African American Studies
College of Arts & Sciences
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Religion and Hip Hop
CAS AA 296
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. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 9 am-12:30 pm Add & Drop DatesCourse Start Date Monday, June 29, 2026 Last day to add Monday, July 6, 2026 Last day to drop without "W" grade Monday, July 6, 2026 Last day to drop with "W" grade Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Course End Date Friday, August 7, 2026 Location: CAS 327 ... Open SeatsJames HillMeets w/CAS RN 296 -
Introduction to African American Women Writers
CAS AA 304
Undergraduate Prerequisites: First-Year Writing Seminar (e.g., WR 120) - Examines the African American female literary tradition through selected texts by African American women, written from slavery to the present. Themes include Women in Bondage (Harriet Jacobs and Octavia Butler); Into the Twentieth Century (Frances E. W. Harper, Zora Neale Hurston, and Gwendolyn Brooks); and The Diaspora (Toni Morrison, Jamaica Kincaid, and Paule Marshall). Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy. Effective Fall 2022, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Critical Thinking, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, Writing-Intensive Course. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 19-June 26)
A1 (IND) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pm Add & Drop DatesCourse Start Date Tuesday, May 19, 2026 Last day to add Tuesday, May 26, 2026 Last day to drop without "W" grade Tuesday, May 26, 2026 Last day to drop with "W" grade Thursday, June 11, 2026 Course End Date Friday, June 26, 2026 Location: CAS 132 ... Open SeatsJewel PereyraMeets w/CAS EN 370 -
Race and the Politics of Criminal Justice Policy
CAS AA 319
Online offering. Considers the following questions: How many people are affected by the criminal justice system? What is the relationship between crime and race? What criminal justice policies, if any, should change? Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry I, Ethical Reasoning, Critical Thinking. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 1 (May 12-June 26)
O1 (IND) Arranged Add & Drop DatesCourse Start Date Tuesday, May 12, 2026 Last day to add Tuesday, May 5, 2026 Last day to drop without "W" grade Sunday, May 24, 2026 Last day to drop with "W" grade Sunday, June 7, 2026 Course End Date Friday, June 26, 2026 ... Open SeatsSpencer PistonOnline section O1: Meets online every Wed 1-3 pm for a live class. Nonstandard course dates. Meets w/CAS PO 316Summer 2 (June 29-August 14)
O2 (IND) Arranged Add & Drop DatesCourse Start Date Monday, June 29, 2026 Last day to add Monday, June 22, 2026 Last day to drop without "W" grade Saturday, July 11, 2026 Last day to drop with "W" grade Saturday, July 25, 2026 Course End Date Friday, August 14, 2026 ... Open SeatsSpencer PistonOnline section O2: Meets online every Wed 1-3 pm for a live class. Nonstandard course dates. Meets w/CAS PO 316For information about technology requirements for online courses at Boston University, see bu.edu/online/technology. BU Virtual can be reached at buvirtual@bu.edu or 617-358-1960 for additional information. -
The Poetics and Politics of Hip Hop
CAS AA 410
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 Summer 2026, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness. 4 cr. Tuition: $3380
Summer 2 (June 29-August 7)
B1 (LEC) Tues./Thurs. 1-4:30 pm Add & Drop DatesCourse Start Date Monday, June 29, 2026 Last day to add Monday, July 6, 2026 Last day to drop without "W" grade Monday, July 6, 2026 Last day to drop with "W" grade Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Course End Date Friday, August 7, 2026 Location: FLR 122 ... Open SeatsMichael Birenbaum QuinteroMeets w/CFA MH 410
Financial aid may be available to BU need-based scholarship recipients for certain HUB courses in summer 2026, including this one. For more information, please contact BU Financial Assistance at 617-353-2965 or finaid@bu.edu. Check out Summer 2026 HUB Course Scholarship eligibility requirements to see if you qualify.