia and the East this course will implement a plural pedagogy as a method to include more multicultural voices. Particular effort will be made toward showing, discussing, and including artists, designers, and writers who represent people, cultures, and aesthetics historically excluded from Eurocentric narratives about art and design. Comparative and symbiotic relationships between graphic design and other visual arts and design disciplines such as architecture and industrial design will be analyzed. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CFA AR 580S History of Graphic Design
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Course (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120) or equivalent. A chronological survey of theory and practice of graphic design from the Industrial Revolution to the present. Through slide lecture, reading assignments, discussion and a studio project, students actively investigate how graphic design responded to and influenced the social, political, and technological context. Emphasis is on European and American design histories, in addition to major movements in Russia and the East. Comparative and symbiotic relationships between graphic design and other visual arts and design disciplines such as architecture and industrial design are analyzed. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course.
CFA MH 211 History & Literature of Music 1
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Historical survey of music tracing the history, performance, cultural significance, and development of musical styles from the Middle Ages to approximately the end of the Baroque. Required for all students in the BM and BA Music routes. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CFA MH 211S HIST&LIT MUS 1
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
HIST&LIT MUS 1
CFA MH 212 History & Literature of Music 2
4 credits. Spring
Historical survey of music from 1750 to the present. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 340 Italian Music: From Renaissance to 20th Century Avant-Garde
4 credits. Fall and Spring
The course examines the history, evolution, and main aesthetic features of Italian music from the 16th century to the mid-20th century. Italy played a central role in the development of music, witnessing the birth of opera, the cantata, oratorio, sonata, concerto, and symphony, all of which were disseminated internationally, creating a cohesive, international musical style. The main aim of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive view on the making and developments of the main Italian music genres, from Renaissance to post-WWII Avant-gardes. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 410 The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
4 credits.
Students engage with hip hop history, including aesthetic trends, some important artists and works, regional styles, and relationship with the larger sociocultural context. Students will critique and remake hip hop canons. They will identify how hip hop is shaped by race, class, and gender issues and reflect on their own positionality. They will acquire and apply listening, viewing, and reading skills to interpret primary and secondary sources and bring their analyses of these sources to bear. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 410S The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
4 credits.
Students in this course will engage with a history of hip hop music, including major trends, changes in technique and musicianship, some important artists and albums, regional styles, and relationship with the larger sociocultural context of African-American and US politics, cultural production, and daily life. Students will examine and critique the construction of canons of hip hop greatness and engage in remaking them. They will identify how hip hop is shaped by the politics of race, class, and gender issues in ways that have ramifications for a broader appraisal of the role of these factors in US society. Students will reflect on their own positionality as social and political actors and global citizens. Students will interpret both primary sources (recordings, music videos, films, album art, reviews) and secondary sources (scholarly and journalistic texts), applying the listening, viewing, and reading skills necessary to assess these sources critically, and bring their analyses of these sources to bear in discussion and in- and out-of-class assignments.¿No prerequisites or prior skills required. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 412 Popular, Forgotten, and Misunderstood: Popular music of the 1950s
4 credits. Fall
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (CAS WR 120 or equivalent) - "Popular, Forgotten, and Misunderstood: Popular music of the 1950s" seeks to stimulate critical reflections about how popular music of "the Fifties" mirrors, challenges, and complicates conventional wisdom about the era (1945-63). Contemporary representations of the immediate post-world war two period often view the era with nostalgia and/or a sense of distance. We will continually question what people are nostalgic for and/or what they are seeking to distance themselves from. 4 cr
CFA MH 420 Western Composers and Bali
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness
This course considers the fascination of Western composers with Indonesian gamelan music. Starting with the Paris World's Fair of 1889, we will explore subsequent works by Debussy, Britten, Glass, McPhee, Tenzer, and Ziporyn. Through reading, listening, and analysis, we will unpack the vast array of Balinese and Javanese gamelan musical influences within the compositions of American, Canadian, and European composers since 1903, while considering the historical context . Students will also learn to perform Balinese music on authentic instruments and they will compose music as a creative project. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Creativity/Innovation.
CFA MH 430 R&B, Motown, and Classic Funk: Soundtracks of Empowerment and Civil Rights
4 credits. Spring
Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Motown, Soul, and Funk are seminal in the development of rap, hip hop, fusion, and contemporary urban and R&B styles. These styles provided the soundtrack for African American identity, empowerment, and protest from the civil rights struggle of the late 1950s and early '60s to the Black Power commentary of the 1970s, and, eventually into the hip hop era. This course places these styles within their cultural and historical contexts and examines their musical characteristics in detail. This course does not require previous training in music. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MH 430S R&B, Motown, and Classic Funk: Soundtracks of Empowerment and Civil Rights
4 credits. Summer
Rhythm and Blues, Gospel, Motown, Soul, and Funk are seminal in the development of rap, hip-hop, fusion, and contemporary urban and R&B styles. These styles provided the soundtrack for African American identity, empowerment, and protest from the civil rights struggle of the late 1950s and early '60s to the Black Power commentary of the 1970s, and, eventually into the hip-hop era. This course places these styles within their cultural and historical contexts and examines their musical characteristics in detail. This course does not require previous training in music. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MP 416 Piano Pedagogy and Practicum 2
2 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - Continuation of the topics begun in Pedagogy MP415 with a focus on the works of Ortmann and Schultz; team teaching focused on techniques pertaining to more advanced pianists; piano works of major composers are evaluated with emphasis on the different phases of pianistic development. Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MP 616 Piano Pedagogy 2
2 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Piano Pedagogy 1 (MP 415) and First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120)
Advanced piano pedagogy, continued from MP 415. This course explores topics in piano pedagogy specific to intermediate to early advanced students. Through class discussions, written assignments, projects, teaching observations, and oral presentations, students will explore the following areas: selecting appropriate repertoire; teaching piano technique, rhythm, and interpretation across varied repertoire; introducing practice strategies, performance psychology, and techniques for leading masterclasses. [2 units] Effective Spring 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Oral and/or Signed Communication, Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness.
CFA MU 365 Music and the Holocaust
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate prerequisite: First-Year writing seminar (CASWR 100 or 120.) - History and music of composers targeted during the Holocaust: classical music, jazz, and cabaret musical styles banned as "degenerate" by the Nazis. Particular focus on the art and music created in the Terezín (Theresienstadt) concentration camp. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CFA TH 102 Dramatic Literature 1: Greeks to the late 19th c
3 credits. Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120) - A survey of the development of theatre, its plays, trends, and technologies, from the Greeks to the late nineteenth century. Emphasis is on the total theatrical event, what the performance might have been, and how it might have related to its audience. 3.0 credits. Spring semester only. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
CFA TH 104 Dramatic Literature 1: Beginnings of Theatre to the Early 19th Century
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120). - This course investigates dramatic texts and performance dating back to ancient India and Greece through the early nineteenth century, within local and global social, artistic, and political contexts. Special emphasis will be placed on tracing the transnational movement and dissemination of dramatic texts and artistic ideas, as well as methods of interpretation. Students will investigate material historically and historiographically. Required for BFA Theatre Core. Open to BU Community. 4.0 credits. Spring semester. Effective Spring 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Writing-Intensive Course, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CFA TH 255 History of Costumes 1
2 credits. Fall
This course is an intensive survey covering the history of significant cultural expression in dress from 3000 B.C.E. through the 18th century. Students will examine the evolution of fashion by studying various types of art and literature as well as socio-economic, political, and religious influences. Students will familiarize themselves with the vocabulary, theory, production, silhouettes, and trends in Western dress through effective researching, experiential learning, discussion-based learning, and interactive lectures. Class work involves research projects with emphasis on color, materials, manufacture, theory, and application. 2.0 credits. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CFA TH 307 History of Period Styles 1
2 credits. Fall
This is the first course in a series of 4 seminar style classes where we explore periods throughout history primarily through studying Architecture and Decor along with exploring the political and social atmosphere of the times. Each student will have a weekly assignment to research and share with their classmates in a PowerPoint style presentation. History of Period Styles 1 covers the Dawn of Man through the Fall of Rome. 2.0 credits. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU HUB area: Historical Consciousness.
CFA TH 440E EXP LONDON THEA
Var credits. Fall and Spring
EXP LONDON THEA
CFA TH 457 History of Dress 1
2 credits. Fall
This course is an intensive survey covering the history of significant cultural expression in dress from 3000 B.C.E. through the 18th century. Students will examine the evolution of fashion by studying various types of art and literature as well as socio-economic, political, and religious influences. Students will familiarize themselves with the vocabulary, theory, production, silhouettes, and trends in Western dress through effective researching, experiential learning, discussion-based learning, and interactive lectures. Class work involves research projects with emphasis on color, materials, manufacture, theory, and application. 2.0 units. Fall semester. Effective Fall 2024 this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
CFA TH 517 History of Period Styles 1
2 credits. Fall
This is the first course in a series of 4 seminar style classes where we explore periods throughout history primarily through studying Architecture and Decor along with exploring the political and social atmosphere of the times. Each student will have a weekly assignment to research and share with their classmates in a PowerPoint style presentation. History of Period Styles 1 covers the Dawn of Man through the Fall of Rome. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU HUB area: Historical Consciousness.
CFA TH 556 History of Theatre 2
3 credits. Spring
A continuation of a survey of Western theatre production and design from the modern era to post WWII. The class explores the evolution of theatre as a modern art form as well as solidifying itself as an entertainment. Movements in theatrical practices will be explored via the lens of technological, socio-economic and political forces and how they shaped and informed theatre production in the United States, Europe and Eastern Europe. As artists, we use this exploratory approach to theatre history to inform our choices in producing thought, not just consuming of it. Effective Fall 2019, this course is part of a Hub sequence: when taken with CFA TH 555, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
CGS HU 103 Literature and Art from the Ancient World to the Enlightenment
5 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
The course examines key figures and works in literary and artistic traditions from the ancient and classical periods through the Renaissance, concluding with a focus on the Enlightenment and Romanticism. The semester's units concentrate on how the works reflect cultural ideals and developments and on how they represent evolving aesthetic standards that have shaped conventions in literature and the arts. Coursework and assignments include learning trips to various sites of historical and cultural significance in the Boston area to emphasize the Humanities' relevance beyond the classroom. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS HU 104E Literature and Art from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution
5 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course is an interdisciplinary approach to literature and art history. The course focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries and concludes with the technologically complex 21st century. Assignments encourage research skills, critical thinking, and contextual awareness. Trips to historically and culturally important sites enhance the course's experiential component and augment the humanities' interdisciplinary significance. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS HU 104S Literature and Art from the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution
5 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course is an interdisciplinary approach to literature and art history. The course focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries and concludes with the technologically complex 21st century. Assignments encourage research skills, critical thinking, and contextual awareness. Trips to historically and culturally important sites enhance the course's experiential component and augment the humanities' interdisciplinary significance. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS HU 250 Supernatural Horror in American Literature and Film
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Supernatural Horror in American Literature and Film will explore the impact of horror on American culture from the genre's roots in early American history and the Gothic through the works of its most important practitioners in American literature and film. Works covered will include those of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, and Stephen King; films such as The Exorcist and The Blair Witch Project; episodes of the The X Files; and critical writings on horror, film and popular culture. Effective Spring 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
CGS SS 202 American Foreign Policy Since World War II
4 credits. Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy Writing-Intensive Course
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.
CGS SS 300 Science, Politics & Power: WWII to the 21st Century
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course will survey the careers of individuals whose scientific research and personal convictions compelled them to defy powerful authorities. It will explore the political, moral, and social, implications of scientific discoveries in the 20th century and beyond. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Critical Thinking.
COM FT 303 Understanding Television
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
This course examines television (and its foundation in radio) as it emerged, stabilized as an aesthetic and technological form, interacted with other media, was regulated and deregulated, and was shaped by and shaped the culture around it. We will use the sitcom and soap opera genres as aesthetic through-lines for this study and examine their evolution in historical contexts. Throughout the semester, we focus on broadcasting's beginnings, expansion, establishment as the national, mass medium in America, and eventual fracturing into niches. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
COM FT 303S Understanding Television
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
Examines television (and its foundation in radio) as it emerged, stabilized as an aesthetic and technological form, interacted with other media, was regulated and deregulated, and was shaped by and shaped the culture around it. Uses the sitcom and soap opera genres as aesthetic through-lines for this study and examines their evolution in historical contexts. Throughout the semester, we focus on broadcasting's beginnings, expansion, establishment as the national mass medium in America, and eventual fracturing into niches. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
COM FT 316E The Impact of Film and Television in Modern Britain
4 credits.
Examines selected elements of British film, television and other broadcast media, marketing, promotions and new technologies. Students will study major trends and trans-Atlantic influences in media.
COM FT 318E BRIT TV STUDIES
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BRIT TV STUDIES
COM JO 150 History and Principles of Journalism
4 credits. Fall and Spring
This course deals with the events, institutions and individuals that have shaped journalism in this country. Using a thematic approach, students learn about the role the press has played in history. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Historical Consciousness.
COM JO 150S History and Principles of Journalism
4 credits.
This course deals with the events, institutions and individuals that have shaped journalism in this country. Using a thematic approach, students learn about the role the press has played in history. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU HUB areas: Historical Consciousness.
COM JO 543 Rescuing Lost Stories: Writing Nonfiction Narratives from the Archives
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - The course will prepare students who are interested in writing nonfiction narratives to plan and conduct archival research, especially at BU's Gotlieb Archival Research Center. Students will learn to navigate the archives, then frame and develop historical narratives of significant contemporary events based on research of primary source materials such as personal letters, diaries, government documents and contemporaneous media reports. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course, Creativity/Innovation.
COM JO 543S Rescuing Lost Stories: Writing Nonfiction Narratives from the Archives
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness Writing-Intensive Course
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 100 or WR 120). - Prereq: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g. WR 100 or WR 120). Prepares students who are interested in writing nonfiction narratives to plan and conduct archival research, especially at BU's Gotlieb Archival Research Center. Students learn to navigate the archives, then frame and develop historical narratives of significant contemporary events based on extensive research of primary source materials such as personal letters, diaries, government documents, and contemporaneous media reports.
HUB IC 201 Race, Policing, and Resistance in the United States and Beyond
4 credits. Fall and Spring
In this course, students explore policing and its role in life and politics in the US, including origins and development, the institution of policing, race and racism, and resistance to policing. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Quantitative Reasoning I.
HUB IC 205 America at War (and You)
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
How has warfare, and the preparation for it, shaped the American experience' In this course, students explore how warfare and the building and sustaining of the American military as an institution has influenced the US economy, culture, and society along with issues that students care about today. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single requirement in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
HUB SA 301E KYOTO ELCTV 1
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
KYOTO ELCTV 1
HUB SA 302E KYOTO ELCTV 2
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry II
KYOTO ELCTV 2
HUB SA 304E KYOTO ELCTV 4
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
KYOTO ELCTV 4
HUB SA 307E KYOTO ELCTV 7
0 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
KYOTO ELCTV 7
HUB SJ 101 Social & Racial Justice: Systems and Structures
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This course provides students with foundational knowledge in the historical and systemic bases of social and racial inequities as well as the efforts to build a more just world. It will assist students in critically assessing inequities and efforts towards justice in social systems such as education, environment/sustainability, health, housing, and entertainment. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
KHC AH 101 (MIS)REPRESENTING HISTORY IN ART
4 credits. Fall and Spring
An examination of the ways that historical events have been depicted by artists from antiquity to the present, with an emphasis on the intentional misrepresentation of events ("fake news") to serve the needs of the artists' patrons, usually ruling elites. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
KHC AH 102 First Person, Singular: Representing the Self, Then and Insta-Now
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Is the act of self-representation mere extroversion and exhibitionism with filters applied' Or perhaps when we represent ourselves we are aiming to reach for a deeper truth, somehow hidden below the surface of skin and bone' How does the project of self-portraiture reveal and make sense of societal strictures, differences of identity, race, gender and sexual orientation' This course investigates the human drive for representing the self through a thematic approach, highlighting select moments throughout history, starting with Early Modern Europe. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC AN 103 Animals among Humans
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
This course, "Animals among Humans," complements a hitherto existing course, KHC AN 101, Human among Animals." Comparing and contrasting humans and (other) animals, It explores the relations between them, with emphasis on the experiences of the nonhuman animals themselves. [The other course, Humans among Animals, also explores human-animal comparisons, contrasts, and interactions, but it does so with emphasis on the experiences of the humans involved.] Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
KHC EH 103 Race in America: Understanding the Present by Exploring the Past
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Course explores how contemporary racial crises have surprising histories and deep roots in America's cultural imagination. Slave owning in New England' "Black Lives Matter" and 100-year old Confederate memorials' Books, movies, TV drama, journalism today and their urgent historical background. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC FT 102 UnAmerican Cinema
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
This course seeks to understand American film history in light of one set of events: the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings on communism in the film industry and the resulting industry blacklist. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC HC 301 Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Global Challenges I
4 credits. Fall
In this course, students will develop an understanding of global public health from interdisciplinary perspectives. Specifically, the course will foster students¿ ability to critically consider key contemporary issues in global public health with a lens on ethical considerations, and in turn make links to policy and practice implications. Students will take on a range of issues that go well beyond the study of public health itself, raising questions such as those around identity, childhood, mental health, historical legacies of colonialism, and contemporary inequalities. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking.
KHC HI 102 The Culture of World War I
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Studies World War I through works of literature, art, and music. Themes include initial optimism, the brutal reality of the trenches, and consequences of the peace. Works by Owen, Sassoon, Brooke, Kandinsky, Picasso, Grosz, Stravinsky, Butterworth, Freud, West, Junger, Celine. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness.
KHC HI 104 Urban Youth in the Middle East
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Examines social, economic, political, religious, and gender issues urban youth in the Middle East face in the 21st century given the escalation of violence and the stark economic inequalities impinging upon them, but also the many new opportunities available. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Critical Thinking.
KHC HI 107 Global History of a Movement
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
It is difficult for us in our historical moment to discern the degree to which the social, political, economic, and intellectual life of the world was riven by conflicts between competing ideologies/movements as they imagined the future of the global system. Through careful attention to our shared archives of art, fiction, and primary-source texts, this course will explore movements like communism, feminism, and decolonization across time and space in order to understand these movements as global phenomena that continue to structure the unfolding of history in our present. Effective Fall 2023 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Research and Information Literacy.
KHC MU 104 Race, Gender, Music, and the Making of Latin America
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Research and Information Literacy
Students will examine the relationship between musical practice and ideas of race and gender in Latin America from the 16th century to the present day, with particular focus on the process by which music is enlisted in nationalist projects. They will consider the ways in which music dramatizes gender roles and relations -- of attraction, repulsion, and separation -- among people of European, African, Amerindian, and mixed descent in Latin American societies and discover music's role in projects of missionization, racial "whitening," cultural nationalism, and cultural tourism. 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.
KHC PO 100 Democracy & the Climate Crisis: Politics on a Changing Planet
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness Social Inquiry I
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
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Historical Consciousness Oral and/or Signed Communication Research and Information Literacy
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 104 War and Memory in the American Experience
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
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 RH 102 A Nation Riven: Turbulence and Transformation in 1960s America and Today
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
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 RN 103 Islam in the Eyes of the West
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
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 XL 103 Problems in Propaganda and Persuasion
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Aesthetic Exploration Critical Thinking Historical Consciousness
How does propaganda move people to action by appealing not to reason but to emotions' Theories and material from Germany, Russia, Poland, Italy, China, Japan, USA, the Middle East; totalitarian ruler-cult & mobilization for war; propagandistic use of media technologies. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
QST OM 351 Supply Chain Risk and Sustainability
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: QSTSM 131 and sophomore standing - This course explores initiatives that enable a company to reduce its environmental impact. We will study the initiatives based on where the impact occurs in the supply chain: within the four walls of the company, at extended suppliers, in logistics, and at customer or use phase. We will start with making a business case for sustainability, learning about the complex structure of supply chains, and different ways to assess environmental impact. In addition, we will cover food waste, sustainable agriculture, green product design, eco-labeling, sustainable business models, and supply chain risk management. Effective Fall 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community.
QST OM 451 Environmentally Sustainable Supply Chains
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: QST SM131 and sophomore standing - This course explores initiatives that enable a company to reduce its environmental impact. We will study the initiatives based on where the impact occurs in the supply chain: within the four walls of the company, at extended suppliers, in logistics, and at customer or use phase. We will start with making a business case for sustainability, learning about the complex structure of supply chains, and different ways to assess environmental impact. In addition, we will cover food waste, sustainable agriculture, green product design, eco-labeling, sustainable business models, and supply chain risk management. Effective Spring 2025, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community.
QST SI 340 Family Business Management
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Critical Thinking Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Sophomore standing - This course explores the dynamic and complex world of family businesses across the globe. The course is primarily intended for students who have experience of a family business as well as students who are considering joining a family-owned enterprise or starting one. It counts toward the Innovation and Entrepreneurship minor and the Questrom Business minor. Family business historically represents a significant part of the U.S. economy and an even larger proportion of the global economy. Effective Fall 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.
QST SI 352 Innovation & the Dynamics of Enterprise in America (IDEA)
4 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR100 or WR120); CAS EC101, QST SM13 1 - This course reviews the history of innovation in USA, focusing on 'golden era' of innovation from 1870--1940, as well as enabling innovations from 1776-1840 and subsequent innovations of 1940-present. For each innovation, we will explore nature of the technological advance, the historical circumstances giving rise to the innovation, and the economic, business, social, and ethical issues associated with the innovation, as well as modern-day analogs and implications of the innovation. Overall, this is designed to be a multi-disciplinary course that helps students understand the history of commercialized innovations and their impact on business and society. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Writing-Intensive Course.
QST SI 480 The Business of Technology Innovation
4 credits. Fall and Spring
Undergraduate Prerequisites: ENG sophomores, juniors and seniors - Provides an introduction to entrepreneurship and business for the engineer. Topics include finding business ideas; recognizing good from bad; understanding the importance of business model; turning technology into a business, including what to sell and how to sell it; the role of engineering within a business; business financial statements; and startups and venture capital, including starting a company or joining a startup. Effective Fall 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Social Inquiry I.
SAR HP 454 Social Determinants of Health - Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender
20 credits.
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing required. - Sex and gender minority populations have historically been excluded from medical research and mistreated by medical providers. A deep connection exists between social, cultural, political, and religious beliefs which likely underlies the exclusion of sex and gender minority populations. The primary goals of this course are twofold. First, this course integrates previous knowledge about populations, health, and healthcare with additional knowledge about medically marginalized populations, particularly the LGBTQIA2S community. Second, this course aims to develop critical thinking skills through a range of exercises including reading, assessing, and discussing historical, primary and secondary source literature, as well as digital media related to medically marginalized communities and providing opportunity for peer-to-peer engagement related to the topics discussed each week. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
SAR HP 454S Social Determinants of Health - Sex, Sexual Orientation, and Gender
2 credits. Summer
Undergraduate Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing required. - Sex and gender minority populations have historically been excluded from medical research and mistreated by medical providers. A deep connection exists between social, cultural, political, and religious beliefs which likely underlies the exclusion of sex and gender minority populations. The primary goals of this course are twofold. First, this course integrates previous knowledge about populations, health, and healthcare with additional knowledge about medically marginalized populations, particularly the LGBTQIA2S community. Second, this course aims to develop critical thinking skills through a range of exercises including reading, assessing, and discussing historical, primary and secondary source literature, as well as digital media related to medically marginalized communities and providing opportunity for peer-to-peer engagement related to the topics discussed each week. Effective Fall 2024, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Historical Consciousness.
SHA HF 100 Introduction to Hospitality
4 credits. Fall and Spring
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
This introductory course is open to all BU students and is the prerequisite for School of Hospitality courses. Students gain an historical perspective and identify current events and trends in lodging, restaurants and event management. It provides an overview of the global hospitality/tourism industry including the critical elements of managing services. The Boston market, multimedia assignments and team-based projects are integrated into the learning environment. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration. 4 cr. Offered in the Fall and Spring.
SHA HF 100E Introduction to Hospitality
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration. 4 cr. Offered in the Fall and Spring.
SHA HF 100S Introduction to Hospitality
4 credits.
BU Hub Learn More Digital/Multimedia Expression Historical Consciousness Teamwork/Collaboration
This introductory course is open to all BU students and is the prerequisite for School of Hospitality courses. Students gain an historical perspective and identify current events and trends in lodging, restaurants, and event management. Provides an overview of the global hospitality/tourism industry, including the critical elements of managing services. The Boston market, multimedia assignments, and team-based projects are integrated into the learning environment. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Digital/Multimedia Expression, Teamwork/Collaboration.
SHA HF 365E BRITISH TOURISM
4 credits. Fall, Spring, Summer
BU Hub Learn More Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy Historical Consciousness
BRITISH TOURISM
WED AP 555S The History of Boston University
4 credits. Summer
BU Hub Learn More Creativity/Innovation Historical Consciousness The Individual in Community
How did Boston University evolve from a rural seminary to an elite research university' What implications could the study of BU history have on the practice of professional education' This course explores the intellectual and institutional changes that occasioned "the spectacular development" of BU and then uses this history as a reflexive tool. Students access archival materials, tour historic sites, and construct historical narratives. Students also reflect on both their experiences and the work of education to enhance future practice. Effective Summer 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, The Individual in Community, Creativity/Innovation.