{"id":8512,"date":"2026-03-12T10:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T14:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/?page_id=8512"},"modified":"2026-07-29T17:05:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T21:05:49","slug":"urban-studies-minor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/academics\/undergrad\/urban-studies-minor\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban Studies Minor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Urban Studies Minor seeks young urban enthusiasts eager to broaden their horizons through exposure to multidisciplinary urban courses. From the myriad of cultures, people, and economic opportunity that exist in cities to the nuts and bolts of what makes cities sustainable and attractive places to be, this minor is a holistic look at what students need to pursue careers in 21st century urban centers.<\/p>\n<p>The Minor in Urban Studies is designed for students who are interested in applying their passions of urban topics to a curriculum that can help prepare them for careers involved in the opportunities and problems that cities present, not only in the United States but around the world. Students have the opportunity to take a wide array of courses that provide an interdisciplinary approach to understanding urban issues; varying urban perspectives are offered through social, political, economic, and environmental lenses, which include classes taught through MET and SED in addition to CAS.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"ARC\">Minor Requirements<\/h2>\n<p>A total of six (4-credit) courses are required, all completed with a grade of C or higher.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At least ONE must pertain to Physical Infrastructure or Urban Environment topics (below)<\/li>\n<li>At least ONE must pertain to Social, Economic and Political topics.<\/li>\n<li>The six total courses must come from at least THREE different departments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All rules pertaining to CAS majors will apply. MET courses cannot count toward the minor.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to meeting the course requirements, students are strongly encouraged to attend one lunch discussion each semester hosted by the Initiative on Cities. These sessions will be specially scheduled and open only to those in the minor, with the goal of creating a cohort and fostering relationships among interested students and between students and the Initiative. Students will also be invited to all Initiative events, conferences and seminars.<\/p>\n<p>If you have further questions, please reach out to the Minor Academic Advisor, Jon Eyberse (<a href=\"mailto:jeyberse@bu.edu\">jeyberse@bu.edu<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Physical Infrastructure or Urban Environment Topics<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Art History Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 311\u00a0<\/strong>Arab Cities: Architecture, History, Politics<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 328<\/strong> Modern Japanese Architecture<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 364<\/strong> Art and Architecture in Madrid: 1561\u2013Today <em>(Madrid Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 381<\/strong> London Architecture and Urbanism <em>(London Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 383<\/strong> Paris Architecture and Urbanism <em>(Paris Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 387<\/strong> Boston Architecture and Urbanism<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 398<\/strong> 20th-Century Architecture<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 531<\/strong> Tokyo: City and Concept<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 554\/CAS AM 555\/CAS HI 569<\/strong> Boston Architectural and Community History Workshop <em>(cross-listed) (offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 584<\/strong> Greater Boston: Architecture and Planning<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 587<\/strong> Green Design<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">American Studies Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AM 371<\/strong> Seeing and Reading Boston: 1630-Present<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AM 376<\/strong> Housing America<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AM 385<\/strong> American Buildings &amp; Landscapes<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AM 501<\/strong> Reading Boston &#8211; Conversations About the Real and Imagined City <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Archaeology Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AR 150<\/strong> Archaeology of Cities <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AR 438<\/strong> Seminar: Pompeii<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Biology Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS BI 306<\/strong> Biology of Global Change <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS BI 523<\/strong> Marine Urban Ecology <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Earth and Environment Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EE 365<\/strong> An Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EE 400<\/strong> Environment and Development: A Political Ecology Approach<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EE 475<\/strong> Urban Ecology<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EE 505<\/strong> Geographic Information Systems <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EE 512<\/strong> Urban Climate <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Cross College Challenge Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>HUB XC 437<\/strong> Environmental Equality and Urban Tree Canopies<\/p>\n<p><strong>HUB XC 422\u00a0<\/strong>Exploring Walkability in Boston<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\"><\/span>Kilachand Honors College Courses<span><\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>KHC EC 103<\/strong> Housing Policy: An Economic Perspective<\/p>\n<p><strong>KHC RH 105<\/strong> The Lived City <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Questrom Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>QST FE 469<\/strong> Real Estate Finance <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>QST LA 360<\/strong> Real Estate Law <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Social, Economic, and Political Topics<\/strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">African American Studies Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AA 207\/CAS SO 207<\/strong> Sociology of Race and Ethnicity <em>(cross listed) (offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AA 310<\/strong> History of the Civil Rights Movement<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AA 319\/CAS PO 316<\/strong>\u00a0Race and Politics of Criminal Justice Policy <em>(cross listed)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AA 335\/CAS SO 335\/CAS WS 335 <\/strong>Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender <em>(cross listed)<\/em> <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Art History Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AH 527<\/strong> Istanbul: From Imperial Capital to Global City <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">American Studies Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AM 202<\/strong> What\u2019s Boston?<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Anthropology Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AN 220<\/strong> Urban Anthropology <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AN 308<\/strong> Food, Culture &amp; Society<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AN 309<\/strong> Boston: An Ethnographic Approach<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS AN 344<\/strong> Modern Japanese Society: Family, School, and Workplace (Area)<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Economics Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EC 325<\/strong> The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination in the United States<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EC 328<\/strong> Urban and Regional Economics <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EC 363<\/strong> Race and the Development of the American Economy<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS EC 364<\/strong> Economic Policy: A British Perspective <em>(London Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">History Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 190<\/strong> History of Boston <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 226<\/strong> Cities and Cultures <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 227<\/strong> Living in the City<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 246<\/strong> London: Imperial City to World City<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 251<\/strong> Culture Capital: The History of Popular Culture in London <em>(London Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 253<\/strong> London at War (London Study Abroad)<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 260<\/strong> The Venetian Republic<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 261<\/strong> The Venetian Republic: 697\u20131797<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 268<\/strong> Postcolonial Paris<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 316<\/strong> American Urban History<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 365<\/strong> Shanghai: The Key to Modern China <em>(Shanghai Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 390<\/strong> Mecca to Dubai: Cities in the Middle East<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 440<\/strong> Refugee Hollywood<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 500<\/strong> Topics in History<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 528<\/strong> Engineering Boston<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS HI 568<\/strong> The Modern Metropolis: Approaches to Urban History<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Spanish Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS LS 576<\/strong> Topics in Spanish American Literature: Buenos Aires Through its Tales <em>(Buenos Aires Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Political Science Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 141<\/strong> Introduction to Public Policy<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 313<\/strong> The Politics and Policy of HBO\u2019s <em>The Wire<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 316\/CAS AA 319<\/strong> Race and Politics of Criminal Justice Policy <em>(cross listed)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 330 W1<\/strong> Special Topics: Urban Politics in the Global South<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 517<\/strong> Urban Politics and Policy<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 519<\/strong> Inequality and American Politics <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 524<\/strong> Local Policy Analysis Lab<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS PO 529<\/strong> Globalization and Contemporary Capitalism in Advanced Industrialized Nations<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Sociology Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 207\/CAS AA 207<\/strong>\u00a0Sociology of Race and Ethnicity <em>(cross listed) (offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 211<\/strong> Confronting Racial, Cultural, Gender, and Social Identities in Urban Classrooms<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 232<\/strong> Sociology and Inequality<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 242<\/strong>\u00a0Globalization and World Poverty<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 244<\/strong> Urban Sociology <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 280 <\/strong>Global Urban Studies<\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 306<\/strong> Boston\u2019s People and Neighborhoods <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 335\/CAS AA 335\/CAS WS 335 <\/strong>Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender <em>(cross listed)<\/em> <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 347<\/strong> Los Angeles: Case Study of a Global City <em>(Los Angeles Study Abroad)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 483 <\/strong>Gentrification Studies <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>CAS SO 490<\/strong> Global Health: Politics, Institutions, and Ideology <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">College of Communication Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>COM FT 538<\/strong> City in Film<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">HUB Social Justice Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>HUB SJ 101<\/strong> Social &amp; Racial Justice: Systems and Structures <em>(offered Fall 2026)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Questrom Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>QST SI 250<\/strong> Ideas to Impact<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><div class=\"bu_collapsible_container \" aria-live=\"polite\" data-customize-animation=\"false\"><h4 class=\"bu_collapsible\" aria-expanded=\"false\"tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">Wheelock College Courses<\/h4><div class=\"bu_collapsible_section\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>*SED ED 410<\/strong> Social Context of Education <strong>*2-credit course<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>*SED ED 412<\/strong> Civic Context of Education <strong>*2-credit course<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>SED YJ 201<\/strong> Intro to Youth Justice &amp; Delinquency<\/p>\n<p><span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Urban Studies Minor seeks young urban enthusiasts eager to broaden their horizons through exposure to multidisciplinary urban courses. From the myriad of cultures, people, and economic opportunity that exist in cities to the nuts and bolts of what makes cities sustainable and attractive places to be, this minor is a holistic look at what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9133,"featured_media":0,"parent":8452,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8512"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11567,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8512\/revisions\/11567"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/polisci\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}